Top o' the Crumb to You!

I don't know what it is about spring, but somewhere between the cool morning air and being woken by cheerful, chirping birds, my stomach rumbles for something special. I suppose it's being woken in such delicious terms that rouses me in much the same way my birthday or Valentine's morning would, my belly anticipating the sweets to come.

On my birthday, it would be sour cream pound cake with cream cheese icing. And, the best part about this is, I can eat it for breakfast! I don't believe anyone else willingly springs from their bed, before the sun, some thirty-odd minutes past six just to eat their birthday breakfast.

But, on these spring mornings (that are six months shy of my birthday) I wake up craving something substantial, something that surpasses oatmeal, eggs and toast. I crave scones, crumb cakes and streusel-topped muffins. I crave homemade granola bars dotted with dried apricots and walnuts, french toast with blueberries and coconut milk.

Below are recipes for spring mornings worth celebrating!

**Remiss, alas, is a recipe for the ultimate muffin, for which I would gladly travel five hundred miles back for, to a bed and breakfast in Sonoma Valley, California owned by the Girl & the Fig restaurant. The size of a large grapefruit, streusel-topped and dotted with plump blueberries, I believe I could eat this muffin each morning of my life and never cease to celebrate. For this recipe or one similar, I am on a quest. But, until then......

This New York-style crumb cake will just have to do.
(Moist and crumbly, this cake is supposed to serve 12, but between my husband, myself and two of my favorite co-workers, the cake was gone in 2 mornings!)

topping:
1 c. packed dark brown sugar
1/2 c. sugar
1 1/2 T ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. unsalted butter, melted
2 1/2 c. all purpose flour

Mix top 4 ingredients. Add melted butter and stir to blend. Add flour and toss with fork until moist clumps form.

cake:
2 1/2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 c. unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 c. sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/3 c. sour cream
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Sift top 4 ingredients in medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until smooth. Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating until well blended. Add sour cream and vanilla and beat until just blended. Add flour mixture in 3 additions. Transfer cake batter to baking dish; spread evenly. Squeeze small handfuls of topping together to form clumps and drop evenly over batter, covering completely.
Bake about 1 hr until topping is golden brown and slightly crispy and inserted tester comes out clean. Cool at least 30 mins. and enjoy!!

Apricot-Walnut Scones
(serves 6) These are my husband's favorite. They are lighter than some, literally melting in your mouth, but have that perfect crumble that I adore in a scone.

2 c. flour
1/3 c. sugar
1 T baking powder
1/2 c. chopped walnuts
1/2 c. chopped dried apricots
1 1/3 c. heavy whipping cream

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Whisk first 3 ingredients in large bowl. Stir in walnuts & apricots. Add cream; stir with fork to blend. Transfer dough to floured surface, knead until smooth and form into 1-inch-thick round. Cut into 6 wedges. Transfer to baking sheet. Bake until golden brown, about 18 mins. Serve warm or room temperature.
Try and eat just one! It's hard!

Panettone French Toast
with coconut milk and blueberries

1/2 vanilla bean
2/3 c. coconut milk
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 T sugar
1/4 tsp. ground cardamon
4 T butter
8 slices panettone or other sweet bread
powdered sugar
blueberries
mango

Split vanilla bean in half, lengthwise and scrape out seeds. Put coconut milk, eggs, sugar, vanilla seeds, and cardamon in bowl and beat well.Pour mixture into shallow dish.
Heat half the butter in large skillet. Dip two pieces bread into egg mixture and saute until golden on both sides. Repeat with remaining bread and serve with powdered sugar, blueberries, cream and sliced mango.
Envision the chirping birds are exotic toucans, pop in some island music and enjoy!