Coffee-Walnut Crumb Cake!

             I am an Asian  teenager for whom South Africa is another planet and Nelson Mandela is the man I see sometimes on television,sometimes online, sometimes in newspapers. So before  I began writing this post, I was asking myself, “Do I have the right to say something about this man?”. Because  all my life I have been a carefree soul. And have never really delved deep into thought provoking matters.I’m a self professed basic, not a poet. Yet I am writing about a man who went ahead to change many lives by the mercy of Almighty God. A man who fought matters of race, of freedom, of  peace, of poverty and most important of all…of humanity.A man who thought, dreamed and did, rather than stay confined into his own  little selfish world like I do. From early childhood I remember hearing , “Resentment is like drinking poison and then hoping it will kill your enemies.” Today I found out it was piece of wisdom delivered by Nelson Mandela,that had crept slowly into my  house and hugely shaped the person I’ve now become. Resentment is the last thing that will ever come to me, because the idea of it being a poison has deeply sunk into my roots. I’ve seen people ruin themselves through resentment, wallowing in it until it  swallows them completely. I realized that it is a gift that he has given me, and to all of those who dared to listen and to learn. For those who loved him should not cry, because he lived a life of substance unlike many. A man who was truly worthy of being called a man. A man who shall live after death in the minds and hearts of many.

How far that little candle throws its beams! So shines a good deed in a naughty world”.
William Shakespeare 

 

Blog’s One Month Anniversary and Coffee-Walnut Crumb Cake

It’s my blog’s one month anniversary today. That is, if there something like a one month anniversary. Well,anyway I made some bittersweet coffee and walnut crumb cake for today. A bittersweet cake for a bittersweet day. It was soft, crumby and melt-in-the-mouth delicious. It has been a good one month of blogging. My perspective on food has already begun to change. I’ve began to look at it as a work of art rather than just a ‘thing’ to feed my growling tummy. The bloggers I’ve begun to get familiar with have been very kind and so have been the visitors. But all along I’ve never lost sight of why I made this blog. It was accidentally made, not intentionally.I blog for the love of food, rather than food for the love of blogging. Will never forget this, InshaAllah!

Ingredients:

• 1 Tablespoon flour, for coating the pan
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup + 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 10 Tablespoons (1 and 1/4 stick) unsalted butter, lightly softened at room temp
  
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup buttermilk, see how to
• 1 large egg, at room temperature*
• 1/4 cup strongly brewed coffee
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/3 cup chopped walnuts

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously grease  a spring-form pan with butter. Sprinkle the bottom of the pan with 1 Tablespoon of flour and tap out the excess.
2. Whisk the flour, sugar, and salt together in a large mixing bowl until combined. Cut in the butter in very small pieces. Whisk around with a whisk or mix with a fork until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside 1 cup of the flour mixture.
3. Mix the baking powder and baking soda into the remaining flour mixture. Add the room temperature buttermilk, coffee,egg, and vanilla – you may want to do this with a mixer. The batter is very, very thick. Vigorously mix everything together until the batter is smooth, fluffy, and resembles frosting – about 2 full minutes. Spoon the batter into the prepared spring-form pan, smoothing the top.
4. Add the brown sugar, chopped walnuts and cinnamon to the reserved flour mixture. Toss with a fork until well blended. Sprinkle the crumbs over the batter, pressingly lightly so they stick. Bake the cake until the center is firm and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean – 45-55 minutes. Mine took 55 minutes. Allow to cool for 10 minutes( or 5 minutes in fridge), then remove the sides of the spring-form pan and allow cake to cool completely before serving (about 2 hours).

 

 

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