New York Crumb Cake

9 generous servings
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 1 hour

Classic New York Crumb Cake just like the kind you would find in your favorite coffee shop, tender cake topped with chunks of cinnamon sugar!

Like other sweet Breakfast Recipes you’ve come to love, Easy French Toast Bake and Blueberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake will contend to be made daily, as will the soft and gooey Nutella Cinnamon Rolls!   

New York Crumb Cake piece on napkin with coffee cup

New York Crumb Cake is a luxurious copycat recipe of the old NY Crumb Cake that Starbucks used to sell years ago. It is not the current Cinnamon Coffee Cake that they’ve transitioned to. This is the old school giant squares of cake with the most amazing large crumb topping pieces

This isn’t exactly an old fashioned crumb cake recipe, but it is a delicious option you’ll love in place of the standard coffee cake. The cake portion of the recipe is a very simple one, but the topping is special. With a unique topping that you break apart into pieces before baking, and it is worth the effort.

This is THE crumb cake you will want to make for any and all brunches or treats you bring to a gathering. Or you can make the tray just for yourself and freeze the remaining 8 pieces so you can enjoy them with your morning coffee. If wrapped individually well with saran wrap then placed into a ziplock bag with the air pushed out, this cake is delicious even if defrosted.

Enjoy this New York Crumb Coffee Cake with your favorite hot morning drink, or try it with a scoop of Coffee Ice Cream and wash it all down with a delicious cold brewed Iced Sea Salt Coffee.

New York Crumb Cake collage of batter and crumb making steps

How to Make New York Crumb Coffee Cake

As for other coffee cakes, the most important tip is to use very cold butter, this will preserve the large chunks. As a taller single layer cake, cook on lower temperature. Let’s check out how it is done!

  • Step One – Crumb Topping: Using a rubber spatula, mix the crumb topping ingredients together in a medium bowl until it forms a ball. First add the melted butter to the sugar and then add the flour – and in that order or it will become pastelike. Do not overmix this or it will not crumble! Let this sit to the side while you make the cake batter. 
  • Step Two – Cake Mix: Mix the wet cake ingredients including the room temperature butter and the dry ingredients together with your electric mixer and transfer cake batter into an 8×8 pan. A rubber spatula will ensure you get all the batter from the bowl. 
  • Step Three – Bake: Starting from the rim and working towards the center, add the crumb layer in large chunks to the top of the cake base and bake until golden brown and ready. If the top is browning too much, tent it with some foil. Cool cake on wire rack. Keep cake covered to avoid drying out.

More Yummy Cake Recipes

Frequently Asked Questions

What makes this New York Style? 

While there are many versions of crumble cakes, this one is so named because of the extra thick layer of sugar powdered crumbs on top has the perfect soft nibbling texture. Additionally, the cake base itself is the perfect velvety and moist texture – not to dense and not too fluffy so you can enjoy it morning, noon, and night!

How do you make the topping for a crumb cake?

Look at the ball of topping in the above photo, this is the consistency you’re looking for in the ball and the broken apart pieces. Keep the topping cold until baking or it can melt. You’ll also want to keep the chunks larger and sprinkle gently over the top of the cake.

What kind of pan should I use for Coffee Crumb Cake?

This 8×8 baking pan allows for the signature square pieces, you can also make this in a Springform Pan. You can also use this 8×8 baking pan with cover because keeping this cake moist is important. Another piece of equipment that is useful for making Crumb Cake is a stand mixer. It’s a workhorse and is much easier than using a hand mixer here for the crumble.

New York Crumb Cake Collage of assembly steps

Key Ingredients in New York Crumb Coffee

All of the ingredients for this delicious recipe can easily be found in the baking section at your local grocery store. 

  • Flour: You can use your preferred baking flour like cake flour or all-purpose flour. 
  • Sugar: You can use granulated sugar or white along with the brown sugar in this recipe. 
  • Butter: Use unsalted butter at room temperature or melted for your mixtures to ensure the flavor is not too salty. 
  • Vanilla: Use actual vanilla extract for the best taste! A little bit goes a long way. 
  • Buttermilk: Buttermilk is slightly tangy and is important in this recipe. Try to use actual buttermilk if you can. In a pinch, you can add a bit of white vinegar or fresh lemon juice to regular milk. But be aware that the flavor might not be exact. 
New York Crumb Cake slice lifting from pan

How to Serve New York Crumb Coffee Cake

This is the perfect crumb cake to serve anytime. Moist crumbs atop a buttery cake layer makes this so yummy and will soon become a family favorite!

