This recipe for New Jersey Crumb Coffee Cake makes an incredibly moist cake with an extra thick cinnamon, sugar & butter crumb topping – just like you find in New Jersey bakeries.
Growing up in n New Jersey, I grew up on cakes like Entenmann’s Crumb Coffee Cake (an all-time favorite of mine) and Crumb buns from the local bakery.
I have a weakness for anything with a crumb topping. On Sunday mornings, my parents always had fresh crumb cake and donuts from the bakery. The best was when it would still be warm!
Food can really remind you of home, but Crumb Cake isn’t known in England so I haven’t had it in years. This blog is inspiring me to try to recreate my most loved foods from back home and the good news is – this Jersey Girl can bake!
This is my version of the Entenmann’s cake. Creating this recipe took me several attempts. Before now, it never turned out quite right, but I have finally perfected it and I am more than happy to post it for all of you.
The base is lovely and moist and I created a really thick crispy crumb topping (I have waited years for that topping). It’s so thick that for some it may be a little too thick.
If it looks that way in the picture, you can cut the topping recipe by a quarter, but to me, the topping is the best part and It is to die for!
Here’s how to make it:
Start with making the topping by mixing both brown and white sugars, cinnamon, and salt in medium mixing bowl.
Add the warm melted butter and stir to blend.
Add flour and mix with a fork until moist clumps form. Squeeze a handful of the topping into your hand, if it doesn’t clump together, add some more melted butter until it does. 
Set aside while preparing the cake.
In a medium mixing bowl mix together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Beat the softened butter in large bowl until light.
Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy. 
Add eggs 1 at a time, beating until well blended after each addition.
Add buttermilk and vanilla, beat just until blended. Add flour mixture in 3 additions, beating just until blended after each addition.
Transfer cake batter to prepared baking pan; spreading it evenly over the pan.
Hand- squeeze small handfuls of topping together to form small clumps. Drop topping clumps evenly over cake batter, covering with a thick layer of topping.
Bake 1 hour or until the tester comes out clean and topping is deep golden brown and a little crisp.
Cool cake in dish on rack at least 30 minutes. Dust with powdered sugar.
Cut into squares to serve and enjoy every last bite.
Baker’s Tips:
- If you have trouble with the topping sinking into the cake, try adding a ½ teaspoon of baking powder to the into the flour in the topping. Just keep in mind that this also causes extra browning so it may cause an extra crispy crumb.
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New Jersey Crumb Coffee Cake
Classic Crumb Cake Just Like The Kind You Would Find In Your Favorite New Jersey Bakery. A Tender Cake Topped big, delicious chunks of Cinnamon Sugar Goodness!
Ingredients
For the topping:
- 1½ cups brown sugar packed
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2½ sticks butter melted (plus more if needed)
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup powdered sugar for dusting
For the cake:
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1½ sticks butter softened
- 1½ cups sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1¼ Cups Buttermilk
- 1½ Teaspoons Vanilla
Instructions
For the topping:
-
Mix both sugars, cinnamon, and salt in medium mixing bowl. Add the warm melted butter and stir to blend.
-
Add flour and mix with a fork until moist clumps form. Squeeze a handful of the topping into your hand, if it doesn't clump together, add some more melted butter until it does. Set aside.
For the cake:
-
preheat the oven to 350f/175c. Grease 13x9 inch baking pan
-
In a medium mixing bowl mix together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
-
Beat the softened butter in large bowl until light.
-
Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy.
-
Add eggs 1 at a time, beating until well blended after each addition.
-
Add buttermilk and vanilla, beat just until blended.
-
Add flour mixture in 3 additions, beating just until blended after each addition.
-
Transfer cake batter to prepared baking pan; spreading it evenly over the pan.
-
Hand-squeeze small handfuls of topping together to form small clumps. Drop topping clumps evenly over cake batter, covering with a thick layer of topping.
-
Bake 1 hour or until the tester comes out clean and topping is deep golden brown and a little crisp.
-
Cool cake in dish on rack at least 30 minutes. Dust with powdered sugar and cut into squares to serve.
Update Notes: This post was originally published in July of 2014, but was republished with new photos, step by step instructions, and tips in February 2018.
Beth Cassidy says
05/10/2019 at 2:35 AMI have now made this coffee cake two times and both times the cake rose and covered the crumbs. What am I doing wrong?
Erren Hart says
05/20/2019 at 2:25 PMHi Beth. Have you checked the date on your baking powder and baking soda? Some flours are quite light. You can also try replacing a half cup of the flour with white bread flour to help give it more structure.
