There’s nothing better than walking into a bakery in New York and spotting a sheet of Crumb Cake on the counter and with this recipe, it’s 100% possible to recreate that experience at home! This iconic cake is the best companion to a cup of coffee in the morning but is also a sweet way to close out a long day.
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For as long as I can remember, New York Crumb Cake has been an institution!
Bakeries would often have a whole sheet of this on their counter and delis would usually wrap individual slices in plastic wrap for easy grabbing.
The cake is irresistible with its nearly equal ratio of cake to crumb topping and is so easy to make you may just find yourself making it all the time.
And if you’re a fan of crumbs, check out my pumpkin crumb cake muffins!
Crumb Ingredients
All ingredients for this recipe are shown in the pic below and special notes are made in this bulleted list to assist you.
- Butter. I’m using unsalted butter for my crumb cake topping.
- Sugar. I’m using a mixture of dark brown sugar and granulated sugar.
- Flour. There is a lot of flour in the topping, 585g or approximately 4 1/2 cups worth. I recommend using all-purpose flour.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Cake Ingredients
All ingredients for this recipe are shown in the pic below and special notes are made in this bulleted list to assist you.
- Flour. For the cake portion of this recipe, I’m using cake flour which has less protein than other flours and yields a lighter, more cakey texture. You can however use all-purpose flour if needed.
- Buttermilk. If you don’t have buttermilk you can use regular milk with a little white vinegar, about 1 tablespoon per cup of milk is the rule of thumb.
- Eggs. I’m using 3 large eggs plus 1 egg yolk. The eggs not only provide structure to the crumb cake, but the yolks give the cake its beautiful yellow color.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
First, make the crumb topping
- Melt 1 1/2 cups (339g) of unsalted butter and allow to cool slightly. In a large bowl place 4 1/2 cups (585g) of all-purpose flour, 1/4 teaspoon of fine sea salt, 1 packed cup (200g) of dark brown sugar, 1/2 cup (100g) of granulated sugar, and 1 1/2 tablespoons (12g) of cinnamon and mix to combine. Pour the melted butter into the bowl.
- Use your hands to toss the mixture until large crumbs form. Do not overmix! The whole idea of this cake is to have large crumbs so if some of the crumbs are too small, you can use your hands to make larger crumbs by squeezing some of the small ones together. If the crumb mixture is too wet, add 1 tablespoon of flour at a time and gently mix with your hands to form the larger crumbs. Set the crumb mixture aside.
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Next, make the cake
- Preheat the oven to 350f and set the rack to the middle level. Line a 9×13 inch cake pan with parchment, or grease and set aside. In a large bowl whisk together 2 1/2 cups (325g) of cake flour, 1 teaspoon of baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder, and1/2 teaspoon of fine sea salt. In a separate bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat together 1 cup (200g) of granulated sugar and 11 tablespoons (156g) of unsalted butter until smooth, then add 3 eggs plus 1 egg yolk (all at room temperature), one at a time, and beat together until combined.
- Add 3/4 cup (168g) of room temperature buttermilk and 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract and mix until smooth. Don’t worry if the mixture appears curdled at this point. Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture and mix on low 30 seconds or until just combined, scraping down the sides with a spatula as needed. Avoid overmixing.
- Pour the cake batter into the prepared sheet pan and use a spatula to smooth the top.
- Bake in the oven for 15 minutes or until the corners are set. The cake will not be fully cooked at this point.
- Allow the cake to cool for 10-15 minutes before topping the cake with the crumb mixture.
- Return to the oven to bake for an additional 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Place the crumb cake on a wire rack to cool. Once cool, invert the cake onto a baking sheet to remove it from the pan, then flip right-side-up.
- Dust with powdered sugar, serve, and enjoy!
Top tips
- Use a kitchen scale. For nearly every baking recipe, I recommend using a kitchen scale. It’s the only way to ensure consistent results and accurate measurements every single time.
- Double the recipe! I wrote this recipe for a 9×13 cake pan but if you want a true New York bakery-style cake, use a half-sheet cake pan (13×18) and double the recipe.
- Shortcuts are ok. While I do recommend using my cake recipe, you can definitely use a boxed yellow cake and achieve similar results. It’s a nice compromise between 100% homemade and a box of Entenmann’s crumb cake.
More cake recipes
If you’re looking for more cake recipes, give these ones a try!
