Streusel Squares, #The Cake Slice Bakers

The Cake Slice Bakers are a group of bakers from around the world. We vote on a recipe and then bake the sweet from the same cookbook every month. Our current book is Carole Walter's Great Cakes. This month's sweet assignment? 
Streusel Squares!

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens…
Cream colored ponies and crisp apple strudels…
Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings
These are a few of my favorite things.

Do you recognize the lyrics to My Favorite Things from The Sound of Music?

Which favorite items make your heart sing? 

If I had written the song, I might have included streusel squares. Baking this month’s The Cake Slice Bakers’ assignment brought a bouquet of brown sugar and butter aroma to our home preparing for the holidays.

Streusel Squares

Is streusel a solid part of your repertoire? I think the last time I made streusel (for a coffee cake) I was ten! So, in the process of preparing the streusel (butter, flour, sugar and cinnamon) as prescribed in Great Cakes, I was a little dismayed by the beige clumps. So, how does a baker make anything better? 

Chocolate, of course! And pecans. It works every time! The yellow cake topped with streusel à la chocolate chips and pecans made my little taste buds giggle…And stumble back to the ten-year-old who believed in Christmas magic. 

To obtain your own copy of Carole Walter’s Great Cakes, click here. You can also bake up your best yellow cake recipe and top it with streusel. (Equal parts flour and brown sugar tumbled together with dollops of soft butter and sprinkles of cinnamon.) A garnish of chocolate chips and pecans is highly recommended!