A soft, tender, easy-to-make coffee cake, heavy on the crumbs!
Because the crumb part… is the best part.
If you’re anything like me, you pick off the crumb topping from your coffee cake. Or you take the piece with the most crumb topping on it. If I could make a meal out of crumb topping… believe me, I would.
This is a cinnamon, sugary, buttery crumb-topped coffee cake. Heavy on the crumb.
Today’s coffee cake is an easy-to-follow recipe. This homemade version of the classic is a far cry from any of those overly-sweet, fake-tasting store bought versions you may be used to. It’s buttery, moist, soft, and pairs well with a morning cup of coffee. Let’s face it, this coffee cake will pair well with an afternoon cup o’ joe too. Actually, the coffee is optional. You’ll love this cake no matter what you’re drinking with it.
I got the recipe from my favorite cookbook. The bible of baking, I like to call it. A 1,000+ page book of kitchen-tested recipes, tutorials, and baking tips. My Cooks Illustrated The New Best Recipe—trust me, you need this cookbook.
The cookbook doesn’t call this cake “super-crumb.” I do. I baked the crumb cake in a smaller pan than what the recipe states, making the crumb layer in my version thicker for each piece.
What makes this coffee cake so easy is that the crumb-topping and cake batter all start in the same bowl. The crumb topping’s ingredients (butter, flour, & sugar) is essentially the cake’s ingredients without any liquid. A recipe deriving both cake and crumb topping from the same mixture was a selling point for me.
Simply combine your flour, sugar, salt, and cut in the butter. I used a whisk to cut the butter in and a large fork to mix everything around until the mixture resembled course crumbs. Set aside 1 cup of the crumb mixture and continue with the rest of the cake batter ingredients.
The cup you set aside is your crumb topping. How easy is that?
The original recipe called for nuts, but I chose to leave them out. I increased the vanilla extract, cinnamon, and brown sugar as well.
In some bites, the crumb layer was thicker than the cake layer! Amazing.
If you love starting your day with a piece of cake, you’ll enjoy my New York-style Crumb Cake and Pumpkin Coffee Cake, too.
PrintSuper-Crumb Coffee Cake
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 55 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours
- Yield: serves 8-10
- Category: Cake
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
A soft, tender, easy-to-make coffee cake, heavy on the crumbs!
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour, for coating the pan
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 cup + 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 10 Tablespoons (142g) unsalted butter, firm and cold
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2/3 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Generously spray a 9-inch springform pan* with cooking spray or grease with butter. Sprinkle the bottom of the pan with 1 Tablespoon of flour and tap out the excess.
- Whisk the flour, sugar, and salt together in a large mixing bowl until combined. Cut in the butter in very small pieces using a pastry blender or mix with a fork until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Place 1 cup of the butter/flour mixture in the refrigerator until ready to use in step 4.
- Using a handheld or stand mixer with a paddle attachment, mix the baking powder and baking soda into the remaining flour mixture. Add the room temperature buttermilk, egg, and vanilla and beat on medium speed until smooth. The batter is very thick. Spoon the batter into the prepared springform pan, smoothing the top.
- Add the brown sugar and cinnamon to the reserved flour mixture. Toss with a fork until well blended. Sprinkle the crumbs over the batter, pressingly lightly so they stick.
- Bake the cake until the center is firm and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 45-55 minutes. Baking time varies, so begin checking at 45 minutes and don’t be alarmed if your cake takes longer. Mine usually takes the full 55 minutes.
- Cool cake for 10 minutes before removing the sides of the springform pan. For neat slices and best flavor, cool cake completely at room temperature before serving.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: Cake tastes best on day 1 or day 2. The cake may be made 1 day in advance. Store covered at room temperature for up to 1 week. Cake can be frozen up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 9-inch Springform Pan | Glass Mixing Bowl | Whisk | Pastry Blender | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand)
- Buttermilk: Buttermilk is required for this recipe. You can make your own DIY version of buttermilk if needed. To do so, simply add 1 and 1/2 teaspoons of white vinegar or fresh lemon juice to a liquid measuring cup and enough whole or 2% milk to reach 3/4 cup. Allow mixture to sit for 5 minutes, then use in the recipe. Lower fat or nondairy milks work in a pinch, but the cake won’t taste as rich and moist.
- Update: Crumbs will seep down into the cake if the crumb topping’s butter is not firm enough. Make sure the butter is cold. You can even try using frozen butter and cutting that into the mixture with your pastry blender.
