Copycat Entenmann’s Crumb Coffee Cake (Classic New York Recipe)
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Copycat Entenmann’s Crumb Coffee Cake, a classic New York recipe, is dense vanilla cake laden with divine brown sugar and cinnamon streusel.
With Great Appreciation, This Recipe Recreated from the original by One of My Favorite Fellow Jersey Girls, Erren Hart of Erren’s Kitchen!
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The New York crumb cake famous since its invention in 1898 is known to millions as the perfect complement to a cup of coffee. This family favorite has generations of fans.
At our local bakery the smell of cinnamon sugar permeated the air. It was noisy with ladies shouting out their orders and maddened bakery attendants stuffing big white boxes that would be tied off with that familiar red and white bakery twine. I recreate this treat from childhood whenever I want thanks to Erren’s method.
Delicate cinnamon crumbs rest atop a base of moist, dense vanilla cake, the only elements making it even more perfect being a piping hot morning coffee and the crossword. Copycat Entenmann’s crumb cakes are the gauge by which recipes for New York-style crumb cake is measured. Who doesn’t love a copycat recipe??
Why You’ll Love This Recipe!
· Tangy and Tender Cake – Buttermilk and vanilla give the dense cake base a sweet and tangy and altogether scrumptious bite!
· Renowned Crumb Topping – New York-style crumbs are legendary for their buttery brown sugar and cinnamon streusel toppings being as thick as the cake itself, sometimes thicker!
· 3x The Cake! – This recipe yields 15 GENEROUS SERVINGS for a fraction of what it would cost to purchase a mere 17oz Entenmann’s NY Crumb at your grocery AND this copycat recipe is that good that it gives Entenmann’s a run for its money!
Need To Double This Recipe?
If you’d like to double the recipe, hover over the servings in the recipe card. Adjust the slider to meet your required number of servings. This cake yields 15 GENEROUS hunks, but if you are planning a brunch or other special occasion, this recipe is easily doubled using additional 9 x13-inch cake pans.
Ingredients That Go Into This Recipe
There’s no mistaking the obvious pantry staples required to assemble this cake, but I have made some notes behind ‘why’ these ingredients are required.
- Dark brown sugar – the molasses in brown sugar helps to create a moist and tender crumb topping.
- Ground cinnamon – the key flavor in the dish, cinnamon is warm and sweet, pairing perfectly with the buttery, crumbly topping.
- Kosher salt – helps to balance out the richness of the butter and the buttermilk.
- Unsalted butter – salted butter can vary in salt content, so using unsalted butter gives you control over the flavor of the cake.
- All-purpose flour – has a moderate protein content, which gives it the ability to hold both air and moisture, ideal for crumb cake, as it helps to create a tender and moist cake base.
- Baking powder – the leavening agent that helps the cake to rise.
- Baking soda – an additional leavening agent, it reacts with the acid in the buttermilk to produce carbon dioxide gas, which causes the cake to rise.
- Granulated sugar – a sweetener that helps to balance out the flavors of the cake and the crumb topping.
- Eggs – help to bind the ingredients together, add moisture, and create a light and fluffy texture.
- Buttermilk – adds a tangy flavor, tenderizes the cake, and helps to create a light and airy crumb topping.
- Vanilla extract – adds a rich, sweet flavor that complements the other ingredients while acting as a natural preservative, which helps to keep the cake fresh for longer.
optional
- Powdered sugar for serving – a touch of sweetness as well as a tempting visial garnish atop the cake – highly recommended!
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Substitutions and Variations
- Butter – You can substitute shortening for butter in the crumb cake batter. Shortening will give the cake a slightly different texture, but it will still be moist and flavorful.
- Sugar – You can substitute brown sugar for granulated sugar in the crumb cake batter. Brown sugar will give the cake a richer flavor and a slightly chewier texture.
- Spices – You can add other spices to the crumb cake batter, such as nutmeg, ginger, or cardamom.
- Topping – You can add other ingredients to the crumb topping, such as oats, nuts, or dried fruit.
What Other Flour Can I Use Aside From All-Purpose Flour?
Substitute whole wheat flour in lieu of all-purpose flour in the crumb cake batter. Whole wheat flour will give the cake a slightly denser texture and a slightly nuttier flavor.
This recipe has not been tested with other substitutions or variations. If you replace or add any ingredients, please let us know how it turned out in the comments below!
Coffee Cake vs Crumb?
