I just made a streusel cake. But the crumble topping has just turned into
cake type mixture with melted butter sitting on top. What have I done
wring? It was 1/3 cup flour, 1/3 cup sugar, 4 Tablespoons butter.

Jen

Jen wrote:

> I just made a streusel cake. But the crumble topping has just turned into
> cake type mixture with melted butter sitting on top. What have I done
> wring? It was 1/3 cup flour, 1/3 cup sugar, 4 Tablespoons butter.

Did you mix the topping ingredients together, but not too much?

"Dave Smith" > wrote in message
...
> Jen wrote:
>
>> I just made a streusel cake. But the crumble topping has just turned
>> into
>> cake type mixture with melted butter sitting on top. What have I done
>> wring? It was 1/3 cup flour, 1/3 cup sugar, 4 Tablespoons butter.
>
> Did you mix the topping ingredients together, but not too much?
>
>
I don't have a pastry cutter, so I started using a knife, but it seemed to
be taking forever so I used my fingertips. You're going to tell me that's
where I went wrong. I just couldn't manage with a knife.

Jen

Oh pshaw, on Fri 25 Aug 2006 04:51:24a, Jen meant to say...

>
> "Dave Smith" > wrote in message
> ...
>> Jen wrote:
>>
>>> I just made a streusel cake. But the crumble topping has just turned
>>> into cake type mixture with melted butter sitting on top. What have I
>>> done wring? It was 1/3 cup flour, 1/3 cup sugar, 4 Tablespoons
>>> butter.
>>
>> Did you mix the topping ingredients together, but not too much?
>>
>>
> I don't have a pastry cutter, so I started using a knife, but it seemed
> to be taking forever so I used my fingertips. You're going to tell me
> that's where I went wrong. I just couldn't manage with a knife.

Yes, it was probably your fingertips and possibly over-mixing. Did you try
2 knives (1 in each hand) drawn against each other in opposite directions?
Also, you want this to end up a rather loose mixture, a little lumpy.

--
Wayne Boatwright
__________________________________________________

FATAL SYSTEM ERROR: Press F13 to continue...

does it say to use brown sugar perhaps?


"Jen" > wrote in message
...
>I just made a streusel cake. But the crumble topping has just turned into
>cake type mixture with melted butter sitting on top. What have I done
>wring? It was 1/3 cup flour, 1/3 cup sugar, 4 Tablespoons butter.
>
> Jen
>

"Jen" > wrote in message
...
> I just made a streusel cake. But the crumble topping has just turned into
> cake type mixture with melted butter sitting on top. What have I done
> wring? It was 1/3 cup flour, 1/3 cup sugar, 4 Tablespoons butter.
>
> Jen
======================
I always make my streusel with the food processor; you just have to know
when to stop, so it does not become overmixed; it only takes a few seconds.
I start the processor and then stop it often until it looks right. You also
might have had too much butter and/or not enough flour. Or possibly it
might have been the margarine you used. Did you use the sticks or the
container margarine; I use the sticks.
--------------------------------
>
>

Jen wrote:
> I just made a streusel cake. But the crumble topping has just turned into
> cake type mixture with melted butter sitting on top. What have I done
> wring? It was 1/3 cup flour, 1/3 cup sugar, 4 Tablespoons butter.
>
> Jen

I think you've probably got too much butter for that amount of flour.
The heat from baking will just turn it all into a glaze rather than
keep it a dry crumble. Add more flour, keep the butter cold and don't
work it too much.

Sandy

"Nina Pretty Ballerina" > wrote in message
u...
> does it say to use brown sugar perhaps?
>

No. It's white sugar.

Jen

"pfoley" > wrote in message
ink.net...
>
> "Jen" > wrote in message
> ...
>> I just made a streusel cake. But the crumble topping has just turned
>> into
>> cake type mixture with melted butter sitting on top. What have I done
>> wring? It was 1/3 cup flour, 1/3 cup sugar, 4 Tablespoons butter.
>>
>> Jen
> ======================
> I always make my streusel with the food processor; you just have to know
> when to stop, so it does not become overmixed; it only takes a few
> seconds.
> I start the processor and then stop it often until it looks right. You
> also
> might have had too much butter and/or not enough flour. Or possibly it
> might have been the margarine you used. Did you use the sticks or the
> container margarine; I use the sticks.

