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Tender, moist cake is topped with a thick layer of cinnamon crumb topping in this Easy Crumb Cake Recipe. Enjoy with a cup of coffee in the morning or afternoon.
This crumb cake is perfect for those mornings when you’re craving a little something sweet or when you need a treat with an afternoon coffee. Crumb cake is very similar to coffee cake, with just a few differences in the cake texture and a thicker layer of crumb topping.
This recipe is for a classic cinnamon crumb cake. The cake itself is a yummy vanilla sour cream cake, similar to my sour cream coffee cake, and the crumb topping is made with lots of cinnamon. If you prefer fruit in your crumb cake, be sure to check out my pineapple crumb cake and raspberry crumb cake, too.
Why This Crumb Cake Recipe Is The Best
- Thick crumb layer. The best part of any crumb cake, in my opinion, is the cinnamon crumb layer on top. The cake in this recipe is topped with a very generous amount of buttery, cinnamony crumb topping that I can’t get enough of.
- Dense, moist cake. The cake portion of this crumb cake is denser than a traditional cake but not quite as dense as pound cake. The soft texture adds a great contrast to the crumbly topping.
- Easy to make. My favorite part of this crumb cake recipe is that it takes hardly any time to prepare and bakes in under an hour. It makes a great treat for a weekend breakfast or brunch.
Recipe Ingredients
One of the great things about this crumb cake recipe is that it’s made with very basic ingredients, most of which are likely in your cupboard already. Be sure to scroll down to the recipe card below for the exact measurements.
For the Topping:
- Flour – Be sure to spoon and level the flour for accurate measuring.
- Sugar – Equal parts white and brown sugar help make the topping crumbly and sweet.
- Spices – Cinnamon adds a warm spiced flavor to the topping, while a pinch of salt helps balance the sweetness.
- Butter – Cubed and softened. If you used salted, omit the added salt.
For the Cake:
- Unsalted butter – You can use salted butter if that’s what you have. Just make sure to omit the extra salt in the recipe.
- White sugar
- Eggs – Let them come to room temperature first.
- Sour cream – If you don’t like or have sour cream, you can swap it out for full fat Greek Yogurt or Crème Fraiche with a 1:1 ratio.
- Vanilla
- Flour – Spoon the flour into a measuring cup then level it off with a knife for accurate measuring.
- Baking soda – Helps the cake rise in the oven.
- Salt
- Powdered sugar – For dusting on top before serving.
How To Make Crumb Cake
It takes just a few minutes to prepare the topping and batter for this recipe. The printable instructions can be found in the recipe card below.
- Prep. Preheat the oven to 325F. Line the baking pan with parchment paper and grease with cooking spray.
- Make the topping. Stir the dry topping ingredients together. Add the butter and use a fork to mix it into the flour until coarse crumbs are formed.
- Make the cake batter. Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, usually about 3-4 minutes. Mix in the eggs one at a time, followed by the sour cream and vanilla. Stir in the baking soda and salt, then add the flour ½ cup at a time. Stir just until no flour streaks remain.
- Assemble. Spoon the batter into the baking dish, using a spoon to spread it evenly. Add the crumb topping on top.
- Bake. Bake for 40-50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Enjoy. Allow the crumb cake to cool, then dust with powdered sugar. Enjoy!
Recipe Tips & Tricks
Here are some easy tips for making this crumb cake recipe.
- The batter may look curdled. After adding the sour cream and vanilla, the batter will be very thin and look a bit curdled. This is normal. Once the dry ingredients are added, the batter will be much thicker without the curdled look.
- Don’t overmix. Add the flour ½ cup at a time and stir just until combined each time. After the final addition, stir just until there are no streaks of flour remaining.
- Layer the topping. If you want to vary this recipe slightly, you can add half the batter to the cake pan, then sprinkle half of the topping over the cake. Add the remaining cake, then the remaining topping before baking.
- Try it with cream cheese. You can also use full fat cream cheese instead of sour cream. Just make sure to add a little milk to the cream cheese and make it smooth before adding it to the batter.
How To Store Leftovers
- Room temperature: Keep crumb cake on the counter, covered, for up to 3 days.
- Freezer: For longer storage, tightly wrap the crumb cake in plastic wrap. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw on the counter.
Crumb Cake
Tender, moist cake is topped with a thick layer of cinnamon crumb topping in this Easy Crumb Cake Recipe. Enjoy with a cup of coffee in the morning or afternoon.
Servings: 18 slices
Ingredients
Crumb Topping:
- 3 cups all-purpose flour spooned and leveled
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2/3 cup brown sugar lightly packed
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter cubed and softened
Ingredients for Cake:
- 1 cup unsalted butter cubed and softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs room temperature
- 2/3 cup sour cream
- 2 ½ teaspoons vanilla
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour spooned and sifted
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Powdered sugar to dust the top of the cake before serving.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
- Line a 9×13 baking pan with parchment paper and grease with non-stick cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, add the dry topping ingredients and stir to combine.
- Add the cubed softened butter to the dry ingredients and use a large fork, a pastry blender or just clean hands to mix the butter into the flour creating coarse crumbs. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, prepare the cake by adding the butter and sugar. Cream for 3-4 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing in between.
- Add the sour cream and vanilla and mix well. At this point the batter will be very runny and curdled looking. This is normal.
- Add the baking soda and salt, then combine.
- Add the flour ½ cup at a time, until everything is just combined and there are no more flour streaks. The batter will be very thick.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared baking dish and use a spoon or spatula to spread it evenly.
- Add the crumb topping evenly over the cake.
- Bake for 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick entered into the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Allow to cool, then dust with powdered sugar and serve!
Last Step:
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Store crumb cake, covered, on the counter for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
Calories: 286kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 66mg | Sodium: 213mg | Potassium: 77mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 397IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 29mg | Iron: 2mg
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