Thursday, June 11, 2015

Alvina's Crumb Cake #FathersDay @LucyBurdette #recipe




Alvina's Crumb Cake, passed down from Bob Isleib to his family 

With father's day coming up soon, it's hard not to think of my sweet dad--I still miss him a lot. He was a great dad, and an interesting, funny man who was crazy about his family.

My dad and his darling wife, Mary Jane

My father did not cook much, but he was proud of the two recipes in his repertoire. One was his easy but controversial method for making pie crust, which he used to make occasional apple pies.




The other was this recipe for coffee cake. I love having the recipe card in his handwriting--a treasure in my box. Although I've canvassed my living relatives, no one is completely sure who Alvina was.

I made a few tweaks to his recipe including using cake flour which makes a finer crumb. I also added butter and brown sugar to the topping, and reduced the oven temperature. (I remember the cake often coming out crispy.)



Ingredients

2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 lb (2 sticks) butter, softened
4 cups flour, cake if you have it
4 tsp baking powder
3 beaten eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup Milk

 



1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 stick butter
1 tsp cinnamon
1/3 cup additional flour

Preheat the oven to 350.

Pulse the sugar, 2 sticks of butter, and flour together. (I used a stand mixer—small lumps are acceptable, even encouraged.) Remove one cup of this mixture for topping and in another bowl, cut in 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 stick of butter, and 1/2 cup brown sugar. Set that aside.

To the original  mixture, add 4 heaping tsp baking powder and 3 beaten eggs. Mix well.

Mix in the milk and vanilla—do not overbeat.


 

 Pour into a well-buttered 9 by 13 inch pan and sprinkle crumbs over top. Bake for 35 or so minutes, or until a toothpick stuck in the middle comes out dry.

 


This is also delicious with a handful of fresh blueberries folded in before baking.

When she is not blogging and cooking, Lucy Burdette writes the Key West food critic mysteries!

Fatal Reservations, the sixth book in the series, will be in bookstores on July 7, but you can certainly order it now! And, to begin the countdown and launch the celebration, we will be giving away one copy of the new book--leave a comment with your email to be entered in the drawing.

48 comments:

  1. Sounds ands looks scrumptious! Thank you for sharing!

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  2. Alvina's Crumb Cake looks yummy! Thank you for the sharing the recipe.
    myrifraf(at)gmail(dot)com

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  3. I love this series. The cake looks delicious. Thank you for sharing the recipe and this wonderful opportunity to win. areewekidding@yahoo.com

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  4. I love this series! The cake sounds delicious, thank you for the chance to win!

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  5. Forgot my email. Dnrocker@yahoo.com

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  6. R just before I come here I loosened the waistband on my slacks. It sounds delicious and I love the "lumps are encouraged".. Delicious as your mysteries even though it may be fattening. Ezrag2@aol.com

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    1. we all loosen our waistbands a little on this blog:), then we go out and take a brisk walk and all is forgiven

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  7. This looks lovely! And I like the idea of adding blueberries. I can see adding in any fruit in season.

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  8. I enjoy this series a great deal. Thank you for the giveaway. This coffee cake sounds delicious, but I think the best part is having the recipe card in your father's handwriting. dmskrug3 at hotmail dot com

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  9. I will be trying this recipe. Love crumb cakes. It is neat that you have his recipe in his handwriting. My sister passed away at an early age . She loved to cook and I have one of her recipes cards in her handwriting and I treasure it. Looking forward to the new Key West book. Can't wait!

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  10. The cake looks delicious! I am truly charmed by the recipe card. I have my late mother's recipe box just stuffed full of such cards and it is a real treasure. Isn't it a shame that those sweet little cards are no longer used any more? pattie.tierney@gmail.com

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  11. The crumb cake sounds wonderful and easy enough for me to make. My mom passed away several months ago...I love going through her recipes and seeing her handwriting! I am looking forward to the new book...your series is one of my favorites. cking78503@aol.com

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    1. Oh sorry about your Mom, Chris! it's hard no matter how old they are...

