Our Best Ever Crumb Cake is piled high with buttery crumbs and made with simple basic ingredients from your fridge and pantry.
Crumb Cake Recipe
Christmas morning brunch and crumb cake are the perfect match. Santa has arrived, the kids are hopping for joy and now it’s time for a piping hot cup of coffee and, what else? A piece of Best Ever Crumb Cake piled high with buttery crumbs, of course!
Every bite of our moist crumb cake recipe is heavenly when a rich vanilla-scented cake is topped with buttery cinnamon crumbs kissed with powdered sugar!
Trust me when I tell you that this is the best ever rich buttery Crumb Cake you’ll ever taste!
And you probably have all the basic ingredients to bake up this old fashioned crumb cake recipe in your kitchen right now!
Butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla, flour, milk and salt for the cake. More flour, more sugar, more butter and brown sugar and cinnamon for the crumbs. Oh, and don’t forget the confectioners’ sugar for a sweet dusting.
All it takes are those simple basic ingredients from your fridge and pantry for the best crumb cake you’ll ever taste!
Every bite of our easy crumb cake recipe is heavenly when a rich vanilla-scented cake is topped with buttery cinnamon crumbs kissed with powdered sugar!
Crumb coffee cake recipes are what holiday mornings are made of and your holiday mornings will be truly delicious every time you bake up our recipe.
I invite you to kick up your feet now and enjoy the Best Ever Crumb Cake, an easy as pie recipe…but of course it’s cake!
Crumb Cake FAQ’s
Are crumb cake and coffee cake the same?
Crumb cake and coffee cake are very similar but not exactly the same. Typically coffee cake has a bigger cake layer and less crumb topping.
Crumb cake has a thicker layer of crumbs on top of its’ cake layer.
How to store crumb cake
Crumb cake will stay fresh for 3-4 days when you store it at room temperature and tightly wrapped in plastic wrap. You can also store it in an airtight container.
How to freeze crumb cake
You can freeze your crumb cake before dusting with confectioners’ sugar. Simply wrap your crumb cake tightly in plastic wrap and then in aluminum foil.
To defrost, place wrapped crumb cake in the refrigerator and let it defrost.
Unwrap and dust with confectioners’ sugar.
Swirls of Flavor Recipe Tips
- Stir in your favorite sprinkles for a festive crumb cake
- Add mini chocolate chips to the cake batter
- Be sure to measure your flour correctly! Spoon flour into your measuring cup then level off with the flat end of a knife
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Ingredients you will need to make this recipe
- butter
- granulated sugar
- large eggs
- vanilla extract
- all-purpose flour
- salt
- milk
- dark brown sugar
- ground cinnamon
- confectioners’ sugar
- holiday sprinkles
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With just four ingredients, you’ll happily be making these from-scratch pancakes Gluten-Free Blueberry Pancakes over and over again for breakfast, a holiday brunch or even as breakfast for dinner!
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Every bite of Best Ever Crumb Cake is heavenly when a rich vanilla-scented cake is topped with buttery cinnamon crumbs dusted with powdered sugar. All it takes are simple basic ingredients from your fridge and pantry for the Best Ever Crumb Cake you'll ever taste!
- 1 cup (2 sticks) butter , at room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1 Tbs. vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/3 cup milk
- 3 cups flour
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 1 Tbs. ground cinnamon
- 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, melted
- 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
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Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 13-inch by 9-inch baking sheet with shallow sides with foil, leaving a 2-inch overhang. Coat with non-stick cooking spray.
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With mixer on medium-high beat butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
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Add eggs and vanilla and beat until combined, occasionally scraping sides of bowl.
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Reduce mixer speed to medium and gradually beat in flour and salt until blended.
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Add milk and beat until smooth, thick and blended, about 2 minutes.
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Spread cake batter evenly in prepared baking sheet and bake 15 minutes. Cake will be only partially baked at this point. Top of cake should be slightly jiggly and wet so the crumbs will adhere when you place them on top in the next step.
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Meanwhile, in bowl combine flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar and cinnamon. Stir in melted butter until blended. Using hands, shape into crumbs and arrange on top of partially baked cake batter.
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Return to oven and bake an additional 25-30 minutes or until cake is baked through and crumbs are slightly golden.
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Cool in pan 30 minutes. Using foil overhang, lift crumb cake out of pan and serve warm or cool completely on wire rack.
