"streusel cake" news and stories

Before you get started on the batter, you'll need to grease your pan. We're using a 10-inch tube pan, most often used for pound cakes and angel food cakes. I used nonstick cooking spray to grease my pan, but butter or shortening will work just as well. Use your fingers or a paper towel to get your grease into every corner. Once the cake has been baked, we'll need to turn it out onto a cooling rack and it's important that the cake does not stick, as it could cause the cake to break when you flip it over.

Once your 10-inch tube pan is greased, put your dry ingredients - flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt - into a medium bowl and whisk until well combined. Set this bowl aside and continue on to the next step.

[Photo by Nicole Weston]

Place all your streusel ingredients, except for the butter, in a large bowl and stir together. Cut the butter into 10 or 12 large chunks and add them to the bowl. Using your hands, rub the butter into the flour mixture until the mixture is crumbly. Some pieces can be large - the size of an almond or pecan - but they shouldn't all be that big. Notice in the photo how the sizes of the lumps in my mixture vary.

I wasn't thrilled with the recipe's instructions to have the butter soft for the streusel, since it is much easier to work into flour when it has been chilled. What this really means is that your hands will get dirty during this step. Just keep working until the streusel is done, since it only takes 4 or 5 minutes. And don't plan on answering the phone.

Rub the ingredients together to create a nice, sandy streusel. Set this bowl aside and go on to the next step.

The first thing to do, once you have your ingredients list, is check your recipe and preheat your oven. This gives it time to come to the right temperature. There is no "right" amount of time, as all ovens vary. Some will heat up in five minutes and others will take twenty. It's best to be on the safe side and give it more time, rather than less. Next, gather your supplies. You'll need flour, sugar, butter, etc. I find that it is helpful to have all my supplies on the table in front of me when I start to work, because you can always grab a spoon if you need an extra one, but if you forget an ingredient, it could be a disaster for your cake.

Preheat the oven to 350F. Grab a bowl and the streusel ingredients and head over to the next step.

[Photo by Nicole Weston]