New York-Style Crumb Cake

Weekend mornings in my house, especially Sundays, are all about sleeping in, lingering at the breakfast table, and reading the newspaper (yes, the one with the mashed pulp and ink that ends up on my walls by the light switches). Since we eat a later breakfast, I like to serve something that will fill us up until happy hour. This crumb cake certainly does the trick.

I have never been to New York and I don’t know the first thing about New York crumb cakes, but I do know that this recipe is delicious. This cake is all about the crumb topping–little pebbles of brown sugar and butter sweetened with a hint of vanilla and cinnamon. The cake, although dense, is the perfect base to support the heavy crumb layer.

The recipe calls for cake flour; please do not substitute. Using all-purpose flour will make a dry, tough cake that you could probably use as a hockey puck or dangerous projectile rather than a delicious breakfast or break-time treat. I do recommend baking this the day before. The resting time gives the cake that “next day better” taste and it will give you more time to enjoy that weekend newspaper. Oh, and even though I am not a big coffee drinker, I do break out my French press for this–it is a tasty pairing.

New York-Style Crumb Cake

By Nicole Prep: 20 minsCook: 35 minsTotal: 55 mins Servings: 8 This delicious moist buttermilk cake is topped with a layer of soft and buttery crumbs!

Equipment

• 8-inch square baking pan
• Stand mixer

Ingredients 

For the Crumb Topping

• ⅓ cup granulated sugar
• ⅓ light brown sugar
• ¾ teaspoons ground cinnamon
• ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
• 8 tablespoons (4 ounces) unsalted butter, melted
• 1 ¾ cup cake flour

For the Cake

• 1 ¼ cup cake flour
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• 6 tablespoons (3 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces, softened but still cool
• 1 extra-large egg
• 1 extra-large egg yolk
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• ⅓ cup buttermilk
• Confectioners’ sugar for dusting

Instructions 

For the Crumb Topping

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugars, cinnamon, salt, and butter to combine. Using a rubber spatula, stir in the flour and mix until you have a thick, cohesive mix; set aside to cool to room temperature, about 10-15 minutes.

For the Cake

1. Adjust the oven rack to the upper-middle position and preheat to 325ºF. Cut a 16 x 14-inch piece of parchment paper and fold lengthwise to a 7-inch width. Spray an 8-inch square baking dish with non-stick baking spray and fit the parchment into the dish allowing the excess to over hang. This will make the cake easy to remove after baking.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt on low speed to combine. Keeping the mixer on low speed, add the butter one piece at a time until the mixture resembles moist crumbs, with no chunks of butter remaining, about 1-2 minutes. Add the egg, yolk, vanilla, and buttermilk. Increase the speed to medium-high and and beat until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Scrape down sides and bottom of the bowl and briefly mix again.
3. Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and spread into an even layer. Break apart crumb topping by rolling the broken dough between your thumb and forefinger to form crumbs about the size of large peas. Sprinkle the crumb pieces evenly over the batter, beginning with the edges and then working toward the center. (Do not press the pieces into the batter.) Bake for 35-40 minutes until the crumbs are golden and a wooden skewer comes out clean. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes.
4. Using the parchment overhang, remove the cake from the pan. Transfer to a serving plate. Dust with confectioners' sugar right before serving. Cake can wrapped in plastic wrap and stored at room temperature for up to 2 days. Enjoy!

Notes

*This recipe can easily be doubled for a larger crowd. Baked it in a 9×13-inch baking pan and increase the baking time 5 minutes.

Nutrition

Calories: 456kcal, Carbohydrates: 58g, Protein: 7g, Fat: 22g, Saturated Fat: 13g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 6g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 99mg, Sodium: 167mg, Potassium: 78mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 24g, Vitamin A: 692IU, Vitamin C: 0.01mg, Calcium: 33mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.