Today is a special day.  It marks my 15-year union with Chris.  And I say union because we were together for 11 years before we got married.  He’s the most loving, understanding, caring and giving man I know.  And I feel so lucky to have him as my partner.

Photo by Lindsey Cahill Photography

Photo by Lindsey Cahill Photography

Like any relationships, we’ve had our shares of ups and downs.  But no matter now bad things got, we never gave up on each other.

Photo by Lindsey Cahill Photography

Photo by Lindsey Cahill Photography

He’s my soulmate (I know, corny!), my best friend, my confidante.  And I want to celebrate many more anniversaries with him.  Love you Chris!

Photo by Lindsey Cahill Photography

Photo by Lindsey Cahill Photography

If you’ve been reading my blog for sometime now, you know I’m a huge fan of crumbs.  I have to say, this cake is the crème de la crème of all crumb cakes.  Look at how thick and generous the crumbs are.

The flour ratio in the crumb topping is way more than the actual cake! Now that’s some serious crumbs.  So if you love crumbs like I do, you’ll love this cake.  Have a wonderful New Year everyone and a fantastic 2014.  See you next year!

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Ingredients:

Crumb Topping:

• 1/3 cup of granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup of dark muscovado sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon of ground cinnamon (I used Vietnamese cinnamon)
• 1/8 teaspoon of salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) of unsalted butter, melted and still warm
• 1 3/4 cups of cake flour

Cake:

• 1 1/4 cups of cake flour
• 1/2 cup of granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon of salt
• 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) of unsalted butter, softened and cut into small pieces
• 1 egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup of buttermilk

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.  Grease an 8-inch square baking pan with non-stick baking spray.  Line it with a sheet of parchment paper leaving a generous overhang for easy removal; set aside.

For the crumb topping: Whisk sugars, ground cinnamon, salt and butter in a medium bowl to combine.  Stir in flour with a spatula until mixture resembles thick dough; set aside to cool to room temperature, about 10-15 minutes.

For the cake: Using a stand or electric mixer (or mix by hand) mix flour, sugar, baking soda and salt until combined.  While the mixer is still running, add butter one piece at a time until the mixture resembles coarse crumb, with no visible butter chunks remaining.  Add egg, yolk, vanilla extract and buttermilk.  Beat until light and fluffy, about 1 minute, scraping the sides if necessary.

Pour batter into the prepared pan and spread it evenly with a spatula.  Break apart crumb topping into large pea-sized pieces and spread it into an even layer over the batter, starting with the edges and then work towards the center.  Bake for 35-40 minutes or until crumbs are golden and toothpick/tester inserted into the center comes out clean.  Allow the crumb cake to cool completely before cutting into squares.

Adapted from Smells Like Home