This Crumb Cake recipe is a delicious coffee cake-style dessert made with a tender vanilla cake base and a crispy brown sugar crumb topping. Flavoured with warm cinnamon, this crumb cake makes the perfect sweet snack!
Estimated reading time: 9 minutes
Staple recipes like this delicious Crumb Cake recipe are the backbone of our baking repertoire. We love pulling out a simple, easy coffee cake recipe when unexpected visitors drop by, to take to a potluck, or just to enjoy with a cup of coffee on a Sunday afternoon. If you’re a beginning baker, or you’re looking for a new go-to cake recipe, this is the one for you!
Crumb cake is a delicious baked dessert that’s known for its rich, buttery texture and indulgently sweet crispy topping. It’s a coffee cake-style dessert with a soft and tender vanilla cake base and a thick, crumbly topping made primarily from brown sugar, flour, and butter. This streusel layer is generously flavoured with cinnamon, providing a warm, slightly spicy contrast to the sweetness of the cake. It’s often enjoyed as a companion to coffee or tea, but it’s a popular choice for breakfast gatherings, brunches, or simply as a comforting snack.
There are so many reasons why this Crumb Cake is one of our favourite recipes! Here are just a few:
- It’s BUDGET-FRIENDLY: Made from simple pantry staples, this is a delicious desert that is not going to break the bank!
- It’s EASY to MAKE: With just a few simple tips and tricks, this cake is SO easy to make!
- It’s easy to CUSTOMIZE: Do you want a Nordic inspiration? Add some cardamom! Want to add some fruit? Use your favourites! Love chocolate? Add some chocolate chips!
- It’s perfect for FALL: It’s such a delicious dessert that goes perfectly with a cup of Hot Chocolate or a Chai Tea Latte!
- It’s great for PICKY EATERS: This crumb cake is decadent and moist without too many fancy ingredients.
Want to make the BEST crumb cake? Here’s how to do it!
Make sure your milk, butter, and eggs are at room temperature. This will create a smooth cake batter and help the ingredients combine properly.
Do not over-mix, especially after adding the wet ingredients. Over-mixing can create a dry, tough cake.
Always grease your cake pan generously with butter or baking spray. This will prevent the cake from sticking to the pan.
For the perfect crumb cake, make sure you have as high quality ingredients as you can afford but more importantly, fresh ingredients.
Having trouble with your crumb cake? Here are some issues you might encounter and how to fix and prevent them!
Make sure you don’t over cook your cake. If your oven runs hot, make sure you perform the toothpick test a couple minutes before the baking time is done.
Avoid over mixing the cake batter, especially after adding the dry ingredients to the wet. Over mixing can develop too much gluten, resulting in a dense texture.
Make sure you measure your ingredients right! The batter for the bottom of the crumb cake should be pretty dense, not allowing the streusel topping to sink in it.
This is a basic crumb cake. If you’re looking for more flavour, add more spices, or some toppings like in this Cherry Almond Coffee Cake or Cranberry Orange Coffee Cake or Best Ever Blueberry Ricotta Coffee Cake
You will need these items on hand for making this Crumb Cake recipe (affiliate links):
- 8-inch square baking pan
- a Hand Mixer or a stand mixer
- mixing bowls
- measuring cups and spoons
- liquid measuring cups
- Silicone Spatula
Here’s the ingredients you’ll need to make this delicious crumb cake recipe (paid links):
For the cake:
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1/3 cup white sugar
- 1 egg, at room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup milk, at room temperature
- 1/4 cup sour cream, at room temperature (full fat is best)
- 1 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter for greasing the cake pan
For the streusel topping:
- 1/3 cup all purpose flour
- 1/3 cup white sugar
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Take this Crumb Cake recipe to the next level with one of these delicious coffee cake variations:
- Blueberry: Add some blueberries to the top of the cake (before the streusel topping) for an easy summer dessert.
- Apple Cinnamon: Mix some thinly sliced apples with half a teaspoon of cinnamon and some brown sugar for an autumn twist.
- Strawberry Rhubarb: Add some strawberries and rhubarb slices before the streusel topping and make this a summer classic.
- Maple Pecan: Add some chopped up pecans and a few drizzles of real maple syrup for a Canadian twist.
- Peach: Add sliced fresh or canned (and drained) peaches to get another easy summer dessert.
Can I make this Crumb Cake in advance?
This coffee cake is best the day it is made but it can store well at room temperature for up to two days if it is in an airtight container.
Why is it important to have room temperature ingredients?
Room temperature milk, eggs, sour cream, and butter allows the ingredients to better integrate with each other. It creates a smooth cake batter.
Can I use low fat sour cream instead of full fat?
No, low fat sour cream has a higher water content and thickening agents that will throw off the recipe. Full fat sour cream gives flavour and helps the cake keep its shape.
Is crumb cake the same as coffee cake?
