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      Velvet Crumb Cake

      June 24, 2010

      Velvet Crumb Cake 005This is a Bisquick Velvet Crumb Cake.  It was my father’s favorite cake when my parents were first married.  As some of you already know I recently lost my father.  He died of lung cancer on April 19th at age 76.  He apparently had been sick for some time but due to the fractured nature of our family we didn’t find out until the last minute.  We had very little time to spend with him before he succumbed to the disease.  My parents divorced when I was five years old.  Over the years the relationship my younger sister and I had with our father was infrequent and fraught with difficulty.  Neither of us had seen much of him during the last years of his life.  When one of my mother’s half sisters heard that my father was dying she told me a few stories about him — stories from before my parents’ divorce.  My Aunt Wendy was a teenager when my mother and father started dating and has very clear memories from that time.  My parents were in their early twenties when they married.  While there is a lot that I don’t understand about my father; like some of the decisions he made, and paths he chose in his life my aunt has fond memories of him.  She told me how good he was with my sister and me when we were young.  How he doted on us.  She also told me that his favorite cake when my parents first married was the Velvet Crumb Cake — a recipe that appeared on the back of the Bisquick box.  A few days after she shared this story with me the recipe appeared in my inbox.  She had located it online on a site called Back of the Box Recipes.  I was very touched that she found it, and sent it to me.  I decided to make it in honor of my father.

      Ed Thompson 2

      My father, Edward W. Thompson

      Thompson Children

      My father, on the far right, age 9, and his four siblings in 1943.

      Velvet Crumb Cake 025

      Velvet Crumb Cake

      Provided by General Mills, Inc.

      1 1/2 cups Bisquick Original baking mix

      1/2 cup sugar

      1/2 cup milk or water

      2 tablespoons shortening

      1 teaspoon vanilla

      1 egg

      Topping (below)

      Heat oven to 350 F.  Grease and flour 8-inch square pan or 9-inch round pan.

      Beat all ingredients except topping on low speed for 30 seconds, scraping bowl constantly.  Beat on medium speed 4 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally.  Pour into pan.

      Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean; cool slightly.

      Make Topping; spread over cake.  Set oven control to Broil.  Broil about 3 inches from heat about 3 minutes or until golden brown.

      Topping

      1/2 cup flaked coconut

      1/3 cup packed brown sugar

      1/4 cup chopped nuts

      3 tablespoons margarine or or butter, softened

      2 tablespoons milk

      Stir together all ingredients.

      High Altitude (3500-6500 ft): Heat oven to 375 F.  Use 9-inch square pan.  Decrease baking mix to 1 1/3 cups and add 1/3 cup all-purpose flour.  Increase milk to 2/3 cup.  Bake about 25 min.

      Makes 8 servings.

      Print Recipe

      A few notes:  I made this cake twice as I burned the first one while trying to brown the topping in my broiler.  I had barely put it under the broiler before it burned.  I don’t know if stoves have evolved and my broiler is more efficient than they were when the recipe first appeared on Bisquick boxes but with the second cake I had to watch it very closely during the browning stage.  Be careful.  On the second cake I also doubled the ingredient amounts for the topping as there was barely enough to cover the first cake.

      Recommendation:  Let Me Cook For You ~ for my Marin County, and Bay Area readers.  My sister, Traci Thompson, has started a personal cooking service.  She’ll devise menus, do the shopping, come to your house, and cook for you and your family.  She’s an amazing cook and prepares ‘healthy homemade meals for everyone’.

      Coming Up: International Food Bloggers Conference (IFBC), August 27 – 29, 2010, Seattle Washington.  So much fun last year that I’ll be attending again this year.  Are you? Upcoming Posts: Cochon 555 Napa, a write up of the amazing pork festival that I attended this spring. Cookbook Reviews: Steak and Friends: At Home with Rick Tramonto by Rick Tramonto, Spice Dreams by Sara Engram and Katie Luber, Cider Beans, Wild Greens, and Dandelion Jelly by Joan E. Aller.

      21 Comments on “Velvet Crumb Cake”

      1. robert guerrero says:
        June 24, 2010 at 11:39 pm

        Thanks for sharing such a personal part of your life. I know firsthand what you went through and I’m so glad I got to meet him even if it was not the dad you remembered.

      2. Charles Thompson says:
        June 24, 2010 at 11:46 pm

        Thanks, Robert. I am glad you were able meet him too — and that you were there with me through his final days.

      3. Susan Lind says:
        June 25, 2010 at 6:25 am

        What a touching story, Charles. I’m sure it wasn’t easy to share it, but I’m glad you did.

        One of the things I love about cooking is the way food connects us to others, and this recipe certainly confirms that.

        I’m so sorry for your loss, and hope that you are on the road to emotional healing.

        Take care…

      4. Blanche says:
        June 25, 2010 at 9:16 am

        A very personal story and a nice tribute to your Dad. I love the pictures too. I was wondering if perhaps you would take on the Mock Apple Pie recipe from the back of the Ritz Cracker box next….

      5. Phil says:
        June 25, 2010 at 9:18 am

        Well done, Charles. It looks fantastic! Bisquick was something we always had in our house when I was growing up. My mother used it to make dumplings in chicken soup, and it was one of my favorite comfort food dishes growing up.

        When my wife’s mother was beginning to fade (and she knew it was coming) she started dumping off important things to her – photos, documents, anything she wanted to be sure was being saved in a safe place. Among these things were family recipes – 3 x 5 index cards, yellowed from years of age and use, typed impeccably on an old Royal typewriter.

