Cinnamon Crumb Cake

Cinnamon-y goodness can be found everywhere in this soft and tender cinnamon cake topped with more cinnamon in a crunchy cinnamon sugar crumb!

I’m obsessed with crumb topping. I literally could eat a whole tray of the topping minus the cake! Sometimes, when I have a deep hankering for some crumb, but don’t have the time to make some crumb cake for myself, I’ll drive over to Starbucks just to get a coffee cake so I can pick off and eat the crumb. Don’t worry, I don’t let the cake part go to waste and I eat that too, but the first thing I dig into is the crumb! And I reserve a small bite of crumb on the side to eat after the cake to make sure I “save the best for last”. Hope you enjoy this cinnamon crumb cake recipe as much as I do!

Prep Time: 45 minutes

Bake Time: 33-35 minutes

Total Time: 80 minutes

Yield: Makes 16 servings

INGREDIENTS

For the Crumb Topping:

• 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed

• 1/4 cup granulated sugar

• 1 & 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

• 1/2 tablespoon ground cinnamon

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

For the Cinnamon Swirl:

• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar

• 1 & 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

For the Cake:

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar

• 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed

• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

• 1 large egg, room temperature

• 1 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, scooped and leveled

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 2 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

• 1/2 cup whole milk, room temperature

• 1/4 cup sour cream, room temperature

• Dusting of confectioner's sugar (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. First, make the crumb topping by combining the brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a small bowl. Stir in the melted butter using a fork, then add the flour. Mix until crumbly looking and set aside.

2. Second, make the cinnamon swirl by combining the granulated sugar with cinnamon in a small bowl until well mixed. Set aside.

3. Preheat oven to 350 F for standard oven. Line a 8x8 pan with parchment paper.

4. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter, sugar and vanilla together until creamy.  Add egg and beat briefly until combined. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl.

5. In a separate bowl, sift together the all-purpose flour, baking powder and cinnamon. Add half of the flour mixture, along with all the milk and slowly mix together on a low speed.

6. Add the remaining flour mixture and the sour cream and continue to mix until smooth and creamy.

7. Pour half the cake batter into your prepared pan and scatter an even layer of the cinnamon swirl atop the batter. Then pour the remaining batter atop the cinnamon swirl, covering it entirely.

8. Evenly scatter the crumb topping all over the bake batter. I like to have some nice chunky pieces in there - it's extra yummy when you bit into a big chunk of crunchy crumb topping!

9. Bake cake for approximately 33-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.

10. Leave to cool for 15 minutes and dust with confectioner's sugar if desired.

11. Enjoy!