and my heart sank...
TWD: and my heart sank...
as did the crumb toppings in my Blueberry Crumb Cake
Unfortunately... my attempts didn't succeed my 5 mins at fame. Instead of churning out a delightful confection with a somewhat similar resemblance to the Dorie's picture perfect crumb cake. A hideous monster with uncooked bottom, browned sides and non-existant crumb toppings greeted my sight. What a bummer... funny thing that the recipe worked out fine about a week ago on my first attempt. *shrugs*
Blueberry Crumb Cake
Dorie Greenspan’s Baking: from My Home to Yours
For the Crumbs:
5 tbsp unsalted butter at room temp
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar (packed)
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts*
For the Cake:
1 pint (2 cups) blueberries (preferably fresh, or frozen, not thawed)
2 cups plus 2 tsp all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
2/3 cup sugar
grated zest of 1/2 lemon or 1/4 orange
3/4 stick (6 tbsp) unsalted butter at room temp
2 large eggs, at room temp
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup buttermilk
Preheat oven to 350. Butter an 8-inch square pan and put it on a baking sheet.To make the crumbs: Put all the ingredients except the nuts in a food processor and pulse just until the mixture forms clumps and curds and holds together when pressed. Scrape the topping into a bowl, stir in the nuts and press a piece of plastic wrap against the surface. Refrigerate until needed. (Covered well the crumb mix can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.)
To make the cake: Using your fingertips, toss the blueberries and 2 tsp of the flour together in a small bowl just to coat the berries; set aside. Whisk together the remaining 2 cups flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.
Working in the bowl of a stand mixer or in another large bowl, rub the sugar and zest together with your fingertips until the sugar is moist and aromatic. Add the butter and, with the paddle or whisk attachment, or with a hand mixer, beat the sugar with the butter at medium speed until light, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs one by one, beating for about 1 minute after each addition, then beat in the vanilla extract. Don’t be concerned if the batter looks curdled — it will soon smooth out. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour mixture and the buttermilk alternately, the flour in 3 parts and the buttermilk in 2 (begin and end with the dry ingredients.) You will have a thick, creamy batter. With a rubber spatula, gently stir in the berries.
Scrape the batter into the buttered pan and smooth the top gently with the spatula. Pull the crumb mix from the fridge and, with your fingertips, break it into pieces. There’s no need to try to get even pieces — these are crumbs, they’re supposed to be lumpy and bumpy and every shape and size. Scatter the crumbs over the batter, pressing them down ever so slightly.
Bake for 55 to 65 minutes, or until the crumbs are golden and a thin knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Transfer the cake to a rack and cool just until it is warm or until it reaches room temperature.
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78 comments:
Sihan, I love the reasons that you picked this lovely cake, and I'm so sorry that your (second) cake didn't work out. Too bad you didn't take pictures of the first one, right? Well, you definitely made a lot of people happy this week - everybody loves this crumb cake!
Nancy
I'm so sorry this wasn't a smashing success for you! It must be so disappointing to wait so long to pick and not have it be perfect! I had some doneness issues too but it all worked out in the end. Even though you may not be thrilled with it, I think it looks great! Thanks for picking it for us!
Sometimes the baking gods are just not with us.
Thank you for selecting this recipe. It was out of this world good. My crumbs didn't sink, nothing burnt, etc. It was easy to make and it is something I will make again.
I'm sorry it didn't turn out! I made mine as muffins and the topping did melt a bit, but they were delicious. Thanks for picking this!
Sorry it didn't turn out as well as you wanted! Love your sense of humor- especially the RAWR! :-) Mine is in the oven now!
Oh, but my coworkers thank you for the pick - they absolutely loved it (as did my boyfriend). Sorry your crumbs didn't turn out so crumb-y, but the cake itself looks wonderfully moist!
It was yummy though! My crumb topping sank to the bottom too. Not sure why. Sorry yours disappointed!
Sorry it didn't turn out the way you wanted. I am glad you picked it though- my husband loved it!
This was a wonderful choice. It made me very happy. Your cake looks tasty with or without the crumbles. :)
What a bummer about the cake, but at least you know it DOES work out. Great pick. Yummy crumby cake! Better luck next time you try it.
This was a great pick, sorry yours was not a success.
You made me really happy this week for picking this. I've been dying to bake a cake. Plus, this was my first crumb cake and it was really delicious! You made my family very happy with this choice. It will probably be a million rounds before it gets to me. By then, we might be left with pastry cream or caramel syrup...haha.
I enjoyed your post!
Sorry it didn't turn out the way you would have liked. Thanks for the great pick!
