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My copycat Entenmann’s coffee cake recipe is a classic New York dense vanilla cake laden with a divine brown sugar cinnamon streusel and topped with powdered sugar! This is the perfect sweet treat to enjoy with a cup of coffee at breakfast or as an afternoon pick-me-up.
If you love easy and delicious cake recipes, don’t miss my recipes for Huguenot Church Blueberry Coffee Cake and this mouthwatering Skillet Cranberry Upside Down Cake.
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!
- Better than Entenmann’s – This recipe yields 15 generous servings for a fraction of what it would cost to purchase a mere 17 ounce Entenmann’s NY crumb at your grocery store…and this copycat recipe is that good that it gives Entenmann’s a run for its money!
Introduction
The New York crumb cake, beloved since 1898, has earned its reputation as the perfect companion to a morning cup of coffee. I still remember the smell of cinnamon sugar filling our local bakery, the hustle of ladies shouting orders, and the big white boxes tied with red and white baker’s twine. With this easy, modified method, I can recreate that iconic treat from my childhood anytime I like. This moist, dense golden cake is crowned with buttery cinnamon crumbs and hits all the marks!
Ingredients
There is no mistaking the obvious pantry staples required to assemble this cake, but I have noted why these ingredients are needed. Grab these key ingredients, along with a few others, and you’ll be ready to bake this easy cake!
- Dark Brown Sugar: The molasses in brown sugar helps to create a moist and tender crumb topping.
- Ground Cinnamon: This is the essential flavor in the dish! The cinnamon is warm and sweet, pairing perfectly with the buttery, crumbly topping. (If you love cinnamon cakes, don’t miss my autumn apple cream cheese bundt cake!)
- All-Purpose Flour: This type of 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.
- Buttermilk: This adds a tangy flavor, tenderizes the cake, and helps create a light and airy crumb topping. If you have extra buttermilk left over, make this butternut squash cake with buttermilk glaze!
- Powdered Sugar: Garnishing with a sprinkle of powdered sugar adds a touch of sweetness and a tempting visual garnish atop the cake – highly recommended!
See recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Substitutions & Variations
- Butter: 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: 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: Add other spices to the crumb cake batter, such as nutmeg, ginger, or cardamom.
- Topping: Add other ingredients to the crumb topping, such as oats, nuts, or dried fruit. If you love anything with streusel or crumb topping, try my easy recipe for berry good cornmeal streusel muffins.
How to Make Entenmann’s Crumb Coffee Cake
Scroll down for the full printable recipe or stick around for the step-by-step breakdown with photos to walk you through every delicious detail.
1
Make the Crumb Topping
- Melt 1 cup of unsalted butter, then use some of it to grease the bottom and sides of a 9 x 13-inch cake pan. Refrigerate the pan to set the butter. In a large bowl, sift together 2 cups of brown sugar, 2 tablespoons of cinnamon, 3 1/2 cups of flour, and 1 teaspoon of Kosher salt.
- Add melted butter and stir until large clumps form. I go in with my hands and squeeze. If needed, add more melted butter in tablespoon increments. Aim for a variety of crumb sizes, including some ‘cherry tomato-size’ crumbs, to spread over the cake.
2
Make the Cake Batter
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Remove the prepared cake pan from the refrigerator. Combine the remaining 2 cups flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Whisk to combine.
- Add 1 1/2 sticks softened butter to a medium bowl.
- Whip with a hand mixer until light, then add 1 ½ cups granulated sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, blending after each addition, then 1 1/4 cups buttermilk and 2 teaspoons vanilla. Blend until just incorporated.
- Add the flour mixture to the buttermilk mixture in two separate additions. Now the cake batter is ready!
3
Assemble the Layers
- Transfer the cake batter to the prepared baking pan, ensuring you scrape all the batter from the bowl.
- Spread the batter into the corners using the back of a wooden spoon or an offset spatula, smoothing the top.
4
Bake & Enjoy
- Evenly distribute the cinnamon crumb topping over the batter, placing the largest lumps in each corner and along the sides. Work from the outside edges to the center to prevent crumbs from sinking.
- Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, and the streusel topping is golden brown and slightly crunchy, about 50-70 minutes. Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack, then cut into 15 squares. Dust with confectioners’ sugar once completely cooled and serve.
