Penuche Topped Cake

Penuche is a brown sugar fudge from New England, and here it shows up as a buttery streusel layer sprinkled over vanilla cake batter before baking. As the cake rises, the brown sugar and melted butter sink slightly and caramelize into a crunchy, toffee-like crust while the chopped nuts toast on top.

The cake underneath is a straightforward creamed shortening batter. Adding the dry ingredients alternately with milk keeps the crumb fine and even. Beat the eggs in one at a time and give each a full minute of mixing so the batter builds structure and doesn’t collapse under the heavy topping.

Serve this warm, straight from the pan, with a generous dollop of whipped cream. The contrast between the warm, caramelized top and cool cream is where this cake really shines.

Kitchen Tips

• Melt the butter for the topping but let it cool slightly before mixing with the brown sugar. Hot butter will melt the sugar completely and you’ll lose the streusel texture.
• Pack the brown sugar firmly when measuring. Loosely packed brown sugar won’t give enough caramel flavor.
• Don’t overbake. Pull it when a toothpick comes out with just a few moist crumbs. The sugar topping will continue to set as it cools.
• Best eaten the same day while the topping is still crisp. Leftovers soften overnight.

Variations

• Use pecans or walnuts for the nut topping, or try a mix of both.
• Add a teaspoon of cinnamon to the streusel mixture for a warm spice note.
• Top with a drizzle of caramel sauce instead of whipped cream for double the brown sugar impact.