Simple Crumb Coffee Cake

Simple Crumb Coffee Cake made from scratch without a mixer that’s perfect for any holiday or just because. The moist vanilla cake is topped with a beautifully textured crumb topping that’s heavy on the crumb! 

I’m sure you could go online and look for a coffee cake and get almost 1 billion results. I’m hoping you stumbled onto this one and give it a try. When I was developing this recipe, I aimed for perfection and I feel I’ve achieved it. When I post a recipe, I do my best not to waste your time or your ingredients. Here is an incredible crumb coffee cake that I’m proud to share with you. 

My goal was to create a soft, tender, buttery cake with loads of crumb topping. The goal was for simplicity. This cake had to be easy to prepare without compromising on flavor. I wanted a cake that could serve a crowd and impress them at the same time. Is it possible to have a no fuss, no mixer cake that’s good enough to be worth the calories? Yes, it is.

Did I mention this cake is made without using a mixer? This is as simple as mixing the dry ingredients in a bowl, whisking in the wet ingredients, and pouring it into a baking dish. It’s similar to how my cocoa brownies and pumpkin bread are made where everything is mixed together and it’s ready to bake. The topping is just as simple. 

The secret to the topping in my Crumb Coffee Cake…

The secret is to use melted butter. The melted butter is combined with brown sugar, cinnamon, flour, and a pinch of salt. Because we’re using melted butter, the whole thing is mixed with a fork. This is the kind of crumb that forms big, beautiful, uneven, clumps and under all that goodness hides a moist tender cake. 

One more thing about the crumb topping. I wanted it to be toothsome. You know what I mean? I wanted you to bite into it and have the texture and feeling as if you were biting through a thick piece of fudge. It should have a little resistance, yet not be coarse, sugary or crunchy. It needed to be smooth, buttery and loaded with cinnamon flavor. Goal – accomplished.

Affiliate links to the products I use and love.

You will need a large bowl for the batter, a medium bowl for the crumb topping, a small pan or bowl for melting butter, a 2 cup measuring cup, a whisk, measuring spoons and cups, and a simple fork. This cake is baked in a 9×13 baking dish. No fancy equipment used for this cake. Hence the name, simple in the title for this buttery simple crumb coffee cake.

This cake is perfect for Christmas morning, any holiday or special occasion, or just because you want something good. Enjoy!

Be happy, eat well. -x

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Simple Crumb Coffee Cake

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

45 mins

Total Time

55 mins

 

Simple Crumb Coffee Cake made from scratch without a mixer that’s perfect for any holiday or just because. The moist vanilla cake is topped with a beautifully textured crumb topping that’s heavy on the crumb! 

Course: Breakfast, Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Coffee Cake, Crumb Coffee Cake

Servings: 12 Servings

Author: Natalie@thegeneticchef.com

Ingredients

Crumb topping:

• 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 1 cup 2 sticks melted unsalted butter, melted
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Cake:

• 3 cups flour
• 1 ¾ cups sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• ¾ teaspoon fine salt
• ½ cup unsalted butter melted
• 2 large eggs room temperature*
• 2 teaspoons vanilla or bourbon
• 1 ½ cups milk - preferably whole

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Grease a 9x13 baking pan with butter or baking spray.
3. In a medium bowl, combine crumb topping ingredients with a fork until crumbly. Set aside.
4. In a large mixing bowl, whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
5. Whisk in melted butter, eggs, vanilla, and milk until combined - about 50 strokes.
6. Pour batter into prepared baking pan evening out the top.

7. Grab a handful of the crumb topping and lightly squeeze it together to form chunks. Sprinkle chunks evenly over batter. If the chunks are big, break into smaller chunks.

8. Bake for 45 - 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Check after 40 minutes and go from there.
9. Let cool on a baking rack before slicing.

Recipe Notes

To warm eggs, simply place in a bowl with warm water for a few minutes.