Lemon Crumb Cake is a New York style coffee cake with a delicate fresh lemon flavor, made with my special lemon infused sugar.
lemon crumb cake is a classic New York style coffee cake
I patterned this recipe after one of my favorite coffee cakes on the blog, my Cardamom Crumb Cake. I made it for the family and realized it was too good not to share with you guys. It bakes up nice and tall, and it’s fluffy on the inside with a nice thick nubbly crumb crust on the top. But best of all it’s laced with the most delicate lemon flavor ~ that’s because the flavor is infused into the sugar that then bakes into the cake. The kitchen smells incredible, and everybody lunges for the first piece.
Here’s what readers are saying about this simple lemon crumb cake:
- “Another great recipe! This cake rises so high, and is the perfect crumb.”
- “This came out just like the picture! I’m so stoked.”
- “Already looking forward to making it again!”
- “Thanks for the recipe will be my forever go to!!!
You know I adore lemon, and I’m always on a quiet crusade to find better ways to get real lemon flavor into my baking. This is one of my favorite techniques, and you may remember it from my buttery Lemon Sugar Shortbread (still one of my all-time favorites).
A food processor is the perfect tool for making lemon sugar. I simply process the clean lemon peel (removed with a vegetable peeler) with the sugar until it transforms into a fragrant citrus sugar ~ it takes just seconds, and the flavor payoff in this lemon crumb cake is huge.
common questions about lemon crumb cake
You’ll grate the lemon zest with a grater and mix with the sugar. In that case I recommend grating the zest of 2 lemons.
You can use regular whole milk instead.
Yes, sure. let it cool completely first, then wrap in foil, and again in plastic. Plan to use within 3 months.
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Lemon Sugar Crumb Cake
Video
Equipment
- full sized food processor
- 9×9 baking pan
Ingredients
- 1 lemon, organic preferred, well washed and dried
- 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
- 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 Tbsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2/3 cup cold unsalted butter cut in small pieces
wet ingredients
- 2/3 cup milk
- 2 large eggs
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- preheat oven to 325. Spray a 9×9 square baking pan and line with parchment paper if you want to be able to lift it out for cutting. This is optional.
- Use a serrated vegetable peeler to carefully peel away the zest from the lemon. You want only the yellow, not any of the bitter white pith.
- Put the sugar into the bowl of a food processor, along with the zest. Process, scraping down the sides if necessary, for about a minute or so, until the zest is completely incorporated into the sugar.
- Add the flour, baking powder, and salt into the processor and pulse to combine everything.
- Add the butter to the bowl. Pulse to combine, maybe about 20 pulses. The mixture should be crumbly with the butter well distributed and in very small pieces.
- Measure out 1 cup of the mixture and set aside.
- Whisk together the wet ingredients and add to the dry, mixing just until combined. Spread the batter into the pan, and top with the reserved crumbs. Note: I use my fingertips to make some larger, chunkier crumbs to create a nice texture on the top. Just compress the dry mixture a little between your fingers to make any size crumb you like.
- Bake for about 40 minutes, until a toothpick comes out without wet batter clinging to it, moist crumbs are fine.
Notes
- I like to use organic lemons when I know I’ll be using the peel, and I wash them really well.
- If you don’t have a food processor you can do this by hand. Grate the lemon zest and mix with the sugar. I would use the zest of 2 lemons if you are doing it by hand.
Nutrition
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Be still my heart! Love this dreamy cake and that crumb topping is perfection! 🙂
Love lemon flavor too! And this lemon sugar crumb cake looks wonderful! Perfect for the Easter dessert table!
I definitely have to try this recipe! That crumb topping looks sooooo good!
I made two of these today. One to keep and one to eat. It came out beautiful, very high and I baked it in the second rack from the bottom and added an extra 10 minutes to the time. It was very tasty but I would like a little more topping in clusters. And as one person said in the reviews she would add a little more butter. I really do not think that is the answer because that would only put more butter in the cake, and I don’t want to do that. Do you have any suggestions on how I could do extra butter on only the topping? Also, do u think it would be too much if I replaced the milk with the juice of one lemon? Please advise……..thank you Dorothy
This cake looks so moist and delicious. Just waiting to be eaten. I’m a big fan of lemon flavors as well.
I adore anything baked with lemon! This sounds so good and I can’t wait to try it, Sue. Winner!
This looks phenomenal! The crumb topping has me droooooling.
Oh my gosh! This lemon sugar crumb cake looks so delicious! So fluffy! I can not wait to make it!
Outstanding recipe! I can’t wait to try next time I have company because I’ll need help eating this cake – not really but I won’t trust myself around it. Thanks for the terrific method of infusing lemon flavor – perfection! Sharing and pinning 🙂
Tender crumb and buttery topping..these sweet tangy lemon bars look very inviting!
I want this now! Looks totally amazing. Just the idea has my head spinning and tummy growling!