- Pan: Don’t have a springform pan? Use a 9-inch square baking dish (not 8-inch).
- Adapted from Cooks Illustrated The New Best Recipe.
After one bite of this coffee cake, breakfast will seem like a real treat.
I’ve made this recipe using greek yogurt instead of buttermilk and it comes out moist and delicious. It’s one of my favourite cake recipes.
This has become my go-to coffee cake recipe. The ease-to-deliciousness ratio is unreal. Combining the first part of the cake batter and topping recipes is brilliant—no need to melt butter or cut it twice.
It worked fine. I didn’t overmix the first part and lightly mixed the sugar and cinnamon in after. It baked fine. Really good. I’ll make it again.
I love your recipes and even bought one of your books for my niece but you have got to be kidding me writing out the recipe like this. You’re just setting people up for failure by not separating the batter and streusel recipes.
Thanks so much, Kate! This recipe is presented as such because part of the crumb streusel is the cake batter, so it’s easier to cut in the butter once as opposed to two separate times for the batter and crumb topping.
I had high hopes for this cake considering all the other recipes I tried came out great. I am very let down with this one. ( as was the center of this cake). The “crumb topping” went flat. I tried freezing the butter as well. Nothing worked. Moving on to a different recipe!
Hi Sally,
I made this recipe today and, oh my, it was delicious. One thing, mine rose and cracking the center as it rose in form of a volcano.
What could have happened? Other than that it was deliciously crumby and crunchy on top and the cake perfectly moist.
Thank you!
I made this cake and it was amazing! Thanks for sharing
My family loved this recipe!!!!. I have made the more dry type cake variety before and always thought it was just too dry. The cake was moist and mixed well with the amount of crumb topping because it was the right sweetness. My crumb layer cooked rather flat but no one cared because it stuck to the cake and was the perfect amount of topping to compliment the cake (and it never sank, it baked perfectly on top). It was gone in a day and everyone was trying to get the last piece.
I made this coffee cake and it was delicious! I was skeptical about adding the butter to the flour mixture and then adding the eggs and buttermilk, but it worked and the results were fantastic! I love the details and background you give for your recipes. It is helpful. Thanks for a great recipe!
Could I use this recipe with a donut pan?
Hi Leotele! I recommend my crumb cake donuts recipe instead.
Hey Sally I have a question. I would like to try this cake for breakfast tomorrow but my whole family has a gluten allergy. Could I replace the flour with gluten free or would it harm the cake?
I’ve never personally tried it, but if you have a GF flour that you trust– go ahead and give it a try.
Hey Sally,
This recipe is awesome. I make a new recipe from your site every weekend and so far they have all been a success.
Thanks!
Sally – you never disappoint! Your blog is my “go-to” place for pretty much all baked goods. Your recipes are so approachable… if that makes sense. I am always baking stuff and taking goodies everywhere, and I always tell people about your blog when they ask where I got the recipe.
I’m born and raised in Charleston, SC, so I love those old-school church cookbooks with amazing old-timey family recipes, and YOUR cookbooks sit on my shelf right next to the classics!
This cake was absolute perfection – I cooked it in my 10″ springform pan so it cooked slightly quicker. I am taking it to my office tmrw for coworkers but I did some quality control and it’s so incredibly flaky. Cutting in the butter is a total game-changer. I’ll be making this one again!
I’ve made this recipe about 3 times in the last 2 weeks because people keep asking me to make it for them! I have gotten RAVE reviews from everybody who has eaten it! OMG it is so delicious and addictive! Love this recipe!
I would like to add lemon type sauce drizzled over. How would I do this
How about drizzling the finished cake with this lemon glaze?
Absolutely delicious and perfect in every way. So moist!! We did not wait two hours for it to cool because, even though I trust your instruction, it smelled way too good. Plus, it’s almost bed time. This could not wait another 8 hours!!! My husband said its the best cake I’ve ever baked. So, thanks! Also, just a note, I used a 9 inch cake pan because my square is 8″ and I don’t have a spring form. All good. Love love love this cake!
This recipe is the absolute bomb! I was wondering if I can double the recipe and use a 9 x 13 inch pyrex to bake it or should I make two batches to serve to the crew?
This is the best coffee cake I’ve ever had. Similar to (dare I say, better than) Starbucks. Even my picky husband loved it.
