Old-Fashioned Crumb Cake

Oh my gosh, guys.

Have you ever had Entenmann's traditional crumb cake? The kind that comes with the HUGE crumbs on top that you just have to pick off and eat right away? This cake trumps that. Like seriously.

My mom used to do like I do and pick all the tasty crumbs off of the cake and devour them. My mom's grandmother (or my great-grandmother, duh)  would then take the leftover cake pieces sans crumbs, spread some butter on them and have a tasty little treat. I don't get it either (how could you resist the crumbs...they're the best part!), but it was a system that worked for them.

All components of this cake are off the charts, but the crumb topping is exceptional. I resisted taking this to my family and my father-in-law because I knew they'd devour it, but I gave in and I was right. It was gone in 3 minutes. My brother even requested it for his birthday cake (which is 10 months away). Enjoy!

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

Cake:

• 1 box yellow cake mix
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup water

Topping:

• 2 sticks margarine
• 2 sticks butter
• 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• 3/4 tsp. almond extract
• 5 1/3 cup flour
• 2/3 cup plus 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2/3 cup plus 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tbsp. cinnamon
• 1/2-3/4 cup confectioners sugar

For the Cake: Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease a jelly roll pan and set aside.

Add cake mix, eggs, and water to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (may also use bowl and hand mixer). Beat for 4 minutes.

Pour into prepared jelly roll pan, and smooth with a spatula. Bake at 325 for 20-25 minutes (remove from oven when done, but leave oven on). While it's baking, prepare crumb topping.

For the Topping: Microwave butter and margarine in a bowl until melted (whisk together). Allow to cool and then add vanilla and almond extracts.

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugars, and cinnamon. Cut the butter mixture into the flour mixture using a pastry cutter (or two forks) until a crumbly mixture.

Sprinkle the crumb topping onto the cake and bake for an additional 20-25 minutes at 325 degrees F. Allow to cool completely and then sift with confectioners sugar before serving.

Source: My Life as a Mrs.