Oh! That is a total bummer that it didn't work out this time! It was a great pick though, so thank you!
awww i'm sorry it didn't work out but i loved your pick!!
btw - do you know why i can't link directly to this specific post? am i just missing the link?
nevermind - just found the link! :P
sorry to hear that it didn't work out for you :( i wonder why they sank? anyway, it still looks very tasty! thanks for a great pick! :)
So sorry about the results - crazy how life is sometimes. My co-workers, husband and I thank you a ton for picking this recipe - one of my favorites.
My family loved your choice! Sorry that you weren't satisfied with your result.
Ulrike from Küchenlatein
So sorry it sank for you!!! Thank you for choosing this wonderful recipe, though! I really enjoyed it!
Crumbless or not, it still looks delicious! Thanks so much for picking this lovely recipe for us to bake this week. I thought it was wonderful!
Thank you soooo much for picking this recipe: I absolutely loved it and it gave me the chance to bake something with my favourite fruit in the world: blueberries!
Too bad yout second attempt wasn't so good....
I am sorry this wasn't a smashing success for you, but hey it still looks yummy !!! *** hug hug****
Everyone's right...you made us all happy! We're all sending you a hug for picking this cake. It was so so so so good.
It doesn't look bad at all - it just has a hidden blueberry surprise at the bottom! Thank you for picking this one - I loved it.
Hi i'm new to TWD. Your choice was my first challenge! Thanks for selecting the blueberry crumb cake. I would've picked it too! I think your cake turned out fine! Nothing to be upset about! I've looked at some of your other stuff and i'm really impressed! Take a look at my page when you get a chance! www.testadicocco.blogspot.com
Thanks!
This was a great choice Sihan - it tasted delicious, as your boyfriend attested.
Aww, sorry to hear it didn't turn out well for you. I had a topping sink last week on a different cake. Such a frustrating thing.
My entire family loved this recipe so that you for the awesome choice!
Your cakes looks good to me! These things happen now and then. Besides, you already made it once and it turned out beautifully. Thanks so much for choosing such a delicious cake. My whole family loved it!
I loved your selection this week Sihan (it made my Sunday morning)! I'm sorry that this didn't turn out as you expected; still, I think you're cake looks mighty tasty.
Sorry that your second attempt wasn't successful. Sometimes, the odds are against us despite our best efforts.
I truly appreciate your selecting this recipe. I was nervous at first because it took so long to bake, but the end result was moist, wonderful, and full of blueberry goodness.
I so enjoy the TWD selections that allow me to bake something that I might have otherwise skipped, so, thank you, again! Happy Baking!
Sihan, I think you cake looks wonderful still! Thank you so much for this pick, I love why you picked it :) I made this twice and the first time it really looked gorgeous for a crumb cake, the second time I did not think it looked as nice, and I'm not sure why either, oh-well. Both times the taste was great and I was so happy to use blueberries which I adore.
I had trouble with the middle getting done, and by the time it did, my cake was too brown and too dry. I will try again, however, as I was looking forward to this recipe a great deal, and I see that others have managed it quite well. Thanks for picking it...I know there is a rose in there somewhere!
Thanks for such a fabulous pick.
We just loved it.
I will say that I'm happy you have a sense of humor about it all. And the rest of us thank you for choosing this recipe! :)
Thanks, this was a fun recipe to make.
I did not have trouble with baking it except it rose much more then I expected. Super-sized!
Darn it Im sorry your cake had to blow out dragon flames! Im so happy you picked this recipe cus I loved it.
Baking can be such a challenge, but that's part of the fun (usually). Thanks for selecting this one. I liked it a lot!
This was a GREAT pick, Sihan! A perfect, classic crumb cake. Sorry that it got all weird on you the second time around, but it still looks great to me. Just a chance to get some of that amazing topping elsewhere in the cake!
Thanks for picking this cake. At least your first one turned out. The second one looks like a blueberry upsidedown cake. Still good I am sure. I did this cake twice because I had some problems with my first one. My family devoured them both.
I loved the recipe, thanks for picking it. Sorry it was perfection for you! But if it's any consolation- I think many people loved the pick
That looks great even without the topping! Thanks for an awesome pick- we loved it!
Wow, that's weird that your crumbs disappeared.
Good pick, though, I think most of us enjoyed it.
Well, I think it's gorgeous. All that matters is that it tastes great! :) Thanks again for choosing this one - I loved it!!
I'm sorry your second cake didn't work out. I had mixed success with mine, as well. The middle of mine was done, but at the expense of the edges, which were pretty dry. I loved the topping though. That alone was worth making this recipe.
Boo that stinks that you weren't thrilled with your choice! I say give it a go again, really it was very good. My coworkers LOVED it!
