Sign in to see ingredients
Create a free account to unlock this content
Don't have an account? Sign up free
Per serving
Calculating nutrition...
- 1
Heat the oven and line the pan
Heat your oven to 350F and set a rack in the middle. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with a parchment sling - one long strip of parchment running up and over two opposite sides - then lightly butter the exposed corners. The sling is your friend here: it lets you lift the whole cake out later without disturbing that tall crumb top.
- 2
Make the crumb topping first
In a medium bowl, stir together 10 tablespoons of the melted butter, 1/2 cup of the granulated sugar, the 1/4 cup brown sugar, the cinnamon, and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt until smooth. Add 1 3/4 cups of the flour and stir until it comes together into a thick, soft dough that looks a bit like cookie dough. Set it aside while you make the batter - that rest is what lets it firm up so it breaks into big, craggy crumbs instead of fine sand.
- 3
Cream the butter and sugar for the cake
In a large bowl, beat the remaining 6 tablespoons softened butter with the remaining 1/2 cup granulated sugar until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. This beats air into the butter, and that trapped air is part of what gives the cake its soft, light crumb. Beat in the egg and the vanilla until smooth, then mix in the sour cream.
- 4
Add the dry ingredients
In a separate bowl, whisk the remaining 1 1/4 cups flour, the baking powder, baking soda, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir with a spatula just until no dry streaks remain, then stop. Overmixing develops the gluten and gives you a tough, rubbery cake, so a few gentle folds is all you want. The batter will be thick.
- 5
Assemble
Scrape the batter into the pan and smooth it into an even layer; it is a thin layer, and that is exactly right for a crumb cake. Now pinch the crumb dough into clumps ranging from pea-sized to big walnut-sized, scattering them over the batter until the whole top is covered in a thick, even blanket. Don't press them down - you want them sitting proud on top.
- 6
Bake
Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until the crumbs are set and pale golden and a toothpick slid down into the cake (push past the crumb layer into the cake itself) comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. If the top is browning too fast before the center sets, tent it loosely with foil for the last 10 minutes. Every oven runs a little different, so start checking at 40 minutes.
- 7
Cool and finish
Let the cake cool in the pan for at least 30 minutes - it keeps setting as it cools, and warm cake crumbles when you cut it. Use the parchment sling to lift it out onto a board, dust the top generously with confectioners' sugar, and cut into 9 squares. Store covered at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Sign in to see all instructions
Create a free account to unlock this content
Don't have an account? Sign up free
New York-Style Crumb Cake
Created by: SugarAndButter
Ingredients
- 3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp salt
- confectioners' sugar
Instructions
- Heat the oven and line the panHeat your oven to 350F and set a rack in the middle. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with a parchment sling - one long strip of parchment running up and over two opposite sides - then lightly butter the exposed corners. The sling is your friend here: it lets you lift the whole cake out later without disturbing that tall crumb top.
- Make the crumb topping firstIn a medium bowl, stir together 10 tablespoons of the melted butter, 1/2 cup of the granulated sugar, the 1/4 cup brown sugar, the cinnamon, and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt until smooth. Add 1 3/4 cups of the flour and stir until it comes together into a thick, soft dough that looks a bit like cookie dough. Set it aside while you make the batter - that rest is what lets it firm up so it breaks into big, craggy crumbs instead of fine sand.
- Cream the butter and sugar for the cakeIn a large bowl, beat the remaining 6 tablespoons softened butter with the remaining 1/2 cup granulated sugar until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. This beats air into the butter, and that trapped air is part of what gives the cake its soft, light crumb. Beat in the egg and the vanilla until smooth, then mix in the sour cream.
- Add the dry ingredientsIn a separate bowl, whisk the remaining 1 1/4 cups flour, the baking powder, baking soda, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir with a spatula just until no dry streaks remain, then stop. Overmixing develops the gluten and gives you a tough, rubbery cake, so a few gentle folds is all you want. The batter will be thick.
- AssembleScrape the batter into the pan and smooth it into an even layer; it is a thin layer, and that is exactly right for a crumb cake. Now pinch the crumb dough into clumps ranging from pea-sized to big walnut-sized, scattering them over the batter until the whole top is covered in a thick, even blanket. Don't press them down - you want them sitting proud on top.
- BakeBake for 40 to 45 minutes, until the crumbs are set and pale golden and a toothpick slid down into the cake (push past the crumb layer into the cake itself) comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. If the top is browning too fast before the center sets, tent it loosely with foil for the last 10 minutes. Every oven runs a little different, so start checking at 40 minutes.
- Cool and finishLet the cake cool in the pan for at least 30 minutes - it keeps setting as it cools, and warm cake crumbles when you cut it. Use the parchment sling to lift it out onto a board, dust the top generously with confectioners' sugar, and cut into 9 squares. Store covered at room temperature for up to 3 days.