As a child I looked forward to Tuesday nights when my mother had her card game at our home. A variety of coffee and teacakes sat on the buffet table along with a beautiful tray of sliced fruit. Needless to say I would gravitate toward the sweet cakes scented with chocolate, cinnamon, walnuts, apples or pears. My favorite was the spiced streusel cake.

This recipe is the taste memory of that cake. My mom was not a cook at all, so all of our desserts came from local bakeries. That meant I had to develop each recipe I liked from scratch. I worked on this for quite awhile to achieve a moist crumb cake layered with cinnamon and nut streusel. The apple nuggets and spicy, sweet crystalized ginger gems hidden inside are a welcome surprise. The sweetened ginger punches up the apple spice batter and adds a zing.

Topped with a golden crispy streusel, this is a perfect brunch coffeecake that will adapt to whatever menu you're serving. It is also good for breakfast, afternoon tea or a light dessert after dinner. I prefer to bake it in a bundt pan because it cooks more evenly and has a pretty presentation, but a 9-by-13-inch baking dish can be used.

Helpful Tips:

--Look for crystalized ginger in specialty food stores, at Trader Joe's or in the spice or bakery section of the market.

--Use pears instead of apples.

--Use pecans or almonds instead of walnuts.

--Use baking spray that includes both oil and flour to butter and flour the pan.

Ginger Apple Streusel Cake

Serves 10 to 12.

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