I'm so sorry this happened to you...and on your pick, too! BUT - it still looks mighty tasty! Great pick...I was thrilled when I saw you had chosen this!
-Amy
www.singforyoursupperblog.com
Thank you very much for choosing this recipe for us this week, it was great fun to bake and to eat too!!!
Yours look pretty nice, even with the baking trouble! Bravo!
OOOPS! I just left a comment for you in the wrong spot. I scrolled down too far before leaving my comment about the blueberry crumb cake. Check out my later comment for words of support. thanks again for choosing this recipe.
Hey, this is my first time to your site! I love it. First, nice try on the cake. Second, I could not make it for today, but will this week. Third, everyone seems to have like it! Thanks for hosting this week.
Sometimes when we try really hard to make something perfect is the very time it will collapse and fail us. However, your cake does not look like a failure - it looks perfect! I bet it tasted wonderful! I can't wait to try the recipe.
Oh no! So sorry it didn't work out for you. I loved this one, thanks for picking it.
Ciao ! Thank you for choosing this cake and even if in some ways it didn't exactly work out as we wanted it it sure was super good !!
Bummer that it didn't turn out the way you would have liked it to! We loved it at our house...
So sorry this didn't work out for you. I'm sure it'll be great next time you give it a go. Thanks for picking though, I loved this cake.
Sorry your second cake didn't turn out! I still think it looks great! Thanks for the great pick this week.
Isn't that just the way? You make something successfully without pictures, and then when you NEED the photos, something goes wrong. But really - your Blueberry Crumbless Cake looks extremely yummy. Thanks so much for choosing this recipe! It was a huge hit!
how frustrating to not have the second attempt not work out. i wonder what happened?? thank you for a wonderful choice this week, definitely one of our favorites so far and a great recipe for sharing.
Great pick!! I totally looove this cake!!!
sihan, thanks so much for choosing this cake this week--i'm at my parents and they have a blueberry farm and so they also have lots of berries in the freezer this time of year, which i used with abandon:) i think your cake is beautiful just the way it is, and definitely delicious!
Thanks for picking a winner. Sorry yours wasn't all that it should be...I hope you try again! It is very yummy.
merci pour avoir choisi cette recette.
c'est un gâteau excellent et très facile à réaliser :)
It looks wonderful and because of you I made my very first coffee cake. And it is delicious. Just wish I made it when more family members were home ... it's huge!
Great choice; I had fun baking this. I'm sorry it wasn't it didn't live up to your anticipation after 56 whole rounds.
So sorry your own pic didn't work out for you. It was such a good cake and the crumb was wonderful. I still have some in the fridge for another time. Maybe on ice cream. I liked your pic tho, and it was tasty. Thanks for this one.
Thanks for your choice this week! It's a really delicious cake. I think yours looks marvelous even if it wasn't quite what you were hoping for!
oh no! i'm so sorry that your heart, and your crumb topping, sank! this was well-enjoyed at my house, though.
I am so sorry your cake wasn't to your liking, but rest assured, you made many a TWD baker VERY happy this week! You had a phenomenal pick!
The picture looks just fine - too bad it didn't work out the way you wanted. We loved it. great pick.
This was my first TWD recipe, and I loved it, especially the topping!
It was a great pick, I hope you will make it again sometime with better luck.
Guess what?! I also had issues with my crumb cake. But I made it again and it turned out quite alright!
I love your detailed pics!
Thanks for choosing the cake! :)
Oh, too bad it didn't work out this time! Figures that the baking gods would frown just when it's your turn in the spotlight. :) At least you got a hug out of it. Thanks for the fun pick.
Hi Sihan,
I had exactly the same problems with my cake as you. It looks great though :)
I know it has been awhile since this was posted, but did anyone come to figure out WHY a crumb would collapse like this?
I just did a standard crumb cake. The first time I did, just like here: flawless.
Second time? Utter collapse failure embarrassment. Granted, I was using someone else's kitchen and ingredients, but come on! What happened???
KelvinDC: hi there! Well, I'm totally stumped by this one as well. It worked pretty fine the last time. I attribute it to the temperature. Sometimes really humid and hot weather can do major damages to your head. As for you my friend, well, use of someone else's oven may perhaps pose the problem of flutucating oven temperatures and stuff. It's complicated. so that might have resulted in a sunken cake. *sighs*
After doing some reading, another thought on what could have been your and my culprit:
the cake batter wasn't thick enough to support the crumb/berries.
In my case, I think this was due to using a liquid product containing less fat. The thinner substance of course caused the batter to be just slightly less thick. Makes sense in my mind! O_o
Hey - I am definitely happy to find this. Good job!
THX for sharing
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