【外脆内软的】蓝山咖啡核桃脆皮蛋糕 Blue Mountain Walnut Crumble Cake

自从有了Lucius后我通常很早起身。这一天清晨六点钟就起身了。Pump完milk后距离Lucius起身还有一段时间，如果有一段空隙你会选择做什么呢？

我选择在厨房里与面粉，鸡蛋，糖，牛油为伍。

因为不想扰人清梦，我排除需要使用电动mixer的食谱。脑海里马上出现这个食谱。

这个食谱的做法简单但做出来的蛋糕和用creaming method做的蛋糕一样松软。我决定沿用这个食谱的做法，再利用家里现有的材料来做一个蛋糕。

因为时间还早我准备了一些crumbles洒在蛋糕上。想做crumble cake已经很久了，但是每次都因为懒或是时间的关系而作罢。

蛋糕出炉时也是我享用早餐的时候。吃着自己亲手做的蛋糕配上一杯热咖啡，很享受。

Ingredients:

Crumbles
20g cold butter (cut into small cubes)
60g brown sugar
60g plain flour
½ tsp cinnamon powder
1 tbsp water

Cake

80g butter

60g sugar

135g chocolate milk/milk
1 sachet (15g) Blue Mountain instant coffee powder*

2 eggs (lightly beaten)

220g cake flour }

1 tsp baking powder } mix together

½ tsp baking soda }

70g walnut (lightly roasted and chopped coarsely)
*can be replaced by any other instant coffee powder

Method:

1) For the crumbles - mix sugar, flour, cinnamon powder in a mixing bowl. With fingertips, rub in cold butter and slowly add in water until the mixture becomes crumbly. Set aside (keep in fridge if prepare in advance).
2) For the cake - cook butter, sugar, milk at low heat till butter and sugar dissolved, add instant coffee powder and stir till dissolved. Set aside to cool down completely.

3) Add eggs, mix well.

4) Sieve in flour mixture, mix till just incorporated.

5) Fold in walnut, mix well.

6) Pour batter into a greased and lined 8" round pan. Sprinkle the crumbles on top. Bake in preheat oven at 170C for about 50-60 mins till cooked (a skewer inserted comes out clean).

Note:

1) Suggest to start with step 2 first, while waiting for the liquid mixture to cool down, proceed to make the crumbles.

2) Cover the cake with aluminium foil loosely if the crumbles become brown before the cake is cooked.
3) The sweetness of the cake is just nice when eating with the crumbles. So you may want to increase the sugar amount in the cake if omitting the crumbles.
4) You may create you own version of crumbles, using crushed biscuit, add in chopped nuts, coffee powder......whatever you can think of based on your own liking.