Cinnamon Crumb Cake
This simple, classic cinnamon crumb cake is topped with big, fat crumbs and has a sweet stripe of cinnamon and sugar down the middle!
This is the perfect brunch cake, but it’s also wonderful for snacking on at any time of the day. I can’t help but pick crumbs off the top whenever I walk by.
Ingredients
You’ll need a full tablespoon of cinnamon for this cake to make the wonderful cinnamon swirl. You may also want to have a little extra cinnamon on hand, to do a sprinkling of cinnamon and sugar on top of the crumbs.
I use full-fat sour cream to make the cake nice and moist and highly recommend you do the same. The cake won’t taste exactly the same if you make a substitution, but you can use yogurt or Greek yogurt if that’s what you have on hand.
Rolled oats, not steel-cut oats, are essential for the amazing crumb topping.
The rest of the recipe’s ingredients are pantry staples – sugar, brown sugar, butter, eggs, flour, and the like.
How It’s Made
Start by mixing cinnamon and sugar in a bowl and putting that aside. You’ll use it in a bit.
Next, cream butter and sugars in a mixing bowl until the mixture is light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, then add the sour cream and vanilla.
In a separate bowl, whisk together dry ingredients – flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the dry ingredients a little bit at a time to the wet mixture until everything is just combined.
Now comes one of my favorite parts of this cake – the cinnamon sugar layer. It’s really easy to add; spread half of the batter in the pan, and then top with cinnamon and sugar.
Cover that layer with the second half of the batter.
Crumb cake would just be cake without the topping. People make crumb topping in many different ways, but my favorite topping is a mixture of melted butter, brown sugar, flour, and rolled oats. Spread the crumbs over the top of the cake before baking.
Once the cake is out of the oven, let it cool to room temperature and dust with cinnamon and powered sugar.
Expert Tips and FAQs
I’ve done extensive testing and I’ve found that you can replace the sour cream with yogurt or Greek yogurt and not notice any difference in texture. Use whatever you have on hand.
I dust the cake with cinnamon and powdered sugar when I’m done because I love the taste and look. Although the cake is quite sweet and doesn’t really need it, it also looks nice with a simple glaze made of milk and powdered sugar.
This cake lasts about three days in an airtight container. But, you can also freeze it for months or freeze individual slices and bring to room temperature before enjoying.
Related Recipes
Cinnamon Crumb Cake
Ingredients
Cinnamon Sugar Ingredients
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
Cake Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup full-fat sour cream
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
Crumb Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter melted
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 6 tablespoons light brown sugar same as 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons
- 6 tablespoons rolled oats same as 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons
Instructions
Cinnamon Sugar Instructions
- Mix ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
Cake Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- Beat butter, brown sugar, and white sugar in a medium-sized mixing bowl until light and fluffy.
- Beat in eggs one at a time.
- Beat in sour cream and vanilla.
- In a separate medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Add flour mixture to wet ingredients a little bit at a time until just combined.
- Spread half of the batter into a greased 8" square cake pan.
- Spread cinnamon sugar mixture evenly over the poured batter.
- Top with the remaining batter.
Crumb and Baking Instructions
- Mix all ingredients in a small bowl until large crumbs form.
- Top the batter with the crumbs.
- Bake for 75 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Optionally, sprinkle with a little more cinnamon and dust with powdered sugar.
Notes
Nutrition
I frequently print your recipes but don’t necessarily make them right away. When I’m ready to bake, it’s often helpful to go back and read the blog again. But your name “Cupcake Project” is nowhere on the printed copy! Please help.
There should be a browser setting to print a header and footer that contains the link, but I went ahead and added a recipe field to display the blog URL. Hope it comes in handy!
This is great! I got a barista set for Mother’s Day so this cake will be the cherry on the sundae!
Happy Mother’s Day, Stef!!!
I think my mother can do this. thanks for the receipes
looks delicious. I shall try it next week.
Thanks por the recipe-
Miriam
Looks delicious!! Great meeting you last week!
amazing, thanks for the receipes
Ok. i’ll try to make it :D
This is going to be a perfect cake for my next fall brunch. Thank you for sharing this– it looks divine.
This cake needs to happen at my house very soon!
Such a gorgeous cake!! I bet it tastes ahhmaaazing!! LOVE it!!
This Coffee Cake is so great! You know it’ll be delicious when the recipe includes sour cream!
OH my goodness, I love crumb cakes!!! Added sour cream makes them so moist!!!
We had this for afternoon tea at the weekend and it was so moist. I can’t believe what a difference the sour cream makes to a cake.
My only complaint…it wasn’t enough, everyone wanted the last slice! ;-)
I’ll take crumbs anywhere and everywhere! SO good!
Okaay. i’ll try to make it
Wow… amazing
I’ll try to make it
thanks for the recipe
Looks delicious!! Great meeting you last week!
This cake looks fabulous! I love anything that has a crumb topping!