Coffee cake and crumb cake are both pastries that go well with coffee. But crumb cake has a higher percentage of crumb topping, which is made with butter and cinnamon.
This makes crumb cake even more delicious and satisfying than coffee cake. So, if you’re looking for a truly decadent pastry to enjoy with your morning coffee, reach for a crumb cake.
Non-negotiable Equipment Needed
There is no compromising on the need for a 13 x 9-inch cake pan …as in you have to have one. Anything smaller will result in cake batter overflowing the bake. Ask me how I know this…
Additional helpful, but not required kitchen equipment:
- heavy-duty stand mixer
- food processor
If you have neither, fear not. Neither did William Entenmann but he still managed to invent this cake that we’re still talking about 100 years later!
Step by Step Instructions
A question that arises when baking this cake which pops up every once in a while: sinking crumbs. When scattering the crumb topping, spread placement of the largest clumps first, then begin at the outside edge of the pan and work your way to the center scattering the remaining crumbs.
Tip: Refrigerate Your Greased Cake Pan!
Grease the bottom and sides of the cake pan by brushing with melted butter, then place the prepared pan into the refrigerator while preparing the remaining parts of the cake. The butter will set and the greased sides will stay greased.
Step 1: Melt two sticks of unsalted butter (1/2-cup) in a saucepan. As the butter slowly melts, use a silicone pastry brush to grease the bottom and sides of a 9 x 13-inch cake pan with just a bit of that butter. Then place the pan into the refrigerator while preparing the remaining parts of the cake. This way, the butter sets on the sides rather than pool on the bottom.
Step 2: In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, cinnamon, and Kosher salt stirring well. Scrape into the barrel of a food processor. Add melted butter. Pulse until mixed, about 6 to 8 pulses. TIP: choose to melt only 1 1/2 sticks of butter, softening to room temperature instead the remaining 4 tablespoons. Add both the melted AND softened butter to the brown sugar mixture before pulsing. Just another way to achieve varying sizes of crumb topping.
Step 3: Add the flour and pulse until large clumps form, about 4 to 6 pulses. Spill the cinnamon sugar clumps out into a bowl and use your hands to squeeze bits of the mixture together.
Step 4: The mixture will clump easily but add additional melted butter in tablespoon increments if necessary. Aim for a variety of sizes of crumbs. TIP: Make a handful of ‘cherry tomato-size’ crumbs. Spread out when you top the cake. There will be many pieces of cake with that coveted ‘monster crumb.’
Step 5: Preheat oven to 350°F. Remove the prepared cake pan from the refrigerator. By this time, the butter used to grease the pan should be set. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk to combine. Set beside your stand mixer. Fit the mixer with the paddle attachment.
Step 6: In the bowl of the mixer, add softened butter and whip until light. Add in granulated sugar. Beat until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, blending after each addition, then buttermilk and vanilla. Blend until just incorporated, followed by the flour mixture in two separate additions.
Step 9: Transfer cake batter to prepared baking pan. Use a wooden spoon or rubber spatula to ensure you scrape ALL of the batter into the pan.
Step 10: I cannot emphasize enough that using anything smaller than a 9 x 13-inch pan or 33 x 23 cm (14 cups or 3.3 liters capacity) means you are toying with overflow disaster. I know from personal experience, so invested in this aluminized steel pan which I’ve had excellent results with.
Step 11: Spread the batter into the corners using the back of a wooden spoon or an offset spatula. The batter will be thick so it may be necessary to push the mixture into the corners. Smooth the top.
Step 12: There is no need to flour your greased pan UNLESS you are using something other than non-stick or aluminized steel. Here I am using an antique copper baker with an insert. The insert is not non-stick, so I’ve chosen to flour AFTER my butter set under refrigeration, tapping out as much excess flour as possible after dusting.
Step 13: The streusel topping is considered the pinnacle of this bake, so it’s important to evenly distribute so that each cut square will have a few BIG lumps. Add the cherry tomato-sized lumps you made in each corner, and a couple on the sides and middle. Then, working from the edges in, follow with remaining crumbs. Working your way to the center prevents the crumbs from sinking.
Step 14: Bake until the insertion and removal of a toothpick comes out clean. The streusel topping will be golden brown and slightly crunchy in spots. Cool the cake in the pan atop a wire cooling rack. Cut into thirds lengthwise and into fifths from side to side to yield 15 ‘squares.’ Dust with Confectioners’ sugar once completely cooled. Plate cake squares and dust with more powdered sugar to serve.