I don't know what you mean by *sticks*. I've seen that mentioned in
recipes, I never really knew what it meant. I used butter, not margarine.
I might need to try it with less butter next time.

Jen

"Sandy" > wrote in message
oups.com...
>
> Jen wrote:
>> I just made a streusel cake. But the crumble topping has just turned
>> into
>> cake type mixture with melted butter sitting on top. What have I done
>> wring? It was 1/3 cup flour, 1/3 cup sugar, 4 Tablespoons butter.
>>
>> Jen
>
> I think you've probably got too much butter for that amount of flour.
> The heat from baking will just turn it all into a glaze rather than
> keep it a dry crumble. Add more flour, keep the butter cold and don't
> work it too much.

Thanks.

Jen

"Jen" > wrote in message
...
>
> "pfoley" > wrote in message
> ink.net...
> >
> > "Jen" > wrote in message
> > ...
> >> I just made a streusel cake. But the crumble topping has just turned
> >> into
> >> cake type mixture with melted butter sitting on top. What have I done
> >> wring? It was 1/3 cup flour, 1/3 cup sugar, 4 Tablespoons butter.
> >>
> >> Jen
> > ======================
> > I always make my streusel with the food processor; you just have to know
> > when to stop, so it does not become overmixed; it only takes a few
> > seconds.
> > I start the processor and then stop it often until it looks right. You
> > also
> > might have had too much butter and/or not enough flour. Or possibly it
> > might have been the margarine you used. Did you use the sticks or the
> > container margarine; I use the sticks.
>
> I don't know what you mean by *sticks*. I've seen that mentioned in
> recipes, I never really knew what it meant. I used butter, not margarine.
> I might need to try it with less butter next time.
>
> Jen
==================
Butter is good to use. Butter and margarine are available in a packages of
four sticks; each stick equals 1/4 lb.
Look up another streusel recipe to see what quantities they use to see if it
matches yours. Also, someone mentioned that you might not be using brown
sugar; are you using brown sugar?
============

>
>

"Jen" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Nina Pretty Ballerina" > wrote in message
> u...
> > does it say to use brown sugar perhaps?
> >
>
> No. It's white sugar.
>
> Jen
========
Did the recipe call for white sugar; most of all the recipes I have seen
call for brown sugar.
-------------------
>
>

Jen wrote:
> "Sandy" > wrote in message
> oups.com...
> >
> > Jen wrote:
> >> I just made a streusel cake. But the crumble topping has just turned
> >> into
> >> cake type mixture with melted butter sitting on top. What have I done
> >> wring? It was 1/3 cup flour, 1/3 cup sugar, 4 Tablespoons butter.
> >>
> >> Jen
> >
> > I think you've probably got too much butter for that amount of flour.
> > The heat from baking will just turn it all into a glaze rather than
> > keep it a dry crumble. Add more flour, keep the butter cold and don't
> > work it too much.
>
> Thanks.
>
> Jen

The heat from your fingers probably didn't help, either. Pastry
cutters are cheap and I wouldn't know what to do without mine, even
though I have two food processors. ;-)

N.

Nancy2 wrote on 25 Aug 2006 in rec.food.cooking

>
> Jen wrote:
> > "Sandy" > wrote in message
> > oups.com...
> > >
> > > Jen wrote:
> > >> I just made a streusel cake. But the crumble topping has just
> > >> turned into
> > >> cake type mixture with melted butter sitting on top. What have I
> > >> done wring? It was 1/3 cup flour, 1/3 cup sugar, 4 Tablespoons
> > >> butter.
> > >>
> > >> Jen
> > >
> > > I think you've probably got too much butter for that amount of
> > > flour. The heat from baking will just turn it all into a glaze
> > > rather than keep it a dry crumble. Add more flour, keep the
> > > butter cold and don't work it too much.
> >
> > Thanks.
> >
> > Jen
>
> The heat from your fingers probably didn't help, either. Pastry
> cutters are cheap and I wouldn't know what to do without mine, even
> though I have two food processors. ;-)
>
> N.
>
>

Failing that...Make it in batches and mash it with a fork to blend it to
a pea sized mixture.