        I was happy to have these. They’re all old world dishes, using ingredients that signify just how simple times were when the dishes were created. While I may never make half of them myself, it’s great to have a piece of the past that your family experienced. If not just for that moment, it feels like you’ve moved the clock back a little – enjoying a family favorite meal with all of them.

        Great photos of your dad too. Thanks for sharing this story with us.

      6. Lori says:
        June 25, 2010 at 12:22 pm

        Thank you for sharing this. It’s almost magical how taste, like smell, is a time machine. Even though you and your dad didn’t actually experience the dish at the same time, there’s a way in which sharing this dish lets you live a few moments of his life. Is this kind of thing that’s the real history of the world.

      7. Kristina says:
        June 25, 2010 at 1:37 pm

        Ah, Bisquick! I made a number of things off the back of the box when I was a kid. They were always good as I’m sure this cake is.
        Thanks for sharing the story about your dad.

      8. Charles Thompson says:
        June 25, 2010 at 1:40 pm

        Susan: Thanks so much for reading and for your kind words. What you said about food connecting us is exactly why I decided to make the cake and write about it.

        Miz DuBois: Thank you. You are one of the few friends who actually met him! If you find me the recipe for Mock Apple Pie, I’ll make it.

        Phil: Thank you as always. I forgot to include in the text that my father used to make us Bisquick pancakes on Sundays when we were little even after the divorce for a few years. I, too, have that little metal box of yellowed family recipes that my mother gave me. Might just have to try a few sometime. That kind of thing is important and connects us to our past.

        Lori: You are most welcome. Thank you for the insightful words — I agree that taste and smell are like time machines, and I’m happy that this cake as you say let me live a few moments of his life. Beautiful sentiments!

      9. Charles Thompson says:
        June 25, 2010 at 1:45 pm

        Thank you, Kristina. I’m sure there are a lot of Americans in our age range who made Bisquick recipes as children. Making the cake brought back a lot of memories! I hadn’t had a box of Bisquick in my kitchen since leaving home after high school…

      10. Gastronomer says:
        June 25, 2010 at 2:45 pm

        Thanks for sharing, Charles. So, did your father have good taste in cakes?

      11. Charles Thompson says:
        June 25, 2010 at 2:49 pm

        Thanks, Cathy. In answer to your question — he had a real sweet tooth! It was so sweet my teeth hurt but it was still yummy. He had good taste in cakes, yes.

      12. Cooking with Kait says:
        June 25, 2010 at 3:26 pm

        Hi Charles. Thank you for sharing this heart felt story about your father. You are wonderful for making this cake in honor of him.

      13. Charles Thompson says:
        June 25, 2010 at 3:57 pm

        Thank you, Kait for your kind words and support. It has been very cathartic doing this for him.

      14. Aunt Wendy says:
        June 25, 2010 at 7:53 pm

        How neat that you actually made your dad’s favorite Bisquick dessert! I am so pleased you tried it. Now I have to admit one
        of my own favorite cookie recipes is under the lid of a round box of Quaker Oats….Vanishing Oatmeal Raisin Cookies…. although I substitute walnuts for the raisins. Hey, it’s back to
        the basics, I’d say!
        Another of my fond memories of your dad is seeing him in his
        MG sports car. Those were the days!

      15. Katie Krupp says:
        June 25, 2010 at 10:43 pm

        I am sorry to hear about your Dad, but happy to know that you got to see him while he was still alive. The Bisquick cake is such a great connection with him. I remember Bisquick being a staple in our house; made all kinds of goodies, pineapple upside down cake, pancakes, and even biscuits!

      16. Charles Thompson says:
        June 26, 2010 at 11:35 am

        Aunt Wendy: Thanks for the nice comment. If it hadn’t been for you I wouldn’t have known that this cake was my dad’s favorite dessert so thank you! Your cookies sound yummy too. Love the MG Sports car memory. For some reason I have a vague memory of that car too… xo

        Katie: Thanks for your kind words. I would imagine if Bisquick was a staple in our house (and it was) it would also have been in yours too — makes sense for that time period. We also made all sorts of yummy goodies with it. Thanks for stopping by.

      17. Traci Thompson says:
        June 26, 2010 at 9:49 pm

        Now I know where I get my sweet tooth from! I love your sharing, Charles, of dad and his favorite cake. I did not know this either, until now. Reading it made me cry and at the same time I am happy that you wrote about dad and put his pictures in your post. Thank you, Charles, for sharing this with everyone. I love you.

      18. pierre says:
        June 27, 2010 at 7:00 am

        hi charles
        that’s a very original crumble !!
        Have anice day we have a beautiful day here in Paris Pierre

      19. Charles Thompson says:
        June 28, 2010 at 10:15 pm

        Traci: Thanks. It wasn’t an easy post to write but I wanted to share it since it did involve a favorite dish of his. Somehow it seemed appropriate. I appreciate your heartfelt comments and I love you too.

        Pierre: Merci beaucoup!

      20. Kristen says:
        June 29, 2010 at 1:22 pm

        Beautiful! Your dad would be proud.

        Gosh, I haven’t had Bisquick in years, thanks for the memories. I am pretty sure Bisquick must have made up a huge portion of my food consumption as a kid.

      21. Charles Thompson says:
        June 29, 2010 at 5:15 pm

        Thanks much, Kristin. I was the same – I hadn’t cooked with Bisquick since I lived at home but we also used for a lot of dishes when I was growing up.

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