Gluten-Free New York-Style Crumb Cake (2024)

Gluten-Free New York-Style Crumb Cake

An easy, gluten-free version of the classic New York Crumb Cake!

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So excited for you to try this Gluten-Free New York-Style Crumb Cake!

Gluten-free and nut-free, this crumb cake tastes just like the ones you find in a New York deli or bakery!

Thick, moist buttery cake + an extra thick layer of brown sugar cinnamon crumb topping.

Decadent-tasting and unbelievably delicious!

A little background…

This recipe came about because lots of you asked for a nut-free crumb cake after I shared our Sour Cream Coffee Cake a few months ago.

This New York-Style Crumb Cake uses the same basic cake recipe so you get the same amazing flavor and soft, moist texture of the sour cream coffee cake but now you have a thick brown sugar cinnamon topping that is over the top!

My husband and I lived in New York City for many years — through business school, working and even raising our kids there for some time. Without prompting, my husband said that this cake tastes just like the ones we used to treat ourselves to from our local deli!

Best part? It is impressive looking but it’s an easy gluten-free recipe!

So let’s make it!

Before we get to the ingredients, I want to point out that there is a cooking video on this page so you can see how easy it is to make.

And as with all our recipes, there is a printable recipe with exact measurements and directions at the bottom of the page.

You’ll need 12 ingredients in total:

butter or dairy-free butter

brown sugar

cinnamon

sugar

eggs

vanilla extract

gluten-free all purpose flour (with xanthan gum) (we used GFJules, affiliate link)

baking powder

baking soda

salt

sour cream or dairy-free sour cream

powdered or confectioners sugar (not in photo)

As an aside, you may have noticed that we are affiliate for GFJules. To learn more about why we love GFJules flour and why we have used it for 10 years, click here.

Bonus: at the bottom of that post is a one-time use affiliate Discount Code.

And importantly, purchasing through an affiliate link does not change your cost at all. It generates a small percentage of the sale for me, and purchasing through an affiliate link helps me fund this website and all the recipes I share, so thank you!

Back to the Gluten-free New York-Style Crumb Cake…

The cake comes together in 6 easy steps, taking about 20 minutes:

1. Make the Brown Sugar Cinnamon Crumble. Set aside.
2. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
3. Cream the butter and sugar. Add in eggs and vanilla.
4. Alternately add flour mix and sour cream.
5. Add batter to pan.
6. Top with crumble and bake!

Let’s look at the steps more closely.

First the Brown Sugar Cinnamon Crumble..

The crumb is based on a recipe from Sally’s Baking Addiction and is a combination of:

brown sugar

cane (white) sugar

cinnamon

salt

and gluten-free all purpose flour.

It comes together in 3 easy steps:

1. In a medium bowl, combine the sugars, cinnamon and salt.
2. Add melted butter and combine. These first two steps can be done in the kitchen aid as I did or by hand.
3. Add flour and using a fork, combine to create coarse crumbs. This step must be done with a fork, not a mixer or you won’t get the crumble effect.

Pro Tip: Since the cake comes together so quickly, I like to make the crumble first and set it aside.

Now let’s make the gluten-free cake …

The cake batter is basic:

1. cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (the more room temperature the butter, the faster it will cream)
2. mix in eggs and vanilla
3. then add in the flour and sour cream alternately.

The batter is gorgeous! It’s thick and creamy and very spreadab

Now all you do it assemble!

First spread the cake batter into the pan. It will be thick but spreadable.

Pro Tip: Line the baking pan with parchment paper so that you can easily lift the entire cake out of the pan when ready to slice and serve.

Then gently press the crumb topping into the cake. You want to press it gently so that it really sticks to the cake while it bakes.

And bake it!

Your kitchen will smell amazing while it bakes!

Let it cool, then sprinkle with powdered or confectioners sugar and slice into it!

Pro Tip: You can sprinkle the sugar any way you like but I put the sugar in a small strainer to get the light even topping.

That’s it!

This Gluten-Free New York-Style Crumb Cake has been a huge hit with all my taste testers!

The cake is moist and soft, the crumble is also soft and decadent tasting and it’s so delicious!

And while the cake looks impressive with its 2 layers and towering crumble, and it is a simple gluten free recipe!

Hope you love it as much as we do!

For our Gluten-Free Crumb Cake Muffins, click here.

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Scroll down for recipe. Leave me any questions and leave a comment/ rating if love it!