do for now

June 04 2010 by Kristin at The Kitchen Sink in Uncategorized » 24 comments

As expected, Napa was enchanting. But perhaps I should start with San Francisco, which wasn’t half bad either, lavishing us with a gorgeous sunset that cast a pinky-golden light across the Ferry Building and Bay Bridge; it made for a some lovely cocktail hour gaping. Post-cocktail hour, we finally made it to Zuni Cafe where we had the fantastic roast chicken (of course!), among other things. In the morning, we were up early for a jog along the Embarcadero and a stroll through the Ferry Building farmers’ market. A cup of Blue Bottle coffee and a lovely jar of yogurt later, we were Napa bound.

And, Napa. Sigh. Between the rolling rows of vines, the wrap-around porches and lush grounds at wineries, the just-blooming rose bushes, the smell and taste and blur of wine, and meal after wonderful meal, it was all enough to make a girl not want to leave. Honestly, I would’ve been quite content to move right into the little cottage we stayed in for the weekend.

That is, I’d be happy to move in, provided that the innkeepers continued to deliver the little breakfast basket filled with Bouchon Bakery pastries and breads each morning. (The s’mores kit would be nice, too, but it’s nowhere near as a big a deal-maker as the Bouchon delivery.)

At home, of course, there is no breakfast delivery. But I like to think I do an adequate job of keeping some sort of breakfast treat on hand—a quick bread, a muffin or a cake. This cake—a jam-swirled crumb cake—was the most recent example. And while it doesn’t near measure up to those Bouchon treats, it reminds me of them in a few ways: the jam swirls are a reminder of the jam I spread on a cracked-open baguette; the crumb topping is remniscent of Sunday’s banana-nut muffin; the buttery cake not so far off from the palm-sized coffee cake delivered on Saturday.

Yes, I suppose this crumb cake will do for now—until our next trip to the Bay Area, at least.

You can see all of our photos from the trip here.

Strawberry Jam Crumb Cake
Adapted from Gourmet

Serves 8-10

For cake:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 stick unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup milk
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup strawberry jam or preserves

For crumb topping:
3/4 stick unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Make cake:
Preheat oven to 400°F with rack in middle. Generously butter a 9-inch springform pan (or a 9-inch square or round cake pan).

Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.

Whisk together butter, milk, egg and vanilla in a large bowl, then whisk in flour mixture until just combined. Pour batter into cake pan. Dollop jam all over surface, then swirl into batter with a knife.

Make crumb topping:
Whisk together butter, sugars, cinnamon, and salt until smooth. Stir in flour, then blend with your fingertips until incorporated. Sprinkle crumbs in large clumps over top of cake.

Bake cake until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean and sides begin to pull away from pan, about 25 minutes. Cool in pan on a rack 5 minutes.

24 comments so far. »
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heather @ chiknpastry says on June 04 2010 at 11:47 am:

man, i’m jonesin’ for vacay now! i just sat down and started mapping out our road trip since we do have to make a few reservations, such as the napa stay. think we’ll stay for 2-3 nights there. i’m glad to see mustards is back – it was closed due to fire when we were last there! any major recommendations?
Maddie says on June 04 2010 at 11:47 am:

Vacations are decadent by definition…but having baked goods delivered every morning ups the ante. I hope you’re feeling well-rested, full-bellied, and very, very happy. If my weekend had held half the things you just described, I know I would be!
nicole says on June 04 2010 at 11:49 am:

So glad you had fun in my town! And, hope Ad Hoc treated you well … I was there around the holidays and it was pretty darn awesome.
Lindsay says on June 04 2010 at 12:36 pm:

Your trip sounded lovely (and your recipe too). Where was the inn your stayed in Napa? I am traveling to the area in September and would love a recommendation! Thanks.
Sara says on June 04 2010 at 2:29 pm:

Would love to know the Inn where you stayed? Been to Napa/SF many times, but always looking for new places to stay. Esp with Bouchon pastries delivered!
Rebecca says on June 04 2010 at 2:58 pm:

That looks delicious, as do most all your recipes! Thanks for sharing them, and your stories!
Liz says on June 04 2010 at 4:53 pm:

Oh my goodness, this looks amazing!
ovenhaven says on June 04 2010 at 6:50 pm:

I’m heading out to get strawberry jam just for this! Love anything with a crumb topping
Whitney says on June 05 2010 at 5:38 am:

I would move to Northern Cali in a heart beat if money was no object. Swoon.
my little expat kitchen says on June 07 2010 at 3:38 am:

Your vacation sounds like a dream. Your cake certainly looks dreamy!
Magda
Barbara says on June 07 2010 at 8:02 am:

I’m so jealous! I’d love to visit Napa AND go to Ad Hoc!
And what else would your have at Zuni beside the chicken?? What fun. I have their cookbook and love it. Second best to going there.

Lest I forget, your jam crumb cake look delish!
Rose-Anne says on June 07 2010 at 10:37 am:

Wow, I totally thought you were baking a cheesecake for us! The batter looks so creamy and yellow…but a jammy coffeecake is more than welcome on my dessert plate.

Glad you had a good time in California. What a dreamy place!
ingrid says on June 08 2010 at 6:39 am:

I’m envious. My parents were just there as well. Their’s is a month long cross country road trip.
~ingrid
Sean says on June 08 2010 at 7:19 am:

Looking at the photos on your site always makes me so hungry. Having great food while on vacation just makes the trip that much more fun. Rest well; it’s time to get back to the real world once again!
The Rowdy Chowgirl says on June 08 2010 at 3:08 pm:

Zuni roast chicken in person? Cottage in the Napa Valley? You’re living the dream! It all sounds wonderful.
Natalie (The Sweets Life) says on June 09 2010 at 10:48 am:

wow, I’ll be making this as soon as I can get my hands on some jam…maybe raspberry though strawberry sounds delightful too! beautiful pics!
Margo says on June 09 2010 at 11:24 am:

I like the look of your jamberry crumbcake. It is such fun to find blogs with good pictures posted – always adds to the treat! I like the blue bowl with red spatula that you use to showcase the batter. Lovely combo!
lola says on June 13 2010 at 2:07 am:

im making this now!!! yumzz
molly says on June 13 2010 at 11:56 am:

i love the idea of this, done in a springform. my next crumb cake may well be round!
Ashley says on June 14 2010 at 10:21 pm:

Wow I’m in love with this cake! I love those dollops of jam in particular.
kickpleat says on June 15 2010 at 12:15 pm:

So funny that we were in Napa & SF around that time too! This cake looks amazing and I will definitely be bookmarking it for later crumb cake times (which might just be very soon).
Kristin at The Kitchen Sink says on June 15 2010 at 12:20 pm:

For those who asked, we stayed at The Cottages of Napa Valley.

To everyone else, thanks for your notes! I hope some of you give this one a go — it’s definitely a keeper.
Avanika (Yumsilicious Bakes) says on June 30 2010 at 12:14 pm:

THis crumb cake looks delicious, bookmarked
Strawberry jam crumb cake, lightened up « Girls Can Tell says on March 10 2011 at 11:12 pm:

[...] at theKitchenSinkRecipes, Kristin posts a recipe for strawberry jam crumb cake and talks all about a visit to the Bay Area, where she relaxed and whipped up a buttery, indulgent [...]