Spice Crumb Cake

This crumb cake is more suitable for dessert rather than breakfast. My mother got the recipe from her step-mother, who got it from a close friend. In my teenage years, the crumb cake was a big hit in our neighborhood, particularly for summer backyard cookouts. For such events, my mother would often make four of these crumb cakes in succession because buttermilk is usually available only in quarts.

One year my brother and I and two friends feared that even with four crumb cakes, we wouldn't get enough cake ourselves. So we stole one of them and feasted on it in the basement. My mother was totally mystified and several times said "I could swear I made four crumb cakes."

The fun part of this recipe is making the crumbs, but remember to wash your hands and clean your fingernails first!

Mix to crumbs with hands, put aside 1 cup (packed), and to the rest add:

(I have never used the raisins in this recipe.) Mix well and pour into a well-greased 9” x 11” pan. (I prefer an oblong Pyrex pan for this.) Sprinkle crumbs and

½ cup chopped pecans on top. Bake at 325° for about 40 min.

Charles Petzold
September 2000