This is my buttery New York-style crumb cake, piled high with a thick, crunchy brown sugar streusel that’s almost as thick as the cake! It’s a soft and moist sour cream crumb cake, delicious with coffee or tea. Serve it for brunch or dessert.
This crumb cake recipe is a lot like my traditional coffee cake. Instead of a brown sugar cinnamon streusel layered inside and on top, this classic, New York-style crumb cake has an exceptionally thick, buttery streusel topping that’s nearly the same thickness as the cake!
My topping is crisp but not overly crunchy, and this bakery-style crumb cake is moist, tight-crumbed, and flavorful, since I make it with butter rather than oil.
Whether I’m tucking into a slice with coffee in the morning or serving it for brunch, I’m always blown away by this homemade crumb cake. I think you will be, too!
The Best New York-Style Crumb Cake Is…
- Covered in a thick streusel. A New York-style crumb cake has a nearly 1:1 topping-to-cake ratio, making the crumb thicker than most.
- Filled with warm cinnamon. Extra cinnamon and sweet brown sugar in the streusel complement the buttery cake.
- Easy to make from scratch. This recipe uses the same ingredients in the topping and cake. A mixer helps, but even that’s optional.
Ingredient Notes
The full ingredients for this crumb cake recipe are listed in the recipe card, but here are notes on the important ones. Ensure the butter, eggs, and sour cream for the crumb cake are at room temperature so they blend more smoothly into the batter.
- Butter – I use salted butter in the cake and crumb topping. While my traditional vanilla cake and yellow cake recipes use oil, I preferred the flavor of butter in this traditional crumb cake.
- Sugar – Light brown sugar as well as granulated sugar for the crumb topping. I did not test the recipe with dark brown sugar, but from experience, I don’t think it will make a difference.
- Flour – Spoon and level the flour or use a digital kitchen scale to avoid overmeasuring.
- Cinnamon – I’m generous with the cinnamon in the crumb topping, but you can adjust the amount to taste.
- Sour Cream – Full-fat sour cream adds moisture to the cake crumb. Greek yogurt is a good substitute.
Thick, Buttery Crumb Cake Topping
The topping has similar cinnamon brown sugar flavors to the streusel in my apple coffee cake and cinnamon apple bread recipes that I make in the fall. I mix the crumb topping into a sugary dough first, then tear off ½-inch “pebbles” to cover the cake batter. If you mix it lightly and don’t overbake the cake, your crumb topping will be thick and crisp, and almost fudge-like on top of the buttery cake.
Quick Tips for a Bakery-Style Crumb Topping
- Mix the wet ingredients, then add the dry ingredients. Mix the melted butter with the sugar first, then add the flour and spice. If you mix everything right away or out of order, the sugar doesn’t incorporate properly.
- It will be dough-like. The streusel used in this recipe is similar to America’s Test Kitchen’s version of a crumb topping. It will look like clumps of cinnamon sugar. But don’t worry, the sugar melts, and it bakes up tender.
- Avoid overmixing. You want to mix the ingredients into a dough, but don’t overmix the dough or the topping will be dense instead of light and crispy. Mix just until the flour is combined with the other ingredients.
How to Make a New York Crumb Cake, Step-By-Step
This crumb cake bakes a bit faster and browns nicely in a metal pan. Mine is from USA Pan. Glass and ceramic baking dishes will take longer to bake. I recommend using an aluminum pan for this reason. Extended baking times can cause the cake to be dry.
- Make the crumb topping. Start by mixing brown sugar and white sugar with melted butter. Then, stir in the flour and cinnamon to form a crumbly streusel.
- Combine the dry cake ingredients. Next, mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt for the cake batter in a new bowl.
- Mix the batter. Cream the butter with the sugar, and mix in the eggs, one at a time. Lastly, add the vanilla and sour cream. Gradually fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients to make a thick batter.
- Add the topping. Spread the cake batter evenly into a greased (or lined) 9×13 baking pan. Crumble the streusel topping over the batter in chunky, pebble-sized pieces.
- Bake. Bake this crumb cake at 350ºF for 45-50 minutes until the streusel is browned, and a toothpick comes out clean. If you notice that the crumb topping starts to look a little too brown at the 45-minute mark, cover the cake loosely with foil while it finishes baking. Afterward, allow the cake to cool completely on a wire rack before dusting with powdered sugar.
Storage Instructions
- On the counter. This crumb cake stays moist at room temperature for up to 3 days. Store the cooled cake in an airtight container.
- Freeze. To freeze the crumb cake, allow it to cool completely, and then wrap it twice in plastic wrap. Freeze for up to 2 months and thaw the cake at room temperature when it’s time to serve.
More Breakfast and Brunch Recipes
Crumb Cake
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 15 slices
- Category: Cake
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
This New York-style crumb cake recipe is tender and buttery, piled high with a thick brown sugar cinnamon streusel that’s almost as thick as the cake!
Ingredients
For the Crumb Topping:
- 1 ½ cups (340g) salted butter
- 1 cup (185g) light brown sugar, tightly packed
- ¾ cup (145g) granulated sugar
- 4 cups (480g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- Powered sugar for dusting (optional)
For the Cake:
- 2 ¾ cups (330g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup (170g) salted butter, softened
- 1 cup (190g) granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup (185 g) full-fat sour cream, room temperature
Instructions
For the Crumb Topping:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9×13 baking pan with cooking spray or line with parchment paper.
- Melt the butter in a medium, microwave-safe bowl in the microwave in 30-second intervals. Stir in the brown sugar and sugar. Fold in the flour and cinnamon until the mixture is combined thoroughly and forms a dough. Set aside.
For the Cake:
- In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until combined. Set aside.
- Cream the butter and sugar together in a large bowl with an electric mixer until light, fluffy, and well mixed. Mix in the eggs, one at a time, then add the vanilla extract and sour cream. Mix until combined.
- Gradually mix in the dry ingredients. Continue mixing until the batter is thick. Spoon the batter into the prepared baking pan, and spread it out evenly.
- Break the crumble topping apart into ½ inch pebble-sized pieces, and place them evenly over the cake batter so the whole cake is covered.
- Bake on the middle rack for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the crumble has browned on top. If the crumble starts to look too brown at the 45-minute mark, cover the cake loosely with aluminum foil.
- Let the cake cool to room temperature on a wire rack before serving. Dust with powdered sugar before serving (optional).
Notes
Storage
- On the counter. This crumb cake stays moist at room temperature for up to 3 days. Store the cooled cake in an airtight container.
- Freeze. To freeze the crumb cake, allow it to cool completely, and then wrap it twice in plastic wrap. Freeze for up to 2 months and thaw the cake at room temperature when it’s time to serve.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 631
- Sugar: 36.9 g
- Sodium: 403.9 mg
- Fat: 31.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 81.1 g
- Fiber: 2.1 g
- Protein: 7.7 g
- Cholesterol: 117.2 mg
