Streusel Squares

I was supposed to post this cake 8 days ago. What's funny is that I made this cake a month ago but I'm barely posting it today. I had fully intended to get this posted on time. Obviously that didn't happen. Best laid plans and all that. 

I don't have much of an excuse for the delay. I could say it was because I was finishing up my first semester of grad school. But that finished on the 6th of this month. I'm happy to say my first semester was a great success! I received 3 A+, 2 A's, and 1 A-. I think not too shabby for someone who hasn't been in a traditional classroom setting for 11 years, had an 8 hour internship, 10 hours of Graduate Assistantship work, 2 small kids, and no husband or family in town. I'm happy with my results! However, that means I've been lazy since school got out for winter break.

I did read a book though! For fun! Donna Tartt's Golfinch was a healthy undertaking at 771 pages but I finished it yesterday and the beauty of the novel did not disappoint. Unfortunately, I need to get back to the reality of Grad school around the 1st so I can start prepping for the new semester. Spring will consist of 4 courses, 20 hours of internship, and 10 hours of Graduate Assistantship work. But this time The Hubble will be home to help. 

But that's enough about me and my school shenanigans. Now for the cake! I made this cake for The Cake Slice Bakers group. This streusel cake is MY first cake from our new book. I skipped November. The group voted and chose the book Great Cakes by Carole Walters. I wasn't thrilled with the selection for November nor did I have any time whatsoever to go get the ingredients so I skipped the first cake. However, I'm glad I jumped in for December's cake. This streusel cake was delicious! It was light and flaky with a topping to kill for! I took the cake to class (since I made it so long ago) and it was devoured within an hour. The next time I make the cake, I would add nuts (probably pecans) to the topping; I love texture. But other than that I thought the cake was perfect! 

Since I'm WAY late posting this cake, the linky tool thing to the other Cake Slice Bakers is closed but you should still try to pop over to the blogroll and see what everyone else thought of the cake. And don't forget to make the cake yourself so you can form your own opinion too! Enjoy!

Streusel Squares

Recipe from Great Cakes by Carole Waltervia Lick the Bowl Good

Ingredients:

Streusel Topping:

• ⅓ cup (⅔ stick) unsalted butter

• 1¼ cups unsifted all-purpose flour

• ⅔ cup sugar

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Cake:

• 2¼ cups unsifted all-purpose flour

• 2 teaspoons baking powder

• ½ teaspoon salt

• ¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter

• 1 cup superfine sugar

• 2 large eggs

• 1 large egg yolk

• 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract

• 1 cup milk 

• 1 large egg white

Directions:

Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 350⁰F. Butter a 9 x 13 x 2” pan.
To Make The Streusel Topping: Melt the butter, then cool slightly.

Add the flour, sugar and cinnamon all at once and stir with a fork until the mixture forms small crumbs. Take a handful of the crumbs and make a fist to press the mixture into a large clump, and then separate into smaller clusters, at least two or three times the size of the original crumbs.

Repeat until all of the crumbs have been reshaped, then set aside.

To Make The Cake: Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt, set aside.

Cut the butter into 1-inch pieces and place in the large bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment to soften on low speed. Increase speed to medium-high and cream until smooth and light in color, about 1½ to 2 minutes.

Add the sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, taking about 6 to 8 minutes to blend it in well, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary.

Add the eggs and additional yolk, 1 at a time at 1-minute intervals, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary.Blend in the vanilla.

Reduce mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients alternately with the milk, dividing the flour mixture into three parts and the milk into two parts, starting and ending with the flour. Mix just until incorporated after each addition, scraping the sides of the bowl and mix for 10 seconds longer.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the surface with the back of a tablespoon.

Beat the egg white lightly with a fork, and using a pastry brush, spread about half of the beaten egg white over the top of the cake batter. Discard the remainder - the egg white helps the streusel adhere to the top of the cake.

Sprinkle the entire surface of the batter generously with the streusel, gently patting the crumbs into the batter with the palm of your hand; do not press hard.

Center the pan on the rack and bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the cake is golden brown on top, begins to come away from the sides of the pan, and the streusel is crisp. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out dry.

Remove the cake from the oven and set on a cake rack to cool. When ready to serve, dust the top with powdered sugar and cut into squares.

Can be stored at room temperature for up to 5 days.

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bars with Oatmeal Struesel Topping

We made it.

I'm sitting here in my dad's house in Alabama.

We drove 12 hours yesterday.

It wasn't too bad actually. Except...I really like to read. Sadly, I get motion sick. So the only way I can read in the car is to take Dramamine. And even though I take the less drowsy formula, I am sensitive to medications and those things just wipe me out. It's crazy!

