CAKES: Crumb Buns (Coffee Cake)

Recipe from Gourmet mag (years ago) and this coffee cake is just like the crumb buns you get at the bakery.

For the topping:

2 1/2 cups AP flour
1 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

For the cake:

1 1/2 cups AP flour
2 1/4 tsps. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
3 tbsps. vegetable shortening, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg, beaten lightly
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsps. milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla
confectioners' sugar for dusting the cake

Make the topping: into a large bowl blend the flour, sugar, cinnamon, and the butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal.

Make the cake: into a large bowl sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, shortening, sugar, egg, milk and vanilla and combine the batter well. Turn the batter out into a well-greased jelly-roll pan, 15 1/2 x 10 x 1 inches, smoothing the top.

Sprinkle the batter evenly with the topping and bake the coffeecake in the middle of a preheated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. Let the coffeecake cool in the pan on a rack, dust it with the confectioners' sugar, and cut it into rectangles about 4 x 2 inches. Makes about 20 slices.