Huckleberry Crumb Cake

The pro huckleberry picker (my mommy)

I have to apologize to my eleven followers for my hiatus.
I have been living in the depths on the dungeon (AKA the theater) without light for the past couple weeks and will continue for two weeks more :) My skin is so pale you can practically see through to my innards. I mean you would think the florescent lights would be more flattering..... NOT!
I will post some performance shots soon but for now lets get to something more appetizing...

HUCKLEBERRY CRUMB CAKE

For those of you who have not tried Huckleberries, you are missing out on the greatest berry in the history of time. You read recipes and they will go on to say "easily replaceable with a wild blueberry". NO! ABSOLUTELY NOT. No comparison. They don't taste remotely the same. Maybe you could compare the color... MAYBE. Huckleberries are more petite and like a little purple pearl of greatness that grows under the tiny leaves of the plant. Now I owe everything to my mom and my dog Sandee (and dad you too if you went huckleberry-ing .. but you were most likely golfing). They get to go in the woods and go huckleberry-ing at the end of every summer. It's like the best thing ever. All I can say in my next life I am totally being a bear so I can just sit in the bushes and chow down on wild berries all day. Greg (my brother) thinks that bears got their name because they eat berries. Wonder if it's true? Those little berry-vours. So jealous.

Anywhoodle, back to the delicious crumb cake. I have an issue with crumb cakes. Once I start eating I can't stop. It's part of my childhood. My mom would make it on occasion and she would find me sitting in the kitchen with a fork and the entire 9x13 baking dish infront of me just chowing away like it was my plate. This crumb cake is on another level. Perhaps because it's not made out of bisquick...

Huckleberry Crumb Cake:

Adapted from Gourmet

For cake

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 stick unsalted butter, melted
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup raspberry jam or preserves

Crumb Topping

• 3/4 stick unsalted butter, melted
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Make cake:

Preheat oven to 400°F with rack in middle. Generously butter a 9-inch square or round cake pan.

Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.

Whisk together butter, milk, and egg in a large bowl, then whisk in flour mixture until just combined. Pour batter into cake pan. Dollop jam all over surface, then swirl into batter with spoon.

Make crumb topping:
Whisk together butter, sugars, cinnamon, and salt until smooth. Stir in flour, then blend with your fingertips until incorporated. Sprinkle crumbs in large clumps over top of cake.

Bake cake until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean and sides begin to pull away from pan, about 25 minutes. Cool in pan on a rack 5 minutes.