Perfect for breakfast, brunch, or as a midnight snack with a glass of milk, my Nana’s New York Crumb Cake is a soft, sweet, satisfyingly crumby addition to your recipe repertoire!
Goooood morning! And a very Happy Easter/Passover/beautiful spring day to you!
So wow, I think I may be coming off the longest hiatus every around here! April and May were already scheduled to be crazy, but then adding a new job on top of it all kind of threw me into a tailspin, and unfortunately my free time to cook/bake/photograph/blog has been cut down considerably…at least for the time being.
But yesssss, the new job! I’ve officially given my notice at my current job, and will be back to ONE frenetic work schedule at the end of the month. Twelve more days of food retail.
I can hardly believe it. Cue the heart-eyes emojis.
Nana’s New York Crumb Cake
I’m literally writing this on the Saturday before Easter, enjoying the second-to-last piece of this lovely crumb cake as I type and listen to some ambient noise to keep me focused (it is SO easy to distract me when I’m overtired. Lookin’ at you, Facebook.)
I almost bowed out of Sunday Supper again this week (see: last week where I was going to share The Hubs’ version of our fave British Fish ‘n’ Chips with Mushy Peas. Don’t worry, that’s still coming!) Slogging through a 6-day streak at work after an epic conference weekend in Charleston (holla Mediavine!) would be painful enough without the fact that it was one of the busiest weeks of our year.
But, there was that. So it was even more tiresome.
Plus TAXES. OMG. Can someone please just slap some sense into me? Who in their right mind waits until Filing Week to get their ish together for their overly sweet and understanding accountant?? This blogging thang makes a 1040 waaayyyyy too complicated anymore.
Needless to say, I’ve been on the verge of Freak Out Mode basically every day.
BUT. After getting the opportunity to meet (and fangirl over) and learn from the incomparable Helene Dujardin for a few hours last weekend, I knew I had to put my well-spent dollars to work with my pretty new birthday lens (best. husband. ever.)
I also knew you needed this recipe crumb cake recipe.
For Easter breakfast. Or brunch. I post at 2AM, and I know some of you night owls are flipping through the internets right now, looking for something sweet to enjoy with your morning coffee. I’m here to tell you that this is that something!
Crumb cake is pretty basic: slightly dry vanilla cake topped with moist, buttery, sugary streusel. New York crumb cake takes that to a whole other level, mainly because a requirement is having the crumb layer be taller than the cake. Which leads to some pretty amazing crumble action.
I found this recipe in Nana’s Cookbook, and was surprised that she even had one. See, crumb cake was always part of our traditional Polish Easter breakfast, along with ham, kielbasa, boiled eggs, butter, salt, and all of the other things we were supposed to be giving up for Lent (which, growing up Catholic, she actually did in her time.)
The family would take a basket full of those foods to Easter morning mass and have them blessed by the priest…and then devour them after church. As I grew up, we ate the same breakfast, but the crumb cake was always store-bought.
Meaning that her mother used to make this beauty every year for her family, and then she did the same for her children, but when the blue and white boxed version came out (you know the brand,) it made her lazy.
Completely understandable. Nothing wrong with the boxed one…except this one is approximately 17, 568 times better.
I’m glad I managed to stash away enough to go with tomorrow’s breakfast. We would have eaten the whole thing otherwise.
More Breakfast Recipes to try!
Nana's New York Crumb Cake
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup milk
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter melted and cooled
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Crumb Topping
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup light-brown sugar firmly packed
- 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- Pinch kosher salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter melted and cooled
- Powdered sugar for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly brush a 9" square baking pan with butter and dust with flour. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, sift together flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
- In a second bowl, whisk together the egg, milk, sour cream, butter, and vanilla. Using a rubber spatula, fold the dry ingredients into wet mixture. Spread batter evenly into prepared pan, and bake for 10 minutes.
Crumb Topping:
- While cake is par-baking, make crumb topping. In a bowl, whisk together flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Pour the melted butter over the flour mixture, then toss with a fork or rubber spatula until large crumbs form.
- After 10 minutes, remove cake from over and top evenly with crumb topping. Return to oven and continue to bake for 20-25 additional minutes until cake is firm to the touch, and a toothpick inserted comes out dry. Cool completely, then dust with powdered sugar as desired.
Nutrition
It’s never too early to think about your next brunch!
Cindy says
Your cake looks so good. I agree scratch cake just tastes better.
Erica says
Thank you so much, Cindy! Can’t beat a scratch cake. <3
Katie says
Girl – the past few months have been crazy! I feel like it’s been a mutual feeling all around!!!
Annnnyway – I am with you – scratch made always has that special “extra” something something. I totally hate that I get lazy and don’t take the extra 10 minutes to create something special myself! This crumb cake looks seriously spectacular!
Erica says
I’m glad to know I’m not alone! What is UP, 2017?! LOL. Sometimes lazy is called for and acceptable, but for special occasions, you just have to pull out the big guns! Thank you for stopping by. <3
[email protected] says
This looks amazing! I can relate to the night owl cramming it all in! Get some rest! Back to this cake! My family might have to fight me to get a slice 😉 YUM
Barrie says
I adore coffee cake and the more crumble, the better! I am pinning this one for that day, when I want to relax over my coffee!
susan | the wimpy vegetarian says
I have some recipes of my great-grandmother’s and they’re some of my favorites. I love that you shared this one with us – it looks fantastic. Saving to make it soon!!