I finally perfected my New York Crumb Cake Recipe with one small technique that keeps huge crumbs in place and makes this the only crumb cake I’ll ever bake.

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I used to think no crumb cake could beat the store versions until I made this. The New York Crumb Cake Recipe I finally settled on is all about big, imperfect crumbs that crack when you tap them and a cake that stays soft underneath.

I sneak in sour cream for that tender, slightly tangy crumb and lots of cold unsalted butter for the topping so each bite feels like a tiny event. Don’t expect delicate or froufrou, its honest Crumb Cake comfort with a little swagger.

You’ll want to slice it too soon and regret nothing.

Ingredients

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All purpose flour: gives structure and carbs, its little protein, basic pantry backbone.
Unsalted butter: adds rich fat, moist crumb, mostly saturated fat, super flavor.
Granulated sugar: sweetens, quick energy carbs, helps browning, not much nutrition.
Brown sugar: adds moisture and molasses flavor, gives chew and caramel notes.
Sour cream: tangy fat and acidity keeps cake tender, adds protein too.
Cinnamon: warm spice, tiny antioxidants, makes crumbs smell bakery fresh instantly.
Eggs and vanilla: eggs bind, add protein and lift, vanilla gives aroma.
Salt: balances sweetness, brings out flavors, tiny mineral boost.
Milk: thins batter if needed, adds slight richness and moisture.

Ingredient Quantities

For the cake: 2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon fine salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened (1 stick)

3/4 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs, room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup sour cream full fat (not low fat)

2 tablespoons whole milk optional, if batter seems thick

For the crumb topping: 3 cups all purpose flour

1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon fine salt

12 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes (about 1 1/2 sticks)

Optional finishing: confectioners sugar for dusting

How to Make this

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1. Preheat oven to 350°F and line a 9×13 inch pan with parchment, leaving an overhang for easy removal, then lightly butter or spray the parchment so crumbs don’t stick.

2. Make the crumb topping first: in a large bowl whisk together 3 cups flour, 1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Add the 12 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes, and use a food processor in short pulses or a pastry cutter and your fingertips to cut the butter in until you have a mix of pea to walnut sized pieces and plenty of larger clumps for those big crumbs; if you want giant clusters, press some of the mixture together with your hands. Chill the crumb bowl in the fridge while you make the cake so the butter stays cold.

3. Whisk the dry cake ingredients: 2 cups all purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Set aside.

4. In a separate bowl cream 1/2 cup softened unsalted butter with 3/4 cup granulated sugar until light and a little fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the 2 large room temperature eggs one at a time, then stir in 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.

5. Fold the dry flour mixture into the butter mixture alternating with 1 cup full fat sour cream, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients; mix just until combined. If the batter seems too thick to spread, add up to 2 tablespoons whole milk, but dont overmix or you’ll get a dense cake.

6. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan with a spatula, smoothing the top. Take the chilled crumb topping and pile it over the batter, gently pressing some clumps into the batter so they adhere, but try to keep big clusters intact.

7. Bake at 350°F for 40 to 50 minutes until the crumbs are deep golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the cake portion comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. If the top browns too fast, tent loosely with foil for the last 10 minutes.

8. Let the cake cool completely in the pan on a wire rack for at least an hour so the crumbs set up and don’t fall apart when you slice. You can chill briefly to make cutting neater, but it still tastes best at room temp.

9. Use the parchment overhang to lift the cake from the pan, dust lightly with confectioners sugar if you like, slice into squares and serve. Leftovers keep well covered at room temp for a day or in the fridge for 3 to 4 days, and you can warm single slices in the microwave for 8 to 12 seconds.

Equipment Needed

1. 9×13 inch baking pan (lined with parchment, leave an overhang for easy lift)
2. Parchment paper plus nonstick spray or a little softened butter (dont skip this)
3. Large mixing bowl (for the crumb topping)
4. Medium mixing bowl (for the cake batter)
5. Food processor or pastry cutter (to cut the cold butter into crumbs)
6. Electric hand mixer or sturdy whisk (to cream the butter and beat eggs)
7. Measuring cups and measuring spoons
8. Rubber spatula and an offset spatula or spoon (to spread batter)
9. Wire cooling rack and a toothpick or cake tester (for doneness)

FAQ

Q: Can I swap the full fat sour cream for low fat sour cream or plain Greek yogurt?

A: Use full fat sour cream if you can, it keeps the cake moist and tender. Plain full fat Greek yogurt works in a pinch, but low fat versions will make the crumb tighter and less rich. If using thick Greek yogurt, stir in 1 tablespoon milk to loosen it a bit.

Q: My crumb topping turned greasy or clumped together, how do I fix that?

A: That usually means the butter got too warm or it was overworked. Use very cold, cubed butter and cut it in with fingers, a fork, or a pastry cutter until you have pea sized bits and coarse sand. If it looks greasy, chill the topping 10 to 20 minutes before sprinkling on the cake and bake straight from the fridge.

Q: What pan should I use and how long do I bake it?

A: This recipe is best in a 9×13 inch pan for that classic tall crumb layer. Bake at 350 F for about 45 to 55 minutes, until a toothpick in the cake layer comes out with moist crumbs but no wet batter. If the crumbs brown too fast, loosely tent foil for the last 10 to 15 minutes.

Q: Why did my cake come out dense or dry?

A: Common causes are overmixing the batter, measuring flour by scooping the cup, old baking powder or baking soda, or overbaking. Spoon and level the flour, mix just until combined, check your leaveners, and pull the cake when a toothpick shows moist crumbs.

Q: Can I make the crumb topping or whole cake ahead of time?

