Homemade Double Crumb Cake (+Video)
This Homemade Double Crumb Cake has double the crumb topping for double the flavor! A New Jersey homemade bakery favorite for generations!
A CLASSIC BAKERY FAVORITE
The particular cake recipe I’m sharing today has roots in New York and New Jersey. Crumb cake or crumb buns can be easily found in most New York and New Jersey bakeries. It is a staple and it is something those bakers have perfected. If the crumb is your favorite part of the crumb cake – then this is your recipe!
TIPS FOR MAKING CRUMB CAKE:
- If you want a thinner cake with a slightly thinner crumb topping then this easily transfers to a 9″x 13″ baking dish. It also will feed more people if you do it that way. I made notes in the recipe for the different pan sizes.
- Use real buttermilk. It is thick and makes a huge difference in how moist this is (don’t substitute with lemon juice or vinegar in the milk, it’s not the same consistency.) If you must, you can substitute with whole milk.
- Make sure to use real butter, not margarine.
- Ensure your baking powder is fresh. Most times when cakes don’t turn out right, it’s because the baking powder or baking soda has expired.
- Do not store this cake in the refrigerator. Like most homemade cakes, they can dry out and lose moisture when kept in the refrigerator. Store covered on the counter for up to 3 days. You can freeze this cake but it is likely it won’t be as tender when defrosted.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (FULL RECIPE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST)
- all-purpose flour
- sugar
- baking powder
- salt
- large egg
- buttermilk
- canola oil
- vanilla extract
- light-brown sugar
- cinnamon
- salted butter
- powdered sugar
HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE DOUBLE CRUMB CAKE:
Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Spray an 8″x 8″ baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. For a thinner cake, use a 9″x 13″ baking dish. In a medium bowl combine 1 1/2 cups flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. If you want to go through the trouble of sifting all that together, you can. I just like to take a long-tined fork or whisk and stir it all together well. That tends to do the job well enough.
In another bowl, combine egg, milk, oil and vanilla extract. Stir until it’s all combined.
Combine milk mixture with flour mixture and mix well.
Spread the batter into your prepared baking dish.
Now to make the crumble topping. In a medium bowl, combine brown sugar, flour and cinnamon. Mix it together.
Then pour in melted butter and stir until combined and clumps begin to form.
Sprinkle those clumps (crumbs) all over the cake batter. If you are using an 8×8 dish, the crumb layer will be very thick.
Bake for about 40-50 minutes for an 8×8 dish. Bake for about 30-40 minutes for a 9×13 baking dish. Use a toothpick to check for doneness. Crumb topping should be golden brown and a toothpick inserted to the middle of the cake should come out clean.
Allow cake to cool. Then dust with a bit of powdered sugar. I think this cake slices up easiest using a serrated knife, like a bread knife.
CRAVING MORE RECIPES?
Homemade Double Crumb Cake (+Video)
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup milk, (or buttermilk for more moistness)
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
For the crumble topping:
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup light-brown sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter, melted and cooled
- powdered sugar, for dusting
Instructions
For the cake:
- Preheat oven to 350F degrees.
- Spray an 8"x 8" baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. (For a thinner cake, use a 9"x 13" baking dish)
- In a medium bowl combine 1 1/2 cups flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Stir until combined.
- In another bowl, combine egg, milk, oil and vanilla extract. Stir until it’s all combined.
- Combine flour mixture with milk mixture and mix well. Spread the batter into the prepared baking dish.
For the crumble topping:
- In a medium bowl, combine brown sugar, flour and cinnamon. Mix it together well.
- Then pour in melted butter and stir until combined and clumps begin to form.
- Sprinkle those clumps (crumbs) all over the cake batter. If you are using an 8"x 8" baking dish – it will be thick.
- Bake for about 40-50 minutes for an 8"x 8" dish. Bake for about 30-40 minutes for a 9"x 13" baking dish.
