It seems I have breakfast on the mind. More often than not, I crave breakfast. And I am not just talking about at the normal breakfast time. I could eat breakfast and elements of breakfast all day long. I am also fortunate enough to not have to make my breakfast all the time. In fact, when I make breakfast for myself I hardly ever eat it. I either make too much or make it too heavy. I don't know, when someone else makes you breakfast or coffee or a scone it just tastes better.
The other day we were talking about coffee cakes. I pulled out some butter to come to room temperature. I figured I was doing Aki a favor, and she would make a great coffee cake for us both to enjoy. As the butter softened, I went about my business of making the yogurt crisp base. As I was just finishing up, I was alerted to the fact that Aki was quite hungry and the coffee cake had yet to be started, let alone baked, and well, I was the one who was supposed to make it. Hmmm? I missed something. Apparently if you pull the butter out for a cake preparation, you will be the one making the cake.
I popped my head around the corner into the dining room and looked at Aki. She was serious, about both the hunger (not a good thing for me) and the fact that I was way late in getting the cake started because I was busy trying to make yogurt light and crispy, something that is not at all filling and would not calm the hunger in her belly. I stammered a bit and said that I didn't have a recipe. (Bad idea) In a flash, she was up from her seat and to the book shelf. Next thing I know, I was looking at an open Martha Stewart cookbook and her fingers were doing the walking, pointing out several recipes for coffee cakes with crumb and streusel toppings. She paused, looked at me and said, "I am still hungry."
I grabbed the book and looked through it quickly. I chose the classic crumb cake recipe from page 95 and the crumb topping from page 96. 
I basically followed the recipe substituting bananas for the berries and adding some cinnamon to the cake batter. The crumb topping I made by hand, a truly great experience, especially if you are crumb topping freak like myself. The butter, spices, sugar and flour appear as though they never to want to come together and then all of a sudden as you knead the mixture with your fingertips you have a perfect crumb.
Well, the cake was finally in the oven and I was able to distract Aki with a dog walk while it baked. We returned home and the smell of spices, butter and sugar greeted us at the door. I pulled the cake from the oven and smiled. Now we had to wait as the cake cooled. The wait was not unbearable although we probably cut into it a bit early (patience is not my strong suit).
The result? Well I wish pictures were edible. Oh yeah, and Aki is no longer hungry.
