New York Crumb Cake
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy.
This crumb cake isn’t just about the crumbs—it’s about lots of them! A thick, golden layer of buttery brown sugar crumbles over a soft, moist sour cream cake. Every bite hits that perfect balance of tender cake and rich, crunchy topping.
What makes this crumb cake recipe truly the best ever? It’s all about the generous layer of big, buttery brown sugar crumbs on top. The cake itself is incredibly moist and tender (thanks to sour cream), yet sturdy enough to support all that topping.
This recipe comes from pastry chef Lisa Kolb Ruland of the blog Unpeeled. Lisa has worked in some of NYC’s best bake shops, and her dessert recipes never miss.
Aside from the generous topping, what really sets this New York crumb cake apart from other recipes is the use of two flours: delicate cake flour for the streusel and sturdy all-purpose for the base. The cake flour gives the topping a crisp texture without turning it overly crunchy.
This cake is perfect for a weekend breakfast or brunch, especially alongside savory dishes like a veggie-filled frittata or a warmly spiced shakshuka—but it’s just as good with an afternoon coffee. Like my streusel-topped blueberry coffee cake, it’s impossible to walk past without picking off a crumb (or three!). If you love this homemade crumb cake, try my sour cream coffee cake next!
“I am a huge fan of crumb cake and thought I’d never have another good one after leaving NY over 45 years ago…until today when I made this recipe!”
What You’ll Need To Make new york-style Crumb Cake
- Unsalted butter: Adds richness and moisture to both the cake and crumb topping. Using unsalted butter gives you more control over the saltiness of baked goods.
- Sugar: You will need both granulated sugar and light brown sugar. Granulated sugar sweetens the cake and helps create a tender crumb. The light brown sugar brings a bit of moisture and a subtle molasses flavor to the crumb topping.
- Flavors and spices: Ground cinnamon adds warmth and depth to the crumb topping, and vanilla extra is added to the cake for warmth and sweetness.
- Flour: All-purpose flour gives the cake structure, while lower-protein cake flour keeps the crumb topping light, crisp, and tender.
- Leaveners: This cake uses both baking soda and baking power to help the cake rise and become light and fluffy.
- Eggs: Bind the cake ingredients together and add moisture and richness.
- Sour cream: Adds moisture to the cake along with a slight tang to balance the sweetness of the cake. In a pinch, you can use Greek yogurt for a similar effect.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
How to make new york crumb cake
Step 1: Make the Crumb Topping. Whisk together the melted butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl. Stir in the cake flour one cup at a time.
The mixture will come together like a thick, clumpy cookie dough. When you add that last cup of flour, it’ll get pretty tough to stir, so don’t be shy—just use your hands to mix it in.
Step 2: Combine the dry ingredients for the base. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.
Step 3: Cream the butter and sugar. Use an electric mixer on medium-high speed to beat the softened butter and granulated sugar for 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape the bowl as needed and continue mixing until the mixture is light and fluffy.
Step 4: Add the eggs. Add each egg one at a time and beat well after each addition.
Step 5: Add the vanilla. Mix in the vanilla, scrape down the bowl, and make sure everything is evenly combined. Don’t worry if the batter looks a little curdled—it’s perfectly fine.
Step 6: Add the dry ingredients and sour cream. Mix in half of the flour mixture and then all of the sour cream.
Finally, add the remaining half of the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until everything is evenly combined. The batter will be quite thick.
Step 7: Add to the Pan. Spread the cake batter evenly in the cake pan. It will only come about ¾ inch up the sides of the pan.
Step 9: Add the Crumb Topping. Top the batter with the streusel crumbs, using your fingers to break the mixture apart and form it into roughly ½-inch chunks.
Step 10: Bake. Bake the New York crumb cake for 40 to 45 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Let the cake cool fully on a rack, then dust with powdered sugar. Cut the cake into squares to serve.
Jenn’s Pro Tips
- Storing: Cover any leftover old-fashioned crumb cake with aluminum foil and store at room temperature. It will stay fresh for up to 3 days. For longer storage, keep it in the refrigerator, but be sure to bring it back to room temperature before serving. For even longer storage, you can freeze the cake in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
- No Cake Flour? No problem! You can sift together 3½ cups of all-purpose flour and a ½ cup of cornstarch together to make your own cake flour.
- Measure Properly: One of the keys to baking success is accurate measuring. Use liquid measuring cups for liquids, and dry measuring cups for dry ingredients. For flour, spoon it into the cup and level it off with a knife—scooping straight from the bag can pack in too much.
- Don’t Overmix: Overmixing develops gluten, which can make cakes tough and dense. For the crumb topping, stop mixing while it’s still crumbly. For the cake batter, mix in the flour on low speed and only until combined to keep the texture light and tender.
More breakfast cakes & treats to try
New York Crumb Cake
This New York–style crumb cake recipe has a tender sour cream cake and a generous layer of buttery crumbs—just right for brunch or coffee breaks.