- Use a toothpick to check for doneness (as oven times vary.) Check around the 30 minute mark.
- Crumb topping should be golden brown and a toothpick inserted to the middle of the cake should come out clean.
- Allow cake to cool then dust with powdered sugar and serve.
Video
Notes
- Do not store this cake in the refrigerator. Like most homemade cakes, they can dry out and lose moisture when kept in the refrigerator. Store covered on the counter for up to 3 days. You can freeze this cake but it is likely it won’t be as tender when defrosted.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Original recipe source: Martha Stewart
Can this cake be frozen for a week or,so? How.? And how to defrost?
So, what do you think about making the cake part as written, but in a 9×13 pan, but then doubling the crumb topping, so it’s super thick on the thinner cake? I love ultimate crumb cake!!
Very delicious, but 20 minutes for the cake to bake with a 9×13 pan is not enough. My suggestion is bake the cake halfway first and then add crumble topping for remainder of the time. The center came out too doughy with just 20 minutes
Easy to make. Looks awesome and tastes great!
I have been searching for a good NY crumb cake recipe for some time. As a native New Yorker this is the best one yet tasting just like i got in a local coffee shop, bakery or diner. You can not get crumb cake where we live now. I made this for my family and they all loved it, reminding everyone of our childhood! This is the one I will be keeping in the books!
This came out of my oven two hours ago, and I just had a slice. It is delicious!!! This is a keeper.
Born in Jersey, raised in New York…live in the south……OMG…..does this bring back memories, Haven’t had this in a decade. KEEPER . Making this again next week for my brothers visit.
There is a place at the Jersey shore the makes the BEST crumb cake I’ve ever had. Mueller’s Bakery. This is the same recipe! Absolutely perfect. Thank you for posting this!!
My NJ native coworker is beside herself. This is a GREAT recipe!!
Now THAT is a serious vote of approval – ha! Love it Clare – thank you so much!
Brooke – Let me amend that last comment. A double recipe of the cake bakes up to about 1 3/4″ – 2″ thick in a 9×13 glass pan. I made another one and this time I measured it. That may not be what a New Jersey double crumb cake is all about, but it tastes just fine.
More cinnamon, or better quality cinnamon and not the Dollar Store stuff, is a plus. I soured the milk with a tbl of lemon juice, and that added a nice bit of flavor too. Baking time … don’t forget that the cake will continue to cook for quite a while as the glass pan cools down. At 32 minutes baked, when fully cool mine was a little too brown on the bottom. Not burnt, not crispy, but darker than the rest of the cake. Next time I’ll take it out of the oven at 27 minutes. Good luck with yours!
Brooke – YES, you will have to double the amount of cake, or even triple it if you want a decent layer of actual cake. I tried this using a 9×13 glass pan, and 1 recipe of cake doesn’t even cover half the bottom. 2 recipes of cake just barely does it, and bakes up to perhaps a finger’s thickness. That’s what I did. There is enough crumb topping to do two cakes (hey, “double crumb’ right? ). Try adding a nice shake of cinnamon to the cake batter for a bit more flavor. And be very careful if you decide to broil it to brown the crumbs. 90 seconds is probably enough. Oh, and it’s going to take longer to bake in the bigger pan too; after checking at 20, 25, 30 I did the broil after 32 minutes and called it good enough.
I was just curious if the baking time and heat needs to be different if I’m going to make a double amount of the cake mixture in a 9×13 pan
Oh my goodness, I have been looking for a crumb cake recipe like this for the longest time. Thank you! I made it today and my husband absolutely loves it, I had to take the pan away after his third piece! It is a new favorite!
I made this recipe for work and two people said it is the best crumb cake they have ever had. The only thing I did differently was bake a few minutes longer and broil the top at the end for 2 minutes to give it that nice rich brown color.
The crumb is right on. I was out of butter, so used Country Crock right out of the fridge instead. Put the crumb on a Carmel Apple Pie instead of a second pie crust. Knocked ’em dead.
