You know one of the many things I find interesting is what someone considers to be a treat for themselves. My son loves grabbing a milkshake or a smoothie while out. My daughter is a cantaloupe fanatic (that is putting it mildly), my husband loves fresh cherries, and me? I love a good crumb cake – although I am able to love many desserts at once because I just have such a big heart~winks~.
What is your treat when out and about? Do you like to swing through and grab a coffee, hit up the local smoothie shop, or are you more of a salad type person? I’d love to hear your answers in the comments.
My favorite crumb cakes are the bakery type with a THICK layer of crumbs. I mean, if you are going to have a piece of cake, why not make it an amazing piece of cake? This recipe hits all the right notes. A nice thick layer of crumb, bursts of flavorful cherries, and a buttery, not too sweet cake. I know you think it’s going to be overly sweet with that thick layer of crumbs but it really isn’t. In fact, it’s much lesser than a traditional cake with icing on top. But the beauty of this is that it is also dense and filling, perfect served alongside a cup of coffee or a glass of iced tea, like the one I have pictured.
That pretty glass was sent to me by my friends at Southern Breeze. I plan on doing some Facebook Live video chats coming up and giving some of their wonderful tea away so stay tuned and make sure you “like” my page for updates.
Now, on this gorgeous sunny Friday afternoon, we’d best get in the kitchen because this is Alabama and tomorrow we are expecting two steps short of a blizzard. Life is often like that, which is all the more reason why you should enjoy every moment while you can! What are your plans for this weekend?
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 1 box 15 to 18 ounces yellow, butter golden, or white cake mix
- ¾ cup whole milk
- 3 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ cup 1 stick butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 10 ounce jar of maraschino cherries drained, rinsed, and chopped
For the crumb topping:
- 1 cup 2 sticks butter, at room temperature
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat a 9 X 13 inch baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
- Place the cake mix, milk, eggs, vanilla, and melted butter in a large mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer at medium speed until blended and smooth, scraping down the side of the bowl if needed, about 2 minutes. Stir chopped cherries in by hand. Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish.
- In a separate medium sized bowl, combine the butter, flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon and cut together using a long-tined fork or pastry cutter until well mixed and crumbly. Sprinkle the crumb mixture over the top of the cake batter.
- Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Allow to cool slightly and then sprinkle the top with confectioners' sugar, if desired.
Nutrition
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“There are people who have money and then there are people who are rich.”
~Coco Chanel
