Buddy Valastro's Crumb Cake

Ingredients

For the Vanilla Sponge Cake:
3 cups cake flour
2 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup whole milk
4 extra-large eggs

For the Crumbs:
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups vegetable shortening
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups pastry flour

Yields:

Preparation

Prepare a 9x13-inch baking pan and preheat oven to 350°F.

For the cake, put flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and vanilla into a mixing bowl. Mix using the beater attachment on low speed.

Add vegetable oil and milk, and continue mixing on low speed. Mix until smooth.

Add the eggs gradually on low speed and let them mix in. Scrape down the bowl and then let mix. Cake batter should be smooth with no lumps.

For the crumbs, put both sugars, cinnamon, and salt in a mixing bowl using the beater attachment and mix on low speed until ingredients are just combined. Add vegetable shortening and mix until smooth.

Add all the flour at once and scrape the bottom of the bowl with a bowl scraper or spatula. Then continue to mix on low speed. Crumbs should be pliable and crumble, but not be overly dry.

Pour cake batter into a cake mold and add the crumbs to the top. Bake 20-25 mins or until the crumbs are golden and the cake is spongy. Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 mins. Dust with powdered sugar.