Brown Sugar Chocolate Crumb Cake - Recipe

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Chocolate Crumb
  • 1/2 cup (3 1/2 oz) dark brown sugar, packed
  • 1/3 cup (1 5/8 oz) flour       
  • 3 tablespoons (15 grams) cocoa powder                     
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon                                                                
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt                                                               
  • 2 oz (4 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter                                                                     
Cake
  • 1 1/2 cups (7 1/2 oz) flour                                                             
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder                                                 
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon allspice
  • 4 oz (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter @ room temperature
  • 1/2 cup (3 1/2 oz) dark brown sugar, packed             
  • 1/4 cup (1 3/4 oz) granulated sugar                                
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 2 eggs @ room temperature
  • 1/2 cup (4 oz) milk @ room temperature

Method

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Lightly grease a 9” x 2 1/2 “ cake pan and line the bottom with a circle of parchment paper.
For the chocolate crumb, place the brown sugar, flour, cocoa, cinnamon and salt in a bowl.  Stir together until it looks like a fine powder.  Cut the cold butter into 1/4” pieces and toss with the cocoa mixture.  Pinch the butter until it flattens into smaller pieces that resemble small peas.  Then grab big handfuls of the mixture and squeeze it together until it begins to adhere into large compressed clumps.  This will take about 3 – 4 minutes.  Then take the large clumps and break them into smaller clumps.  Chill until ready to use.


For the cake, sift flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and allspice together and set aside.
Cream butter and both sugars until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.  Add vanilla and blend.
Beat in eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition and scraping down the bowl as needed.  Add a third of the flour mixture alternately with half the milk, beginning and ending with the flour.  Scrape down bowl to be sure everything is incorporated.  Pour the batter in the prepared pan and spread evenly.  Cover the top of the cake batter with chocolate crumb mixture and gently press down just a tiny bit.
Bake until a tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, about 30 – 32 minutes.  Place on a wire rack to cool for about 15 minutes.  Run a thin knife along the edges and invert the cake.  Remove the parchment and turn the cake again so it’s right side up.  Cool completely.

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