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Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Taking the Cake

Where has November gone?

No, seriously, that wasn't a totally rhetorical question.  Where has November gone?  Granted, yes, I've been traveling for work.  Granted also that my two best friends from law school trundled all the way up here for four days.  But aside from that, why haven't I had time to post?

Le sigh.

David turned the cake out of the pan while I was at the airport picking up my friends. 
He apparently didn't get the memo that the streusel goes on top.
The good news is that this month's Cake Slice pick, Shoo-fly Cake, was a kind recipe for those on a time budget.  It took less than fifteen minutes to whip up, less than an hour to bake and stayed moist for four days in a cake keeper.  It's simple, and perhaps not the prettiest cake ever (it initially looked burned when turned out of the pan), but is delicious and spicy.  I served a warm slice to my friends when they arrived, and trust me when I said they looked very happy.

This cake is redolent of dark molasses and is wonderfully old-fashioned.  My father-in-law loves molasses, so when David travels to Cleveland next month, I'm contemplating sending one of these babies with him.  I'm not sure David will consent to carrying a cake carrier through the airport, but what he doesn't know now won't hurt him.

I changed the spices in the original recipe slightly to accommodate what was currently in my pantry, but another point in this cake's favor is that most of this items are likely to exist in a well-stocked pantry already.

On another note, wishing everyone a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Shoo-fly Cake

For the streusel:
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
3/4 cup flour
1/4 cup unsalted butter, cubed

For the cake:
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup butter, melted and cooled
3/4 cup unsulphured molasses
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 eggs
2/12 cups flour
2 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground allspice
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1 cup warm coffee (I used a Starbucks Via packet dissolved in 8 oz. warm water)

Spritz a 9-inch cake pan with nonstick baking spray, and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 

First, make the streusel by whisking together the flour and brown sugar in a small bowl.  Add the butter cubes and pinch the mixture together with your fingers until it forms crumbs.  Put the bowl in the refrigerator until you're ready to assemble the cake.

In a large bowl, stir together the sugar, butter, molasses and vanilla until well combined.  Stir in each egg separately.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, spices, baking soda and salt until well combined.  Add the flour mixture to the molasses mixture in three additions, alternating with the coffee, folding the mixture together with a spatula.  The batter will be somewhat thin--don't worry about that.

Pour the batter into the cake pan, then smooth the top.  Sprinkle the crumb topping liberally over it and bake for 45 minutes, or until a skewer through the middle comes out clean.

Allow to cool partially on a wire rack, but this cake is absolutely delicious warm!  Keeps for at least four days in a cake keeper.

Makes eight generous slices.

43 comments:

  1. LOL! My hubby would've probably done the same thing! So happy your cake turned out really good!

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    1. It was delicious--I'm really liking this new book!

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  2. LOL! My hubby would have 'tried' to get it right side up and would have left it right side down after a couple of tries. Bless him for being helpful. :)

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    1. I know, I really shouldn't complain. I'm mostly just grateful that he remembered to take it out of the oven!

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  3. Hi Krista! I hope Thanksgiving affords you a couple of days of rest! This is my first month with The Cake Slice and glad to see you are baking, too! Didn't you love this cake? So easy and so good. I'm going to try your upside down version soon! ;- } I love David's logical thinking!

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  4. Husbands! Your cake looks really good and I bet the allspice made a difference. This is my first bake with you guys!

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  5. Wonderful cake!! I like your cake group- have fun with it;-)

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  6. hahaha you should comment your hb on the good job done of removing the cake from the cake tin intact. Given my hb, the cake would probably be half intact and the other half all in shreds ;P

    Good job done on the shoofly cake!!

    Grace (Life can be simple)

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  7. Your cake looks perfect and no worse for being turned up-side down :)
    Lovely to eat on a cold day

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  8. Glad to see you back. :) Love this vintage cake...I would want to dive in. :) Have a wonderful Thanksgiving my friend. :)

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  9. Yup, your DH is a gem, nothing left behind in the pan!

    I am glad most of us like the taste of the cake and might bake it for another time!

