I remember as a kid loving my mom’s crumb cake, only to find out that almost everyone else calls it coffee cake. I was so confused why a cake with no coffee in it would be called coffee cake. Right??! Crumb cake. Coffee cake. You may be thinking it’s to-may-toe to-mah-toe but in my world it’s 2 totally different things. On my side of this debate is Renato Poliafito, co-author of Baked: New Frontiers in Baking (where I happened to get this recipe from). Coffee cake generally has less crumbs, finer crumbs and the cake usually has some sort of swirl. Crumb cake however, is all about the, you guessed it, CRUMBS! This recipe is no let down. The cake is buttery and smooth and the crumb is … I can’t think of another word besides – AMAZING!
First up is the preparing the crumb. You may think you want to jump ahead and make the cake so you can get it in the oven, but don’t! The crumb must be made first so it can dry out in a sense. Since you are making it with melted butter, it’s important to give it enough time to cool.
For the crumb, combine sugars, salt and cinnamon. Once combined, add the melted butter.
Flour is then folded in until you are left with a crumbly batter. Warning, if you taste test here, you may not be left with any crumb for your cake 😉
Now, start with the cake! Softened butter is used in this step (I know, a lot of butter, but that’s why this is SO good).
Add sugar once butter is whipped. Sugar and butter should come out to be light and fluffy.
Add egg, one at a time.
Last but not least, fold in the flour mixture in 3 steps. Mix until JUST incorporated.
Spread batter in your prepared 9″ x 13″ pan. This 9″ x 13″ glass Pyrex comes with lid and makes it so easy to bake and cover to either keep at home or bring on the go!
Start crumbling! Using your hands, make a fist of crumb and break off chunks until the entire surface is covered.
It will look like A LOT, but the cake rises a little and the crumbs melt down a little so it all evens out in the end 🙂
Make sure you spread evenly around pan, including corners so that you aren’t left with sections where the cake rises through and the crumbs shift to the middle.
Last but not least, enjoy!!
BAKED NY Style Crumb Cake(printable version here!)
Ingredients
For the Crumb Topping:
- 1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ tablespoons cinnamon
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and warm
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
For the Cake:
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 12 tablespoons (1½ sticks) unsalted butter
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 ¼ cups sour cream
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F
- Make the Crumb Topping: In a medium bowl, stir together both sugars, the salt, and cinnamon. Add the melted butter and mix until combined. Fold in the flour until it is absorbed and set the mixture aside.
- Make the Cake: Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into medium bowl. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter until it is completely smooth and ribbon-like. Scrape down the bowl and add the sugar. Beat the mixture until it starts to look fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix again for 30 seconds. Add the sour cream and vanilla and beat just until incorporated. Add the dry ingredients in three parts, scraping down the bowl before each addition, beating only until it is just incorporated.
- Pour the batter into a greased 9” x 13” glass pan. Use your hands to scoop up a handful of the topping and make a fist. The topping should hold together. Break off in chunks and drop them over the cake. Repeat to use all the topping. Remember, the topping layer will look outrageously thick.
- Bake the cake for 45 to 55 minutes or until tester inserted in the middle comes out clean. Rotate the pan two times during the baking process. Cool the entire pan on a wire rack for about 30 minutes before serving.
I know it says to wait 30 minutes before enjoying, but believe me, the best it will ever taste is at minute 20 when the cake has cooled a little but is still warm! Don’t tell 😉
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6. Spoon half of the mascarpone filling over the lady fingers and spread into an even layer.
7. Grate half of the bittersweet chocolate over filling.
8. Repeat steps 5, 6, and 7 for another layer of mascarpone- ladyfingers-chocolate.