I’m 9 months pregnant and was craving some crumb cake. I stumbled upon your recipe around 10pm and decided to make it. My four girls were up and wanted to help. We used what we had on hand during this “stay at home” order. I melted shortening and replaced that with the butter, and added vinegar to regular milk for the “buttermilk”, but it still came out great! I think I’ll add a little more sweetness to the cake with fruit next time! Thanks!
Just made it with Bob’s red Mill gluten free cup for cup flour! Had to add a little extra milk to get it more of a batter consistency. Other than that it looks awesome and I am sure it will taste amazing!!
Hey – can you update how this came out for you? We’re also GF and that’s the flour that we use.
Have Mercy!!!!!! I’m 1 of those crumb stealers, just made &its definitely not making it to Thanksgiving desserts. Just kidding, I’ll make another with ease. Thank you, Kiki
Nope, didn’t like this at all. I was very disappointed with the cake texture/flavor, and even the crumbs were bland. I just made this earlier tonight, because it looked like a fairly quick and easy recipe to throw together. My Hubby and I both had a piece, and Hubby didn’t even finish his, which is very unusual because he loves crumb cake!
In my opinion, the best tasting crumb cake is made with box yellow or butter cake mix, and a crumb topping very similar to this. The box mix makes the cake part extremely moist and tender, and the crumbs are a perfect compliment. Think I’ll stick to that recipe from now on.
Hi Dawn! So sorry it wasn’t a hit for you. Did you use buttermilk or regular milk? I think real buttermilk (not soured milk) works best in this. Having said that, I was assured that this was a true New Jersey style crumb cake and that they are not traditionally super moist and are served with coffee. But I totally understand where you are coming from! 🙂
I just made this Double Crumb Cake and wasn’t as impressed as I’d hoped. The crumb topping was still doughy after the 20 minutes, so I baked it longer at 5 minute intervals, 3 times! Larger pieces of crumb are still a tiny bit doughy but flavorful. The cake was fairly moist despite the over baking time. I wonder what else could be substituted to give more flavor to the cake portion? Thank you for the recipe and any advice you have.
Hello there! I just made this cake for the first time. It is absolutely delicious! I was frustrated with an old standby store bought crumb cake that was bought out by a different baker and lets just say they ruined it. So I checked for a recipe on line and this one came up. Very easy, basic ingredients (I did use buttermilk). Thank you so much for sharing. It is prize worthy! Definitely a keeper!
Thought this might help, when I baked this the crust was very thick and cake underneath did not finish baking even after I returned to oven for long baking, my thinking is to bake cake part for 10-15 min then put crumb topping and bake further for ten min more . It was just like the cake I remember when my husband brought it home for us . Thanks for the pleasant memory
Made it!!! Accidentally put 1/2 cup less flour in the crumb topping which left it a little softer while baking. This led to it being impossible to test if the cake was done! Still delicious despite a little crunchy edges and a little dryer cake, perfect to eat with coffee.
Though I’m really tempted to try this recipe I have to say I’m confused with the melted butter in regards to making the crumbs. And any other recipe I ever had the butter was always chilled. I made a coffee cake last week that I had gotten off of Pinterest and the crumb instructions were for melted butter and I could not get crumbs the form. I had a thick syrupy mess LOL can I make the crumbs with chilled butter because I can’t seem to achieve the crumbs with melted butter . Any insight would be greatly appreciated. I must be making a big mistake.
I’ve actually made this and it’s awesome.
Make sure melted butter is slightly cooled.
Then mix with serving fork that worked best for me.
You won’t have that trouble with this topping because of the amount of flour. The melted butter mixes right up into crumbs.
I grew up in NJ having streusel cake from the bakery every Saturday morning..I really miss it and will try this cake today!!!
Can you use splenda instead of brown sugar and can I add walnuts to the cake
Delicious recipes,thank you
Thank you Elba!