Let Them Eat...
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[Photograph: Yvonne Ruperti]

Now this is a reason to get out of bed in the morning. These individual cakes are moist and buttery and topped with pebbly brown sugar-cinnamon crumbs.

Notes:Muffin top pans differ depending on the brand. I used a muffin top pan that has six cups, each cup with a volume of 5 tablespoons. The batter in this recipe made exactly two batches, or 12 muffin tops total. Though I haven't tested it, you should be able to bake this batter in a standard size 12 cup muffin pan.

About the Author: Yvonne Ruperti is a food writer, recipe developer, former bakery owner, and author of the new cookbook One Bowl Baking: Simple From Scratch Recipes for Delicious Desserts (Running Press, October 2013), and available at Barnes & Noble, IndieBound, Powell's, The Book Depository. Watch her culinary stylings on the America's Test Kitchen television show. Follow her Chocoholic, Chicken Dinners, Singapore Stories and Let Them Eat Cake columns on Serious Eats. Follow Yvonne on Twitter as she explores Singapore.

About This Recipe

Yield: makes 12 muffin tops
Active time: 15 minutes
Total time: 1 hour
Special equipment: 6 cup muffin top pan (see note)

Ingredients

  • For the Cake:
  • 1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces) granulated sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons melted butter
  • 1 tablespoon canola oil
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1/4 cup sour cream
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 cup (5 ounces) all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
  •  
  • For the Crumb Topping:
  • 1 3/4 cup (8 3/4 ounces) all-purpose flour
  • 2/3 cup (4 2/3 ounces) packed light brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 10 tablespoons (5 ounces) unsalted butter, melted
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Procedures

  1. For the cake: Adjust rack to middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Grease muffin top pan.

  2. Whisk sugar, salt, melted butter, and oil in a large bowl. Whisk in egg, milk, sour cream, and vanilla. Stir flour, baking powder, and baking soda in a small bowl. Whisk into wet mixture until just combined.

  3. For the crumb topping: Whisk flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl until combined. Add melted butter and vanilla, and toss with fingers until the mixture forms moist crumbs.

  4. Spoon 2 tablespoons batter into each cup and spread evenly (see note). Sprinkle with 1/2 of crumb mixture. Bake until light golden and cakes are just firm, about 15 minutes. Let cakes cool in pan 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool. Repeat with remaining batter and crumbs.