A: Yes. You can make the crumb topping and store it in the fridge for 2 days or freeze it up to a month. The whole baked cake keeps at room temp, covered, for 1 to 2 days, or in the fridge for up to 5 days. To refresh, warm single slices in the microwave for 10 to 20 seconds or in a 325 F oven for 8 to 10 minutes.

Q: Any hacks to get perfect crumbs fast?

A: Grate cold butter on the coarse side of a box grater into the flour mixture or pulse cold cubes briefly in a food processor until pea sized. Chill the crumbs before topping for better texture, and press a little into the batter so they stick instead of sliding off.

The Best New York Crumb Cake Recipe Substitutions and Variations

Sub for 1 cup sour cream full fat: use 1 cup full-fat Greek yogurt, same tang and texture. if you only have low-fat yogurt stir in 1 tablespoon melted butter to add back richness.
Sub for 2 cups all purpose flour: use 2 cups cake flour but remove 4 tablespoons flour and add 4 tablespoons cornstarch for a lighter crumb, or use a 1:1 gluten-free all-purpose blend (make sure it contains xanthan gum) for a gluten-free cake.
Sub for 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened (and for the crumb butter): for the cake you can swap with 1:1 neutral oil like canola for a moister crumb, but don’t use oil in the topping. for the crumb topping replace cold butter with cold vegetable shortening or half butter half shortening to get flakier, less melty crumbs.
Sub for 1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar: use equal dark brown sugar or muscovado for a deeper molasses flavor, or if you need lower sweetness try coconut sugar at about 3/4 the amount though color and taste will change.

Pro Tips

– Keep the butter in the crumb super cold so you get big, crunchy clusters. Cube the butter and pop it in the freezer for 10 minutes if it got soft, pulse in short bursts in the food processor, then chill the finished crumble in the fridge while you make the batter. If you want giant clumps, press a few handfuls together with your palm before chilling.

– Measure flour by weight when you can, not by scooping. 1 cup AP is roughly 120 g, so 2 cups for the cake is about 240 g and 3 cups for the topping about 360 g. Also, fold the batter just until combined and stop — overmixing is the fastest way to a dense cake.

– Watch oven placement and protect the top from direct heat. Bake on the middle rack for most even heat, and if the crumbs brown too fast, loosely tent foil or place a sheet pan on the rack above to shield it. Rotate the pan once halfway through if your oven has hot spots.

– Cool it fully before slicing, and for neater squares chill the pan 20 to 30 minutes after it comes to room temp. Use the parchment overhang to lift it out, slice with a sharp serrated knife (wiping the blade between cuts helps), and to revive slightly soggy crumbs reheat single slices in a 300 F oven for 6 to 10 minutes or zap them 8 to 12 seconds in the microwave.

The Best New York Crumb Cake Recipe

Recipe by Tina Bueller

0.0 from 0 votes

I finally perfected my New York Crumb Cake Recipe with one small technique that keeps huge crumbs in place and makes this the only crumb cake I'll ever bake.

Servings

servings

Calories

592

kcal

Equipment: 1. 9×13 inch baking pan (lined with parchment, leave an overhang for easy lift)
2. Parchment paper plus nonstick spray or a little softened butter (dont skip this)
3. Large mixing bowl (for the crumb topping)
4. Medium mixing bowl (for the cake batter)
5. Food processor or pastry cutter (to cut the cold butter into crumbs)
6. Electric hand mixer or sturdy whisk (to cream the butter and beat eggs)
7. Measuring cups and measuring spoons
8. Rubber spatula and an offset spatula or spoon (to spread batter)
9. Wire cooling rack and a toothpick or cake tester (for doneness)

Ingredients

For the cake: 2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened (1 stick)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream full fat (not low fat)
2 tablespoons whole milk optional, if batter seems thick
For the crumb topping: 3 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
12 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes (about 1 1/2 sticks)
Optional finishing: confectioners sugar for dusting

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F and line a 9×13 inch pan with parchment, leaving an overhang for easy removal, then lightly butter or spray the parchment so crumbs don't stick.
Make the crumb topping first: in a large bowl whisk together 3 cups flour, 1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Add the 12 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes, and use a food processor in short pulses or a pastry cutter and your fingertips to cut the butter in until you have a mix of pea to walnut sized pieces and plenty of larger clumps for those big crumbs; if you want giant clusters, press some of the mixture together with your hands. Chill the crumb bowl in the fridge while you make the cake so the butter stays cold.
Whisk the dry cake ingredients: 2 cups all purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Set aside.
In a separate bowl cream 1/2 cup softened unsalted butter with 3/4 cup granulated sugar until light and a little fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the 2 large room temperature eggs one at a time, then stir in 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
Fold the dry flour mixture into the butter mixture alternating with 1 cup full fat sour cream, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients; mix just until combined. If the batter seems too thick to spread, add up to 2 tablespoons whole milk, but dont overmix or you'll get a dense cake.
Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan with a spatula, smoothing the top. Take the chilled crumb topping and pile it over the batter, gently pressing some clumps into the batter so they adhere, but try to keep big clusters intact.
Bake at 350°F for 40 to 50 minutes until the crumbs are deep golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the cake portion comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. If the top browns too fast, tent loosely with foil for the last 10 minutes.
Let the cake cool completely in the pan on a wire rack for at least an hour so the crumbs set up and don't fall apart when you slice. You can chill briefly to make cutting neater, but it still tastes best at room temp.
Use the parchment overhang to lift the cake from the pan, dust lightly with confectioners sugar if you like, slice into squares and serve. Leftovers keep well covered at room temp for a day or in the fridge for 3 to 4 days, and you can warm single slices in the microwave for 8 to 12 seconds.

Notes

Below you’ll find my best estimate of this recipe’s nutrition facts. Treat the numbers as a guide rather than a rule—great food should nourish both body and spirit. Figures are approximate, and the website owner assumes no liability for any inaccuracies in this recipe.