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  10. Happy thanksgiving to you too :)

    Your cake turned out lovely, even if the crumble would up being served on the bottom :)

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  11. A streusel cake upside down ;-) Nothing wrong with that. I actually quite like the idea.

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  12. It can only get busier as the holidays approach but how fun your law school buds came to visit. I am laughing about your upside cake! :)

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  13. Aren't all husbands the same :) I love the rich dark color of this cake!! Love the coffee and the spices too and I'm sure your friends must have enjoyed it a lot :)

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  14. ROFL!!! What a lovely thing to do in the morning ... a good, hearty laugh! *sniff* *wipe tear*
    Looks perfectly fine after it's uprighted :)

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  15. "What he doesn't know won't hurt him!" I made my mother a sign for her kitchen that said just that! It's SO true! I do know that I LOVE shoo-fly pie, but I've never heard of, nor had Shoo-fly cake. It does look so rich and very tasty, just like a shoo-fly should taste (I guess :) ). Need to bookmark this one! Have a great Thanksgiving and holiday weekend my friend!

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  16. Wow, this looks so tasty and comforting, I wish I could have one now...and your hubby does a much better job with the cake than I do, well done!

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  17. Shoo-fly is such a funny name and it may not be the prettiest...but it looks so good I'll have the whole thing.

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  18. Glad to see you back. Happy Thanksgiving!

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  19. I love the name of the cake. I haven't heard of it before. In Australia we need anything that will keep the flies away! That's so funny how David upturned the cake while you were out. My husband is just like that - tries to help but ends up being an impediment xx

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  20. I love the sound and look of this cake! have a great Thanksgiving!

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  21. I don't know where November has gone either.
    The cake looks great, and I had to laugh at how David flipped it upside down. I can totally see that happening in my house!

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  22. Happy Thanksgiving to you as well my dear friend, have a wonderful time with family and cake :D

    Cheers
    CCU

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  23. Seriously, November was such a speed racer! I think this cake, with or without streusal on the top and on the bottom, instead sounds like a winner. You've got me craving cake now (you're a temptress) =D

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  24. Looks yummy. I hope you had a wonderful holiday!

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  25. Between the molasses and the spices, this has to be a delicious cake.

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  26. this cake sounds perfect for the holidays! hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving! I am totally wishing I had a slice of this right now!

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  27. Beautiful cake and I am sure David won't mind the trouble once he knows he will have a big slice of that!

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  28. Mmmmmm....streusel makes baked goods even better! Such a pretty presentation, too...especially turned over! Your hubby reminds me of mine ;)

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  29. I totally know what you mean. November disappeared on me, and now I've got a research paper to do for the end of the semester. I've never seen a shoo-fly cake, but I'm loving the look of that streusel!

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  30. Hey love the vintage cake. Hope you all enjoyed it.

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  31. Beautiful cake and very tempting. For me, every month flies by before I realise that the year is coming to end and another new year waiting for all of us.

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  32. I love shoo fly cake! I think I made shoo fly pie before and won't make it again because I ate the entire thing myself. It's SO good. :)

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  33. Your cake looks delicious. Charlene fellow TCS member x

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  34. Lucky friends to arrive to a slice of this! I love the name, and even better, how quick it is to make to satisfy a sweet tooth.

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  35. I love the name of this cake! I know what you mean about November though. It's disappeared!

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  36. This is my kind of cake! Fast, no fuss and yummy :)

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  37. This is TOO cute! I can totally see my boyfriend doing this! He he! :D

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  38. Haha, why men don't really get memo?! But he did a great job taking out the cake. I get so nervous taking out the cake every time I bake a cake (which doesn't happen too often...maybe that's why!). Looks so good!

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  39. Your cake looks seriously good! Love how easily it comes together.

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  40. I totally agree! This cake was super easy to put together. I even had every single ingredient in my pantry, which made even better. One more thing......I was wondering why your cake was upside down, until I read further! LOL! Got to love them!

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  41. I know where November went but cannot get a hold of December. I love that your husband follows instructions and apparently you left one part out! It does look enticing and I love the name "shoo fly." Wishing you the merriest and brightest days in the holiday season.

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