Recipe FAQs
The store-bought version of Entenmann’s coffee cake includes a long list of preservatives to keep it shelf-stable, but my homemade version is made with basic pantry ingredients and is healthier without the additives! You’ll need simple ingredients like all-purpose flour, sugar, butter, eggs, buttermilk, vanilla, cinnamon, and a touch of baking soda and baking powder.
Ah, the age-old question! Despite the name, coffee cake doesn’t contain coffee in the actual recipe (although you can pair it with a coffee glaze if you’re feeling extra). It gets its name from the company it keeps! These cakes were made to be served alongside a cup of coffee, especially during brunches or mid-morning gatherings. Think of it as the perfect slice to nibble while sipping a hot mug and catching up with a friend. It’s less about the ingredient and more about the tradition!
This dessert is called streuselkuchen in Germany, and is known in English-speaking countries as crumb cake.
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.
Yes, it can! Especially since this is a large cake, once cooled and cut into 15 squares, I wrap it in plastic film, then slip inside a labeled freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months.
Serving Copycat Entenmann’s Crumb Coffee Cake
As the name implies, serve this cake New York style with a hot cup of joe! But seriously, serve slightly warm or serve completely cooled, it’s your choice. However you serve it, this cake is always a crowd-pleaser—especially when enjoyed fresh from the oven and dusted with a bit of powdered sugar!
This crumb coffee cake is a cozy match for lazy weekend mornings or casual get-togethers with friends. For a full brunch spread, offer up a savory balance with Spinach Quiche with Bacon and Bleu Cheese, Copycat Bob Evans Sausage Gravy & Biscuit Casserole, or a side of Cheddar Bay Biscuit Breakfast Casserole. For lunch, round this out with school cafeteria mac and cheese and Strawberry Blueberry Salad with Mozzarella.
Expert Tips
- You’ll need a 13 x 9-inch cake pan for this cake, as anything smaller will result in cake batter overflowing! Ask me how I know this…
- 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.
- Bring refrigerated items to room temperature before making the batter for a better result.
- Distribute the cinnamon crumb topping evenly so that each square will have BIG lumps. 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.
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Copycat Entenmann’s Crumb Coffee Cake Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Crumb Topping
- 1 cup unsalted butter, melted (2 sticks)
- 3½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups dark brown sugar, packed
- 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
For the Cake Batter
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature (1½ sticks)
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 ¼ cups buttermilk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- powdered sugar, for dusting
Instructions
Make the Crumb Topping
- Melt the unsalted butter in a saucepan. Use a silicone pastry brush to grease the bottom and sides of a 9×13-inch cake pan with some of the melted butter. Place the pan in the refrigerator to set the butter.
- In a large bowl, sift together the brown sugar, cinnamon, flour, and kosher salt. Add the melted butter and stir until large clumps form. If needed, add more melted butter in tablespoon increments. Aim for a variety of crumb sizes, including some 'cherry tomato-size' crumbs, to spread over the cake.
Make the Cake Batter
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Remove the prepared cake pan from the refrigerator. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In a medium bowl, add the softened butter and whip until light. Add the granulated sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Add both eggs one at a time, blending after each addition, then add the buttermilk and vanilla. Blend until just incorporated; it will be thick but fluid.
- Add the flour mixture to the buttermilk mixture in two separate additions, mixing gently between each addition. The cake batter is now complete.
Assemble the Layers and Bake
- Transfer the cake batter to the prepared baking pan, ensuring you scrape all the batter from the bowl. Spread the batter into the corners using the back of a wooden spoon or an offset spatula, smoothing the top.
- Evenly distribute the cinnamon crumb topping over the batter, placing the largest lumps in each corner and a few on the sides and middle. Work from the edges to the center to prevent crumbs from sinking.
- Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, and the streusel topping is golden-brown and slightly crunchy, anywhere from 50 to 70 minutes. Your oven may bake differently than mine, so begin testing for doneness at 50 minutes and re-test every 10 minutes if additional bake time is required.
- Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack, then cut into 15 squares. Dust with powdered sugar once completely cooled and serve.
Notes
- Bring refrigerated items to room temperature before making the batter for a better result.
- To Make Homemade Buttermilk: For every 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. (I recommend using 1 1/4 cups whole milk with 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon of distilled white vinegar for this crumb cake recipe.)
