This is mega buttery and moist New York-style crumb cake with EXTRA brown sugar cinnamon crumb topping. Yes, the crumb topping is just as thick as the cake layer! The topping is soft, not crunchy, and the cake is perfectly sweet. If you’re looking for a classic go-to crumb cake recipe, this one’s mine. You’ll fall in love too.
I’ve published a plethora of crumb cake/coffee cake/breakfast cake recipes on my website. One of my forever favorites has been (and will always be!) my apple crumb cake. Usually prepared a few times during the fall months, this tall towering beauty is buttery, moist, and absolutely LOADED with a soft crumb topping. Readers have loved this breakfast cake too.
My sour cream crumb cake recipe is similar—soft and cakey—though smaller and comes with fewer crumbs on top. Last month, I decided to combine both recipes to make a “plain” crumb cake that’s just as irresistible as my apple version and still boasts those delicious brown sugar cinnamon flavors.
That’s where we land on my New York-style crumb cake recipe.
Perfect New York-Style Crumb Cake
When I asked bakers for their opinion on what makes crumb cake “New York style”, most said the description means extra crumb topping with a soft and buttery tight-crumbed (but not dense) cake underneath. Today’s recipe checks all those boxes. Some highlights:
- Soft, yet sturdy cake layer
- Same ingredients used in both layers
- Crumb topping as thick as the cake itself
- Topped with a dusting of powdered sugar
- Crumb topping is soft (not hard or crunchy)
It’s perfect.
Ingredients for Crumb Cake
This is a butter and sour cream based cake (two powerhouse ingredients in my classic coffee cake recipe as well), so you already know it’s going to be flavorful, tender, and moist. The ingredients in the cake and crumb topping are mostly the same, which is extra convenient—especially since you’re likely making this before you’ve had your morning coffee. Good morning!
- Flour: All-purpose flour is the structure of this cake. It’s sturdy enough to support the thick wet ingredients and crumb layer on top.
- Baking Soda + Baking Powder: Baking soda and baking powder help the cake rise.
- Granulated Sugar: Granulated sugar sweetens the cake.
- Butter: Butter adds flavor and provides structure in the creaming process.
- Sour Cream: Sour cream is the star of the show. It helps us achieve texture bliss—this cake is a little heavier than fluffy white cake. It has tight crumbs like pound cake, but it’s not quite as dense. Somewhere in between both cakes!
- Eggs: Three eggs add moisture and bind the cake together.
- Salt + Vanilla Extract: Use both for flavor.
- Cinnamon: We can’t have crumb cake topping without cinnamon!
- Brown Sugar: Brown sugar promises a soft, moist, sweet, and flavorful crumb topping layer.
Overview: How to Make New York-Style Crumb Cake
- Make the crumb topping. I like to make the crumb first so it’s ready to go as soon as the cake batter is done.
- Whisk the dry ingredients together.
- Cream butter and sugar together. Then add the eggs, sour cream, and vanilla, and beat until combined. The mixture may look curdled—that’s OK and simply a result of varying textures/temperatures trying to emulsify.
- Combine wet & dry ingredients. The batter will be thick and creamy.
- Spread batter into pan. A 9×13-inch baking pan is best for this volume of batter.
- Add crumb topping to the top of the cake. Press it down so it sticks.
- Bake. If you find the top and/or edges of the cake are browning too quickly in the oven, loosely cover the cake with aluminum foil. This is a large cake, so it takes at least 45-50 minutes to bake through.
Feel free to dust with confectioners’ sugar right before serving, too!
Soft (Not Crunchy) Crumb Topping
Now it’s time to chat about that luxurious crumb topping. Have you ever had crunchy streusel topping before? It’s good, but not quite what I’m delivering to you today. This crumb topping is thick and soft, as long as it’s not over-mixed or over-baked. Think of it like soft cookie crumbles on top of your breakfast cake. YES!
We use the same crumb topping, but scaled down, for cranberry Christmas cake and blackberry cream cheese crumb cake. Give those both a try!
3 Tricks to the Best Crumb Topping
- Follow the order of ingredients. First, mix brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and salt together. Stir in melted butter. Finally, use a fork to lightly mix in the flour. If you add the flour before the butter, the flour will absorb it all before the sugar can.