I have either a 8.5″ or a 9.5″ springform pan. I guess I should use the 9.5″? Just curious why you recommend going to a 9″ square instead of an 8″ square if no round pans are available, since an 8″ square is the same surface area as a 9″ round…
Or does it have to do with your recommendation that it be baked in a square (glass) dish? Baking is a mystery. Just want to make sure I don’t make it so thin that it dries out. Thanks!
I would use the 9.5 inch springform pan.
I just made this for some last minute New Year’s Day company – fabulous! The cake was so moist and soft and the crumb topping was fantastic! Thanks for sharing this!
Hi Sally ! I love your recipes because I know I’ll get exactly same thing shown in pictures when I try anything from your website 🙂 . Only the problem is with this cake. I made it two times. Although it tasted absolutely delicious, it’s CRUMBS were somewhat powdery. Not like yours (big chunks). And also yours had a brownish- caramel like color mine was just plain white/ beige. I made sure my butter was frozen. I really really liked it and want to improve its “outlook”. Can you plz help me out in guiding what did I do wrong?
Blue, you can try to form larger crumbs with your hands– so, after setting aside the 1 cup of crumbs– use you hands to squeeze some of the crumbles together to form larger clumps. Does this make sense? As for the color– is your cake cooked through? Check your oven temperature (use an oven thermometer!) to make sure the temperature is accurate. If so, turn the oven temp up 10 or 15 degrees to help get those edges/top brown.
I ADORE this breakfast cake! I originally made it following the recipe exactly, and it was very good. The next time I made it, I added another tablespoon of butter to the crumb mixture and it helped the crumb topping hold together a bit better. When making the cake today, I realized I had dark brown sugar and used it in the crumb topping. What a wonderful discovery! It adds another layer of flavor to this delicious cake!
Just made this and it turned out AMAZING. Thanks for the recipe Sally!
Hello 🙂
I just have a doubt…. Can I add chocolate to the recipe? 🙂 for a chocolate crumb cake?
That sounds delicious! But I’ve never tested it myself– cocoa powder is a tricky ingredient to work with. Let me know if you try it!
Hi, Sally! I made this coffee cake tonight for my husband, he loves coffee cake. Let me just say, he is incredibly picky about his food!
The cake turned out amazingly well! It was so soft and buttery, and the topping was perfection! My husband says it’s his new favorite, and my kids love it too! Thank you for such detailed instructions, I found this to be very easy to make, and it was my first attempt at coffee cake! Thanks so much! I’m trying out your chocolate chip cookie cake next!
I made this yesterday using the mini bundt cake pans–it turned out great! It made about 12 cakes and I just baked them at 325 for about 20-25 minutes. I let them cool while I baked the crumb topping on a cookie sheet for 5 minutes and then broke it up into pieces. I drizzled some icing over the cakes and then added the crumb on top. They were delicious–thank you for a great recipe!
Made this Christmas morning for my fiancé. We loved it, such a fluffy cake! Thanks!
Hey Sally! I absolutely loved everything about this. So moist and fluffy! However, my crumbs were to fine and not chunky like the picture. Is it because of the size of the butter pieces?
Hi Pamela! The crumbs on my cake are always a little small. And yes, that has everything to do with the size of the butter pieces. If you’d like, you may leave your butter pieces a little larger than coarse crumbs when you are cutting it in.
Hello. I would like to add blueberries. How much should I put?
Hi Maggie! We recommend about 1 heaping cup fresh blueberries. Enjoy!
Hi Sally – Was wondering if you’ve ever tried this recipe with apples in it? Wanted to throw in 2.5 cups of granny smith. Do you think i need to cut back on the milk if I throw in the apples?
Hi Alena – apples would work wonderfully here. I would peel and dice them nice and small. I feel 2.5 cups is way too much, though. Reduce the milk only slightly. Enjoy!
I have not made this recipe about 8 times. It has never failed me. Last time I made this, I wanted a different size, something that worked better for me so I decided to put it in a jumbo muffin pan. I cooked it at 350 for 25 minutes and they turned out perfect. My husband took some to work for breakfast and he said people were asking him where he bought them. These are still my favorite. My crumb gets nice and crunchy, stays that way and isnt too messy. The cake was still moist in the muffin pan and 25 minutes was perfect. This is my go to recipe. I also was able to get away with just whisking the batter with no problems, even with my bad wrist.