Crispy crumbles and a fluffy yeast dough are a perfect combination! And this classic crumb sheet cake recipe always works.
I fall in love with crumb topping over and over again!
A classic crumb cake should be soft, crispy, and slightly moist. Not like the crumb cakes from my childhood, which (at least in my memory) were so terribly dry that I had to dip them first into my chocolate milk or hot milk to eat them. Well, you know what I mean…
Now I have found the perfect crumb coffee cake recipe for us. There is no big secret behind it, just a little trick.
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Taste and Occasion
It is a classic, easy crumb cake from the baking sheet. Neither pudding nor fruit distract from the crumbles 😉 - I would eat the crumbles pure. The foundation is a regular yeast dough.
By the way, I've plundered the meadow next to our house for the photos. And our garden. Actually, I never look at flowers so closely. But they are so beautiful!
And they go very well with my grandfather's hand-painted plate, don't they?
Ingredients
I like it high and fluffy, which is why I used quite a lot of yeast. The latter consists of short pastry - and a thin layer of cream, which I have now also used for the yeast alternative: Sour cream. This may sound unusual at first. But I promise you: This one small cup results in the cake being anything but dry.
How to make the Classic Crumb Cake
The preparation of the classic crumb cake can take some time but it is absolutely worth it. I guarantee! For the yeast dough, crumble the whole yeast cube into lukewarm milk. Add a tablespoon of sugar and stir everything until the yeast has dissolved.
Put the flour into a large mixing bowl and press a deep hollow in the middle. Then, pour in the yeast milk. Cover the bowl and let the pre-dough rest for about 10 minutes.
Add the remaining ingredients - the remaining sugar, softened butter, egg, sugar and grated lemon, mix everything briefly and knead the dough with the food processor or dough hooks for 5-10 minutes. Cover it with a cloth and leave the dough to rise in a warm place for about 1 hour.
Grease a baking sheet or cover it with baking parchment. Knead the dough again briefly, roll out to baking sheet size and place on the baking sheet. Let it rest again for about 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, you can prepare the crumbles (yum!). Put flour, sugar and butter (either soft and warm or very cold and in small pieces) into a bowl and work into crumbles first with the dough hooks, then with your fingers. Then refrigerate the dough.
Preheat the oven to 360°F/180°C. Mix the sour cream with lemon juice. Spread the mix very thinly on the yeast dough and crumble the crumbles with your hands on the top.
Bake the cake for about 30-35 minutes until the crumbles are golden yellow. The coffee crumb cake tastes best fresh, but can also be frozen very well.
Top Tip
I like to add a little lemon juice to the cream, which is the only flavoring in the whole crumb cake. If you like, you can also season the crumble mixture with cinnamon, vanilla or lemon.
Recipe Card
Classic Crumb Cake Recipe
Equipment
- Baking Sheet
Ingredients
- 250 milliliters (1 cups) milk , lukewarm
- 25 grams (6 ⅓ tablespoons) yeast , one cube
- 80 grams (½ cup) sugar
- 500 grams (4 cups) all-purpose flour
- 80 grams (⅓ cups) butter, soft
- 1 egg, medium-sized
- 1 pinch salt
- ¼ teaspoon lemon zest, grated
For the flooring
- 200 grams (1 cups) sour cream , room temperature
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 250 grams (2 cups) all-purpose flour
- 200 grams (1 cup) butter , either soft or cold and in small pieces
- 150 grams (1 cup) sugar
Instructions
- For the yeast dough, crumble the yeast into the lukewarm milk. Add a tablespoon of the sugar and stir everything until the yeast has dissolved. Put the flour into a large mixing bowl. Press a deep hollow in the middle. Pour in the yeast milk. Cover the bowl and let the pre-dough stand for about 10 minutes.
- Add the remaining ingredients - the remaining sugar, softened butter, egg, sugar and lemon grated, mix everything briefly and knead the dough with the food processor or dough hooks for 5-10 minutes. Cover with a cloth and leave to rise in a warm place for about 1 hour.
- Grease a baking sheet or cover with baking parchment. Knead the dough again briefly, roll out to baking sheet size and place on the baking sheet. Let it rise again for about 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, prepare the crumbles. Put flour, sugar and butter (either soft and warm or very cold and in small pieces) into a bowl and work into crumbles first with the dough hooks, then with your fingers. Then refrigerate the dough.
- Preheat oven to 360°F/180°C. Mix the sour cream with the lemon juice. Spread very thinly on the yeast dough and crumble the crumbles with your hands on the top. Bake the cake for about 30-35 minutes until the crumbles are golden yellow. Tastes best fresh, but can also be frozen very well.
Ingredient substitutions
Variations
If this recipe is too boring for you (whaaaaaaat?!!), there are other delicious alternatives: cou can mix it up with apples or make a cherry crumble cake. If you like smaller pastries, you should try my recipe for pear crumble muffins. 😉
Many greetings and a beautiful summer's day, Kathrin
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About Kathrin & Jan
It's like a little miracle to me every time. Seemingly simple ingredients are made into something that can brighten up your life. Butter, sugar, eggs, and flour melt into an airy biscuit, a fine tart, a juicy cake, or a crispy biscuit. Baking simply makes you happy. Welcome and enjoy our blog!
Kathrin & Jan
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