We identified a problem: The best part of a crumb cake is, without fail, the crunchy-sweet topping. So we dreamed up a solution: a cake that’s equal parts crumb and cake. The topping gets extra pizzazz from crushed gingersnaps and fresh ginger that balance all that buttery goodness. Also, no need to whip out the fancy stand mixer—both the topping and batter come together in a food processor. Whoever said you can’t have your cake and eat it too?
Recipe information
Yield
10–12 servings
Ingredients
Crumb Topping
2
3
1¾
1
1¼
1¼
2
Cake and Assembly
10
2⅓
1⅓
2
1
½
2
⅔
1
Preparation
Crumb Topping
Step 1
Process gingersnaps in a food processor until fine crumbs form. Add flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt and pulse until combined. Transfer flour mixture to a large bowl and gradually drizzle in melted butter, mixing until large sandy clumps form and no dry spots remain. Add ginger and mix just to combine. Set crumb topping aside until ready to use. Wipe out food processor bowl (no need to wash it; you’ll use it for the cake).
Cake and Assembly
Step 2
Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly grease a 13x9" pan with butter, then line with parchment, leaving an overhang on both long sides; butter parchment. Pulse flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in food processor until combined. Add 10 Tbsp. butter and pulse until mixture is sandy. Add eggs, sour cream, and vanilla and pulse continuously until mixture is very smooth and homogenous, about 2 minutes. Scrape down sides and pulse once more.
Step 3
Spread batter in prepared pan. Scatter crumb topping over, squeezing small handfuls with your palms to create some larger crumbs and slightly favoring the outside 2" around the perimeter.
Step 4
Bake cake until crumb is golden brown and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 40–50 minutes. Let cool.
Step 5
Run a thin knife around edge of pan to help release cake. Lift parchment up and transfer cake to a cutting board or platter; discard parchment. Cut cake into squares.
Leave a Review
Reviews (14)
Back to TopDelicious! Always wanted to bake a crumb cake and I love the ratio of crumb to cake! However the only change I made was reduced cinnamon to 1tsp as I thought 1 Tbsp sounded like ALOT. you could still taste the cinnamon without it being over powering. I also only had less than 1/3 cup of sour cream left so I substituted plain low fat yogurt. Also added some fresh blueberries to the batter (about a cup). The cake was an excellent dessert when served warm with custard and/ ice cream and even better the next day with coffee. I’ve written down the recipe just in case BA removes it from their website one day I love it that much!
Rita D
New Jersey
4/25/2021
I’ve never been able to bake anything more complicated then brownies from a mix in a box, or something equally simple like Nestle Cookies. I decided to try this recipe in an attempt to make something a bit more complicated and from scratch. And it came out great! It was difficult a bit to do this without a food processor, but I managed to use my blender pretty effectively. And I took some to other friends in quarantine and they all loved it. Can’t wait to bring this to a party someday. And now - I feel ready to bake other, more complicated things as well.
arincon1991
New York City
5/21/2020
excellent cake! can eat it for dessert...or even breakfast. love the spice that the ground ginger and the gingersnaps add! vanilla ice cream is an excellent accompaniment.
Anonymous
Chicago, IL
4/26/2020
YUM so good. The flavor of the cake itself was amazing and of course the crumb portion was spot on. A super fun dessert/snack that was devoured v quickly
abbygauen
Chicago
4/7/2020
This recipe was a little finicky, but I'm not much of a baker anyways. I liked the idea of the double crumb layer in proportion to the cake, but I think it makes the baking process a bit more difficult. I noticed that the cake did not cook super evenly throughout, and I actually had the opposite problem to other posters saying 40 minutes was too long; mine needed longer in the oven to bake through, so again, I think it's down to inconsistency with the crumb coating preventing even baking. Other than the baking though, I thought it came together fairly easily and I enjoyed the flavors. It's not something I'd make often simply due to the large quantity of butter in the recipe, but it was great to bring into work as a treat for everyone.
Anonymous
Cleveland, Ohio
3/3/2020
Molly Baz does it again! This cake is A1. The ratio of crumb to cake is insanely perfect. All crumb cakes must be make with this ratio from this point forward.
Mia LaVada
Upstate NY
1/27/2020
Don't have that size pan..can I use 9" springform pan, and how does it change cooking time????
hunyejohn
12/17/2019