--


Curiosity killed the cat, but for a while I was a suspect

-Alan

On Fri, 25 Aug 2006 09:32:09 GMT, "Jen" >
wrote:

>I just made a streusel cake. But the crumble topping has just turned into
>cake type mixture with melted butter sitting on top. What have I done
>wring? It was 1/3 cup flour, 1/3 cup sugar, 4 Tablespoons butter.

Sounds like an awful lot of butter to me - there should be just enough
to bind the other ingredients together...

"Nancy2" > wrote in message
ups.com...
>
> Jen wrote:
>> "Sandy" > wrote in message
>> oups.com...
>> >
>> > Jen wrote:
>> >> I just made a streusel cake. But the crumble topping has just turned
>> >> into
>> >> cake type mixture with melted butter sitting on top. What have I done
>> >> wring? It was 1/3 cup flour, 1/3 cup sugar, 4 Tablespoons butter.
>> >>
>> >> Jen
>> >
>> > I think you've probably got too much butter for that amount of flour.
>> > The heat from baking will just turn it all into a glaze rather than
>> > keep it a dry crumble. Add more flour, keep the butter cold and don't
>> > work it too much.
>>
>> Thanks.
>>
>> Jen
>
> The heat from your fingers probably didn't help, either. Pastry
> cutters are cheap and I wouldn't know what to do without mine, even
> though I have two food processors. ;-)

I've never had one before. They're the things that are just a wheel with a
handle thingies, aren't they?

By the way. I just too the cake to my mothers, where we tried it, and it
was wonderful, even without proper crumble topping.


Jen

Jen wrote:

>> The heat from your fingers probably didn't help, either. Pastry
>> cutters are cheap and I wouldn't know what to do without mine, even
>> though I have two food processors. ;-)
>
> I've never had one before. They're the things that are just a wheel with a
> handle thingies, aren't they?

No, this is what she means:
http://www.tias.com/cgi-bin/google.f...Key=1922904082

"Goomba38" > wrote in message
. ..
> Jen wrote:
>
>>> The heat from your fingers probably didn't help, either. Pastry
>>> cutters are cheap and I wouldn't know what to do without mine, even
>>> though I have two food processors. ;-)
>>
>> I've never had one before. They're the things that are just a wheel with
>> a handle thingies, aren't they?
>
> No, this is what she means:
> http://www.tias.com/cgi-bin/google.f...Key=1922904082

As you can probable tell, I'm not big on browsing in shops. I've never seen
one of these before. I wouldn't even know how to use it.

Thanks

Jen

Jen wrote on 26 Aug 2006 in rec.food.cooking

> As you can probable tell, I'm not big on browsing in shops. I've
> never seen one of these before. I wouldn't even know how to use it.
>
> Thanks
>
> Jen
>

You start out by cutting your butter into smallish pieces. Adding those
to the bowl with the other stuff. Then you use the pastry cutter to cut
and mix into the other stuff in the bowl till the correct sized crumb has
been reached. It is possible to just dump in the butter all in one lump,
but I find pre-cutting it into smaller pieces works better and doesn't
gum up the pastry cutter as much. Oh! the butter should be kept fridge
cold (but not frozen), as you are looking for crumb mix and not a paste.

It's like using many knife blades at the same time to cut and mix in the
butter. These days I use the food processor to cut in the cold butter.

--


Curiosity killed the cat, but for a while I was a suspect

-Alan

Jen wrote:
> "pfoley" > wrote in message
> ink.net...
> >
> > I start the processor and then stop it often until it looks right. You
> > also
> > might have had too much butter and/or not enough flour. Or possibly it
> > might have been the margarine you used. Did you use the sticks or the
> > container margarine; I use the sticks.
>
> I don't know what you mean by *sticks*. I've seen that mentioned in
> recipes, I never really knew what it meant. I used butter, not margarine.
> I might need to try it with less butter next time.
>
http://i3.tinypic.com/25ptmiw.jpg - a stick of butter is 1/4 pound or
8 US tablespoons, approximately 125 grams.

Nancy2 wrote:
>
> The heat from your fingers probably didn't help, either. Pastry
> cutters are cheap and I wouldn't know what to do without mine, even
> though I have two food processors. ;-)
>

I only use my fingers. If the butter is cold (from the refrigerator),
the room isn't hot and she works quickly, it should be fine.