Crumb Coffee Cake
Topped with large, cinnamon-infused crumbs, this crumb coffee cake recipe reminds us of a favorite store brand, but better!
By Yankee Magazine|Mar 15 2022|
Crumb Coffee Cake
Photo Credit: Heath RobbinsLike the sour cream coffee cake, crumb cake was a Northern European invention, originally prepared with a yeast-raised dough but simplified in the 20th century with the use of chemical leaveners like baking powder. It’s generally thought of as a New York specialty, but it’s found all through New England as well.
Yield:
9 servings
Total Time:
20 minutesIngredients
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 375° and grease an 8-inch square baking pan.
Make the crumb topping: Combine the flour, brown sugar, walnuts, and cinnamon. Add the melted butter and mix with a fork. Set aside.
For the cake:
Ingredients
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted, plus more for pan
1 large egg
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
Next, make the cake: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk together the butter, egg, milk, and vanilla. Add the wet mixture to the dry ingredients and fold with a rubber spatula until just combined. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan. Top with the crumb topping. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes.
I used buttermilk for the milk ingredient, and the cake was delicious! Thank you for sharing this recipe!
That looks good but the crumb topping is not NEARLY as thick as the crumb cakes sold in New York. Those have a crumb topping that is twice as thick as the cake. And they should be covered with powdered sugar as well. And that kind of crumb cake is never seen in New England. After I moved to Massachusetts in 1972 I had to wait about ten years for Entenmann’s New York style crumb cake to show up.
Agree about the powdered sugar. Agree about the ratio of cake :: topping. Do not agree with your enthusiasm about Entenmann’s crumb cake — their cake is tasteless and the topping? Well, let’s just say it’s a distant relative to real NY Crumb Cake topping. btw, the trick is using cake flour for the topping instead of white flour.
It is too served in New England. I come from Marblehead & we had it there.
Yup, my Mom made it in the late 50s in Coos county, NH!!!
The Amish make this cake and sell it in their bakeries in Wisconsin. They fill it with a thick icing filling that tastes alot like wedding cake frosting. It is delicious and a great addition to the plain coffee cake.
Entenmann’s sure knows how to do it, YUM!
I made the coffee cake today. It was delicious. Everyone at church loved it, and wanted the recipe????
Really, Warren? I’m 64, have lived in Massachusetts my entire life, and have had this often. My junior high hom ec teacher taught it in our first class.
I made this today and it looks nothing like the picture, the crumbs sunk into the batter while baking. When making the crumbs and batter both were very watery even though I added extra flour. Very disappointing, Not very appealing to want to eat
Love this recipe. I have made it three times now and it has turned out beautifully each time. It took 32 mins in my oven to cook in a deep pan. A real crowd pleaser. Do not deviate from recipe.
Can someone tell me the pan size, please.
Love crumb cake and definitely want to try this recipe. Thanks all.
Hi there. This recipe calls for an 8-inch square baking pan. It is specified in the first line of the directions. Hope this helps, and happy baking!
1. Can I make this with a 9×9 pan? 2. Would almond milk work?
Hi Jessy. We haven’t tested this recipe with almond milk, but let us know if you do! If you use a 9×9 pan you will need to adjust the temperature and bake time. You should increase the oven temp by 25 degrees F and decrease the bake time by about a quarter. So maybe start checking the cake around 18 minutes to see if it’s done? Hope this helps!
your recipe for cake part says, 1/4 c. unsalted butter, melted, + more for pan, can you explain the “more for pan” part?
Hi Dottie. “More for the pan” refers to the small amount of butter we recommend using to grease the pan. Hope this helps!
I remember this cake from my childhood in the 1950’s – 60’s on the Cape. It was always a special treat on a Sunday morning!
I’m not sure where Warren lives but he certainly missed out on a lot of cake.
Can one leave the nuts out?