Crumb cake is one of those singular New York treats. More breakfast treat than snack it’s a combination of crispy crumbs and not too sweet moist cake, and always delicious!
Our New York Crumb Cake looks a bit darker than the usual, reason being that I developed this recipe while we lived in Israel, at the time, it was really difficult to find soft brown sugar, I played around with dark brown sugar, and the recipe below was born, and it is great. But if you would like a lighter looking version, replace the dark brown sugar with equal amounts of soft light brown sugar (for those in the UK do not use demerara, but rather use muscovado if replacing with light brown).
Topping:
- 200 g (1 cup) dark brown sugar
- 100 g (½ cup) sugar
- 1 ½ tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 225g (1 cup) unsalted butter or vegan alternative, melted, warm
- 315g (2 ½ cups) plain flour
Cake:
- 315g (2 ½ cups) plain flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 170g (¾ cup) unsalted butter or vegan alternative, softened
- 300g (1 ½ cups) sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 300g (1 ⅓ cups) sour cream or vegan alternative
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
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For crumb: Mix both sugars, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl and whisk to blend. Add warm melted butter (or vegan alternative) and stir to blend. Add flour and toss with a fork until moist clumps form (topping mixture will look slightly wet). Set aside.
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For Cake: Heat to 170°C (325°F). Line a 20x30cm (9×13 inch) baking tin with baking paper, set aside.
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Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl, set aside.
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Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or an electric mixer, beat butter (or vegan alternative) together with the sugar until light and fluff about 5 minutes. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating until well blended after each addition. Beat in the vanilla.
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Add ⅓ of the flour mixture, and beat until incorporated, add ½ of the sour cream, followed by the remaining half of the flour mix, the rest of the sour cream, beating between each addition. Finish with the remaining flour mixture and beat until just incorporated, you may want to finish mixing by hand as to not overwork the batter.
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Transfer cake batter to prepared baking dish; spread batter evenly with a rubber spatula. Sprinkle the top of the batter evenly with crumbs, covering completely (topping will be thick).
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Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean and topping is deep golden brown and slightly crisp, 45-60 minutes.