So i feel as though I've been drugged and I'm still trying to wake up. What can you do??

We talked about Thanksgiving today. We planned the menu. We went grocery shopping.

As our thoughts and discussions turn toward the upcoming holiday, my taste buds keep dreaming of pumpkin flavored desserts.

In past years I have made a pumpkin crumble cake. I don't have any picture and haven't posted the recipe because I haven't been blogging that long.

But I can share with you some delicious pumpkin cake bars with a cream cheese swirl and an oatmeal struesel topping. To me, that's just about as good as a pumpkin crumble cake.

I made these and ended up eating three bars on my own. Then I took them to a dinner party. That night, I whipped up a white chocolate amaretto fondue (the hostess asked me to make it since I'm so good at it) to go along with the assorted fruits and desserts she had laid out.

While I was dunking a juicy strawberry in the sweet chocolate sauce I remembered my pumpkin bars. I plopped the strawberry in my mouth, cut a pumpkin bar into bite sized pieces and dipped a bite of the bar in the fondue. And BAM! Dancing pallet, eyes rolling in the back on my head and a whisper of "Oh my God."

Yeah. I'd say it was a good call.

So, if you are looking for a last minute treat for Thanksgiving. One that is a bit different from the traditional pumpkin pie, I suggest you whip these up.

And don't forget the white chocolate amaretto fondue.

Here's how to make them:

Grab your ingredients: granulated sugar, golden brown sugar, vanilla extract, pumpkin puree, salt, baking soda, baking powder, unbleached all purpose flour, butter, eggs, cream cheese, old fashioned oats and pumpkin pie spice (if you don't have pumpkin pie spice you can instead use ground nutmeg, ground cinnamon, ground ginger and ground allspice).

Start by whisking together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin pie spice (or nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger and allspice).

Melt the butter and toss it in a mixing bowl with the granulated sugar. Beat until creamy.

Add in the eggs, vanilla, water and pumpkin. Mix until well combined.

Add the flour mixture and mix until combined.

Pour the batter into a greased and floured 9x13 pan. Smooth with a rubber spatula.

Now for the cream cheese swirl. Put the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla and egg in a mixing bowl and mix until well combined. The mixture should be smooth.

Drop evenly spaced spoonfuls of cream cheese mixture atop the pumpkin batter in the pan. Then take a knife and swirl the cream cheese mixture through the pumpkin batter.

Next up, the struesel topping. Put the flour, brown sugar and butter in a large mixing bowl.

Cut the butter into the flour and sugar until the mixture is crumbly.

With your fingers, mix in the oatmeal until the mixture is well combined.

Top the pumpkin cream cheese batter with the struesel topping. Pop it in the oven and bake it up.

Once the bars are done, allow them to cool in the pan. Cut into 24 squares. Serve and enjoy!!

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bars with Oatmeal Struesel 

Adapted from Baseball, Baking and Books

Printer Friendly Version

Bar

• 6 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
• 1/4 teaspoon salt 
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar 
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon of pumpkin pie spice*
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Cream Cheese Layer

• 8 oz cream cheese, softened 
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar  
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla 
• 1 large egg

Struesel Topping

• 3/4 cup unbleached, all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup golden brown sugar
• 1 stick butter, slightly softened
• 1 cup old fashioned oats

*Pumpkin Pie Spice mix, makes 1 tablespoon

• 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3/4 teaspoons ground ginger
• 3/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 3/8 teaspoon ground allspice

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Spray a 9x13 inch baking pan with non-stick cooking spray. 
2. In a bowl, with an electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter and sugar until smooth. 
3. Beat in 2 eggs, pumpkin, 1 teaspoon of vanilla and 1/3 cup water until well blended, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. 
4. In another bowl, mix flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. 
5. Add the dry ingredients into the butter mixture and combine until well blended. 
6. Spread batter evenly into the prepared pan 
7. In a bowl, with an electric mixer on medium speed, beat cream cheese, egg, sugar, and vanilla until smooth. 
8. Drop cream cheese mixture in evenly spaced portions over the pumpkin batter. Pull a knife tip through filling to swirl slightly into batter.
9. Make struesel topping: in large mixing bowl, cut butter into brown sugar and flour until mixture is crumbly. Mix in oatmeal with fingers until combined. Sprinkle topping over uncooked batter in pan. 
10. Bake in a 350° oven until center of the pumpkin batter (not cream cheese mixture) springs back when touched and struesel topping is golden brown, about 30 minutes. 
11. Let cool completely in pan, then cut into 24 bars.
12. Serve and enjoy!