Sean says
05/09/2019 at 6:12 PMOK, so I made this cake, and LOVED the flavors! It was spot on for texture too…the crumb is just right, the cake is just right. I have just one complaint: there’s way too much crumb. It creates a dense brick on top of the cake that flattens the batter, and causes the cake to run to the edges. This makes the cake tall on the edges, and short/flat in the center.
In addition, so much crumb kinda becomes a sugar rush and is a little nauseating instead of delightfully wonderful. When (not if!) I remake this cake, I will try cutting the crumb batch in half, and also focusing the crumb primarily on the outer perimeter, leaving the middle more “open”. Or, perhaps a better way to do it is to add the crumb halfway thru when the cake begins to firm up? Not too sure. But otherwise, I’m glad I found a tasty recipe. Thanks Erren!
Erren's Kitchen says
05/10/2019 at 7:00 PMThank you, Sean, I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Sounds like you got it figured!
Corky Dunn says
05/15/2019 at 1:57 PM“[W]ay too much crumb”? Is that really an issue?
Laraine Wheeler says
05/07/2019 at 9:11 PMI am so close to finding the perfect recipe for NY/NJ Crumb Cake.
There is no substitute for this level of crumb from back East.
I made this recipe this week. It’s so close to perfection, I can hardly believe it.
The cake is soft and beautiful.
The batter was just perfect…I could hardly stop eating it raw.
The crumb tastes exactly likes it should…bucket loads of it, which is always disappointing in every recipe I have ever tried, because there’s a puny amount of crumb and doesn’t get into those nice balls after squeezing the ingredients.
The only thing I have to critique…the crumb topping became too sugary and hard after baking 45 mins.
The taste was absolutely wonderful, the amount was overkill (a good thing in this instance), and PERFECT.
Any real bakers that can help me out, please give me tips, so the sugar topping doesn’t get hard, and should stays soft like Entemann’s, afte 45 mins in the oven.
But, it was too hard.
What should I do?
Put the sugar topping not in the beginning, but half way through the cooking of the cake?
Please help. I don’t want to gain 10 lbs. figuring out when to put the crumb topping on w/o making it too sugary and hard.
Erren Hart says
05/20/2019 at 2:22 PMHi Laraine, I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much(even if it came out a little too crunchy). I do plan to revisit this recipe as I’ve had others say the same. For now, I would cover it with foil for the first half hour of baking.
bob says
04/24/2019 at 7:50 PMI hate you
Erren's Kitchen says
04/26/2019 at 9:41 AMWhy is that Bob?!
Terri says
04/18/2019 at 8:20 PMI’d like to use the plain yogurt instead of buttermilk also. Add 1/4cup of water to how much yogurt ? This looks amazing but nobody here likes buttermilk so yogurt would be better.
Mona says
04/18/2019 at 7:37 PMI’m making this right now… my maiden voyage for Easter brunch. Be in touch, so far looks and smells exquisite!
Erren's Kitchen says
04/19/2019 at 4:44 PMThat’s awesome to hear, let me know how it turns out!
Stacie says
04/11/2019 at 2:36 PMIs there anything I would be able to substitute for the buttermilk? Or can I just leave it out? Have you tried this?
Erren Hart says
04/17/2019 at 6:55 PMHi Stacy, You can mix a 1/4 cup of water with plain yogurt with to substitute 1 1/4 cups buttermilk.
Kim Goldfeder Clarke says
04/09/2019 at 11:31 PMPhenomenal! I remember as a little girl, my Dad would go to the local bakery each weekend and bring home Crumb Buns, Danish horns and fresh rolls. They were SO delicious: Warm, moist and teeming with those cinnamon crumbs that my brother and I would eagerly pick at. I have been searching for awhile now to find a recipe that even comes close to what I enjoyed so much as a child. BRAVO, Erren! This recipe is amazing! I halved the recipe and made it this morning, first thing when I woke up. Not only were the delightful aromas so reminiscent of my childhood, but the taste blew my mind, taking me right back to my youth! THIS IS A KEEPER! And I will be making it often. Thank you for sharing the recipe and thank you to all the people who gave their opinions and tips. Excellent!!!
Erren's Kitchen says
04/12/2019 at 6:36 PMThank you so much for your feedback, it made my day Kim. I’m glad you all enjoyed!
fran says
04/06/2019 at 5:34 PMhi Errin,
well I finally made the jersey crumb cake in 2 7″ pans came out A plus didn’t do anything different it was fantastic… thank you,
I signed up also for any new receipes on your site.
again thank you
Fran
Erren's Kitchen says
04/08/2019 at 4:19 PMThank you so much for coming back with feedback and I am so happy I could help!