How To Serve Coffee Cake
As the name implies, serve New York style with a HOT cuppa joe! But seriously, serve slightly warm or serve completely cooled, it’s your choice.
No Buttermilk on Hand?
Make Homemade Buttermilk
- For every 1 liquid measure cup of 2% or whole milk, add either a tablespoon of distilled white vinegar or a tablespoon of fresh lemon juice (no pulp).
- Let the mixture stand for 10 minutes at room temperature.
- Scale these ratios up or down depending on how much buttermilk you need for your recipe. For this recipe, I recommend 1 1/4 cups whole milk with 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon of distilled white vinegar for best results.
Storage Instructions and Freezing
- Slice then wrap individual pieces in plastic wrap. Place wrapped cakes under a glass cake dome, in an airtight container with tight-fitting lid, or in a large plastic zipper bag. Properly stored cakes will keep up to 5 days at room temperature.
- To freeze, wrap dually first with aluminum foil then slip inside a freezer safe plastic zipper bag, freezing up to 3 months. To thaw, defrost overnight in the refrigerator.
Jenny’s Recipe Pro Tips
- When adding crumb topping, start at the edges and work your way to the center. This will prevent the crumbs from sinking.
- Don’t press the crumbs down! It will push out the air and prevent the cake from rising.
- Bring refrigerated items to room temp for smooth batter.
Recipe FAQs
Buttermilk is the single ingredient in this method that offers the exquisite tangy flavor to the crumb that Entenmann’s products are known for. It is strongly recommended that buttermilk be used, and a handy homemade buttermilk ratio has been added to the notes in the recipe card for this purpose.
Brown sugar, heaps of cinnamon, salt, and flour. Melted, unsalted butter is used to bind or clump the mixture into streusel.
Streuselkuchen in Germany and known in English-speaking countries as crumb cake.
More Coffee Cake Recipes You’ll Love
After trying this recipe, I would love to hear your thoughts! Consider leaving a star rating in the recipe card located below or sharing your feedback in the comment section. Your reviews and comments are highly valued and appreciated.
Recipe
Copycat Entenmann’s Crumb Coffee Cake (Classic New York Recipe)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups dark brown sugar packed
- 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- 1 ½ teaspoons Kosher salt divided
- 3 ½ sticks unsalted butter divided; 2 sticks melted, 1 1/2 sticks softened to room temperature; see alternate method for butter in crumb topping in Step 2 below
- 5 ½ cups all-purpose flour divided
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 ¼ cups buttermilk *see notes at the bottom of the recipe card if you need to make buttermilk in a pinch
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- powdered sugar for dusting
Instructions
- Begin by melting two sticks of unsalted butter in a saucepan. Use a silicone pastry brush to grease the bottom and sides of the cake pan with just a bit of the butter as it melts. Place the prepared pan into the refrigerator while preparing the remaining parts of the cake so the butter sets.
- In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, cinnamon, and Kosher salt stirring well. Scrape into the barrel of a food processor. Add butter. Pulse until mixed, about 6 to 8 pulses. Add the flour and pulse until large clumps form, about 4 to 6 pulses. Spill the cinnamon sugar clumps out into a bowl and use your hands to squeeze bits of the mixture together. The mixture will clump easily but add additional melted butter 1 tablespoon at a time if necessary. Aim for a variety of sizes of crumbs. OPTIONAL: choose to melt only 1 1/2 sticks of butter, softening to room temperature instead the remaining 4 tablespoons. Add both the melted AND softened butter to the brown sugar mixture before pulsing. Just another way to achieve varying sizes of crumb topping and ensure clumping.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Remove the prepared cake pan from the refrigerator. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk to combine.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add softened unsalted butter and whip until it's light. Add in granulated sugar and beat until light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, blending after each addition. Add buttermilk and vanilla extract and blend until just incorporated, followed by flour mixture in two separate additions. Again, beat just until incorporated but no more.
- Transfer cake batter to prepared baking pan spreading it into the corners using an offset spatula if necessary to push the mixture. Smooth the top.
- The streusel topping is considered the pinnacle of this bake, so it's important to evenly distribute so that each cut square will have a few lumps. Add large lumps of the streusel topping in each corner, and a couple on the sides and middle. Then, working from the edges in, follow with remaining crumbs. Working your way to the center prevents the crumbs from sinking.
- Bake in a preheated oven for 50 minutes to 1 hour or until the insertion and removal of a toothpick comes out clean. The streusel topping will be golden brown and slightly crunchy in spots.
