Breakfast Cake

This old-fashioned breakfast cake is the kind of recipe your grandmother made without measuring twice. A basic quick-bread batter spread thin in a pan, topped with a cinnamon-sugar streusel, and baked until golden. Simple, not too sweet, and exactly right with a cup of morning coffee.

The base batter is lean by design: flour, a little sugar, milk, an egg, and just enough shortening to keep it tender. It’s not trying to be a rich layer cake. The restraint in the batter lets the buttery cinnamon streusel on top be the star.

That streusel topping is flour, cinnamon, and sugar with butter rubbed in until crumbly. It bakes into a crisp, crunchy layer that cracks when you break off a piece. The contrast between the soft, plain cake and that spiced, buttery crumble is the whole point.

Kitchen Tips

• Spread the batter ½ inch thick and no more. This is meant to be a thin cake with a high ratio of streusel to base.
• Rub the butter into the streusel dry ingredients with your fingers until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs. Uniform, fine crumbs won’t create the chunky topping you want.
• Bake at 375°F (190°C) if you’re unsure. The recipe calls for a moderate oven, and 375 splits the difference nicely.
• Best served warm from the oven while the streusel is still crisp.

Variations

• Add a handful of chopped pecans to the streusel for extra crunch.
• Scatter fresh blueberries over the batter before adding the streusel.
• Use brown sugar instead of white in the topping for a deeper, more caramel-like flavor.