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Recipe: Food network star Dane Langan's 'Sunday Crumb Cake'

Published  September 26, 2023 10:43am EDT
Food and Drink
FOX 29 Philadelphia

PHILADELPHIA - Food network star and author Dane Langan shares the recipe for his "Sunday Crumb Cake," which is featured in his new cookbook "Bake Your Heart Out."

Sunday Crumb Cake

Makes one 9 x 9-inch cake, serving 9 to 12

Start your day with this meltingly tender coffee cake, equal parts cake and boulders on brown sugar crumbles, the way it was meant to be. To elevate it beyond the ordinary, I’ve enriched the batter with ricotta cheese, which makes a tight-crumbed, velvety cake that holds up well to the weight of the topping. A generous amount of salt and a bit of lemon zest round out the flavor.

Cake

  • 1 cup (130 g) all-purpose flour
  • ⅔ cup (130 g) granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon fine salt
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ⅛ teaspoon baking soda
  • Zest of ½ a small lemon
  • ½ cup (135 g) whole-milk ricotta cheese, at room temperature
  • 1 large egg, at room temperature
  • 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
  • 2 tablespoon canola oil
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 4 tablespoons (½ stick/56 g) unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes and left at room temperature for 20 minutes

Crumble

  • 2⅔ cups (325 g) cake flour
  • 1 cup (220 g) lightly packed light brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons (25 g) granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 3/4 teaspoon fine salt
  • 13 tablespoons (180 g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
  • Confectioners sugar, for dusting

Preheat the oven to 325°F with a rack in the center position. Grease a 9-inch square cake pan and line it with a strip of parchment that overhangs the edges on two sides.

Prepare the cake: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, baking soda, and lemon zest. Add the cubed butter all at once and mix on low until the mixture looks sandy and the butter has been incorporated, 3 to 4 minutes.

In a small bowl, whisk together the ricotta, eggs, oil, vanilla, and 1 tablespoon of water. Add the ricotta mixture to the dry ingredients and mix on low until nearly combined, about 20 seconds. Use a rubber spatula to scrape down the bowl and paddle, then mix on medium speed for 60 seconds. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, scraping the bowl well, and smooth the top. Set aside. while you make the topping.

In the same mixer bowl (no need to wash it), combine the cake flour, sugars, cinnamon, and salt and mix with your hands until well combined. Pour in half the melted butter and mix with a fork until crumbs begin to form among the dry spots. Evenly distribute the remaining butter over the mixture and continue to stir with the fork until the mixture looks like crumbs of cookie dough.

One handful at a time, distribute the crumble mixture evenly over the cake batter, breaking it into almond-sized pieces. Do not compact the crumbs.

Bake the cake on the center rack for 48 to 52 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs attached. (You’ll need to nudge aside a few of the crumbs in the center of the cake to insert the toothpick. Push the crumbs back into place after testing.) The edges of the cake should be golden, and the cake should be slightly springy when touched; the crumbs may still be a bit soft.

Cool the cake in the pan for 45 minutes. Run a butter knife between the unlined edges of the pan and the cake, then use the parchment to transfer the cake to a wire rack to cool to barely warm. Dust generously with powdered sugar, then use a serrated knife and a sawing motion to cut into 9 or 12 squares. Store leftovers at room temperature, tightly covered, for up to 2 days.