Do you remember those little Hostess crumb cakes? When I was a kid my dad used to buy those just for me because I loved them so much. I’ve tried a couple of recipes that failed, but today I’m going to share a delicious crumb cake recipe with you that brings back childhood memories.
Warning, this makes a lot of crumb cake. This would be a great breakfast treat for a holiday when you have several guests in the house. Cut into squares and placed in zipper sandwich bags, it will also make for a great treat to add to your child’s lunch bag.
It’s time again for The Secret Recipe Club. This month I was assigned to Chris and Rachel’s blog, The Keenan Cookbook. Chris and Rachel make a great pair. Chris does most of the cooking and baking and Rachel takes pictures and does the editing. A match made in food blogger Heaven! :)
I actually picked several recipes from their blog that I might want to try. This White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake sounds amazing and I may make it for Christmas! Then there was this Buffalo Chicken Mac And Cheese which I still have bookmarked, it sounds great! I also looked at these decadent Cookies and Cream Oreo Fudge Brownies O. M. G.
Ultimately though, I decided on a recipe affectionately named Mom’s Crumb Cake.
The sheer amount of butter in the topping of this crumb cake recipe frightened me at first, and I’m not shy about using butter! However, once I realized it would be spread across a 12×17 jelly roll pan my cholesterol meter calmed down a bit. :) This makes a LOT of cake. It’s delicious and very easy. The only thing, and no fault to the recipe or the Keenans, is that it uses a yellow cake mix, which tastes overly sweet to me. Since I started baking so many cakes from scratch, I’m no terribly fond of cake mixes. They are quick and great in a pinch, but yellow cake in particular is very sweet. I would love to try this recipe again with a “from scratch” cake, and maybe in muffin form!
Thanks for the great recipe Chris and Rachel!
Crumb Cake for a Crowd
IMPORTANT - There are often Frequently Asked Questions within the blog post that you may find helpful. Simply scroll back up to read them!
Print It Rate ItIngredients
For the cake
- 1 box of yellow cake mix NOT pudding type
- 3 eggs
- 11/3 cup water
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
For the crumb topping
- 1 pound of softened butter 4 sticks
- 4 cups all purpose flour
- 11/3 cup sugar
- 3 tsp vanilla
- 3 tsp cinnamon
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Combine cake ingredients and beat in mixer for 4 minutes. This creates a very satiny, thick batter. Spread into a 12×17 jelly roll pan. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes.
- Combine crumb topping ingredients until it has the consistency of wet sand.
- Crumble over partially cooked cake. Return cake to oven for 10-15 minutes more (toothpick should come out clean if not return to oven).
- Optional: Cool and sprinkle with confectioner sugar.
- Cut into squares.
Amanda Davis
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Mary says
We call this funeral cake b/c it makes so much and keeps well. The recipe I have calls for a white cake mix rather than yellow. I think that keeps the sweetness down.
Amanda Formaro says
White cake would be yummy! Though I think crumb cake is a more appealing name than funeral cake :-/
Jill says
Do you use the oil in the cake recipe as noted on the mix box?
Amanda Formaro says
Hi Jill, sorry for taking so long to respond! No, just the ingredients listed in the recipe.
carole says
i would add chopped apples to make it an apple crumb cake.but chop very small.even yummier…………
yours sounds yummy too
Deb says
This is one of my most favorite coffeecake recipes – I cannot stand cake mix, so I make homemade cake mix to keep in the freezer, then use it for this yummy cake. FABULOUS!
NETTIE DEEN says
DO YOU HAVE A DAILY OR WEEKLY E-MAILING?
I WOULD LOVE TO BE ADDED TO YOUR LIST.
Amanda says
Hi Nettie :) There’s an email subscribe box in the right side bar. That will delivery you an email whenever a new post is added. Or if you prefer reading through an RSS reader, the RSS icon at the top right will take you to the feed. Thanks!
Holly says
Hello Amanda ! Didn’t expect to see a recipe here from you, how cool! I was googling for a crumb cake recipe for a crowd and the one you shared popped up. It is the same that I make but I make it in a 13×9 pan. I’ve made that recipe for a long time now. My question to you is, will the cake still be moist being baked in such a large pan?My Grandson is having a fund raiser breakfast with his Boy Scout troop and I thought I’d make this to go along with the breakfast they are making. Just in case someone only wants a cup of coffee and piece of crumb cake.Hope to hear from you soon as the breakfsst is this coming wknd.Thanks Amanda!
Amanda Formaro says
Yes the cake will still be moist! I actually wondered the same thing but it worked out fine, just be careful not to over bake :)
Calogero says
Wonderful :-).
beti says
it looks incredibly moist on the inside, definetly a must try
Megan's Cookin' says
The more crumb the better and this looks perfect!
Jen says
Wow, this cake looks delicious! I wonder how it would come out if you put the topping onto partially baked cupcakes. Anything baked in the shape of a cupcake is a winner with my kids :)
Btw, I love the new look of your site, it’s beautiful!
Amanda Formaro says
Thanks so much jen!
Astrid says
ooooh I want this cake!
Angie @ Bigbearswife says
great choice for SRC Amanda!
Delishhh says
Awesome recipe :) Perfect for a brunch party!
Sweet as Sugar Cookies says
I love crumb cake. I can never resist that yummy topping.
Chaya says
This is our favorite kind of cake. Not big fans of gushy cakes. This is a to try recipe. You make it look delicious.
London Accountant says
I know you say it makes a lot of cake – the only pitfall is that I’d still probably eat all of it! Looks delicious.
Judee @ Gluten Free A-Z says
I love crumb toppings. This looks like a great recipe to have for company or holidays.
sara says
Looks great! This would be a great treat to make for a big holiday breakfast! :)
Lesa @Edesia's Notebook says
That looks really good. I make food for church events quite often; this would be perfect.
Chris @ TheKeenanCookBook says
Hello Secret Recipe friend! So glad you tried Mom’s crumb cake and liked it – I’m going to send her your post :). The title “crumb cake for a crowd” is very true as this recipe yields quite a lot of cake, though I might amend the title to add “… or, you just had a baby. You are going to eat this all yourself” as Rachel and I did :)
Thanks again and cheers :)
Amanda Formaro says
Thanks so much Chris! It was great. My mother in law was visiting when I made it and she loved it too!