Old-Fashioned Crumb Cake Recipe
This old-fashioned crumb cake recipe gives you a soft, simple cake base with a cinnamon brown-sugar crumb topping. You’ll mix the dry ingredients, create a sandy crumb mixture, then finish the batter with egg and milk. Follow the how-to steps and you’ll have a cozy slice ready in about 40 minutes of baking time.
Ingredients
For the crumb and batter
Step-by-Step Method
Preheat and prep the pan
Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Lightly grease a medium square baking pan; line the bottom with parchment if you like easy removal.
Combine dry ingredients
In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt so everything is evenly distributed.
Make the crumb base
In a second bowl, mix the shortening and brown sugar until it looks sandy and crumbly.
Set aside topping
Scoop out about 1 cup of the crumb mixture and keep it aside for the topping.
Finish the batter
Add the egg to the remaining mixture and stir. Pour in the milk gradually while mixing until you get a thick, smooth batter.
Fill the pan
Spread the batter evenly in the pan and smooth the top. It’s thick, so take your time.
Add the crumbs
Sprinkle the reserved crumb mixture over the batter in an even layer. Break up any large clumps with your fingers.
Bake and cool
Bake for 40 minutes. Check with a toothpick; a few moist crumbs are fine, but it shouldn’t come out with wet batter. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10–15 minutes, then slice.