Ingredients
For the Crumb Topping
- 2½ sticks (10 ounces) unsalted butter, melted
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1½ cups (packed) light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 4 cups cake flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off
- Confectioners' sugar (for dusting)
For the Cake
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup sour cream
Instructions
For the Crumb Topping
- In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Using a spoon, stir in the cake flour one cup at a time, until the mixture forms a cohesive dough, like a very thick and clumpy cookie dough. As you add the last cup of flour, the mixture will be difficult to stir, so feel free to ditch the spoon and use your hands to mix it in. Set aside.
For the Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and set an oven rack to the middle position. Grease a 9 x 13-in cake pan.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the softened butter and granulated sugar on medium-high speed, scraping the bowl as necessary, until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating until incorporated after each addition (don't worry if the batter looks a little curdled at this point). Beat in the vanilla and scrape the bowl to make sure everything is evenly combined. Add the flour mixture alternately with the sour cream (half of the flour/all of the sour cream/then the remaining half of the flour), mixing on low speed with each addition, until just combined.
- Spread the cake batter evenly in the cake pan (it will only come about ¾ inch up the sides of the pan). Top the batter with the streusel crumbs, using your fingers to break it apart and form it into roughly ½-inch chunks. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Let the cake cool fully on a rack. Dust with powdered sugar and cut into squares to serve. Cover the cake with aluminum foil and store at room temperature; it will keep nicely for up to 3 days. To keep the cake fresher longer, store it in the refrigerator but bring it to room temperature before serving.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The cake can be frozen for up to 3 months. After it is completely cooled, wrap it tightly with aluminum foil or freezer wrap. Thaw overnight on the countertop before serving.
Nutrition Information
Powered by 
- Per serving (12 servings)
- Calories: 708
- Fat: 32 g
- Saturated fat: 20 g
- Carbohydrates: 97 g
- Sugar: 45 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 8 g
- Sodium: 318 mg
- Cholesterol: 128 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
See more recipes:
Comments
Add a Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
My husband’s favorite bakery item is crumb cake. I bake cakes, pies, cookies, etc. but have not made crumb cake since my days in Home Economics class. This morning I wanted to surprise him by making him his favorite. I looked through some recipes online and came upon yours. I’m so glad I did! He declared it THE BEST crumb cake he’s ever had! Thank you so much. Your photos and helpful suggestions throughout the recipe were great.
This cake was amazing! I loved the very generous crumb topping, and as Jenn mentioned in the intro, had a hard time, not picking at it! I noticed a comment where someone said that the topping kind of melted and caramelized. I suspect that maybe she didn’t make the crumble into big enough pieces and they melted. I made sure that mine were ½-inch as Jenn mentions in the instructions. My cake did take a little bit longer to be fully baked than the recipe indicates – it took about 50 minutes. I was thrilled to be able to leave this cake at my boyfriend’s house because I wouldn’t be able to control myself if I had it at home!
Fantastic recipe. I noticed my crumb came out much harder than I was expecting; I could not always cut through it (still tasted great). Is that normal? I did use vegan butter, which is mostly oil (Miyoko unsalted). Would that explain why the crumb was so hard?
Hi John, it shouldn’t be really hard to cut through. If the vegan butter is the only thing you changed, I suspect it had to have been that. Glad you enjoyed it regardless!
I followed the recipe exactly as written. When I took it out the crumbs were gone except for the corners and there was cake on top. Haven’t tried it yet as far as taste but will be serving it to my fam today. Any idea where I went wrong?
Hi DT, That’s strange as I’ve never had a problem with it. Did you happen to use cake flour for the cake portion as well? If so, that could explain it as the cake wouldn’t have been quite as dense and able to “hold up” the crumb topping.
Can it serve 10-12 people?
Yep!
I just made this cake. Upon taking it out of the oven I noticed that some of the topping looks like the sugar caramelized as there are spots on the top of the cake that are not crumbly. I haven’t tasted it yet. I don’t know what I did wrong, but the crumb topping definitely does not look like yours.
Hi Carole, I’ve never experienced that. Do you recall if your brown sugar was very clumpy?
I have made this and it was delicious! If I bake it on Saturday for Sunday should I refrigerate and bring to room temperature on Sunday?
Hi Susan, no need to refrigerate it if you’re serving the next day. I’d just cover it with foil and store at room temp. Hope everyone enjoys!
Good recipe – but I had an issue with some of the cake not being cooked enough. I think maybe the cake should be cooked a little first before putting the crumb topping on.
Hi Jen! I’m a huge fan and married to a chef and we BOTH love your recipes! Quick question- I will be making this cake today for a brunch tomorrow- should I let the cake cool in the pan and cover until tomorrow? Or remove from the pan before covering? Thanks!
Hi Karleigh, So glad you both enjoy the recipes! 🙂 You could go either way; I would probably leave it in the pan. Hope everyone enjoys!
10/10 Delish! Not too sweet, cake texture wasn’t dense, but held up to the weight of the crumb top. Added 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans (since I had leftovers from Thanksgiving baking) and 1/4 tsp more of cinnamon (love the taste of it) to the crumb. Also added 1 tsp of almond extract to the batter, however I don’t think it added all that much to it (might try orange extract next time).
I use Mexican cinnamon, which has a milder, rounded flavor. Highly recommend for baking.