crumb crazy: orange crumb cake

I know, I know, I just made a pretty fantastic crumb coffee cake, so why would I try again after being so satisfied with that recipe? Well, it all came down to a trade. After a bout of wii boxing and the fact that at that moment, unbeknownst to me, I was coming down with the flu of a lifetime, my muscles were crying foul. I wanted a massage. My partner-in-crime wanted cake so a deal was struck. Turns out I may have had the best deal of all, since I got a fantastic massage and a share of the cake. Hey, I'm a believer that there is no such thing as too much cake.


And oh boy, oh boy, what a cake! Incredibly light textured—perhaps due to the fact that olive oil replaces stodgy butter in this recipe—and to what effect! Light as a feather, indeed. Plus, the orange flavour is bright and fresh and melds beautifully with the cardamom, nutmeg and cinnamon. And did I mention that it's easy to boot? Yup, just take care to read over the recipe and reserve some of the dry mixture as the topping!


I'm still ravaged by the flu and I've lost my voice. And it's tee shirt weather now that spring has finally hit Vancouver...but I'm too sick to be outside to enjoy it. But at least I still have cake! Oh and if you are in sunny warm Vancouver today, be sure to stop by the I *heart* Crafts bazaar at 805 East Pender until 6pm in beautiful Strathcona. Althought I'm sick, my friend Mel has graciously offered to man my table. So stop by, purchase some handmade goods, and say hi!

orange crumb cake
2 c flour
1 1/2 c brown sugar
zest of 1 large orange
1/2 t cinnamon
1/2 t cardamon
1/4 t nutmeg
1/2 c olive oil
3 T orange juice

1 c yogurt
1 egg
1 t vanilla extract
2 t baking powder
1 t baking soda

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Lightly butter and flour a 8 or 9 inch round or square pan. Set aside.

2. Stir flour, sugar, orange zest and spices in a medium sized bowl. Add oil and orange juice and stir lightly until mixture forms clumps. Remove 1 cup of this mixture for the topping and set aside.

3. In another bowl, combine the yogurt, egg, vanilla, baking powder and baking soda until blended. Add the flour mixture to the yogurt mixture, stirring until batter is smooth.

4. Pour batter into prepared pan, and sprinkle with the reserved cup of topping. Bake for 40 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean.

midnight at the oasis: apple crumb coffee cake

It's great to wake up and have breakfast ready and waiting. Last night I made this coffee cake that I saw on La Vie Cerise and decided that it would be perfect for a Saturday morning with a whole lot of coffee. And it was. The topping was plentiful and sweet and the apples scattered throughout the cake added just the right amount of tartness to balance everything out.


But the thing about baking this cake was that I started it quite late in the evening....after 1 am to be exact. And because it was so late, I wasn't in best form and I missed an ingredient—baking powder. I didn't realize it until I started typing out the recipe this morning. Doh! And since I'm in confession mode, I also over-baked this cake. I guess that's what happens when it's late and I'm not so focused. Oops! Not that you'd ever know it cuz this cake is good, miscalculations and all. So maybe my cake didn't rise very much and was a bit too golden, it was still a fantastic way to start the day along with a whole lot of strong coffee.


Want more? Why not head over to my latest post over at the Food Network Canada and say hi! Vancouver is quickly losing it's history in the rush to build up a condo or two (thousand) and this weekend marks the end of Wally's Burgers, a local burger joint. Read my write up on the Food Network Canada blog, Bazaar.

apple crumb coffee cake
1 1/2 c flour
2 1/4 t baking powder
1/2 c brown sugar
1/2 t salt
1/2 t cinnamon
1 egg
1/2 c milk
1/2 c canola oil
1 Granny Smith apple, chopped

crumb topping:
1/2 c brown sugar
1/4 c flour
2 T butter
1/2 t cinnamon
1/4 c walnuts

Preheat oven to 400. Butter and flour an 8" round cake pan, shaking off any excess flour. Prepare crumb topping in a medium-sized bowl, crumbling mixtures with your fingers until it looks like crumbs. Set aside.

In a large bowl, mix together dry ingredients. In a smaller bowl, combine egg, milk and oil. Add the wet to the dry and mix. Add in apples and stir until combined. Pour batter into prepared pan and top with crumb mixture. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a knife inserted in the centre comes out clean. Let cool. Prepare a pot of your favorite coffee and go to town.