Technically, yes. The only difference is that the crumb cake has more streusel topping. It’s also more common for coffee cake to have more fillings, like this delicious Cherry Almond Coffee Cake or this other one filled with blueberries Best Ever Blueberry Ricotta Coffee Cake
Time needed: 50 minutes
Here’s how to make this delicious coffee cake recipe, step by step!
- Cream the butter.
Add the butter and the sugar to the bowl of your stand mixer and beat them together until the mixture is fluffy and becomes a pale colour (about 4-5 minutes). It’s important that the butter is at room temperature before you begin. This will allow it to combine properly with the other wet ingredients.
Feel free to use a hand mixer and large mixing bowl if you prefer. - Mix all your wet ingredients.
Add the egg and the vanilla and beat them in on medium speed until the mixture is smooth. It’s a good idea to scrape down the bowl periodically to make sure everything is incorporated evenly.
Add the milk and sour cream and beat in these ingredients on low speed until they’re combined - Mix the dry ingredients.
To a separate bowl add the flour, the baking powder, and the salt. Mix these ingredients together with a fork or a wire whisk.
- Make your cake batter.
Once they’re all incorporated, dump the flour mixture into the bowl with the wet ingredients. Turn the mixer on low and watch the batter come together. As soon as you see the batter form with streaks of flour throughout, turn off the mixer and remove the bowl.
Over-mixing at this stage can cause an overly dense and dry cake with large air bubbles, which you definitely don’t want. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the sides of the bowl by hand and gently fold in the remaining flour. Be sure to stop folding as soon as everything is combined. - Get your baking dish ready.
Grease a 8×8 inch square baking pan with butter or baking spray. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, using the spatula to push the batter into the corners and even out the surface. Don’t worry, the batter will seem thick but it’s supposed to be like that.
- Make the crumb topping.
In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, and cinnamon for the streusel topping. Add in the melted butter and mix everything together with a fork until the mixture becomes crumbly.
Sprinkle the streusel mixture over the cake, making sure to spread it as evenly as possible and into all the corners. - Bake.
Bake the cake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees Celsius) for 35-40 minutes. When it’s finished baking, the topping will be slightly browned on top and when you insert a toothpick into the centre of the cake, it will come out clean.
Try to let the cake cool in the pan for at least 20 minutes before cutting into it… if you can wait that long!
We hope you love this Crumb Cake recipe as much as we do! Let us know in the comments below, what’s your favourite easy coffee cake recipe? We’d love to know!
More Cake Recipes
- French Apple Cake
- Strawberry Shortcake
- Best Red Velvet Cake
- Strawberry Cake
- Angel Food Cake
- Vanilla Cake
- Baileys Chocolate Cake
- Easy Carrot Cake
- White Cake
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Crumb Cake
Recipe: Equipment
Recipe: Ingredients
For the cake:
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1/3 cup white sugar
- 1 eggs, at room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup milk, at room temperature
- 1/4 cup sour cream, at room temperature (full fat is best)
- 1 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter for greasing the cake pan
For the streusel topping:
- 1/3 cup all purpose flour
- 1/3 cup white sugar
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Recipe: Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees Celsius).
- Add the butter and the sugar to the bowl of your stand mixer and beat them together until the mixture is fluffy and becomes a pale colour (about 4-5 minutes). It's important that the butter is at room temperature before you begin. This will allow it to combine properly with the other wet ingredients.
- Feel free to use a hand mixer and large mixing bowl, if you prefer.
- Add the egg and the vanilla and beat them in on medium speed until the mixture is smooth. It's a good idea to scrape down the bowl periodically to make sure everything is incorporated evenly.
- Add the milk and sour cream and beat in on low speed until they're combined.
- To a separate bowl add the flour, the baking powder, and the salt and mix these ingredients together with a fork or a wire whisk. Once they're all incorporated, dump the flour mixture into the bowl with the wet ingredients. Turn the mixer on low and watch the batter come together. As soon as you see the batter form with streaks of flour throughout, turn off the mixer and remove the bowl.
- Over-mixing at this stage can cause an overly dense and dry cake with large air bubbles, which you definitely don't want. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the sides of the bowl by hand and gently fold in the remaining flour. Be sure to stop folding as soon as everything is combined.
- Grease a 8×8 inch square baking pan with butter and pour the batter into the pan, using the spatula to push the batter into the corners and even out the surface. Don't worry, the batter will seem thick but it's supposed to be like that.
- In a clean bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, and cinnamon for the streusel topping. Add in the melted butter and mix everything together with a fork until the mixture becomes crumbly.
- Sprinkle the streusel mixture over the cake, making sure to spread it as evenly as possible and into all the corners.
- Bake the cake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees Celsius) for 35-40 minutes. When it's finished baking, the topping will be slightly browned on top. When you insert a toothpick into the centre of the cake, it will come out clean.
- Try to let the cake cool in the pan for at least 20 minutes before cutting into it… if you can wait that long!
Recipe: Notes
Storage Instructions
This cake is best the day it’s made, but it stores well at room temperature for up to 2 days in an airtight container.Recipe: Nutrition
Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated, using Spoonacular, for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.
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