Crumb Cake

Published April 15, 2015. Updated June 27, 2019

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The world needs more crumb cake. I mean how could your day go wrong if you start it out with a piece of this dreamy and decadent, over-the-top Crumb Cake? How I wish I could have this every day for breakfast.

Crumb Cake | Cooking Classy

You’ll love then generous layer of crisp, buttery, cinnamon laden crumbs atop that pillowy-soft, moist cake that’s swirled with notes of vanilla and an ever so light tang from the sour cream. This is one of my favorite breakfast cakes, like ever.

I’m a crumbaholic. If it has crumbs I need it, and this is overloaded with them to the max! I just love the contrast of a fluffy cake next to a dense crumbly crumb.

Last year I attempted several times to make a crumb muffin and it just never worked for me because the crumbs would either end up swallowed up by the muffin or all spread out to the edges (which made since because I never used a super tall cupcake liner to keep everything intact).

Luckily, things worked out much better in cake form. This cake turned out to be the best crumb cake I’ve ever had and I already can’t wait to make it again!

Crumb Cake | Cooking ClassyCrumb Cake | Cooking Classy

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4.81 from 47 votes

Crumb Cake

A deliciously soft and tender cake topped with a crisp buttery crumble. Perfect for a weekend breakfast or holiday brunch. 
Servings: 9
Prep25 minutes
Cook35 minutes
Ready in: 1 hour 5 minutes

Ingredients

Crumbs

Cake

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8 by 8-inch baking dish then line with two sheets of parchment, butter parchment (alternately you can just butter and lightly flour the dish if you don't care to lift out the whole cake).
  • For the crumbs:
  • In a mixing bowl whisk together brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon and salt. Pour in melted butter and stir to combine.
  • Slowly add flour and mix with wooden spoon or a spatula until no streaks of flour remain. Set aside to rest while cake batter is prepared.
  • For the cake:
  • In a mixing bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt for 20 seconds, set aside.
  • In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whip together butter and granulated sugar until pale and fluffy. Mix in egg and vanilla. In liquid measuring cup used to measure milk, whisk together sour cream with milk.
  • Add in 1/3 of the flour mixture to the butter mixture and blend just until combined, then add 1/2 of the milk mixture and mix just until combined. Repeat process once more, then end by mixing in last 1/3 of the flour mixture until nearly combined. Scape down sides and bottom of bowl using a rubber spatula and fold batter to fully incorporate.
  • Pour batter into prepared baking dish and spread into an even layer. Break crumb mixture into pea size crumbs and drop evenly over batter.
  • Bake in preheated oven until toothpick inserted into center comes out free of batter and cake doesn't sink when touched in center, about 32 - 35 minutes. Cool in cake pan 10 minutes, then using parchment overhang lift cake from pan and cool on a wire rack. Store in an airtight container.
Nutrition Facts
Crumb Cake
Amount Per Serving
Calories 400 Calories from Fat 171
% Daily Value*
Fat 19g29%
Saturated Fat 12g75%
Cholesterol 66mg22%
Sodium 167mg7%
Potassium 114mg3%
Carbohydrates 54g18%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 28g31%
Protein 4g8%
Vitamin A 587IU12%
Calcium 54mg5%
Iron 2mg11%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Nutrition values are estimates only. See full disclaimer here.

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140 Comments

  • Jeanne

    Thank you for this recipe. It is a favorite with my family and coworkers. The cake is so moist and tender and the ratio of crumbs to cake is perfect!

  • Ruth Searles

    I’m so glad I found this recipe. This is the best crumb cake hands done. I only use this recipe and have made it at least once a month. Thanks for sharing. I do have a question, can I use this recipe to make muffins?

    Thanks
    Ruth

  • Kathryn Zarcone

    Kathy Z: I made this crumb cake tonight, read all the reviews and it sounded delicious. I wanted a bigger cake so I used a Pyrex 10 x 15 buttered and floured. I doubled the cake and crumb recipe ingredients and it worked out perfectly. It took 32 minutes in the oven. I couldn’t wait to taste it so I took a small corner piece. This cake is absolutely delicious! I’ve always made my crumbs from scratch but used a box cake mix for the cake itself and it was good. I’ve been looking for a great scratch recipe for crumb cake and have finally found it, light, buttery, just perfect! Thank you so much for this recipe.

  • Barbara

    This is the best crumb cake I’ve ever made and eaten. Its much better than Entenmanns crumb cake. Thank you for the recipe. I make a double batch of crumbs because I like a little extra crumb.

  • Alli

    This little cake is perfect! Easy to put together & delicious. Would recommend & will definitely make again.

  • Karen

    Hello. I’ve made this cake in the past a few times in the last and I absolutely love it. I tried making the cane again today but the mixture of the crumbs was more like sand this time. No crumble at all, was the recipe updated??

    • Jaclyn

      Jaclyn Bell

      No sorry I haven’t changed this one. Maybe the flour was a little over-measured. You could try adding a little more butter and that should help.

      • J.Audinis

        The crumb recipe calls for 1/2 cup or 4 ounces of butter, 1/2 cup of butter is 8 ounces, did you use 1/2 cup or 4 ounces hope this helps.

        • Jaclyn

          Jaclyn Bell

          1/2 cup butter is actually 4 oz. :) if you check the box of butter you’ll see there’s 1 lb or 16 oz divided by four sticks. but thanks for trying to help.

          • Liv

            About to make this recipe but I’m so confused… my whole life 1 stick of butter is considered a 1/2 cup (also according the internet). But you are saying 1/2 cup is actually half a stick, not a whole stick. So I am going to just use 1/2 a stick then since that’s how you did it for this recipe?

          • Jaclyn

            Jaclyn Bell

            Sorry I don’t know where you are referring to 1/2 stick? You will use 1 full size stick of butter or 8 tbsp for the cake portion then 5 tbsp for the crumb topping.