Learn how to make crumb topping with this easy, four-ingredient recipe. These crumb cake crumbs aren’t just for crumb cake – they make a perfect topping for all kinds of quick breads, cakes, and fruit desserts. Top with powdered sugar for a classic touch.
One dessert (or occasional brunch sweet treat) that’s hard for me to resist is crumb cake. Where I’m from, crumb cake is more crumb than cake, with a moderately-sized bottom layer of simple vanilla cake topped with a huge layer of crumbs. Sweet and buttery crumb cake crumbs.
It’s all about the crumb topping. The cake layer is almost an afterthought.
While there are a million and one crumb cake recipes out there, equally deserving is a post dedicated to the crumb topping itself. Besides gracing traditional crumb cake, it’s an incredibly versatile recipe to have on hand for whenever you’re making quick breads, snack cakes, fruit crisps, etc.
Crumb topping banana bread? Spiced peach crisp with crumb topping? Yes and yes, please.
If you’ve ever wondered how to make crumb topping, you’ll need four ingredients: brown sugar, cinnamon, butter, and flour. First the brown sugar and cinnamon and combined together in a bowl. You won’t need a huge mixing bowl or anything. I used a cereal bowl (the white one in the photos here) and it was the perfect fit for this batch of crumb topping.
And don’t worry about the cinnamon adding too much of a spiced flavor here. One half teaspoon adds just the right amount of flavor without being the center of attention.
Once the brown sugar and cinnamon are combined, you’ll mix in melted, unsalted butter. It’ll look preeeeetty liquid-y and not much like crumb topping at all at this point, but it will solidify perfectly once the flour is added.
I tend to use all-purpose flour, but sometimes I’ll switch it up and use white whole wheat flour. In my experience it tastes and behaves just the same as all-purpose. To note, I haven’t experimented with gluten-free flours in this recipe, so I’m unsure if it would turn out the same.
Two-thirds cup plus one tablespoon of flour seems like a pretty finicky measurement, but it’s the perfect amount that I’ve found to produce a crumb topping that’s, well, crumbly while not being too dry. Your goal is to have a crumb topping with a texture that can hold its shape when scattered over a dessert, yet isn’t too dry that larger crumbs disintegrate into sand.
As far as servings go, this batch of crumb topping covers an 8″ x 8″ baking dish completely, seen in the first photo in this post. However keep in mind that it may be best to double this recipe if you’d like a topping closer to the crumbs on a traditional crumb cake. This recipe as written below won’t get you quite that layer of crumbs on its own.
P.S…
- Curious to see the process of how to make crumb topping in action? Head on over to this spiced peach crisp with crumb topping recipe and scroll down to watch a quick recipe video!
- To measure flour, I first stir the flour up in its canister or bag. Then with a large soup spoon I spoon it into the measuring cup, taking care not to pack it in. Once the measuring cup has a heap of flour in it, I’ll place it over top of the flour canister opening and using a straight edge (usually the handle of the spoon so as not to dirty another utensil), level off the flour with the excess falling back into the container. This way prevents too much flour from being added to a recipe from being packed into the measuring cup, leading to dry baked goods.
See how to make crumb topping in this video below:
How to Make Crumb Topping
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
- 2/3 cup plus 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
Instructions
- Combine brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.
- Pour in melted butter and stir in.
- Add flour and stir until evenly combined. The mixture should be forming crumbs and hold together when pinched.
- Scatter over top of cakes, breads, and fruit desserts before baking. Top with powdered sugar for serving.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as an estimate. As it can vary due to many factors (brands used, quantities, etc.), we cannot guarantee its accuracy.
Alane says
Can I bake this crumb recipe in a pie pan by itself as a “just crumb crumb cake”? Like Uncle Giuseppe’s?
Alyssa says
Hi Alane, I have baked these crumbs just by themselves, but I haven’t smushed them together pre-bake into their own “just crumb” cake like Uncle Giuseppe’s. I think it could work, though! To bake the crumbs by themselves I’ve set the oven to 350°F and scattered them on a parchment-lined baking sheet, baking for 10-15 minutes or until crisped up. I’m not sure how the timing might vary if baking them all next to one another, so I’d say just keep an eye on it, keeping in mind the crumbs tend to crisp up some during the cooling process. If you’re on Instagram, I have a ‘crumbs’ IG story highlight saved on my profile of me showing how I baked the crumbs by themselves. I hope that’s helpful!
Janan Dean says
Hi, my crumb topping looked gooey and I’ve had bad experiences before, so I added some Graham cracker crumbs to it to take up some moisture. It worked great. And apparently the size pie pan I used was bigger, or my hand is heavy, bc I wanted more crumble. I’m going to increase my portions. This is the first time it has ever worked. Yeah!!!!