  • Breakfast: As a breakfast treat, warm up a slice of the cake and serve with hot coffee and your favorite creamer. 
  • Tea Time: As an afternoon snack, this would go great with either coffee or black tea. A great mid-afternoon pick-me-up!
  • Anytime: Serve it toasted with a scoop of real vanilla ice cream for a delectable treat you’ll enjoy anytime of the day! 

More Crumb Topping Recipes

New York Crumb Cake piece with bite taken

How to Store New York Crumb Coffee Cake

  • Serve: Once cooled, slice and serve New York Crumb Coffee Cake slightly warm with your favorite cup of coffee.
  • Store: Wrap tightly in plastic wrap or cover with an airtight lid and keep at room temperature up to 3 days.
  • Freeze: Tightly wrap the entire cake or individual slices and freeze for up to 1 month. Defrost at room temperature before serving.
New York Crumb Cake slices on board with coffee cup

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NY Crumb Coffee Cake

Classic New York Crumb Cake just like the kind you would find in your favorite coffee shop, tender cake topped with chunks of cinnamon sugar!
Yield 9 generous servings
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Course Breakfast, Brunch
Cuisine American
Author Sabrina Snyder

Ingredients
 

Cake:

  • 1 1/4 cups cake flour
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon table salt
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter , (¾ stick, cut into small pieces, softened)
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/3 cup buttermilk

Crumb Topping:

  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1/3 cup dark brown sugar
  • 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/8 teaspoon table salt
  • 8 tablespoons unsalted butter , (1 stick, melted and still warm)
  • 1 3/4 cups cake flour

Additional:

  • powdered sugar , for garnish

Instructions

Crumb Topping:

  • Add sugar, dark brown sugar, cinnamon, salt and butter into a bowl.
  • Whisk together and add in cake flour until combined. Form into a dough ball.
  • Let sit until you are done making the cake.

Cake:

  • Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
  • Use baking spray or butter and flour a square 8×8 pan.
  • In a stand mixer, add flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt
  • On low speed, add butter in pieces.
  • Mix for 1-2 minutes, or until you no longer see the butter and the mixture looks like a crumble.
  • Add in your remaining cake ingredients, egg, egg yolk, vanilla, and buttermilk
  • Mix until light and fluffy, another 1-2 minutes.
  • Pour and spread cake batter into greased baking pan.
  • Take the topping dough and break apart into chunks about the size of marbles over the dough in a uniform pattern.
  • Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a knife is inserted and comes out clean.
  • Let cool, then dust with powdered sugar.

Video

Notes

Nutrition

Calories: 431kcal | Carbohydrates: 57g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 87mg | Sodium: 150mg | Potassium: 71mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 27g | Vitamin A: 615IU | Calcium: 35mg | Iron: 0.6mg
Keyword: New York Crumb Cake
New York Crumble Cake Pin 1

Photos used in a previous version of this post.

New York Crumb Cake
New York Crumb Cake
New York Crumb Cake Steps
Delicious, classic NY Crumb Coffee Cake just like the kind you would find in your favorite coffee shop, a tender cake topped with large chunks of cinnamon sugar goodness!
NY Style Coffee Crumb Cake

Coffee Cake Pile
Cake Top

New York Crumb Cake Collage
Slice of New York Crumb Cake on plate

About the Author: Sabrina Snyder

Sabrina is a professionally trained Private Chef of over 10 years with ServSafe Manager certification in food safety. She creates all the recipes here on Dinner, then Dessert, fueled in no small part by her love for bacon.

Sabrina Snyder is a professionally trained personal and private chef of over 10 years who is the creator and developer of all the recipes on Dinner, then Dessert.

She is also the author of the cookbook Dinner, then Dessert – Satisfying Meals Using Only 3, 5 or 7 Ingredients, published by Harper Collins.

She started Dinner, then Dessert as a business in her office as a lunch service for her coworkers who admired her lunches before going to culinary school and becoming a full time personal chef and private chef.

As a personal chef Sabrina would cook for families one day a week and cook their entire week of dinners. All grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning was done along with instructions on reheating. As a private chef she cooked for private parties and cooked in family homes in the evenings for families on a nightly basis after working as a personal chef during the day.

Sabrina has been certified as a ServSafe Manager since 2007 and was a longstanding member of the USPCA Personal Chef Association including being on the board of the Washington DC Chapter of Chefs in the US Personal Chef Association when they won Chapter of the year.

As a member of the community of food website creators Sabrina Snyder has spoken at many conferences regarding her experiences as a food writer including the Indulge Food Conference, Everything Food Conference, Haven Food Conference and IACP Annual Food Professionals Conference.

Sabrina lives with her family in sunny California.

