🕯️ The Witch of the Mirrors
The Dog Who Ate Crumbs and Found a Voice
Recipe: Cinnamon Crumb Tea Cake
On a windy afternoon, Marta, an old woman with gentle hands and a tidy kitchen, left a tea cake to cool by the window. A stray dog—mud on his paws and stars in his eyes—slipped through the half-open door. He sniffed, wagged, and nibbled a fallen crumb.
Something shimmered in the room. The kettle sighed. And the dog said, very softly: “Thank you.”
Marta almost dropped her teacup. “Did you just… speak?” The dog sat, tail thumping. “Only a little,” he said, “when the crumbs are warm and the house is kind.”
From that day on, the dog—she named him Tango—kept her company. He listened to stories of lost summers and letters never sent, and he reminded her to take her pills with a gentle woof. When the world felt too quiet, he placed his chin on her knee and said, “We’re here.”
As the years turned, Marta’s steps grew smaller but her afternoons grew larger: cinnamon in the air, tea in the blue cup, and a dog who spoke whenever a crumb touched the floor. And every Sunday, she baked the same cake, letting a few crumbs “accidentally” fall, just to hear: “More, please.”
Cinnamon Crumb Tea Cake
Total time: 45–50 min | Yields: 1 cake (20×20 cm pan), 9–12 servings
For the crumb (streusel)
- 80 g flour
- 80 g brown sugar
- 60 g cold butter, cubed
- 1½ tsp ground cinnamon
- Pinch of salt
Method (crumb): Rub butter into dry ingredients with fingertips until clumpy crumbs form. Chill while you make the batter.
For the cake
- 120 g soft butter
- 120 g white sugar
- 2 eggs (room temp)
- 160 g all-purpose flour
- 8 g baking powder (≈2 tsp)
- ½ tsp salt
- 120 ml milk or plain yogurt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- (Optional) 1 tsp lemon zest
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F). Line a 20×20 cm pan with parchment.
- Beat butter and sugar until pale. Add eggs one by one.
- Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt. Add dry mix to batter, alternating with milk/yogurt. Stir in vanilla (and zest).
- Spread batter in pan. Scatter the chilled crumb evenly on top.
- Bake 30–35 min, until a skewer comes out clean and the crumb is golden.
- Rest 10 min, slice warm. Perfect with black tea or café con leche.
Sweet Moral
Sometimes comfort speaks in crumbs: a little kindness, a warm slice, and someone to share it with.