I needed to fly one round trip to anywhere before the end of 2019 to qualify for the next-highest status level of my frequent flyer program. So I booked a round trip to West Virginia a few days before the new year. After I arrived at the airport, my flight was canceled. I rushed over to the customer service desk and explained to the agent that I needed to fly a round trip to anywhere -- but it had to be that same day. She did a little digging and booked me on a round trip to Harrisburg, PA, leaving in 25 minutes from a gate within spitting distance. I thanked her profusely and handed over a few slices of Samantha Seneviratne's Cranberry Crumb Cake that I had baked the night before and wrapped individually, for the purpose of giving them to the crew for my original flight.
I had briefly considered making the crumb cake for our holiday party, but I it got cut from the menu after I decided to use all of my fresh cranberries in the sauce for Dorie Greenspan's Eton mess. But after Christmas, fresh cranberries were still plentiful at the supermarket and I was glad to finally have the opportunity to make the cake.
Making the batter is straightforward. You beat softened butter with sugar and orange zest until fluffy; add eggs and vanilla; add the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt) alternately with sour cream; and fold in cranberries. You spread the batter into a parchment-lined pan, top the batter with more cranberries, and sprinkle on a crumb mixture (made from flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, and melted butter).
I thought this cake was quite pretty, with lots of jewel-toned cranberries poking through the golden brown crumbs on top. Also, I loved the fact that the crumbs remained distinct crumbs -- a pet peeve of mine is "crumbs" that melt into a continuous layer of topping. And these crumbs were crunchy and buttery, but easy to cut through with a serrated knife; they stayed on top of the cake when I sliced it.
This cake was delicious. The distinct flavor from the orange zest added extra brightness to the tart cranberries. And the cake itself was rich and moist but not very sweet -- especially with the puckery cranberries -- so it was perfect eaten with the sweet and indulgent crumb topping. The crumbs are the Platonic ideal of what a crumb topping should be.
I did also give cake to my flight attendant and the pilots for my Harrisburg flights (I had the same flight crew on both legs of my trip, since it was the same plane for both segments), and I even had enough cake left over to drop some off with a friend on my way home from the airport. All in all, my mileage run to Harrisburg took only about two and a half hours (Harrisburg is really close to DC), and when I returned to Dulles, I walked by the airline customer service desk to thank the agent again for re-booking me. She couldn't believe I was already back from my trip, because it was only 11:00 am. It was a wonderfully productive morning. I qualified for a better frequent flyer status, got a nice view of Three Mile Island on the approach to Harrisburg, did some leisure reading, and had the opportunity to share some wonderful baked goods with people I encountered along the way.
Recipe: "Cranberry Crumb Cake" by Samantha Seneviratne, available from The New York Times.
I had briefly considered making the crumb cake for our holiday party, but I it got cut from the menu after I decided to use all of my fresh cranberries in the sauce for Dorie Greenspan's Eton mess. But after Christmas, fresh cranberries were still plentiful at the supermarket and I was glad to finally have the opportunity to make the cake.
Making the batter is straightforward. You beat softened butter with sugar and orange zest until fluffy; add eggs and vanilla; add the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt) alternately with sour cream; and fold in cranberries. You spread the batter into a parchment-lined pan, top the batter with more cranberries, and sprinkle on a crumb mixture (made from flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, and melted butter).
I did also give cake to my flight attendant and the pilots for my Harrisburg flights (I had the same flight crew on both legs of my trip, since it was the same plane for both segments), and I even had enough cake left over to drop some off with a friend on my way home from the airport. All in all, my mileage run to Harrisburg took only about two and a half hours (Harrisburg is really close to DC), and when I returned to Dulles, I walked by the airline customer service desk to thank the agent again for re-booking me. She couldn't believe I was already back from my trip, because it was only 11:00 am. It was a wonderfully productive morning. I qualified for a better frequent flyer status, got a nice view of Three Mile Island on the approach to Harrisburg, did some leisure reading, and had the opportunity to share some wonderful baked goods with people I encountered along the way.
Recipe: "Cranberry Crumb Cake" by Samantha Seneviratne, available from The New York Times.
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