- Do not over-mix. You want a crumbly topping, so don’t over-mix the ingredients after you add the flour. If you mix everything too much, you’ll end up with paste instead of big crumbles. Yes, I’m literally telling you to do LESS!
- Press the topping into the cake. When you add the crumble topping on top of the cake batter, gently press it down into the cake layer so it sticks.
Cake for breakfast is always a good idea. This crumb layer is half of the entire cake and I haven’t heard any complaints about that! Nothing short of a dream.
Treat Yourself with These Breakfast Recipes
- Monkey Bread (cinnamon roll bites!)
- Overnight Cinnamon Rolls
- Crumb Cake Muffins
- Quiche and Mini Quiche (so many flavors!)
- Cream Cheese French Toast Casserole
- Buttermilk Waffles (my favorite!)
- Easy Frittata Recipe
New York Style Crumb Cake
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour, 50 minutes
- Yield: serves 12
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
This is my favorite recipe for classic New York-style crumb cake. The cake is buttery and moist and you’ll definitely enjoy the thick crumb topping!
Ingredients
Crumb Topping
- 1 cup (200g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (16 Tbsp; 226g) unsalted butter, melted
- 2 and 1/2 cups (313g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
Cake
- 2 and 1/2 cups (313g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup (12 Tbsp; 170g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 cup (240g) full-fat sour cream, at room temperature*
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- optional: confectioners’ sugar for topping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C) and grease a 9×13-inch baking pan or line with parchment paper. You can use a glass, ceramic, or metal baking pan. The bake time is similar for each, but use a toothpick to test for doneness. Metal baking pans cook cakes faster. Set pan aside.
- Make the crumb topping: Mix the brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and salt together in a medium bowl. Stir in the melted butter, then gently mix the flour using a fork. Keep the mixture as large crumbles, do not over-mix. If over-mixed, this will turn into a thick paste. Set aside.
- Make the cake: Whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together. Set aside.
- Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and granulated sugar together on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a silicone spatula as needed. Add the eggs, sour cream, and the vanilla. Beat on medium-high speed until combined. The mixture may look curdled; that’s ok. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl as needed. With the mixer on low speed, mix in the dry ingredients until smooth. Do not over-mix. The batter will be thick, creamy, and sticky.
- Spread the batter evenly into prepared baking pan. Top with crumb topping. Using a silicone spatula or the back of a large spoon, press the crumb topping tightly down into the cake so it sticks.
- Bake for 45-55 minutes. Baking times vary, so keep an eye on yours and begin checking at 45 minutes. The cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. If you find the top or edges of the cake is/are browning too quickly in the oven, loosely cover it with aluminum foil.
- Remove the cake from the oven and set on a wire rack. Allow to slightly cool for at least 30-45 minutes before cutting. If desired, dust with confectioners’ sugar before slicing and serving. Use a sifter/fine mesh sieve.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions: Prepare cake through step 7. Cover the cake tightly and refrigerate for up to 2 days or freeze up to 3 months. Bring to room temperature, add icing if desired, and serve.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 9×13-inch Baking Pan | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Silicone Spatula | Sifter/Fine Mesh Sieve
- Sour Cream: Sour cream is a key ingredient in this cake. I don’t suggest subbing the sour cream with a liquid—plain full-fat yogurt would work though. I don’t recommend removing fat from this cake by using a lower fat yogurt or sour cream alternative.
- Room Temperature: All refrigerated items should be at room temperature so the batter mixes together easily and evenly. Read here for more information on room temperature ingredients.
- Crumb Cake Muffins: Interested in making this cake into muffins? Standard size muffins (12 count muffin pan) or jumbo size muffins (6 count muffin pan) are best—I don’t recommend mini muffins because the crumbs are too large. Grease muffin cups or line muffin pan(s) with liners. Fill with batter to the near top of the muffin cup. Press crumbs tightly on top of the batter to help prevent them from falling off as the muffins rise. Bake at 425°F for 5 minutes, then, keeping the muffins in the oven, reduce the oven temperature to 350°F (177°C) and continue to bake for 15-17 for regular size muffins (20-22 minutes total) or another 22-23 minutes for jumbo size muffins (27-28 minutes total). Yields at least 2 dozen standard muffins and 10 jumbo muffins.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Very unhappy with this recipe, the crumb wasn’t as tasty or as crumbly as should be and I followed directions really closely, and I had to bake it for way, way longer. I never make a bad cake but this one sucked :/
Love love love.
