Recipe for New York Crumb Cake

Instructions

• Preheat Oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
• Spray a 9 by 13 inch baking pan with non-stick stuff (or do what my Oma did... wipe the paper that was wrapped around the butter on the inside of the pan...) Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper (this is for extra insurance) I even give it an extra spritz for paranoia's sake.
• Skip ahead a bit to the Crumb part... Melt the 2 sticks of Butter, and then set aside while you mix up the Cake Batter.... I do this in a microwave (don't forget to cover it!), but you can use your preferred butter melting method. This way the butter can cool a bit.

Cake:

• Ok... back to the batter. Put the 10 TBL of Butter into the bowl of a mixer and whip it up for a minute or 2.
• Slowly add the sugar... and mix together at medium speed for 5 minutes or so. You are looking for a light colored, whipped looking stuff.
• You there? Add the eggs one at a time... scrape and mix after each addition, now add the Vanilla Extract.
• In a large measuring cup (or a small bowl) whisk together the flour, baking soda and baking powder. Got it?
• Measure out the sour cream.
• Now... slowly (I said slowly) add some of the flour to the butter mixture... now add some sour cream.... and mix it together. Now more flour... now more sour cream... mix some more (are you getting the pattern?) Keep going until all the flour and all the sour cream are in, mixed, scraped down and mixed again.
• You want it to look smooooooooth.
• Carefully (or recklessly... totally up to you) dump the batter into the prepared pan. Spread it out with a spatula (yes, you can use your fingers, but if you lick them, don't go sticking them back in the cake.... at least not when anyone is looking). It is a bit tricky, because the parchment paper will try to move around. You are in charge, not the parchment paper... hold it in place with your other hand (or grab that teenager again). Once it's spread out... set it aside for a minute.

The Crumb (Nirvana) Part:

• Grab the melted, and now cooled butter. Put it in a bowl big enough to hold about 7 cups of stuff.
• Add the flour, brown sugar, vanilla and cinnamon.
• Use a fork to mix it all up. Yes, a fork. You want it to look greebly and bumpy, not smooth smooth.
• When it's all mixed together. Sprinkle the Nirvana Bits onto the Cake Batter.
• If you sort of squeeze it in your fist, you will get big chunks of crunchy, cinnamon sugar. This is a good thing.
• Cover the whole batter.
• Then... LIGHTLY... press it in a bit. Not too hard... just press a bit to stick it all together.
• Into the Oven it goes... 350 degrees for 35 minutes.
• Just enough time to tidy up the kitchen and read a magazine article. Maybe brew up some coffee...
• Take out of the oven and let it sit on a cooling rack for 30 minutes.
• (Got to say.. this is the hardest part)
• You can now slice into the cake, and eat it.
• If you want to get the whole cake out of the pan at once... cut around the sides to make sure it's loose.... cover the cake with a cutting board that is slightly larger than the pan (have a plate ready to catch the cake) FLIP it over. Really. It should pop right out of the pan, upside down, onto the cutting board. Now.... set the plate onto the cake.... and flip it back TA DA! (little bit of magic to brighten your day)
• Cut and eat... or just get a fork and pull up a chair.