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Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar and cut into 16 pieces.
Makes 16 servings.
I wish just one time you would make a dish that I didn’t feel the need to dash to the grocery store and buy all the ingredients! This looks so incredible!!!!
Did a little bunny tell you i love crumb cake.. lol… this will be my weekend dish to make… the girls in the office will be happy
I’ve been looking for a fabulous crumb cake recipe…. yours looks soooo good!
All of these recipes are killing me and my need to cut back on sugar! This looks wonderful!!
Mmmmm mmmm good! I’m making this little sissy! Look at those mounds of buttery chunch…perfect for a brunch or anytime. I love your recipes!
Is there really 3 cups of flour in the crumb topping????
Hi Kathi, Yes, there really are 3 cups of flour in the crumb topping along with 1/2 pound butter! This recipe makes lots of crumbs on top with a very moist cake underneath. Very delicious. Thanks for stopping by Swirls and happy baking, Gwynn
Can I use a different pan for this recipe ?
Hi Kathryn, If you use a different pan for this recipe you will have to adjust the baking times for the baking steps in the recipe. Changing the size of the pan will change how much time the crumb cake needs to bake. Hope that helps! Thanks for stopping by Swirls and happy baking, Gwynn
The cake is in the oven in a 13 x 9” Pyrex baking dish…I didn’t have the correct size of baking sheet with edges and I will adjust the baking time as needed. How on earth does all that crumb topping stay on a cake baked on a baking sheet? Just curious!
Hi Pat, it’s true that there are a lot of crumbs on this crumb cake and that is what makes it taste so good! The crumbs are piled high on top of the cake batter before it cooks through so that they “attach” as they bake keeping them in place in the baking sheet. Happy baking, Gwynn
So tasty! The cake tastes better than a bakery version. Will definitely make this again!
Thanks so much Jenna! This is one of my personal favorites. So happy you enjoyed it. And thank you for taking the time to stop by and lt me know and give it five stars! Savor the moments, GG
Best crumb cake I have ever tasted.
Oh my goodness, thank you so much for your kind words Susan! I’m so happy to hear that it is the best you have ever tasted! Thank you for taking the time to stop by and let me know and for being a Swirls’ follower. I truly appreciate you. Savor the Moments, Gwynn
Hi, Gwynn, I made this recipe but used Gluten Free flour and it worked GREAT!! It is not a diet thing, it’s a Celiac thing.
Thanks, Carol
Hi Carol, I’m so happy to heat that the recipe worked just as well with your gluten free flour! This is one of my absolute favorite recipes to make. Thank you for taking the time and stopping by and to let me know! I truly appreciate you being here at Swirls! Happy Baking & Savor The Moments, Gwynn
I don’t think I should ever look at this site again .
THE CRUMB CAKE WAS SO DIVINE MY FAMILY HAS ME MAKING IT EVERY WEEK !!!!
I come from the EAST COAST AND I THINK YOUR RECIPE WOULD CAUSE ALL THOSE BAKERS TO TAKE YOUR RECIPE !!!
So easy and yet tastes like I have been baking for hours ! Sssssshhhh haven’t let the family know the recipe yet !!!
Thank you for doing all the hard work
Oh my goodness Ronnie! Thank you so very much for your amazing review of my Crumb Cake recipe. It is one of my personal favorites too. The mile high crumbs are the crowning glory, right? I love that you’re from the east coast too. I’m a Jersey girl and crumb cake here is mighty important! Thank you again for taking the time to write and let me know how much you and your family are enjoying my recipe. Happy Baking & Savor The Moments, Gwynn
Very disappointed with this recipe. Sorry I wasted the ingredients on it.
I found the cake a bit dry and slightly rubbery.
While I love crumb topping, this was too much. I ended up tossing a lot of it from the piece I ate.
And the crumb topping was quite dry.
I would NOT recommend this recipe.
Judy, I am so sorry that you didn’t have a good outcome with this recipe. It is one of the most popular recipes on Swirls. My thought is that perhaps you didn’t measure the flour correctly which would result in a dry and rubbery cake and too much topping. Be sure to spoon the flour into your measuring cup and then level it with the flat side of a knife. Don’t ever scoop the flour with your measuring cup as this will pack too much flour in your measuring cup resulting in changing the textures and amounts of both the cake and crumbs. Hope this helps! Savor The Moments, GG.