New York-Style Crumb Cake

This is mega buttery and moist New York-style crumb cake with EXTRA brown sugar cinnamon crumb topping. Yes, the crumb topping is just as thick as the cake layer! The topping is soft, not crunchy, and the cake is perfectly sweet. If you’re looking for a classic go-to crumb cake recipe, this one’s mine. You’ll fall in love too.

I’ve published a plethora of crumb cake/coffee cake/breakfast cake recipes on my website. One of my forever favorites has been (and will always be!) my apple crumb cake. Usually prepared a few times during the fall months, this tall towering beauty is buttery, moist, and absolutely LOADED with a soft crumb topping. Readers have loved this breakfast cake too.

My sour cream crumb cake recipe is similar—soft and cakey—though smaller and comes with fewer crumbs on top. Last month, I decided to combine both recipes to make a “plain” crumb cake that’s just as irresistible as my apple version and still boasts those delicious brown sugar cinnamon flavors.

That’s where we land on my New York-style crumb cake recipe.

Perfect New York-Style Crumb Cake

When I asked bakers for their opinion on what makes crumb cake “New York style”, most said the description means extra crumb topping with a soft and buttery tight-crumbed (but not dense) cake underneath. Today’s recipe checks all those boxes. Some highlights:

• Soft, yet sturdy cake layer
• Same ingredients used in both layers
• Crumb topping as thick as the cake itself
• Topped with a dusting of powdered sugar
• Crumb topping is soft (not hard or crunchy) It’s perfect.

Ingredients for Crumb Cake

This is a butter and sour cream based cake (two powerhouse ingredients in my classic coffee cake recipe as well), so you already know it’s going to be flavorful, tender, and moist. The ingredients in the cake and crumb topping are mostly the same, which is extra convenient—especially since you’re likely making this before you’ve had your morning coffee. Good morning!

• Flour: All-purpose flour is the structure of this cake. It’s sturdy enough to support the thick wet ingredients and crumb layer on top.
• Baking Soda + Baking Powder: Baking soda and baking powder help the cake rise.
• Granulated Sugar: Granulated sugar sweetens the cake.
• Butter: Butter adds flavor and provides structure in the creaming process.
• Sour Cream: Sour cream is the star of the show. It helps us achieve texture bliss—this cake is a little heavier than fluffy white cake. It has tight crumbs like pound cake, but it’s not quite as dense. Somewhere in between both cakes!
• Eggs: Three eggs add moisture and bind the cake together.
• Salt + Vanilla Extract: Use both for flavor.
• Cinnamon: We can’t have crumb cake topping without cinnamon!
• Brown Sugar: Brown sugar promises a soft, moist, sweet, and flavorful crumb topping layer.

Overview: How to Make New York-Style Crumb Cake

1. Make the crumb topping. I like to make the crumb first so it’s ready to go as soon as the cake batter is done.
2. Whisk the dry ingredients together.
3. Cream butter and sugar together. Then add the eggs, sour cream, and vanilla, and beat until combined. The mixture may look curdled—that’s OK and simply a result of varying textures/temperatures trying to emulsify.
4. Combine wet & dry ingredients. The batter will be thick and creamy.
5. Spread batter into pan. A 9×13 inch pan is best for this volume of batter.
6. Add crumb topping to the top of the cake. Press it down so it sticks.
7. Bake. If you find the top and/or edges of the cake are browning too quickly in the oven, loosely cover the cake with aluminum foil. This is a large cake, so it takes at least 45-50 minutes to bake through. Feel free to dust with confectioners’ sugar right before serving, too!

Soft (Not Crunchy) Crumb Topping

Now it’s time to chat about that luxurious crumb topping. Have you ever had crunchy streusel topping before? It’s good, but not quite what I’m delivering to you today. This crumb topping is thick and soft, as long as it’s not over-mixed or over-baked. Think of it like soft cookie crumbles on top of your breakfast cake. YES!

We use the same crumb topping, but scaled down, for cranberry Christmas cake and blackberry cream cheese crumb cake. Give those both a try!

3 Tricks to the Best Crumb Topping

1. Follow the order of ingredients. First, mix brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and salt together. Stir in melted butter. Finally, use a fork to lightly mix in the flour. If you add the flour before the butter, the flour will absorb it all before the sugar can.
2. Do not over-mix. You want a crumbly topping, so don’t over-mix the ingredients after you add the flour. If you mix everything too much, you’ll end up with paste instead of big crumbles. Yes, I’m literally telling you to do LESS!
3. Press the topping into the cake. When you add the crumble topping on top of the cake batter, gently press it down into the cake layer so it sticks.

Cake for breakfast is always a good idea. This crumb layer is half of the entire cake and I haven’t heard any complaints about that! Nothing short of a dream.

Treat Yourself with These Breakfast Recipes

• Monkey Bread (cinnamon roll bites!)
• Overnight Cinnamon Rolls
• Quiche and Mini Quiche – so many flavors
• Cream Cheese French Toast Casserole
• Buttermilk Waffles (my favorite!)