Crumb Cake
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Every bite of this crumb cake is the perfect balance of tender cake and a buttery-crisp crumb topping. It’s the perfect treat to enjoy with a cup of coffee in hand!
An extra-generous topping of big, buttery brown sugar clumps make this the best crumb cake ever. The recipe comes from pastry chef Lisa Kolb Ruland of the blog Unpeeled. Lisa has worked in some of NYC’s best bake shops, and she has spectacular dessert recipes.
Lisa’s trick to making this crumb cake over-the-top perfect? She uses two types of flour: delicate cake flour for the streusel crumb topping and sturdy all-purpose flour for the cake. The cake flour gives the streusel a lovely texture (crisp but not too crunchy), while the all-purpose flour gives the cake base enough structure to prop up the plentiful streusel as it bakes. This cake is wonderful with coffee any time of day. The only problem is that it’s impossible to resist picking off the crumb topping every time you pass by.
“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 Crumb Cake
- Unsalted butter: Adds richness and moisture to both the cake and crumb topping.
- Granulated sugar: Sweetens the cake and helps create a tender crumb.
- Light brown sugar: Brings moisture and a subtle molasses flavor to the crumb topping.
- Ground cinnamon: Adds warmth and depth of flavor to the crumb topping.
- Cake flour: An essential component of the recipe that creates a tender yet crisp crumb topping.
- All-purpose flour: Provides structure to the cake.
- Baking soda and Baking powder: Work in tandem to help the cake rise and become light and fluffy.
- Eggs: Bind the cake ingredients together and add moisture and richness.
- Vanilla extract: Adds flavor and enhances the cake’s sweetness.
- Sour cream: Adds moisture and a slight tang to balance the sweetness of the cake.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Begin by making the crumb topping: In a large bowl, combine the melted butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Whisk until evenly combined, then 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. Then set it aside.
Next, make the cake batter: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the softened butter and granulated sugar on medium-high speed for about 2 to 3 minutes, scraping the bowl as needed, until the mixture is light and fluffy.
Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Then mix in the vanilla and scrape the bowl to make sure everything is evenly combined. Don’t worry if the batter looks a little curdled—it’s perfectly fine.
Mix in half of the flour mixture, then all of the sour cream, and finish with the remaining half of the flour mixture.
Mix until everything is evenly combined.
Spread the cake batter evenly in the cake pan (it will only come about 3/4 inch up the sides of the pan).
Top the batter with the streusel crumbs, using your fingers to break the mixture apart and form it into roughly 1/2-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, then dust with powdered sugar.
Cut the cake into squares to serve. Cover any leftovers with aluminum foil and store at room temperature, where 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, freeze the cake in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
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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
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- 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.
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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.