Chicago Crumb Cake (Big Streusel Coffee Cake)
A home-style Chicago bakery classic: a tender, lightly tangy vanilla cake buried under a thick, crunchy cinnamon-brown-sugar crumb topping. Great with coffee and simple to make ahead.
1 hr 15 min
start to finish
30 min
hands on
Easy
difficulty
12
servings
Ingredients
For the cake
For the crumb topping
Optional glaze
Contains gluten, dairy, egg. Cooking for an allergy? Check the label on every packet you use — brands differ, and we can only tell you what the recipe calls for.
Roughly, per serving
420 kcal5g protein60g carbs22g fat
An estimate, not a lab analysis.
Method
Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350°F (175°C). Butter a 9x13-inch pan and line the bottom with a parchment strip, leaving an overhang to lift the cake out later.
Make the crumb topping: in a large bowl, whisk together 2 cups flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and 1/2 tsp salt until combined.
Add the cold cubed butter to the flour-sugar mixture and rub it in with your fingers or use a pastry cutter until the mixture forms a mix of coarse crumbs and some pea- to walnut-sized lumps. The larger pieces make the characteristic big crumbs.
Work quickly so the butter stays cold; if the butter softens too much, chill the bowl 10 minutes.
Reserve about 1/2 to 3/4 cup of the crumb mixture for the very top if you want extra large pieces on the surface; set the rest aside to top the cake evenly.
Make the cake batter: in a medium bowl whisk together 1.5 cups flour, baking powder, baking soda, and 1/2 tsp salt.
In a large bowl or stand mixer bowl, cream the softened 8 tbsp butter and 3/4 cup granulated sugar together until light and slightly fluffy, about 2–3 minutes.
Beat in the eggs one at a time, then add 1 tsp vanilla and 1/2 cup sour cream and mix until combined.
Add the dry flour mixture to the wet ingredients in two additions, mixing on low speed and scraping the bowl, until just combined. If the batter seems very stiff, stir in up to 2 tbsp milk to loosen.
Do not overmix once the flour is added; a few streaks are fine.
Spread the cake batter evenly into the prepared pan using an offset spatula or the back of a spoon.
Crumble the reserved and remaining crumb mixture evenly over the cake batter, pressing down gently so larger pieces stick but keeping some loose for crunch.
Bake until the top is deep golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached, 42–48 minutes.
If the top browns too quickly after 30 minutes, tent loosely with foil for the remaining bake time.
Remove the cake from the oven and set the pan on a wire rack to cool at least 30 minutes so the crumbs set before slicing.
If using the optional glaze, whisk powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla until smooth and drizzle over the cooled cake, or serve plain.
Lift the cake from the pan using the parchment overhang, slice into 12 squares, and serve at room temperature.
Worth knowing
- Cold butter in the crumb yields big, crunchy streusel pieces. For even larger lumps, pulse the crumb mixture briefly in a food processor.
- This cake keeps well at room temperature, covered, for 2 days. For longer storage, freeze individual slices wrapped tightly and thaw at room temperature.
- Use sour cream or full-fat yogurt for the tenderest crumb; low-fat replacements make the cake denser.
Make it yours
Cooking without dairy, without an oven, for someone who won't touch chilli, or for six instead of four? Have the recipe rewritten around it — quantities, steps and all.
VegetarianKid friendlyBudgetOne pan
More Chicago cooking
An original Restaurant Pro recipe — our own composition in the idiom of Chicago cooking, not any restaurant's recipe. Written to be vegetarian as listed.