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  12. This does sound tasty. Wonder who Alvina was? Not your every day name.
    I have a bunch of apricots and may put a thick layer of them in before adding the batter.
    libbydodd at comcast dot net

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    1. Apricots sound good--are they fresh? let us know how it turns out!

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  13. I'd love to win it. I have all your other books. suefoster109@netzero.net

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  14. Lovely cake, Roberta/Lucy! I loved 'meeting' your dad here and the picture of the recipe card. Ours are all covered with grease spots, so we are VERY impressed with you Isleibs. Congrats on the coming book! Can't wait for Fatal Reservations.

    XO

    MJ

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  15. never been to key west but after reading the food critic books i want to go.......

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  16. What a great keepsake. I don't recall my dad ever cooking anything. Hubby can follow a recipe, but stays clear of the kitchen except for clean up duty. bobbipad@gmail.com

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  17. Love that you have the recipe card from your Dad. My Dad was a good cook! He taught my Mom how to cook & did all the grocery shopping, but he was not a baker. I will have to try out the cake - it looks good. Would love to win your book! (Bondir at msn dot com).

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  18. Recipes passed from loved ones truly are treasures. I haven't made a coffee cake in ages but this recipe looks easy and I think my family will enjoy it as an unexpected treat. Thanks for sharing it.
    little lamb lst at yahoo dot com

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  19. That looks really good! Thanks for sharing it, and your memories.
    lizc@mac.com

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  20. My Dad's specialty was open-faced tomato, onion, bacon and cheese sandwiches--he would make them every Sunday. Of course we creatively called them "Daddy's Sandwiches." Alvina's crumb cake looks delicious! Happy early Father's Day! bobandcelia@sbcglobal.net

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    1. so funny Celia:). That's the kind of creativity we used in naming a cat Puddy Tat LOL

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  21. That is very special to have that recipe in your Dad's handwriting. A few months before my Dad passed away, my aunt gave my Mom a letter that my Dad had written to my uncle, about double dating, before he married Mom. It was pretty cool to read that. Mom and Dad were married almost 63 years before Dad passed away. Thanks for sharing the recipe!

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  22. The cake sounds delicious. I'm going to have to go shopping now. I hope my kids don't just toss out my recipe cards. I have some very old ones, including from my first foods class in 1961! (I'm old). I'd love to read your book.
    lkish77123 at gmail dot com

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    1. surely they wouldn't toss them out Linda--family heirlooms!

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  23. When I was in college, the dining hall made a cake similar to this recipe. It was called Lazy Daisy cake. That was my favorite dessert there. Still remember it 40+ yeas later.

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  24. When I was in college, the dining hall made a cake similar to this recipe. It was called Lazy Daisy cake. That was my favorite dessert there. Still remember it 40+ yeas later.

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  25. When I was in college, the dining hall made a cake similar to this recipe. It was called Lazy Daisy cake. That was my favorite dessert there. Still remember it 40+ yeas later.

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  26. I love simple cake recipes. Thank you for sharing it and for this giveaway. Congratulations on the new book.
    debprice60@gmail.com

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  27. Aww, this is so sweet. Your dad is adorable. 425 is way hot for a cake. No wonder it was crispy sometimes! It sounds perfect!

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  29. Sounds good. Love your recipes. My email is westoncarol @yahoo.com

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  30. I love this and these books.. How do I sign up to get it in my email?

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    1. Sharon, if you want to be entered in the drawing (is that your question?), simply leave your email here in a comment. You can replace @ with at, so the spammers don't get you...

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  31. The coffee cake recipe reminds of one we had when I was young. Cowboy Coffee Cake.. The house smelled yummy for hours. Eat a piece for me the next time you bake it, please. mtrver at gmail dot com

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  32. Sounds wonderful! Chopped fresh peaches would be a nice addition. I can smell it now.
    kpbarnett1941[at]aol.com

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  33. Azelgert@gmail.com. I love Coffee Cake

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  34. This recipe sounds yummy and I love this series.

    kaye dot killgore at comcast dot net

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  35. Thank you all for the lovely comments yesterday! The winner of FATAL RESERVATIONS this time is Jen Scott. But don't give up--there will be a giveaway here the next 3 Thursdays, leading up to book launch day on July 7!

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