Today’s recipe comes from Grandma’s sister. It’s a recipe that intrigued me from the start because of the “mother” note on the bottom. I wonder if this one originally came from their mother, who would be my great-grandmother. This photo is of my great-grandmother and her husband sometime around the late 1920’s. I know Grandma loved her parents dearly, as she spoke of them often. She always called them “mother and dad”. Her mother was quite a seamstress and sewed all of the clothes for the family. She’s the one who sewed the baptismal gown for Grandma worn by dozens of family members. You can see more about the baptismal gown here.
I wonder who took this picture. They look like they’re humoring whoever is taking it! Ha! I love the dress she’s wearing here! So stylish!
It was exciting to try a recipe possibly handed down from my great-grandmother! I’m going to go ahead and say it IS from my great-grandmother, just because I love that idea!
Here is the recipe as I made it:
Crumb Cake
Mix together:
2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 cups all-purpose flour
Take out 3/4 cup of mixture to spread on top later.
Mix into remainder:
1 egg
1 teaspoon baking soda mixed into 1 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup raisins or nuts (I added raisins and 1/2 cup of chopped pecans)
Of course, there is not baking temperature, no pan size, and no baking time. We should know this stuff, right?
I put it into a 9″ x 9″ pan and baked it at 350 degrees for about 50 minutes until a toothpick came out clean.
Next time I think I’d put it in a 7″ x 11″ pan and bake it for a shorter time.
I used the mixer for mixing the first ingredients. I’d use my hands next time and make the mixture more crumbly.
Using a smaller pan might help it not get so brown around the edges.
The brown sugar in this cake gives it a caramel flavor.
This cake is just right for breakfast or afternoon coffee. It’s another very easy, very good one to try. This is one of my new favorites, thanks to my great-grandmother!
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