Alyssa says
So glad it worked for you, Janan!! Thanks for letting me know how it went. 🙂
Chuck says
Why is my crumb topping so hard after baking my apple pie
Alyssa says
Hi Chuck, this crumb topping definitely does crisp/harden up as it bakes on a dessert, but it shouldn’t be too hard that it’s off-putting. Does your pie bake for a particularly long time? I’ve used this crumb topping on cakes/pies that bake for 40-45 minutes without issue. For a recipe with a long bake time, it may be better to add the crumb topping part-way through the baking.
marlene johnsen says
Can you freeze a baked pie with a crumb topping?
Alyssa says
Hi Marlene, I haven’t done that before so I couldn’t say, but if the crumb topping has been baked along with the pie, the topping should hold up just fine.
Carole Ann says
Perfect for my apple pie topping. I just adjusted the amount of flour to make it less mushy. Thank you for a great easy recipe.
Sarah says
Now THIS looks exactly like what I have been looking for! I am going to try it and tell you what I think! Thanks!
Alyssa says
Hope you enjoy, Sarah!
Gloria says
Hi, my problem is that my crumb NEVER comes out crumbly, it always comes out gooey. HELP.
Gloria says
It never says to bake crumb before adding it to the recipe.
Alyssa says
Hi Gloria, instruction #4 in the recipe card says to scatter the crumbs over whatever you’re making (quick breads, muffins, etc.) before baking. The crumbs need to bake to crisp up or else they’ll be too soft and mushy like you’re describing. Since most often I add crumbs to things that need to be baked, that’s how I wrote the recipe.
The comment below yours from reader Indy asked about baking the crumbs by themselves, without a dessert underneath. I have a lengthy answer on how that will work below if you scroll a bit. I hope that’s helpful!
Indy says
Waiting to see what your answer to Alana’s question is, about the baking time just for a batch of crumbs.
Thanks
Indy
Alyssa says
Hi Indy, apologies, I’ve just gotten around to testing them out myself. I scattered the crumbs in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet. With the oven at 350°F, I set the timer for 10 minutes. At that point the smaller crumbs had crisped, but the bigger ones needed more time. I broke up any bigger ‘clusters’, then put them in for another 2-3 minutes. They do crisp up additionally as they cool on the baking sheet so keep that in mind. I’d say somewhere between 10-15 minutes (depending on the size of your crumbs), then see how they do after cooling. They can always go back in for extra time if needed. I hope that’s helpful!
GM says
I just added this crumb topping recipe to my Blueberry Zucchini bread and it was delicious. Thanks!
Alyssa says
So glad you liked it! Blueberry zucchini bread sounds delicious.
Alex says
Hey so this is a topping I would definitely like to use on this cinnamon cheesecake I’m making. Do you think it would be best to put this on top of the cheesecake prior to or after it has finished baking?
Alyssa says
Hi Alex, a cinnamon cheesecake sounds delicious! I haven’t used this topping on a cheesecake (…yet) but I would crumble it over top before baking. Baking firms/crisps up the crumb topping nicely. Otherwise it would likely be soft/kind of mushy without baking.
Alex says
This helps a lot! Thank you!
Alice says
I was in a rush and didn’t realise this was for desserts so now my pasta bake has this crumb topping on top. Tastes lovely though
Alyssa says
Oh gosh! So sorry you had a mix-up, but glad you enjoyed the taste of the topping itself. Hopefully you can keep it in mind for desserts! 🙂
Sana says
Do you know if I can use crumble as a filling between the cake layers – between cream cheese frosting? I really want to try that but I don’t want it to fail!!
Alyssa says
Hi Sana, ooh the taste sounds delicious with cream cheese frosting. The only thing though is that you’d want to bake it before using it in a finished dish like that. The mixture is mushable beforehand, with the crumbs hardening/crisping up once baked. It seems like it could work to bake the crumbs without a dessert underneath (maybe on a rimmed, parchment-lined baking sheet?) but I’ve never tried it that way myself. Please let me know if you end up giving it a shot!
Alana says
I was also looking to bake this as is for topping on parfaits and such! If you have already attempted can you let me know what temp. you baked at and for how long.
Thanks so much!
Alyssa says
Hi Alana, I’m sorry my reply is delayed but I’ve now gotten a chance to try it out myself. I set the oven to 350°F and lined a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. I scattered the crumbs on the sheet and baked them for 10 minutes. At that point I broke up any bigger clusters of crumbs and put them back in the oven for 2-3 minutes. They crisp up more as they cool, so that was sufficient baking time for my batch. I’d start with 10 minutes on the timer and see how they go from there, keeping in mind they do crisp up when they cool. I hope that’s helpful!
Karen says
Mmmm. I’m thinking about topping vanilla ice cream with fresh warm apple sauce and sprinkling topping on top.
Alyssa says
That sounds delicious!!
wilhelmina says
I have to admit, the crumb topping is always my favorite part!
Beth says
I love to make this and keep a batch in the freezer or fridge for a spontaneous dessert event! 🙂 Thanks for this great recipe – simple but so smart!