- Cool the cake in the pan atop a wire cooling rack for 1 hour, longer if you prefer to eat it completely cooled. Cut into thirds lengthwise and into fifths from side to side to yield 15 'squares.' Use a fine mesh sieve to dust with Confectioners' sugar once cut, then use a spatula to remove individual pieces from the cake pan.
- Plate individual squares and dust with additional powdered sugar to serve.
Notes
- For every 1 liquid measure (1 cup) of 2% or whole milk, add either a tablespoon of distilled white vinegar or a tablespoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice (no pulp).
- Let the mixture stand for 10 minutes at room temperature. During this time, the acid will curdle the milk slightly.
- Scale these ratios up or down depending on how much buttermilk you need for your recipe. In particular, use 1 1/4 cups whole milk with 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon of distilled white vinegar for this crumb cake recipe.
Your recipe is great!
Could you please have a square to remove equipment list?
I think it’s ridiculous, especially since most instructions tell you what pan etc. to use.
Don’t understand reason for list.
The other reason I don’t like is, adding the equipment list makes printing the recipe in 2 pages…
Hi Mary, thanks for your message…I think. First, thanks for mentioning that the recipe is great. It really is, and it helps that NEA readers think so, too. Now, onto your next point. I hope I can help you understand the reason for the (equipment) list. I use a form to generate my recipe cards. For non food bloggers, the form is pre-scripted meaning the sections available to fill in are the important “parts” Google wants to see in order to give me ranking. I want a good ranking every time. This is, after all, my livelihood. I’m in it to give you free recipes (you’re welcome) and to generate the most inclusive material I can to rank with the Google Gods to make my advertisers happy. Happy advertisers pay me, so it’s a win-win for everybody all the way around. If two pieces of paper is inconvenient, just click the button that allows your printer to ‘print on both sides’ of the paper. Problem solved.
Thanks for the recipe; Oh so good! Made for a family gathering. Not much left, but a small piece for husband and me to share next morning. Please keep the delish recipes coming.
FYI Not a problem printing on both sides of the paper. 😉
AJ, thanks for taking the time to drop me this sweet message letting me know you made the cake and enjoyed it! It’s soooo good, right? And good to know your printer is functioning adequately! 😉
What can I use instead of eggs.
I have an egg allergy.
Lorraine, I have had good results with Bob’s Red Mill Egg Replacer in other recipes. I have yet to try it in this recipe, however. I wouldn’t hesitate to try it, and if you do, please drop me a line and let me know how it works for you.
Fattening but delicious – thank you for a great recipe!
Mich, you’re correct about both! But once in a while, we’ve GOT to splurge!
My family loves the Entenmann’s coffee cake but we haven’t been able to find it in our stores. We especially love the powdered sugar (white) topped coffee cake. Can you tell me how to make that topping?
Joy, great question, and an EASY answer! This copycat cake IS THAT CRUMB COFFE CAKE. I just don’t sprinkle powdered sugar on mine. I did speak with a chef friend of mine who indicated that when he baked this recipe, he literally “rolled about half of the giant crumb hunks in Confectioners’ sugar before plopping them atop the cake batter.” DO THIS! 🙂 Let me know how you enjoy it should you make it.
Thank you Jenny I’ll try it. I’m always in search of the the perfect crumb cake.
🙂 !!!
I’m going to make your recipe tomorrow but with a twist. I am going to bake individual crumb cakes in paper crumb cake liners
Re the powder sugar.
King Arthur Flour Company sells a non melting powdered sugar that you can apply to the crumb cake when it’s cold, and it will not melt away. Good stuff!
Joy, I am SUPER EXCITED to know how the bake time is altered and how you enjoy them as minis! This is an incredibly smart idea for so many reasons and I’d love for you to share your success and any tips you may have so other readers may benefit from your bake. Please consider dropping back by and giving us the gen! x – Jenny
Omgoodness, this looks exactly like the Entenmanns Coffee Cake I have bought a zillion times! Pinned!
Thanks Cindy! I’m biased, but it’s a dead ringer for both looks and taste 🙂 X – Jenny
This looks better than Entemanns! Thanks for sharing at the What’s for Dinner party. Hope your week has been amazing!
Thank you, Helen! I hope you’re doing well!
Your Recipe looks fabulous. Would you be able to be so kind as to convert the recipe into grams? Thank you!
Hi Sue, YES! I have just adjusted the recipe card in the post. You can toggle the ingredients from US Customary to Metric now. Please tell me if this is working for you, as I would love, love, LOVE for you to assemble this little taste of Brooklyn, New York!
