Old-School Crumb Cake

Prep: 20 mins

Cook: 40 mins

Difficulty: Intermediate

Servings: 16 Servings

Crumb cake should be tall and fluffy with a thick, toasty layer of cinnamon crumb topping. And that’s exactly the kind of crumb cake this recipe makes. Here, cinnamon and brown sugar team up to create a soft and moist cake that’s full of nutty caramel notes once baked. It’s so good, you’ll want to keep this recipe in your back pocket for any special occasion or even just Sunday morning brunch at home.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups cake flour
2/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
Cooking spray
1 1/2 cups sour cream, at room temperature
1/4 cup whole milk, at room temperature
3 large eggs, at room temperature
2 large egg yolks, at room temperature
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
3 cups cake flour
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Powdered sugar, for dusting (optional)

Instructions

Make the crumb topping:
Whisk 1 1/2 cups cake flour, 2/3 cup packed dark brown sugar, 2/3 cup granulated sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, and 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt together in a medium bowl.
Add 1 stick melted unsalted butter. Stir with your hands or a flexible spatula until crumbly and it holds together when squeezed.
Make the cake:
Heat the oven to 350ºF. Meanwhile, coat a 9x13-inch baking dish cooking spray. Line the bottom and two long sides with a sheet of parchment paper long to extend over the sides by at least 2 inches to form a sling.
Whisk 3 cups cake flour, 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda, and 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder together in a large bowl.
Whisk 1 1/2 cups sour cream, 1/4 cup whole milk, 3 large eggs, 2 large egg yolks, 12 tablespoons melted and cooled unsalted butter, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract, and 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt together in a second large bowl until combined and smooth.
Pour into the flour mixture and stir with a flexible spatula until just combined (some small lumps are okay).
Transfer the batter to the baking dish and smooth out the top. Using your hands, crumble the topping into rough pieces in varying sizes no bigger than a blueberry evenly over the cake. Gently press the crumbs into the batter.
Bake, rotating the baking dish halfway through, until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 40 to 60 minutes total.
Let cool for at least 1 hour before serving. Serve out of the baking dish. Alternatively, run a knife along the edges of the cake not touching parchment to loosen, then grasp the excess parchment and lift the cake slab onto a cutting board before cutting. Lightly dust with powdered sugar if desired.