Sweet Bishop's Bread Coffee Cake

A good friend served this delicious coffee cake to a woman's group I belong to. The cake is extremely moist and the topping is delightful.

• Ready In: 1 hr
• Serves: 9

Ingredients

• 2 1⁄2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (fluff the flour with a spoon before measuring it)
• 2  cups light brown sugar, firmly packed down
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄2 cup butter, at room temperature
• 1  teaspoon baking powder
• 1⁄4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1  large egg, beaten
• 1  cup buttermilk (THE RECIPE CALLS FOR 1 CUP OF BUTTERMILK OR 1 CUP OF SOUR MILK. TO MAKE SOUR MILK, DO THIS...In a 2-)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Grease with vegetable shortening, the sides and bottom of an 8-inch by 8-inch square baking pan.
3. In a medium mixing bowl, thoroughly combine the flour, brown sugar, and salt.
4. With a pastry blender or a fork, cut the butter into the flour-brown sugar mixture until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs (as if you were making pie dough). Measure and set aside 3/4 cup of this flour-brown sugar-butter mixture.
5. To the remaining flour-brown sugar-butter mixture (not the 3/4 cup mixture that you set aside), thoroughly stir in the baking powder, soda, and cinnamon.
6. Add the beaten egg and buttermilk or sour milk; beat until the batter is smooth.
7. Pour batter into prepared pan and spread evenly.
8. Sprinkle 3/4 cup reserved crumb mixture evenly over the top of the batter.
9. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 to 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the coffee cake comes out clean. (TO BE ON THE SAFE SIDE, check the cake for doneness after its been in the oven for 40 minutes).
10. Cool 10 minutes on a wire cake rack.
11. Cut the coffee cake into 9 squares, each square being slightly under 2 and 3/4 inches in width and slightly under 2 and 3/4 inches in length.
12. Serve warm.