Best Crumb Topping For Classic Crumb Cake Recipes

HOW TO MAKE CRUMB TOPPING

Steps:

• Combine brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.
• Pour in melted butter and stir in.
• Add flour and stir until evenly combined. The mixture should be forming crumbs and hold together when pinched.
• Scatter over top of cakes, breads, and fruit desserts before baking. Top with powdered sugar for serving.

CLASSIC CRUMB CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a bowl; set aside. Butter a 9-inch square baking pan; set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, until well combined. Add vanilla, and stir until combined. Add reserved flour mixture and the sour cream, and stir just until well combined. Fold in 2 cups blueberries, if using. Spoon batter into prepared pan. Toss remaining cup blueberries, if using, with the crumb topping. Sprinkle the crumb topping over cake. Bake until golden brown and cake tester comes out clean, 50 to 60 minutes. Dust with confectioners' sugar before serving, if desired.

CRUMB CAKE

Steps:

• In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Using a spoon, stir in the cake flour one cup at a time, until the mixture forms a cohesive dough, like a very thick and clumpy cookie dough. As you add the last cup of flour, the mixture will be difficult to stir, so feel free to ditch the spoon and use your hands to mix it in. Set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F and set an oven rack to the middle position. Grease a 9 x 13-in cake pan.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the softened butter and granulated sugar on medium-high speed, scraping the bowl as necessary, until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating until incorporated after each addition (don't worry if the batter looks a little curdled at this point). Beat in the vanilla and scrape the bowl to make sure everything is evenly combined. Add the flour mixture alternately with the sour cream (half of the flour/all of the sour cream/then the remaining half of the flour), mixing on low speed with each addition, until just combined.
• Spread the cake batter evenly in the cake pan (it will only come about ¾ inch up the sides of the pan). Top the batter with the streusel crumbs, using your fingers to break it apart and form it into roughly ½-inch chunks. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Let the cake cool fully on a rack. Dust with powdered sugar and cut into squares to serve. Cover the cake with aluminum foil and store at room temperature; it will keep nicely for up to 3 days. To keep the cake fresher longer, store it in the refrigerator but bring it to room temperature before serving.
• Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The cake can be frozen for up to 3 months. After it is completely cooled, wrap it tightly with aluminum foil or freezer wrap. Thaw overnight on the countertop before serving.

CLASSIC CHOCOLATE CHIP CRUMB CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9-inch square baking pan with nonstick cooking spray and line it with parchment.
• For the crumb topping: Combine the melted butter, brown sugar, vanilla, salt and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Stir in the all-purpose flour just until the mixture is crumbly (some dryer bits may remain--that's OK). Toss the mini chocolate chips with the crumb topping and set aside.
• For the cake: Combine the eggs, buttermilk, oil and vanilla in a liquid measuring cup and whisk to break up the eggs. Set aside.
• Combine the cake flour, granulated sugar, baking powder and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and whisk by hand or mix on low speed until combined, about 30 seconds.
• With the mixer running on low speed, add the cubed butter and mix until all of the butter is incorporated into the dry ingredients and the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. With the mixer still running on low speed, add the egg mixture and mix until moistened. Stop and scrape the bowl and paddle, then mix on medium-high speed for 30 seconds.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle 2 tablespoons of the mini chocolate chips over the top. Scatter the crumb topping mixture evenly over the cake batter, then scatter the remaining 1 tablespoon of the chips over top.
• Place the baking pan on a rimmed baking sheet to prevent over-browning. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out with a few moist crumbs, 43 to 46 minutes. An easy way to test crumb cake is to nudge some of the crumbs away with the toothpick then insert the toothpick into the cake below. Let cool in the pan until barely warm before slicing.

CRUMB TOPPING FOR CLASSIC CRUMB CAKE

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, combine cinnamon, salt, sugar, and flour; cut in the butter using your hands, two knives, or a pastry blender until well combined and crumbly. (Alternatively, mix together in an electric mixer.)