Today, in between loads of laundry, I decided to do a little baking. I’ve been wanting to make my grandma’s crumb cake recipe for a while so I decided that today is the day. And to make it taste extra special, I mixed it up in Grandma’s mixing bowls which were given to me after she passed away 7 years ago.
Here’s the recipe:
4 cups flour
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup oleo (does anyone else have recipes from their grandma that use the word “oleo” instead of butter? I’ve only ever come across that word in her recipes)
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
Blend with pastry blender (or just dig your fingers in and mix it all up, because even though the recipe says pastry blender, I’m pretty sure Grandma never owned a pastry blender in her life, and I can still see her arthritic fingers digging into that yellow bowl and mixing with the same efficiency as any new-fangled gadget on the market).
Keep out some of the crumbs for the top.
Add 2 cups buttermilk. Mix together and pour into 2 round cake pans then put crumbs on top. Bake at 350 degrees 20 t0 30 minutes. Don’t underbake. (That last line seems a little obvious, but it’s what Grandma wrote on the recipe card, so I had to include it).
Your crumb cake may be yummy, but it will never be as good as mine because I made mine in Grandma’s yellow mixing bowl while reading the original recipe in her handwriting. Just wanted to give you the heads up on that.
While the cake is still warm, pour yourself a cup of hot tea (lemon zinger with a drop of honey, if you want the real deal), slice yourself a chunk of this crumb cake, and thank God for the generations before us. I know Grandma would be honored.
yum. and i totally understand being sentimental about things like that. i’ve been thinking about my grandma, too and wishing i could visit with her again (while she pats my hand and asks personal questions with a gleam in her eyes
). thanks for sharing the recipe and the memories!