Absolutely delicious thank you for this wonderful recipe!
Sue, thank you. And thank you for EVERYTHING where conversions are concerned because I intend to add to every single recipe on this website. x – Jenny
This delicious recipe is one of my featured posts on this weeks SSPS #251! Have a great week ahead, and thanks for sharing with us.
Melynda, I positively LOVE sweet surprises like this – THANK YOU! x – Jenny
Made it. LOVED IT. Planning to bake it again for Easter as we will be hosting 23 family and friends this year. I know everybody will enjoy it.
I haven’t tried this recipe, YET, but I always have problems with the crumbs. I’ve use many recipes but I never know how moist it’s supposed to be. It either sinks down into the batter or overcooks and dries out. I absolutely love Entemanns crumb and that’s what I want to achieve!! Will this recipe guarantee me to copy Entemann’s crumb?
Hi Gizmo! Funny enough, I recently had a conversation with my friend Erren who developed this recipe. She told me that she has received the same remark regarding the crumbs sinking. I have received none despite this being her recipe. First, let me say that hunks of sinking crumbs is a home run in my book. My local bakery in NJ was known for golf ball sized hunks of crumb half sunken into the cake. It was the coveted slice! Erren has recently updated her method to address the sinking crumb issue. I’m going to recommend to you reading Erren’s information on this issue – find it here https://www.errenskitchen.com/new-jersey-crumb-coffee-cake/ .
Regardless of which one of our sites you grab the recipe from, the one thing I guarantee is the unmistakable flavor that is all Entenmann’s!
As a faithful entenmanns consumer, and also from NY, this was always a treat at my grandparents’ house. My mom would never buy it for us kids. Gone are the days of seeing anything but the individual crumb cakes that never have the same amount of crumbs on top and are hands down the best part.
Moving forward, I went out to buy all of the exact ingredients and made this recipe today. I even bought a food processor for the coveted crunch. To say the least, it came out awful.
The recipe to make the crumbs did not yield the crumbs at all so I did add more butter and it wasn’t even the right consistency to make into clumps. It was too wet still so I added a bit more flour in hopes it would be at the place where I could make the clumps. Added more flour and it eventually allowed for me to start making the crumbs it was no short feat. Long story longer..the baking time was way too long. I took it out after 30 minutes and the bottom was burnt to almost black. The crumbs taste awful too. I literally purchased a food processor and waited for it to arrive (which it did today) and it still did not yield the consistency:texture to make the quintessential crumbs. The cake part was the only thing that was somewhat edible. I followed this recipe to a T and am really disappointed at the outcome. I will be searching for a new recipe for this childhood favorite and hoed this recipe would be added to my book of favorites but it started off bad and just kept getting worse. I still cannot make sense of what I may done incorrectly and that’s what bugs me about this. I hope you all have a wonderful experience making this and sad that this is my review.
Lauren, look for an email from me in the next short while – given this recipe is baked over and over and over with NO RESULTS like what you describe here, I have to assume an innocent wrong turn was made along the recipe route – I can help you get to the bottom of it in no time if you’ll allow me. It looks like you went wrong with clumps right from the beginning by adding additional butter and flour, hence throwing off the measurements of the remaining ingredients. Not only did this action affect the crumbs, but sadly too, the base cake.
I have three Qs right from the start: did you in fact turn the crumb topping mixture out of the food processor and attempt to have the topping clump in your hands by squeezing it BEFORE you added more butter and more flour? Next, did you use a 9 x 13-inch cake pan? What is the cake pan made of, glass or a real cake pan? I will cover the remaining Qs I have in the email, but I WANT THIS RECIPE TO WORK FOR YOU. After all, you know what this cake does for the walk down memory lane and giving you the ability to nail this recipe is more momentous than just baking a cake. Look for my email, Lauren! Jenny
Lauren, check your email – messages I’ve sent are flagged as undeliverable. I didn’t get that alert with the most recent email I sent. 🙂
Best.Cake.Ever
If I could give this 10 stars I would. Thank you for enabling me to ‘bake my childhood’ here in Alaska whenever I want Entenmanns!
Louella, you’re a long way from home which I am guessing is either NY, NJ, or CT, am I right? Glad you enjoyed and I hope putting it together was as cathartic as eating was satisfying! x- Jenny
So easy and positively delish! I’m not a very skilled baker, so surprised myself when this turned out PERFECTLY and on the first try!