What do you get when you combine a thick buttery and crumbly streusel-like topping with a moist vanilla cake? My easy crumb cake recipe!
Have you heard of a New York crumb cake before? The only major difference between this style of crumb cake and an ordinary crumb cake or coffee cake is the amount of streusel topping. A New York-style crumb cake has a thicker layer of crumb topping, as you can see in the above photo.
Personally, I say the more soft crumb topping the better. It’s my favorite part and fortunately, this one stays put while you eat it. Made with flour, brown sugar, butter, and ground cinnamon, it’s the perfect combination of buttery sweet flavor and crumbly texture. I pair this with a moist vanilla cake base for a crumb cake recipe that’s to die for!
Let me tell ya… this is the (yeah, I said it) that’s super easy to make and ready in about an hour. Mix the cake batter, mix the crumb topping, then combine the two, and bake! That’s all there is to it. I developed this recipe after LOVING the ones I purchased in the grocery store and it can be found on page 83 of my cookbook, Sweetness. Ready to give it a go?
Recipe Ingredients
- Cake mix: yellow cake mix, butter golden, or white cake mix.
- Whole milk
- Eggs
- Vanilla extract
- Unsalted butter
- All-purpose flour
- Light brown sugar
- Ground cinnamon
How to Make My Easy Crumb Cake Recipe
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat a 9×13-inch baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
Place the cake mix, milk, eggs, vanilla, and melted butter in a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer at medium speed until blended and smooth, scraping down the side of the bowl with a if needed (about 2 minutes).
Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan.
In a separate medium bowl, combine the butter, flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon and cut together using a long-tined fork or pastry cutter until well mixed and crumbly.
Sprinkle the crumb mixture over the cake layer.
Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (about 45 minutes). Allow to cool slightly and then sprinkle the top with confectioners’ sugar or powdered sugar, if desired.
Storage
Store leftover cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. You can also freeze leftovers for up to 3 months, just thaw at room temperature before serving and add an extra dusting of sugar if desired.
Recipe Notes
- For added flavor and texture, add 1/2 cup of chopped nuts to your crumble topping. Chopped walnuts and pecans are most popular, but you could also use pistachios, hazelnuts, or almonds.
- We want this to be a soft crumb topping, so don’t overmix the ingredients, just mix until combined.
Check out these other delicious crumb cake recipes:
Cherry Crumb Cake With Cake Mix
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 box yellow, butter golden, or white cake mix
- 3/4 cup whole milk
- 3 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled slightly or 1 stick
Crumb Topping
- 1 cup butter at room temperature or 2 sticks
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
- Place the cake mix, milk, eggs, vanilla, and melted butter in a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer at medium speed until blended and smooth, scraping down the side of the bowl with a rubber spatula if needed (about 2 minutes). Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan.1 box yellow, butter golden, or white cake mix, 3/4 cup whole milk, 3 large eggs, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, 1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled slightly
- In a separate medium bowl, combine the butter, flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon and cut together using a long-tined fork or pastry cutter until well mixed and crumbly. Sprinkle the crumb mixture over the cake layer.1 cup butter at room temperature, 3 cups all-purpose flour, 1 cup packed light brown sugar, 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (about 45 minutes). Allow to cool slightly and then sprinkle the top with confectioners' sugar, if desired.
Nutrition
“Aim above morality. Be not simply good, be good for something.”
~ Henry David Thoreau, Submitted by Sabrina Wenning
My waist line is not going to like the fact that I am reading these posts and printing these recipes. LOL! This sounds just as delicious as the other two I am read today.
How the coffee cake stay fresh?
Not sure if I did something wrong but I made 2 of these for the first time today. One was going to be for my mom’s neighbor who mowed her yard for her and the other for her to take to church. When I went to check on them, the cake batter had come up through the crumb layer and was cooking on top and the edges were browning way before it was time to be done. I tried to let them stay in there as long as I could without completely burning. Then I took them out and trimmed the browned edges. It’s pretty much like a ooey gooey cake of some sort. They still taste really good but not sure that I can give them to her neighbor or the church. Unless the outside rows are cooked enough then I can put some pieces on a plate and give it to them lol.
Love the cake and have made it twice but both times the cake came up over the topping, so my topping was in the middle the first time and today it was on the bottom! Still tastes great 🙂 Any idea on what I’m doing that might cause that issue. I use a Duncan Hines butter cake mix. Thanks a bunch!
How long the cake stay fresh and is the cake called coffee cake or another name?
Welcome to Kentucky,WE are excited that you are here.Just gotta have this book. I have all the others. Love all you recipes and posts.
Thank you so much Roxie, I hope you enjoy this one as much as you do the others!!!