Dinner, then Dessert, Inc. owns the copyright on all images and text and does not allow for its original recipes and pictures to be reproduced anywhere other than at this site unless authorization is given. If you enjoyed the recipe and would like to publish it on your own site, please re-write it in your own words, and link back to my site and recipe page. Read my disclosure and copyright policy. This post may contain affiliate links.

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Comments

  1. This recipe was AMAZING!!! My family and friends all LOVED it so much they kept asking me for the recipe, I honestly felt like I was drowning in requests! I love all of your recipes and am so glad I found your website! None of the food I make would have ever been as good as it is now and it is all thanks to your awesome and most delicious recipes! Thank you so, so much Sabrina! You have changed my life. (If I could I would give you limitless stars!)

  2. Every time I make this coffee cake, my family and friends go crazy for it! Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe!

  3. Made this today. It is the best crumb cake I’ve made! I’ll be throwing out my other recipe now. Thank you for sharing. We love it!

  4. The first time made this recipe it came out perfect. On three attempts since the crumb has sunk into the batter. What am I doing wrong?

  5. Thank you Sabrina,
    Baked it, followed your recipe to the “T”. It was a beautiful cake. Looked like my Mother’s version. Lovely crumb. Would like another piece but getting late. It has a great smell while baking. I think my Mother liked her cake a little sweeter, so next bake will add a tiny bit more sugar to cake and crumb topping, maybe a touch more of my vanilla extract, they are all a bit different. And yes tomorrow morning with one of my delicious lattes. Ciao

  6. That is the one I have been searching for. I must be one of the old time Dinner, then
    Dessert guys. I am almost 80 years old and this really looks like my Mother’s cake.
    Will bake tonight and fall asleep a very happy dessert person.
    Ciao Carmine

  7. I loved this cake! My only issue is that some of the cake batter rose up over the crumb part. What did I do wrong? How can I prevent that from happening again? (FYI, I followed the recipe exactly and used the correct 8×8 pan) I plan on baking another one tomorrow. I would love your feedback!

    1. I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Next time you make it, make sure the crumb topping is the right consistency and is able to be broken into bigger pieces uniformly covering the top. Hope this helps. Thanks for the 5 stars.

  8. Easter was different this year with everyone staying home (#socialdistancing) I had a lot more time on my hands since there was no big dinner to be created and no uber-cleaning to be done. I decided to make coffee cakes for my also at home kids and neighbors I found this recipe and decided to give it a try! One word … AMAZING! Eight coffee cakes later, the verdict by all who tried it is that it’s the best coffee cake out there. One tweek … I only used 3/4 – 1c cake flour in the crumb topping and the cake flour should be loosely spooned into the measuring cup for both cake and crumb mixture. I used an 8 x 8 inch square foil pan with a plastic dome cover purchased on Amazon. It was exceptional.

  9. Cake flour such as SWANS CAKE FLOUR OR KING ARTHUR CAKE FLOUR both in SQUARE 32 oz boxes it’s more expensive but will make a difference in CAKES/CUPCAKES etc. This is a REGULAR FLOUR not a cake mix In a box… TOTALLY DIFFERENT! Swans or king Arthur are actually flour like the flour you buy in traditional packaging only CAKE FLOUR IS PACKAGED IN A LARGE SQUARE 32 OZ BOX.. RIGHT WITH ALL OTHER FLOURS. ALL GROCERIES STORES /WALMART HAVE IT.. HOPEFULLY THAT COVERS YOUR ??? RESPONSE.

  10. I am uncertain about that last ingredient in the topping. “1 3/4 cups cake flour 7 ounces” is confusing. Is it 1-3/4 cups cake flour or 7 ounces cake flour? The 2 measurements are not equal. Please make clear how much cake flour to use in the topping. Thanks!

    1. I measured it out correctly at 7 ounces, but for your needs go ahead and just use 1 3/4 cups. Be sure you are spooning into your measure and leveling off so you don’t use too much flour. Hope you like the cake!

  11. I made it and it was fantastic. I didn’t have buttermilk so I used fat free and I used all purpose flour and it was still great! I’ll plan ahead next time and use the exact ingredients. I’m sure it will be even better! This will be the new favorite in my house!

  12. I made this today, and I used a 9×13 glass pan. Worked beautifully. I really mixed the batter a lot,so it was very fluffy. Was thinking this won’t fill a 9×13, but it did. It didn’t burn. I didn’t see the 8×8 pan in the instructions till after I put it into the oven. Wish I could post a picture. Taste test to come later.

