Published May 1, 2007.
Since an authentic New York crumb cake recipe should have rich dough topped with thick chunks of lightly spiced crumb topping, we tweaked our favorite yellow cake batter to use in our crumb cake recipe. For a proper crumb topping, we made large, doughlike crumbs and broke the dough apart into little nuggets that we sprinkled over the batter. The nuggets held together when baked, giving us sturdy crumbs that remained moist and tender on the inside.
Don't be tempted to substitute all-purpose flour for the cake flour, as doing so will make a dry, tough cake. If you can't find buttermilk, you can substitute an equal amount of plain, low-fat yogurt. When topping the cake, take care to not push the crumbs into the batter. This recipe can be easily doubled and baked in a 13 by 9-inch baking dish. If doubling, increase the baking time to about 45 minutes. Cooled leftovers can be wrapped in plastic wrap and stored at room temperature for up to 2 days.
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