English is a strange language. There is no egg in eggplant, no ham in hamburger (as pointed out in this poem), french fries aren’t really French, and there’s no coffee in coffee cake. You’re technically supposed to eat it with a cup of Joe, but I can eat it with a glass of milk (haha?).

But if you do want a recipe with coffee in it, check out my coffee and cream pavlova recipe.

This crumb cake recipe has a slight burst of cinnamon- there’s something about cinnamon. It’s a strong spice to smell or eat plain (check out some cinnamon challenges on Youtube if you don’t believe me!), but just a pinch can synthesize all the ingredients of a cake together to form a sweet, fragrant treat. When I think of coffee cake, I think of a moist vanilla cake with a crisp streusel topping accentuated by a pinch of cinnamon, perhaps even some blueberries for that sweet and sour oxymoron.

I’ve had this recipe pinned on one of my boards on Pinterest for a while now. They say you can’t judge a book by its cover, or in this case, a recipe by its picture, but it just looked so tempting. I know the ingredients seem a bit daunting- cake flour and egg yolks. Like, who has that kind of stuff? Just try it and trust me. Please use this alternative if you don’t have cake flour. Also, I changed the method of incorporating ingredients in this recipe. Too tedious in the original- it tastes the same.
 
This crumb cake recipe turned out to be light, moist and flavorful. It was perfect, and I couldn’t help but to eat a whole mouthful each time. The streusel part was crisp, buttery, sweet, and perhaps a bit too crumbly. I sprinkled some granulated sugar mixed with milk (I didn’t have powdered sugar) to make a glaze. Obviously, the sugar didn’t dissolve, but it looked all sparkly, so I went with it and drizzled it on top of the cake. Also, I used raw brown sugar in the mixture- which was delicious, and complemented the fluffy vanilla goodness so well. Next time though, I’ll use packed brown sugar as it’ll just hold the crumb topping together far better. Serve warm (like all gooood cakes)- maybe with some ice cream. Eeh or maybe some coffee- it’s up to you. anyhow, it’s pretty damn good.
 
Also, I’m not exactly sure why it’s called a NY-style crumb cake. Just go with it, I guess. Without further ado, here’s my crumb cake recipe!
Crumb cake recipe coffee cake

New York-Style Crumb Cake

This coffee cake does not disappoint! Ready for some NY style crumb cake?
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Ingredients

Streusel topping:

  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • ⅓ cup granulated sugar
  • ⅓ cup packed brown sugar
  • pinch salt
  • ½ cup butter, 1 stick melted
  • 1 ¾ cups cake flour

For the cake:

  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • 6 tbsp 3/4 sticks softened, unsalted butter
  • 1 ¼ cup cake flour
  • ¼ tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 egg
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • ⅓ cup buttermilk
  • powdered sugar, for dusting- totally optional, I just made a simple sugar-milk glaze

Instructions

  • To make the topping, combine all the ingredients except the flour into a bowl. Add in the flour and stir till the mixture is thick and somewhat resembles a dough. Set aside.
  • For the cake, Preheat the oven to 160 C or 325 F. Grease an 8×8 inch square pan with butter.
  • In a bowl, cream together the butter and sugar.
  • Add in the eggs and vanilla, and beat for a good 5 minutes until light and creamy. Beating the cake at this stage is what makes it fluffy and moist.
  • Stir together the dry ingredients, and add in 1/2 of the mixture, beating to incorporate.
  • Add in the buttermilk, and add in the remaining flour. Don’t over mix, as you’ll work the gluten in the flour and end up with a tougher cake.
  • Spread the batter into the prepared pan, and break apart the crumb topping with your fingers. Spread them in an even layer atop the cake.
  • Bake the cake for around 35-40 min or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool for a bit, then dust on some powdered sugar or drizzle on some easy glaze before serving. You can also top the cake with some blueberries.

Prefer something more visual? Here’s a step-by-step guide to my NY crumb cake recipe:

 
 
Combine some cake flour, cinnamon, brown sugar and granulated sugar.
Add in some melted butter, too.
 
Mix it all together until it forms somewhat of a dough, and set aside.
 
In another bowl, combine some softened butter (mine was past the softened stage)
and some sugar, beat till incorporated.
 
Add an egg and an egg yolk, and some vanilla…
 
And beat till nice and light and fluffy!
 
Alternate with some flour mixed with salt and baking soda, and some buttermilk.
 
Don’t overmix! The batter should be nice and smooth.
 
Spread the batter into a prepared pan…
 
And top off with the crumb topping.
 
Bake in a 325 F or 160 C oven for 35-40 min.
 
 
Dust with some powdered sugar or a milk and sugar glaze…
looking shiny to you?
Serve with some blueberries