1/26/09

chai crumbcake

chai crumbcake

My love for crumb cake runs deep. I love NYC style crumb cake with a thick, thick crumbly topping and a rich buttery cake. I love how it's a 2 to 1 ratio for topping and cake. But some of the recipes I've found only give it a 1 to 1 ratio, so when that happens I just double the ingredients for the crumb topping, just like I did with this recipe below. I mean the best part is that darn sweet and gently salty topping filed with spices or just plain cinnamon, right? Oh yeah! And I also love what you can do with crumbcake: you can add fruit to it, add nuts, glazes, drizzles, chocolate, and now I've found you can add chai. I love that strange but warming flavor of chai, every once in a while I love to get a hot chai tea from Starbucks. I highly recommend this recipe from Baking Bites; it's really good and has a gentle flavor of chai.

If you were going to kick up a crumbcake, what would you add to it?

chai crumbcake

chai crumb cake (with extra crumb topping)
adapted from Baking Bites
print recipe

Topping: (I doubled this for an extra thick topping. Below is the regular size, if you want double crumb topping, then double all the ingredients for topping)
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp ginger
½ tsp cardamom
½ tsp allspice
½ tsp salt
1 ½ cups all purpose flour
½ cup butter, melted and cooled slightly

Cake:
1 ¾ cups all purpose flour
¾ tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
2/3 cup butter, soft
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
2/3 cup sour cream

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 9″ square baking pan with parchment paper or lightly greased aluminum foil. (I used an 8inch pan and sprayed with Pam)

In a medium bowl, combine all topping ingredients except butter. Whisk to blend.
Gradually stir in the melted butter, using a large fork or spatula to mix. When all the butter has been incorporated and the mixture looks like wet sand, squeeze small clumps together to make large crumbs ranging in size from that of a pea to that of a grape. Set aside. (I doubled the amount of crumb as there was such a thin layer of it).

In another medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together until light. Beat in eggs, one at a time, followed by vanilla extract. With the mixer set on a low speed (or by hand), alternately add in flour and sour cream in two or three additions. When no streaks of flour remain, pour into prepared pan. Top evenly with crumb mixture.
Bake at 350F for about 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Cool on a wire rack before slicing. (I baked at 325 degrees for 15 minutes, turned pan, then another 15).
Serves 9-12, depending on how you slice it.

48 comments:

  1. I love it with fruit, and big HUGE crumbs.

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  2. those crumbs look soo decadent and delicious! i love chai!

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  3. Oh man that looks so good! I love NY crumb cake too, the big frigging crumbs are the best part. I think Baileys in a crumb cake would be awesome. ;)

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  4. Starbucks should pay you for your delicious looking crumb cake! The addition of chai spices has to kick this up a notch.

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  5. Terrific recipe - I'm definitely going to make it.

    P.S. My grocery store also had those Entenmann's danish placed close to the entrance lol.

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  6. i'm loving the crumb to cake ratio :) i've got some matcha i've been meanint to experiment with...

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  7. I just fell to the ground kicking and screaming because I can't have some RIGHT THIS MINUTE! It looks awesome!

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  8. Oh my goodness! I am bookmarking this. My family loves Ny style crumbcake. I might bhave to leave out the spice because i am not sure if the kiddos will like it and I don't want to have to eat the whole thing myself.

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  9. This looks amazing - I love chai tea, and I love crumbcake!

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  10. Brilliant idea with the chai. Look at that gorgeous crumb too...now that is my favorite part.

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  11. I love crumbs on anything. My son wants me to prepare only the crumbs next time. That looks yummy.

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  12. I love the crumb, lots of it! It's my favorite part of the cake!

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  13. I love how you can see all those layers, and chai is sooo tasty. Thanks for sharing!

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  14. Ohh la la, I love chai. I will definately try these, thanks!

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  15. Mmm. Delicious! Love the large crumb. The chai spices must be just so superb in this!

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  16. I love the spices, but I'd add apples. I love fruit in my pastries and desserts.

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  17. OMG that is delicious looking, WOW! Those crumbs are impressive and just holy wow.

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  18. AWESOME crumb. that's a wonderful crumb-to-cake ratio--2:1 is as it should be. please enter this into my cinnamon celebration. it's amazing.

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  19. Very nice! Do you know how long I tested crumb cake recipes to find that perfect one? You know the ones I mean? The kind that were in my city. You'd wake on a sunday morning and go down to the Italian bakery to pick up a few loaves and some crumb buns. They were wonderful. Now, that I live upstate, I have to make my own bread and pastries. I'll have to try your recipe to see if they have that taste I remember. But first I have to lose the pounds from the biscotti dip ;)

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  20. I love this chai crumbcake - it sounds really yummy!

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  21. Look at all of those crumbs!! CRUMBLICIOUS!!!

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  22. Can I come for breakfast? This is my idea of a perfect crumb cake - I love the thick topping! Looks wonderful Dawn.

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  23. OMG. Once again it is my fervent desire to bite the screen. Lovely!

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  24. i seriously love crumb cake and this looks like a lot of delicious crumbly crumbs!

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  25. Yup love the crumbly topping the best. What if we just made it with the topping and the heck with the cake, would that work?

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  26. Wow, Dawn, I really love chai flavors and crumbcake, so this is a fantastic combo!

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  27. HOLY COW! Hold on while I put my eyes back in my head...Dawn-this looks AMAZING.....I can't wait to try it. I'm off to grab a paper towel to mop up the drool....:)

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  28. I swear I commented before. Blogger can go to hell!!!

    I LOVE Chai and I LOVE crumb cake. Awesome job, sweets!!!

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  29. Wow, that almost looks like a torte with those gorgeous layers! I just know that I'd pick off that crumb top and nibble at it until it was gone. I'm bad that way! :-)

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  30. Haha, I love how that cake has more crumble than cake. Just the way I like it!! Mmmm~

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  31. This looks so moist and wonderful....definitely food porn.

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  32. You've got a spice 1,2,3,4 punch that I like...and ironically this would be good with coffee! lol

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  33. I want a slice of that so badly now! I love all crumb things, I can eat crumb by it self! And love the idea of the chai flavor! To kick it up, I would maybe just add it dulce de leche and I would be good to go!

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  34. Just love the crumbs, more the better ;-)

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  35. All I have to say is....WOW.

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  36. I really REALLY enjoyed the cake..Its good with milk and the blueberry crumb muffins are tremendous as well! I mean HELLO!!!

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  37. That thick layer of crumb is Wow! That's the part that I love!

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  38. oh my! The crumbs ARE te best part- yum yum! This would make the best weekend breakfast

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  39. This looks out of this world. Can I borrow your other husband? Send him over with a slice of this!!

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  40. Hmm, I'm near NYC, maybe I should search for that crumbcake? It looks so good! My deadly addition would have to be something along the butterscotch/dulce de leche family :)

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  41. Oh boy do I love crumb cake. As a kid I used to eat half a box of Entemann's coffee cake for breakfast on special days (the ones where my mom bought it)! I miss NY crumb cakes, that'll be the first thing I get when I return!

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  42. someday, when i start baking i'd really really like to make something like this. :) so nice. great work. :)

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  43. Uncle Pauly sends his love. LOL

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  44. Oh yummy! I love the flavors you mix! You know I love that Starbucks cup too. My terrible addiction. ;)

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  45. Those look so good! Just look at those thick layers of perfect crumbs! I really need to get around to trying chai.

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  46. Thanks so much for this recipe! The double layer of crumbs is just right for me. Feel free to check out my blog post about my experience with this recipe: http://www.tomatokumato.com/2009/03/10/cake-day/

    Thanks again!

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