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You are here: Home / Cakes / CINNAMON CRUMB COFFEE CAKE

CINNAMON CRUMB COFFEE CAKE

September 21, 2017

New York Style Cinnamon Crumb Coffee Cake

Sometimes when you’re in a bit of a funk, there’s only one thing to do.

Bake your way out of it.

The timing’s right for it. The rains have descended and it looks like we’re all going to be spending a lot more time inside. Reading.

IMG_0237

Drinking hot beverages. Stuffing our faces.

I was reminded of that fact when yesterday I spotted various snack cakes at a grocery store.

IMG_4628

Wow — they’re still making those? Including those little mini-coffee cakes?

I may be dating myself here, but when I hear the word “Drake“,  my first thought isn’t that of the singer, but of those coffee cakes of my youth.

As you can see by the above pic, Drake’s Coffee Cakes were little round nubbins of crumbly topping and a soft, pillowy base, wrapped in plastic, and as a young kid I thought they were absolutely delicious. Now, I’ve had them since but with an expanded palate and thirty years of crumb cake-eating under my belt, I can see them now for what they are: promising at first glance but with a somewhat artificial tasting finish.

I knew I could do better because I’ve had better — including during our New York trip in March from Murray’s.

Coffee Cake Murray's

I searched the Web.

I wanted a coffee cake with a rich buttermilk base yet that still boasted a delicate crumb and delivered powerfully cinnamon-y goodness.

I found the recipe on this blog, Sally’s Baking Addiction.

I’ve tried one of her recipes before, and so I was reasonably confident I’d end up again with something good.

Did I!

New York Style Cinnamon Crumb Coffee Cake

So here’s the recipe in a nutshell.

Gather all the ingredients.

New York Style Cinnamon Crumb Coffee Cake

It’s important that the buttermilk and eggs be room temperature and the butter be very cold (just as it is with biscuit making).

You mix the butter in with the flour, then separate that mixture into two sections.

New York Style Cinnamon Crumb Coffee Cake

The first part gets baking powder and soda plus buttermilk, vanilla and egg added to it to create the cake base. The second part of the flour-butter mixture gets cinnamon and brown sugar added to it to make the crumb topping.

New York Style Cinnamon Crumb Coffee Cake

I like my coffee cakes very cinnamon-y, but if you aren’t on that same bandwagon, feel free to whittle down the amount of this pungent spice.

New York Style Cinnamon Crumb Coffee Cake

You then add the batter to the bowl and top it liberally with the crumb topping and then into a preheated 350 oven it goes for about 45-50 minutes.

New York Style Cinnamon Crumb Coffee Cake

The smell of butter, vanilla and cinnamon as you pull it out of the oven is insane

New York Style Cinnamon Crumb Coffee Cake

and even though the recipe calls for you to let it sit for a few minutes before digging in, I found it impossible to wait.

I made a confectioner’s sugar icing with a tiny bit of maple syrup and vanilla and drizzled it all over the cake.

New York Style Cinnamon Crumb Coffee Cake

It smelled heavenly!

New York Style Cinnamon Crumb Coffee Cake

I ate that first piece standing up at the kitchen counter, too greedy and too hungry to wait to for it to cool down or even grab a chair.

New York Style Cinnamon Crumb Coffee Cake

The cake is so moist and buttery (thanks, buttermilk!) and then there’s this thick, crunchy, deeply autumnally tasting mantle of crisp crumb topping.

And when certain bites of this sport an almost 1:1 ratio of crumb to cake, it’s a very happy thing.

New York Style Cinnamon Crumb Coffee Cake

Are you planning on hosting a brunch any time soon?

New York Style Cinnamon Crumb Coffee Cake

Do you want to shower neighbors and school kids with a fantastic afternoon treat?

New York Style Cinnamon Crumb Coffee Cake

Or have you a friend you’d like to wake up to a little golden-crumbed goodness?

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Then this is the cake for you– just don’t count on having any leftovers.

New York Style Cinnamon Crumb Coffee Cake

Okay, so now it’s fall? Bring it. 

CINNAMON CRUMB COFFEE CAKE
 
Print
Prep time
20 mins
Cook time
50 mins
Total time
1 hour 10 mins
 
Don't let the cake's somewhat innocuous, straightforward appearance fool you
Author: Sally's Baking Addiction Blog/Cook's Illustrated
Recipe type: baking
Serves: 8-10
Ingredients
  • 1 Tbs. Flour, for coating the pan
  • 2 C. all-purpose flour
  • 1 C. + 2 Tbs. granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 10 Tbs. (1¼ stick) unsalted butter, firm and cold
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • ½ tsp. baking soda
  • ¾ C. buttermilk, at room temperature
  • 1 large egg, at room temperature
  • 2 tsp. vanilla
  • ⅔ C. light or brown sugar
  • 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously spray a 9-inch springform pan (or baking dish) with cooking spray or grease with butter. Sprinkle the bottom of the pan with 1 Tbs. of flour and tap out the excess.
  2. Whisk the flour, sugar, and salt together in a large mixiing bowl until combined. Cut in the butter in very small piecs using a pastry blender or mix with a fork until the mixture resentmbles coarse crumbs. Set aside 1 cup of the butter/flour mxture.
  3. Mix the baking powder and baking soda into the remaining flour mixture. Add the room temperature buttermilk, egg and vanilla -- you may want to do this with a mixer. The batter is very, very thick. Vigorously mix everything together until the batter is smooth, fluffy and resembles frosting-- about 2 full minutes. Spoon the batter into the prepared springform pan, smoothing the top.
  4. Add the brown sugar and cinnamon to the reserved flour mixture. Toss with a fork until well blended. Sprinkle the curmbs over the batter, pressingly lightly so they stick. Bake the cake until the center is firm and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean -- about 50-58 minutes (mine only took 47 minutes).
  5. Allow to cool for 10 minutes, then remove the sides of the springform pan and allow cake to cool completely before serving (about 2 hours).
  6. Make ahead tip: Cake tastes best on day 1 or day 2. The cake may be made in advance. Store covered at room temperature for up to 1 week.
3.2.2925

Filed Under: Cakes, Dessert, Eat Portland, Recipes

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Comments

  1. Kate says

    September 21, 2017 at 6:08 am

    Welp, there are my weekend plans sorted! 😍

    Reply
    • Sarah Kline says

      September 21, 2017 at 2:00 pm

      It’s so good — and probably better than you can find at local coffee shops. Supposedly it lasts for days, but I’d be surprised if ours isn’t gone in the first 24. Thanks for chiming in!

      Reply
  2. Larry says

    September 21, 2017 at 3:37 pm

    It is possible that the smell of cinnamon pervades my home JUST as a result of your blog (above).
    A thought, rather that coffee, how about some home made vanilla ice cream?

    Yummmmmm!

    Reply
    • Sarah Kline says

      September 22, 2017 at 12:15 am

      Larry, vanilla bean ice cream would be fabulous with it! Hope you’re well! Sarah

      Reply
  3. Ingrid says

    September 28, 2017 at 4:40 pm

    Excited to try this!
    Am I missing something, or why are there no Pinterest links on your recipes?

    Reply

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