New York Style Crumb Cake

About This Recipe

New York style crumb cake is distinguished from other crumb cakes by one defining feature: an exceptionally thick, chunky layer of buttery, cinnamon-spiced crumb topping that often equals or exceeds the height of the cake itself. Found at delis and bakeries throughout New York City and the broader tri-state area, it's a beloved breakfast and coffee-break treat, with the ratio of crumb to cake being a point of genuine local pride and debate. The technique that defines this cake is building the crumb topping to the right consistency: butter, flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon are combined and then deliberately left slightly chunky rather than fully mixed smooth, so the topping bakes into distinct, craggy crumbs rather than a flat, streusel-like layer. The cake batter itself is kept simple and moist, acting mainly as a tender base to support the substantial crumb topping without competing for attention. Served at room temperature, dusted with powdered sugar, New York style crumb cake is a beloved regional specialty -- proof that sometimes the topping, not the cake, is the real star of the dish.

Ingredients

Serves 9

• 2.5 cupsall-purpose flour(for topping)
• 1.25 cupsbrown sugar
• 1 tbspground cinnamon
• 0.25 tspsalt(for topping)
• 1 cupbutter(melted, for topping)
• 1.5 cupsall-purpose flour(for cake)
• 0.5 cupsugar(for cake)
• 1.5 tspbaking powder
• 0.25 tspsalt(for cake)
• 0.33 cupbutter(softened, for cake)
• 1egg
• 0.5 cupmilk
• 1 tspvanilla extract
• 0.25 cuppowdered sugar(for dusting)

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the crumb topping

   Combine flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Pour in melted butter and mix with a fork just until large, chunky crumbs form -- do not overmix into a smooth paste.

2. 2

   Make the cake batter

   Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt for the cake.

3. 3

   Cream the butter

   Beat softened butter until fluffy, then beat in egg, milk, and vanilla.

4. 4

   Combine

   Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until just combined into a smooth, thick batter.

5. 5

   Assemble

   Preheat oven to 175C/350F. Spread the cake batter evenly in a greased square baking pan.

6. 6

   Add topping

   Break the crumb mixture into chunks and scatter generously and evenly over the batter, covering the entire surface thickly.

7. 7

   Bake

   Bake 35-40 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the cake portion comes out clean.

8. 8

   Cool and serve

   Let cool in the pan at least 20 minutes. Dust with powdered sugar and cut into squares.

Variations

• •

  Add a layer of sliced apples between the cake and crumb topping for an apple crumb cake variation.

• •

  Use a mix of white and brown sugar in the crumb topping for a slightly different sweetness balance.

• •

  Add chopped walnuts or pecans to the crumb mixture for extra texture.

Storage

Store covered at room temperature up to 3 days, or refrigerate up to a week. It also freezes well, wrapped tightly, for up to 2 months.

Frequently Asked Questions