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New York Crumb Cake
Ingredients
For the crumb topping
- 1 1/2 cups (339g) unsalted butter melted
- 4 1/2 cups (585g) all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 packed cup (200g) dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons (12g) cinnamon
For the cake
- 2 1/2 cups (325g) cake flour spooned & leveled, can sub all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 11 tablespoons (156g) unsalted butter room temperature
- 3/4 cup (168g) buttermilk room temperature
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 1 egg yolk room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- powdered sugar for dusting
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Instructions
For the crumb topping
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, dark brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and salt.
- Pour the melted butter into the bowl and toss with hands to make large crumbs. Do not overmix! If the crumbs are too small, make larger crumbs by squeezing some of the smaller ones together. If the crumbs are too wet, add 1 tablespoon of flour at a time and gently mix with your hands to form larger crumbs.
- Set the crumb mixture aside.
For the cake
- Preheat the oven to 350f and set the rack to the middle level. Line a 9×13 inch cake pan with parchment paper, or grease and set aside.
- In a large bowl whisk together the cake flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- In a separate bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat together the sugar and butter until smooth, then add the eggs and extra yolk, one at a time and beat together until combined.
- Add the buttermilk and vanilla, and mix until smooth. Do not worry if the mixture looks curdled.
- Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture and mix for 30 seconds or until just combined. Scrape down the sides with a spatula as needed. Avoid overmixing.
- Pour the cake batter into the prepared sheet pan and bake for 15 minutes or until the corners are set. The cake will not be fully cooked.
- Allow the cake to cool for 10-15 minutes before topping.
- Top the cake with the crumb mixture. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean after inserting into the center of the cake.
- Place the cake on a wire rack to cool and once cool dust with powdered sugar.
Notes
- Makes 15 large pieces, but can be cut into much smaller pieces if you like.
- This recipe was written for a conventional oven. For convection ovens, reduce the temperature by 25 degrees and begin checking for doneness at the 75% mark.
- This recipe is written for a 9×13 cake pan, however, you can go “New York bakery style” and bake it in a cake-style half sheet pan (13×18) by simply doubling the recipe.
- Leftover crumb cake can be stored covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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I am definitely going to make this recipe, but would like to make it ahead if possible. Do you know if this cake freezes well? Thank you!
Hi Linda, yes, this cake freezes well.
Delicious.. makes a lot for just us two but great to give to friends and they love it! I could just eat the topping but the cake is delicious too and don’t forget a great cup of coffee!
We’re so happy you enjoyed this one too, Felicia!
Is that a typo 4 1/2 cups flour for the topping ?
Hi Catherine, it’s not a typo. If you have any concerns, please watch the video and you can see how it’s made.
My computer died when I was just about finished. So, I finished making the cake and carefully putting the crumbs on top. I was then able to recheck the recipe and saw you’re supposed to bake the cake before adding the crumbs (I added the crumbs right after I put the batter in the pan). Ummmm…… now what??
Hi Linda, we haven’t tested it with just adding the crumbs to the batter but you can bake it and see how it comes out. It will likely be ok.
What brand of AP flour and Cake flour do we use?
LI native living in Florida
Hi Nanette, our go-to is King Arthur, but use what brand is available to you.
Can I substute the buttermilk?
Hi Francine, yes – please refer to the ingredients section where Jim specifically mentions that if you don’t have buttermilk you can use regular milk with a little white vinegar, about 1 tablespoon per cup of milk is the rule of thumb.
Looks amazing. Does it freeze well?
Hi Chris. It 100% freezes well.
Hi! Can you use light brown sugar in this recipe? Thank you~
Hi Karen, yes, you can use light brown sugar in place of the dark. Hope you enjoy!
Excellent recipe and delicious result. Where I grew up, 25 miles east of Manhattan, the german bakeries in the area were famous for crumb buns, crumb cakes and crumb boards (literally, the same crumbs were sprinkled over puff pastry sheets before baking and cut into squares once cooled). I mention this because it was my understanding that the buns and cakes were yeast-leavened, but your recipe comes very close to what I remember. Bravo!
We’re so happy to hear that, Roger!
I made the NY crumb cake and my crumbs are falling off the cake they are not sticking on very well
Hi Valerie, it could be that the crumbs were too dry. We recommend watching the video where you can see exactly how makes the cake.