Author Notes
This streusel (a great use for soon-to-stale cereal) adds an excellent textural element to everything from muffins to cake. It's fantastic as a partner for this tender yet dense vanilla crème fraîche cake. Two tablespoons of vanilla sounds like A LOT and it is, so feel free to use less, but I love the flavor that the hefty and generous dose adds to the cake batter. —Posie (Harwood) Brien
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Ingredients
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FOR STREUSEL:
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1 cup
corn Chex cereal
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4 tablespoons
unsalted butter, softened
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2 tablespoons
raw sugar or brown sugar
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2 tablespoons
granulated sugar
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1/4 teaspoon
flaky sea salt
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FOR CAKE:
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8 ounces
crème fraîche
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4
eggs
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1 1/2 cups
granulated sugar
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2 1/2 cups
all-purpose flour
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1 teaspoon
baking powder
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2 tablespoons
vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract) -- this seems like A LOT and you can use less, but trust me!
Directions
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In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients for streusel (Chex, butter, sugar, and salt). It's easiest to use your hands here! You want the butter to be thoroughly incorporated, and the cereal should be crushed lightly but not pulverized. I like to leave some larger pieces of cereal both for aesthetics and also texture.
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Preheat oven to 350° F.
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Grease a 12-cup muffin pan (I used a square one!) and line with papers. Beat the crème fraîche and eggs together until pale and creamy.
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Add the flour, sugar, baking powder, and vanilla bean paste and mix until combined.
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Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cups and top with the streusel. It seems like a lot of streusel but go for it!
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Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until streusel is golden. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes.
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