Streusel-topped caramel butter cake

This is what’s colloquially known as a “cut and come again” cake. Try stopping at one piece!


Both the cake and the streusel topping allow the butter and sugar to be the stars of the show. So often these are the work-horse ingredients in cakes but here they really shine. The hit of cinnamon in the streusel is just enough to add depth of flavour but not totally overpowering.



I made the cake, as the recipe stated, in a traybake tin but also think the mix would work very well as individual cupcakes, where you’d obtain more height.

The sponge layer goes into the tin first:


Then is topped with grated streusel:


Simple to make and uncomplicated to eat, this cake is delicious!


Ingredients:
For the cake:
125g unsalted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
110g brown sugar
2 eggs
110g self raising flour
75g plain flour
2 tablespoons milk (whole or semi-skimmed)

For the streusel:
110g plain flour
75g brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
90g unsalted butter

How to make:

- Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan oven 160°C/350°F/Gas mark 4.
- Grease and line a 20cm x 30cm traybake tin. It needs to be at least 2cm deep.
- Start by making the streusel topping: place all the ingredients in a bowl and beat until you can press the mix together into a ball of dough. Wrap in clingfilm and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
- Now make the cake. Cream the butter, sugar and vanilla until smooth and fluffy.
- Beat in the eggs on at a time. Add a little of the flour if the batter starts to curdle.
- Fold in half the flour along with 1 tablespoon of milk.
- Fold in the rest of the flour and the remaining tablespoon of milk.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared tin and level.
- Grate the chilled streusel over the top of the cake. Work fast, as the ball of streusel will warm up quickly in your hand. Spread out the streusel so it is distributed evenly over the cake.
- Bake in the oven for approximately 30 minutes or until a skewer comes out cleanly. Mine took exactly minutes.
- Leave to cool in the tin on a wire rack.
- Serve with whipped cream.
- Bask in glory at the wonderful thing you have made.
- Eat.