Classic Crumb Cake

Ingredients

Cake:

• 8 tablespoons (113g) unsalted butter, at room temperature, at least 65°F
• 1 ¼ cups (248g) granulated sugar
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• 2 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon lemon oil or 1 teaspoon lemon peel
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 ½ cups (177g) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• heaping 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ cup (113g) plain or vanilla yogurt, buttermilk, or sour cream, at room temperature

Topping:

• 2 tablespoons (57g) butter, melted
• ½ cup (120g) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 1/3 cup (74g) confectioners' sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 3/8 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar or Snow White Non-Melting Topping Sugar, for sprinkling on top

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Grease a 9" square cake pan.
    
2. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, beat together the butter, sugar, salt, and flavorings for 2 minutes, till smooth.
    
3. Add the eggs, beating well after each addition; continue beating after adding the last egg for at least 3 minutes at medium-high speed. The batter should look fluffy, with no grains of sugar visible.
    
4. Add the flour and baking soda to the butter mixture, beating gently to combine.
    
5. Add the buttermilk/yogurt/sour cream, beating gently until well-blended.
    
6. Spread the batter in the prepared pan.
    
7. Bake the cake for 30 minutes. While it's baking, prepare the topping.
    
8. Mix all of the topping ingredients together just till medium crumbs form. If you mix too long the crumbs will become too large, so pay attention.
    
9. After 30 minutes, remove the cake from the oven. Quickly and gently sprinkle the crumbs on top, and return to the oven.
    
10. Bake for an additional 15 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove the cake form the oven, and cool it completely on a rack.
     
11. When the cake is completely cool, dust it with confectioners' sugar.