Our Best Ever Crumb Cake is piled high with buttery crumbs and made with simple basic ingredients from your fridge and pantry.
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!
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Crumb Cake
Christmas morning brunch and a piece of the best ever 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 our crumb cake recipe piled high with buttery crumbs, of course!
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!
Granola With Yogurt Breakfast Parfaits is another delicious way to start your day!
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Be sure to visit the Swirls of Flavor Amazon Storefront for GG's personal kitchen recommendations!
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.
How to make crumb topping
Scroll down for the full recipe instructions and ingredient amounts in the recipe card below
- In a large mixing bowl combine flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar and cinnamon.
- Stir in melted butter until blended.
- Using hands, shape into crumbs.
- Arrange crumb topping on top of cake batter as directed in the recipe.
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
Substitutions
- You can substitute light brown sugar for the dark brown sugar
Equipment
Ingredients
You will need the following ingredients for old fashioned crumb cake:
- butter
- granulated sugar
- large eggs
- vanilla extract
- all-purpose flour
- salt
- milk
- dark brown sugar
- ground cinnamon
- confectioners’ sugar
- holiday sprinkles
Easy Breakfast Recipes
Your holiday morning brunch will be extra delicious with any of our easy to make holiday brunch recipes!
Cinnamon Bun Bread Pudding is a perfect addition to your holiday brunch menu! Every bite has the flavors of a cinnamon bun! Start with a brown sugar cinnamon butter layer topped with challah bread soaked in vanilla custard and finish it off with even more brown sugar mixture on top. Oh, and don’t forget the sweetened cream cheese that’s stuffed in the middle!
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!
Flourless Chocolate Oat Pancakes are made with just four ingredients. Bananas, eggs and oats combine to form these gluten free pancakes and cocoa powder takes them to another level making them a chocolate treat!
Breakfast was never easier than with Sheet Pan Banana Bread Pancakes, pancakes that bake in the oven while you're getting ready for your day!
Best Ever Crumb Cake Recipe
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Ingredients
Cake:
- 1 cup (2 sticks) butter , at room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1 Tablespoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup milk
Crumb Topping:
- 3 cups flour
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 1 Tablespoons ground cinnamon
- 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, melted
- 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
I earn a commission from Instacart from qualifying purchases.
Instructions
- 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.
Cake:
- With mixer on medium-high beat butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Add eggs and vanilla and beat until combined, occasionally scraping sides of bowl.
- Reduce mixer speed to medium and gradually beat in flour and salt until blended.
- Add milk and beat until smooth, thick and blended, about 2 minutes.
- 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.
Crumb Topping:
- 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.
- Return to oven and bake an additional 25-30 minutes or until cake is baked through and crumbs are slightly golden.
- Cool in pan 30 minutes. Using foil overhang, lift crumb cake out of pan and serve warm or cool completely on wire rack.
- Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar and cut into 16 pieces.
Notes
- Add mini chocolate chips to the cake batter
- Stir your favorite sprinkles into the cake batter
- Drizzle with melted chocolate after baking
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.
The crumbs were delicious! The cake part was flat, rubbery. Where is the baking powder and baking soda in this recipe to make the cake rise? Very disappointed in our Christmas morning breakfast. We all were looking forward to a delicious crumb cake. Unfortunate flop.
Hi Anita, I am so sorry to hear that you had difficulty with this recipe. It actually is one of my most popular recipes on Swirls of Flavor. The cake does not have any leavening in it except for the eggs. It is a rich dense cake. My only thought that would make the cake flat and rubbery is if you may have measured the flour by scooping the measuring cup into your flour container. It is important to always spoon the flour into your measuring cup and then level it off with the flat side of a knife. If you scooped your flour instead it will become compacted in the measuring cup and you will actually be getting more than a cup of flour, changing the texture of the cake.
This cake was good but I think the baking time was too long. I should have kept a better eye on it as my crumbs turned out quite hard. I thought the texture of the cake was very nice and it did support all of the crumbs. I too was a bit leery about not having any leavening for the cake, but it was fine. Will try it again but with less time on the second bake. My oven is pretty true to temperature but perhaps it was the ceramic pan I used. I only made half recipe in an 8x8 pan.
Hi Nicki, Many times, when you make only half of a recipe and change the size of the baking pan you also need to adjust the baking time. You have less surface to bake in a pan that is half the size of the pan in the original recipe and this makes a difference in your baking time. Also, changing to a ceramic pan from a metal sheet pan will also make a difference in the outcome of the recipe. I hope this helps! Happy baking, GG
This was delicious, will definitely make again. Any tips on how to make the crumbs stay together?
Hi Karen, I'm happy to hear that you enjoyed this recipe! So if your crumbs aren't staying together you might be measuring your flour incorrectly resulting in too much flour per cup. This would make the crumbs dry and not stick together. Be sure to spoon the flour into your measuring cup and then level off with the flat side of a knife. Don't scoop the flour with your measuring cup as this will pack too much flour into the measuring cup making the crumbs dry. Hope that helps and happy baking, Gwynn
Hello! Can this be made with light brown sugar?
Hi Karen, yes, you definitely can substitute light brown sugar for the dark brown sugar! I actually mentioned that in the Substitutions section of this blog post! Happy baking!