BRUSH
Keeping It Clean

Crumb topping
1/3 c. sugar
2 c. flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/3 c. packed light brown sugar
1 1/2 sticks butter (not margarine) melted

Combine as in New York Crumb Cake. Set aside.

Cake
2 sticks very soft butter
1 1/2 c. sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
3 whole eggs

Cream butter and sugar, add whole eggs one at a time. Stir in vanilla.

2 1/2 c. all purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder

Add half of this mixture to the butter mixture.

3 egg yolks
1/4 c. buttermilk

Combine yolks with buttermilk. Add to butter-flour mixture. Stir in remaining flour.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle it with 2 pints blueberries or 4 cups frozen sour cherries. Press down, gently scatter topping mixture evenly over the cake and fruit.

Bake the cake 50 to 60 minutes until the batter is firm and the crumbs are golden brown.

Cool cake in the pan on a rack.

Notes:

Nick cut his cake into fifteen, 3 inch squares in the pan. We were able to lift our cake out and slide off the liner, cut and therefore did not damage the pan. Nick says to keep the cake loosely covered at room temperature. The Cookie Lady's family very seldom needs that advice.

I mix the dry ingredients, put them in a covered bowl, jar, or plastic bag, then in the morning I just combine them with the wet ingredients. It saves some time and mess in the morning.

ENJOY! Have a happy, healthy, and safe holiday!

How to Bake, published 1995
Nick Malgieri