My crumbs did get a bit pasty (but still tasted great): does the flour have to be completely mixed in or is it okay to leave it a bit dry?
Hi Donna, refrigerating before adding the crumbs will help them hold their shape when baking. You could try that next time! Glad you enjoyed the cake.
A friend made this for me and it was absolutely the best crumb cake I’ve ever had. She just shared the recipe so I’m going to try it myself.
Absolutely wonderful! My husband is from New York and said this is the best crumb cake i made! So, it goes without saying that i will make it again. Plus, i have enough left for our church potluck tomorrow.
Thanks so much!
Anita
Is there anything else I should use to turn it in to a chocolate crumb cake besides Coco and powder? What about esspreso.
Hi Michele, we would use a different cake recipe as the base, but fear chocolate cake batter (which is usually thinner and fine due to the cocoa powder) would not be sturdy enough to support a crumb topping.
Is it really 2.5 cups of flour for the cake AND for the crumb? My crumb came out super dry and floury.
Hi Kat! 2 and a half cups is correct for the cake batter and the crumb topping each, but make sure you’re measuring your flour properly. Make sure to spoon and level (instead of scooping) to avoid packing in too much flour into your measuring cups – or use a kitchen scale. You can read more about properly measuring baking ingredients in this post.
This was delicious. I can’t wait to make it again. Everyone loved it. Thank you!
So disappointed. The topping was rock hard, and the cake dry and tasteless. Total waste of ingredients, there’s no rescuing this, it’s going in the trash.
The same thing happened to me. I think I baked it about maybe 8 minutes too long. I am not giving up. I am going to try again and really watch the baking time on this second round.
Could this be made in a 10 inch springform or tube pan?
Hi Linda, we haven’t tried a tube pan, but that should work fine. Or you could try this Crumb Cake Recipe instead. It’s a smaller recipe written for a 9 inch springform pan. Hope you love it
Not crazy about it. I baked it for 45 minutes and the cake was dry and the crumb topping was kind of hard. I may try it again anyway and bake it for 40 minutes.
Hi anything I make with crumble topping comes out great. However with this recipe parts of the crumb topping just seemed to turn into batter on the top. I was careful not to overmix. Should the crumbs be refrigerated while making the cake? I’ve always used solid butter before instead of melted butter
Hi Jackie! Refrigerating before adding the crumbs will help them hold their shape when baking, yes. You can definitely try that next time! Glad you enjoyed the cake.
The recipes on this site are usually good, I bookmarked a lot of them, but I found this cake to be very dry and not much flavor. Not sure what everyone is raving about.
OUTSTANDING! Just served this at at brunch I hosted and got RAVE reviews. Had to share the recipe with all my guests! This will DEFINITELY be tucked away for (probably quite a bit of!) future use!.
It tastes good, but my crumbs got a bit dry and don’t taste like how crumbs usually do. I did have to bake it longer as the middle of the cake was still uncooked, but they seemed like this at the 45 min mark too. Any tips?
Hi Megan, sounds like they may have overbaked slightly due to the increased bake time. If you wish to try it again, you can try leaving out the white granulated sugar (and only using brown sugar) in the crumb topping. The crumb topping will still be plenty sweet, but the reduced sugar may help keep the topping on the softer side. Thank you for giving this one a try!
my cake batter was perfect but after I baked it the color was somewhat dark…is this normal?
Hi fk, how is the texture? If the cake is overly brown, it sounds like it may be over baked a bit (which can make it dry as well). Or, is your pan especially dark? That could be causing the cake to bake up darker as well.
Best crumb cake ever!!! I made it a couple of times and the second one I left in the oven a little too long. Lesson learned. We will definitely be making this one again and again! Perfection!
