New York Crumb Cake
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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
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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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Comments
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For the crumb mixture instead of spooning in the cake flour 1 cup at a time and then if necessary for the last cup getting your hands in there to mix it I just put everything in the KitchenAid mixer and I hooked up the dough hook and mixed it on the lowest setting and voila. When everything seemed Incorporated by raised the stand scooped out about 1/8 of a cup and squeezed it in my hand to see if it was clumpy enough to form a ball it seemed a little dry and I simply added a couple of pats of softened butter and perfecto. I lined the 9×13 pan with parchment paper. If greasing the pan works 99% of the time it still doesn’t beat parchment paper which is perfect every time. Wonderful reminds me of my elementary school days in New York City where we called them crumb buns at the bakery.
Just made the recipe but baked in a deep loaf pan with way too much of the crumb topping. Absolutely delicious.
Can this cake be frozen either before I want it for company and can I freeze the leftovers?
Yes and yes!
The first time I made it I loved it. The second time the bottom of the cake turned darker brown rather than yellow and the bottom almost crystallized . Is this a sign that I over baked it?
Hi Susan, that’s really strange! Did you use a different pan the second time around?
Disappointed. My crumb cake was bland! Even my 3 teenage testers agreed. Why do you think?
I’m sorry you found it bland! Did you make any adjustments to the recipe or the ingredient substitutions?
The other thing I did was make my own cake flour rather than buy expensive cake flour and fund the maker’s retirement with one purchase. The formula I used was for every 3/4 of a cup of regular flour Plus two additional tablespoons of regular flour I added two tablespoons of cornstarch. So I believe for this crumb cake recipe where the crumbs needed four cups of cake flour I added 10 and 2/3 tablespoons of cornstarch to four cups of regular flour.
Can I make this on a Friday and then refrigerate it and bake it on Sunday?
Hi Mary, Unfortunately, it won’t work to refrigerate the batter as the cake/bread won’t rise well when you go to bake it. If you’d like, you can mix the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet in another and then combine them and proceed with the recipe when you’re ready to bake it.
Have you made this into cupcakes, ramekins, or 4 inch cakes? I am thinking about 1/2ing the recipe having my students make individual cakes so it is easier for them to transport them. Do you have a chart for baking temps/times for weight of a smaller cake pan?
Hi KM, I haven’t made this into smaller versions. I do have this chart that doesn’t help with baking temp or time, but it does help with capacity. Please LMK if I can help in any other way. 🙂
This was delicious! I had one issue though. Because there were so many crumbs on top, the cake batter squished out the sides. How can I resolve?
Hi Eva, A bit of that is normal since it’s a crumb-heavy recipe, but next time you can reduce the crumbs a bit — that should help.
Jenn
I love this recipe. It is delicious. I just have one issue, the crumbs on top get just a little bit too crunchy and I would prefer them staying moist.
My oven temp is definitely off because I only need to bake 30 minutes so I know I’m not over baking. Would it help if I covered with foil @ about 25 minutes?
Thanks
So glad you like it! I do think loosely covering the pan with foil for a portion of the baking time would help, but I’d suggest doing it for a shorter period. I’d go with about 20 minutes.
Such a great recipe! thank you for sharing!
To make this a little lighter I only made half the crumbs and replaced sour cream with a joghurt.
Added blueberries on top of the batter before covering with crumbs. – maybe apple, plumbs, pear or cherries next time…
loved it!