- Distribute the cinnamon crumb topping evenly so that each square will have BIG lumps. When adding crumb topping, start at the edges and work your way to the center. This will prevent the crumbs from sinking. Also, don’t press the crumbs down! It will push out the air and prevent the cake from rising.
- Storing Leftovers: To freeze, wrap individual squares with film, then slip inside a labeled freezer safe plastic zipper bag, freezing up to 3 months. To thaw, defrost overnight in the refrigerator.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
With great appreciation, this recipe is adapted from Erren’s Kitchen’s New Jersey Coffee Cake.
I hate to dampen the enthusiasm for this crumb cake, but Entenmann’s is only a pale replica of the “original” NYC crumb cake, which was made by Ebinger’s in their Brooklyn bakery and sold in outlets around the city. Growing up in Brooklyn, everyone had a favorite. Perhaps most people loved their “blackout cake,” but in truth, I never even tasted it. My family’s heart belonged to the crumb cake and lemon meringue pie, with its skyhigh meringue. When Ebinger’s went under in 1972, Entenmann’s bought their recipes but never really duplicated them. Perhaps the ingredients were too expensive to market in the type of quantity they needed. What they did duplicate successfully was the script font that Ebinger’s had used for its boxes. I’m not certain if anyone has ever discovered the original recipe. Try Googling it to see some of the attempts, as well as a truncated version from the original bakery. But there will never be another Ebinger’s.
Karen, I’ve been researching Ebingers without prior knowledge of the company, its existence, or its goodies. Funny enough, I’ve eaten Blackout Cake and never knew its origins 😉 The history fits in with Entenmann’s timeline of eventual gravitation away from bread and breadstuffs to when son Charlie began focusing on Entenmann’s as a company specializing in sweets. Never having tasted Ebinger’s New York Crumb, it appears that I will never know what I missed. The recipe I share here, though, is ‘Entenmann’s-inspired’ strictly after the Entenmann’s New York Crumb. For those like yourself who were lucky enough to have tasted Ebinger’s, I am envious to no end that you get to know that distinction between the two! Thanks for the history on this. It made me research that Blackout Cake and hunt down a recipe for it which, when I bake and share here, will be part of that short list of recipes on Not Entirely Average that I refer to as Yankee Fodder! We’re the fodder, Karen, and I wouldn’t want us any other way 🙂 Jenny
Just WOW! This was a whole lot easier than I thought it would be. AND DELICIOUS! Thank you.
Gemma, I am tickled you tried this coffee cake, and even more delighted that you thought it was easy! I THINK IT’S EASY! Nobody believes me, haha. Thank you for stopping back by to leave this kind message, Gemma! x – Jenny
The cake is delicious! Were the instructions generated by AI? I’ve baked a lot and I’ve never been as turned around by a recipe as this. There’s no joke about the pan size as in use a big pan! Put the circular one away. I used a 14 x 10 and still filled the pan nearly full.
I’m happy you used a big pan! lol 🙂 The instructions are not AI-generated; none of Not Entirely Average is AI-generated due to Google’s present admonishment of the tool as it applies to how my recipe will rank. You know the story – if you’re not on page 1, you’re nowhere. You were likely ‘turned around’ due to the sheer number of steps AND how concise everything is. I have had enough readers come back and tell me that (because the pan was too small or they added the buttermilk in an entirely different step, etc.) their cake failed. You clearly did not deviate from the steps, and I am elated that you will be able to enjoy your Entenmann’s!!!
Delicious – thank you!
It would be very appreciated to have title; cake crumbs and then the title cake batter.. and the butter melted / butter softened would be easier to understand if just separated crumbs and batter.. thank you!
Mich, thank you for the compliment and the feedback! Funny enough, I just eliminated the titles within the recipe card, but given you have made mention, I will consider going back in and adding them back. Glad you enjoyed the cake!!! x – Jenny
Maybe I am missing something, but how is the salt divided? Thanks!
Pierre! To clarify, it’s 1 teaspoon Kosher salt in the topping and 1/2 teaspoon in the cake base 🙂
How is the 5 1/2 cup of flour divided? Can not make this recipe do not know how much flour goes into crumbs and how much flour goes into batter
Diane, I’m going to call you Eagle Eye! I did I rewrite of this post and neglected to break the flour out for which I am grateful you recognized – thank you. 3 1/2 cups are for the topping, the remaining 2 cups for the cake base. Let me know how you enjoy the recipe should you assemble it! 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!
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
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. 🙂
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!