Can you freeze this cake
You bet! See recipe Notes for details.
Sally can cake flour be used?
Hi CeCi, all-purpose flour is best the structure of this cake. It’s sturdy enough to support the thick wet ingredients and crumb layer on top. Cake flour would be too light. Hope you love it!
Oh wonderful! Thanks for speedy reply! Baking now and have used this recipe before!
A wonderful recipe, absolutely delicious. Based on the comments, I was very careful about following the recipe carefully, and I started checking doneness at 40 minutes. It was worth the attention to detail. The cake is spectacular!
I liked the flavors of this. But- my oven always needs the time listed in recipes and this was over baked at 45 minutes. It was a bit dry and topping was a bit hard but not too brown. I would recommend checking sooner than 45 minutes.
My cake was overcooked and I took it out at 45 minutes which is when Sally said to begin checking. As my oven usually cooks very accurately I have never had a problem before. I would advise checking before 45 minutes. The topping was quite flavorful but the cake was not moist.
Hi Rose, every oven can be a bit different, so if you wish to try this again in the future, you can certainly decrease the baking time a bit. Also, if you find the top or edges of the cake is/are browning too quickly in the oven, loosely cover it with aluminum foil. Thanks for giving this one a try!
I just made this recipe and I have to say, as a person from New England, it’s hands down the worst I’ve had. Dry, spongey, the bake time is WAAAAY too long. The crumb layer is like concrete and the cake is far too fluffy and dry. I’ll probably choke down half before chucking the rest in the trash. This is an anomaly from Sally, though, as most everything else I’ve tried tends to be fantastic. But I definitely won’t ever bother with this one again and instead look for a better recipe. I’d advise others to do the same.
Is it workable if I substitute whole wheat flour for all purpose flour, for the topping and/or cake itself? Is coconut sugar a suitable substitution for the dark brown sugar?
Hi Evangeline, whole wheat flour would make the cake quite heavy and dense. If you wanted, you could try swapping half the flour for whole wheat flour, but the cake won’t be quite as light. You can swap coconut sugar for the brown sugar, but may lose a bit of flavor and moistness.
I’ve never commented on a recipe before, no matter how good the results. But I am obsessed. After making this cake, I’ve made several other SBR bakes and they are perfect every single time. Thank you. This cake was a delight, it was easy to make, and the guidance made it foolproof – if you follow the directions, you can’t mess it up.
First crumb cake recipe that taste like crumb cake. I love this recipe!
I would love to bake this in a half sheet pan, less cake more crumbs. I was thinking just doubling the crumb and leaving the cake portion alone. Any suggestions?
Hi Cinnamon Girl, we’d recommend sticking with the 9×13 pan to follow the baking instructions, but you can certainly double the crumb topping. Other readers have done this and raved about the results. So glad you enjoy this crumb cake!
I made this last night and it’s delicious. Much more moist than my go to recipe! I didn’t see how to store the leftover cake, so I didn’t refrigerate it. Thanks for the great recipe!
How long will crumb cake last after baking
Great recipe!
Hi Ray, Cover tightly and store at room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Enjoy!
Can I make these into crumb cake muffins/cupcakes?
Hi Samantha, absolutely! See recipe notes for details.
Bit of a strange question – is it possible to bake the crumb on its own? I’m thinking of adding it as a decorative feature on top of a chocolate mud cake. If so, how long would it bake for? Thanks!
Hi Ash, can’t see why not! We’re unsure of the exact bake time, but it will be much shorter. With the flour in the crumble, you’ll want to make sure it bakes to an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C).
This is great. I’d like to make a pumpkin version for fall. Can I sub pumpkin puree for the sour cream? Thanks
Hi Mo, you can use this recipe for pumpkin coffee cake!
I grew up in the NY metro area but live in Colorado now. I’ve been looking for the perfect crumb cake recipe and think this is it! But I’m concerned about the altitude effect. Are there any modifications for high altitude (we live at 5400 ft). Thank you!
Hi Kathryn, We wish we could help, but we have no experience baking at high altitude. Some readers have found this chart helpful: https://www.kingarthurflour.com/learn/high-altitude-baking.html