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Breakfast Cake-Pennsylvania Dutch Recipe

A Sweet, Crumbly "Crumb Pie" From a Mennonite Farmer's Wife

© Elizabeth Harrington

Oct 6, 2009
Pennsylvania Dutch Breakfast Cake, Juju Bee
An simple, quick recipe for breakfast cake. So easy, even the "cooking challenged" can do it! Great for Sunday brunch or as part of a hearty farm breakfast.

This sweet, crumbly breakfast cake recipe, also known as crumb pie, comes from a Mennonite farmer's wife in Pennsylvania Dutch Country. It's just one of the dishes she serves to family members at the crack of dawn, and the lucky overnight boarders who share the food, stories, and warmth of Mennonite hospitality.

Although the Mennonite housewife who provided it did not describe it as such, the recipe is most likely a version of breakfast cake that is referred to as Pennsylvania Dutch.

The method is really simple, as it requires few steps, no exotic ingredients, and no mixer. But the texture and flavor make this cake a real treat and a meal in itself. It works as a delicious Sunday brunch served with fresh fruit, as part of a substantial and sustaining breakfast. along with eggs, cereal, and fruit, or a treat in itself. It's especially tasty when served hot, or re-heated before eating.

Tips: "Sweet milk" and adding a "pinch"

  • This recipe calls for "sweet milk," which is a term from the past, before refrigeration was possible. "Sweet milk" means fresh milk that hasn't yet soured. At that time, it was important to differentiate between sour milk, sweet, and buttermilk (milk that had been fermented). Sweet milk is preferred when used with other ingredients that have strong flavors, such as sharp cheddar cheese. Finally, "sweet milk" may mean not just whole milk, but milk with live cultures in it. Some places such as Iowa carry it. For this particular recipe, however, whole milk works fine.
  • The recipe also calls for a "pinch" of salt. To add a pinch of something as a cooking ingredient, use your thumb, index finger, and middle finger to get the right amount.

Breakfast Cake Recipe or "Crumb Pie"

Cooking time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 cup white flour
  • 1 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 2 tablespoons baking soda
  • a pinch of salt
  • 1 cup sweet milk (may substitute whole milk)

Preparation:

  1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F /191 degrees C
  2. In a large bowl, cream together ingredients until they form fine crumbs
  3. Take out 1/2 cup of the crumbs, and put it aside for the topping
  4. Add cup of milk and mix until smooth
  5. Pour the batter into an 8 inch greased cake pan
  6. Sprinkle the 1/2 cup of crumbs over the batter
  7. Bake at 375 degrees F/191 C
  8. Remove from oven after 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the pan comes out clean

More Recipe Ideas For Breakfast Cake or Crumb Pie

Breakfast Cake tastes great as a base for other fruits, such as apple, banana, and blueberry lemon. Follow this link for other breakfast cake, or coffeecake recipes.


The copyright of the article Breakfast Cake-Pennsylvania Dutch Recipe in Breakfast Recipes is owned by Elizabeth Harrington. Permission to republish Breakfast Cake-Pennsylvania Dutch Recipe in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.


Mennonite Farm, JfVoll
Pennsylvania Dutch Breakfast Cake, Juju Bee
      


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Comments
Oct 6, 2009 11:18 AM
Alicia King :
Great recipe! i'll have to try it out!

Just FYI, "Pennsylvania Dutch" is actually a really broad term that refers to the culture of the German immigrants who settled in Ohio and Pennsylvania because the area looked so much like Germany. "Dutch" here has nothing to do with the Netherlands, it's an anglicization of the word for German: "Deutsch"

Logically speaking, the Amish, Mennonites AND the German-heritage folks in the general population of OH and PA are ALL considered to be "Pennsylvania Dutch". (So a car zooming down the road would be just as appropriate as the buggy, and in terms of population, perhaps even more representative.)

I say all this because there seems to be a misapplication of that term, particularly in the photos. The horse & buggy is more traditionally used by the Amish - a group who live in the same basic region (and do fall under the "Pennsylvania Dutch" rubric).

Differentiating the Amish and the Mennonites is a tricky thing for outsiders - mostly it is a question of religious dogma - however the easy way to "get it" is that Mennonites interact more with the outside world a bit more, and use electricity and gas-powered engines. A Mennonite would drive a pickup truck suitable for farm work.

This just seems like a bit of a mish-mash of those very specific terms, and I wanted to add a little bit of clarity. :)
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