Speedbump Kitchen: Auntie Esther's Crumb Cake

Happy days! School is out. I can exhale. Mornings are now relaxed, time for some coffee cake, and actually drinking my coffee while sitting. It is quite novel to actually drink coffee fresh from the pot and not after the 3rd try re-reheated in the microwave! I really don't know why it has taken me so long to post this recipe. Sometimes the obvious gets overlooked. This recipe has been kicking around the kitchens of Baptist women in Northern Michigan for at least 30 years, first introduced to the region by the pastor's wife, Esther.

In addition to bringing a whole slew of new recipes to our small town, and new playmates for my sisters and I, the pastor and his wife helped start an interesting tradition of children referring to adults in the church as "Aunt" and "Uncle". It took me a while to actually figure out who my real aunts and uncles were within the mix, and I'm sure it confused a few visitors as well. But it did make our church family seem much more so.

This recipe is so great. It is actually egg-free in its natural state, a real boon when a coffee cake needed to happen in a small town on short notice with a bare refrigerator. It's also great because it can be mixed up at night and baked in the AM. Enjoy!

Auntie Esther's Crumb Cake

1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1/4 t. ground cloves
1/4 t. cinnamon
1/4 t. allspice
1/4 t. salt
1/2 t. baking soda
1 stick dairy-free margarine ( I use Fleishmann's Unsalted Margarine)

1/2 cup soymilk
1 T. cider vinegar

1.) Preheat oven to 350.
2.) Add the vinegar to the soymilk and let thicken.
3.) Mix all the dry ingredients in a food processor or large bowl. Whirl around to mix the ingredients.
4.) Cut the margarine into the dry ingredients. Pulse until well mixed, but not clumping together or blend well with a pastry cutter.
5.) Reserve out 1/2 cup of the crumble.
6.) Pour the soured soymilk into the rest of the crumble mix. Blend around until everything is moistened. It will be thick.
7.) Spread batter into a 9 x 9 pyrex pan.
8.) Sprinkle reserved crumble on top.
9.) Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out dry.

When I make this the night before, I make up the crumble mixture, measure out the 1/2 cup and let it sit at room temp. In the AM, I preheat the oven, make the soured soymilk and go from there like normal.