Go Back

Outrageously Buttery Crumb Cake

This simple crumb cake is the best I ever tasted. The cake is so moist, and there is a ton of buttery crumb topping to die for. It's my aunt's recipe from the 1970's (hence the 1 pound of butter) and therefore of uttermost decadence, but oh so delicious! I've made this recipe so many times, with so many compliments.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 45 minutes
Course lunch/dinner
Cuisine british
Servings 16 people
Calories 8624.6 kcal

Equipment

  • 1 Jellyroll Pan 12x18-inch size for optimal cake thickness.
  • 1 Electric Mixer Stand or hand-held for efficient batter mixing.
  • 2 Large Mixing Bowls One for cake batter, one for crumb topping.
  • 1 Rubber Spatula/Scraper For ensuring all batter is transferred.
  • 1 Pastry Blender (Optional) Helps achieve consistent crumbs with cold butter.

Ingredients
  

Main

  • 1 15.25 ounce package yellow cake mix
  • ⅔ cup water
  • 3 large eggs
  • ½ cup butter softened
  • 1 ⅓ cups packed brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon or to taste
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 4 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 ½ cups cold butter cubed
  • 1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar for dusting Optional

Instructions
 

  • Gather all ingredients. Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 12x18-inch jellyroll pan.
  • Beat yellow cake mix, water, eggs, and 1/2 cup softened butter together with an electric mixer in a mixing bowl until thoroughly blended, about 2 minutes on medium speed. Pour the cake batter into the prepared jellyroll pan. Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
  • Bake in the preheated oven until the edges of the cake are light brown but the middle of the cake is still slightly gooey, 15 to 17 minutes. Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
  • Meanwhile, make the crumb topping: Mix brown sugar, cinnamon, vanilla extract, and flour together in a large bowl. Rub in 1 ½ cups butter until the mixture forms medium crumbs. Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
  • Remove cake from the oven, and press about 3/4 of the crumb topping onto the top of the almost-baked cake. Reserve the remaining topping. Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
  • Return cake to the oven, and bake an additional 10 to 12 minutes, until the crumb topping is firm and cake is cooked all the way through.
  • Remove cake from the oven, and sprinkle with remaining crumb topping. Let cake cool to room temperature, and sprinkle with confectioners' sugar. Dotdash Meredith Food Studios

Notes

Achieving the perfect crumb texture is paramount; ensure your 1 ½ cups of butter are very cold and cubed for the topping. This allows for excellent "rubbing in" to create distinct, buttery crumbs that don't melt away. A pastry blender can assist if you prefer not to use your hands. For the cake base, ensure the ½ cup butter is genuinely softened for a smooth, homogenous batter. The two-stage baking process is critical: underbake the base slightly to allow it to finish cooking with the heavy crumb topping, preventing a dry cake. To elevate the flavor profile, consider adding a tiny pinch of freshly grated nutmeg or a touch of almond extract to the crumb mixture. Always cool completely before dusting with confectioners' sugar for a clean, professional finish.