  13. You seriously used a 9×13 pan with this recipe? Seems like you’d be baking a cookie instead of a cake?

      1. Lol, I see you’ve given up.
        I’m going to double the recipe, make in 9x 13 and see how it turns out. I will make the topping first and put in freezer while I make the cake batter, then top with the very cold crumbs. I’m sure it will take longer to bake so hopefully that will offset any overbrowning of topping. It will be an experiment, so we’ll see if it pays off.

  14. you might want to take the 9×13 off this recipe completely. doing that size at the temp/time indicated literally burns everything. since this is one of the top search results for this type of recipe, it’d be much better if it was less confusing about the pan size.

      1. Help!
        I attempted to make this. Th. Dumb part was good ! But my cake part was rigid lol. When you say to use cake flour – do you mean all purpose flour ? Or an actual cake in the box type?…

        1. Please excuse my typos.
          What I meant to say is that the CRUMB part was good. However the cake part came out rigid. Not cake like. Are u using actual all purpose flour to make the cake. Or an actual cake in the box type of flour.
          So frustrated !

          1. You should use cake flour NOT all purpose flour to make this cake. You’ll find it in your baking aisle but it is different from all purpose flour.

  15. Found this recipe today. Trying it now for breakfast in the morning. Carefully measured out the ingredients. Using Swans Down cake flour (1st time). The crumb topping is sinking into the cake. Hopefully it will turn out ok.

  16. looks so delish I will be trying this one for sure thanks for sharing love all your recipes so far keep them coming you are awesome I really appreciate you taking your time to share these with us

  17. In your comments your talk about a 9×13 pan, but in the directions a 8×8 pan is listed. Which one is correct?

  18. In the very beginning of the recipe it states to make it in a 9×13″ pan. As i scrolled through the entire recipe, it states to bake it in a 8×8″ pan. So which pan should i use?

  19. confused here. you indicated to use a 9×13 pan but in the actual recipe you refer to a smaller size pan……Can you please clairify. Thank you!

    1. You’ll want to use an 8×8 pan. I wasn’t able to find a link to the same one I used so I just put the 9×13 as an example. Sorry for the confusion!

      1. Hi Sabrina,
        I just pulled the cake out of oven, so will taste test tomorrow.
        But I want to echo on many comments below about the size of pan used for the cup/weight ingredients. I totally thought the recipe was 9×13. I have 9×9 baking pan, so I did the volume math for 9×13 and 9×9, thinking I neeed 69% of your listed ingredients. Yes, smart and dumb at the same time.
        Since so many people fell into the same trap thinking the recipe is for 9×13 pan size, I would like you to consider to add some note in CAPS close to where you list those 9×13 pans, that the recipe actually calls for 8×8 pan. Thank you. Looking forward to my morning coffee and your cake.

  20. The butter for topping wasn’t Nearly enough. I had to use nearly two sticks and still didn’t get the consistency shown.

    1. I’m thinking the issue would come from not measuring the flour correctly, like maybe there was too much flour added. Next time, ensure you’re using a spoon to fluff the flour out into the measuring cup and not scooping it out. Hopefully this helps!

    1. So sorry it did that. I would recommend making your crumb topping in smaller pieces and put it immediately into the oven. Don’t let it sit. Hopefully this helps if you decide to try again.

  21. I’m wondering about the 1 3/4 cup flour in the crumb topping. Is that a lot of flour?
    I’ve made other crumb toppings that had similar ingredients but only 1 1/4 cups flour.

  22. Loved it. Tasted just like I remembered from Starbucks. In your tools used section you mentioned a 9×13 pan but in the recipe you indicated 9×9, which fit it perfectly. Thanks

  23. Sabrina,
    This recipe is exceptional!  I love the Starbucks coffee cake and I think yours is even better. I have made the copy cat recipe and tweaked it, but it can’t hold a candle to yours. I also appreciate that you give us a velvety, moist cake made from scratch under all the yummy topping.  Thank you for sharing it with every one!   
    Caroline

    1. You’re very welcome, Caroline! I’m so glad you made it and then came back to tell me about it! I look forward to seeing you around the site!

  24. Will definitely make this. And I know exactly where you worked- right across from my law school. Thanks for helping me get through.

  25. That was a seriously fun job! I still tell anecdotes from those days! Totally gonna make this cake and stroll down memory lane! ??

    1. I had the last piece this morning. I was sad reading the post after it was all gone. I wanted another piece!

  26. What a gorgeous cake! This is just the sort of thing I love to indulge in as a treat with coffee. Your step by step is perfect to ensure a great cake.

  27. This would be a great cake to bring for my monthly ladies group at church. I enjoy things that pair well with a cup of coffee, too.