Crumb Topping

Add this easy 4 ingredient crumb topping recipe to any muffin, bread, cake or pie! Our streusel topping is sweet, crunchy, and makes large crumb clumps that everyone loves!

Coffee cakes are known for their crumb topping, but streusel topping can be added to any bread or muffin recipe. Our banana bread, blueberry muffins, or lemon cake would be amazing with crumb topping. 

What is the difference between crumble and streusel?

Crumble, streusel and crumb topping are essentially the same thing. It’s a topping made from flour, sugar, and butter that you can add to muffins, cakes and pies.

A crumble and crisp are very similar, both are baked fruit desserts. A crisp is typically made with the addition of oats. 

Ingredients

• all purpose flour – gluten free all purpose flour works great as well!
• brown sugar
• cinnamon
• salt
• unsalted butter

How to Make Crumb Topping

Combine all ingredients. In a mixing bowl combine the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt and melted butter. Use a spatula to mix the crumb. The mixture will be thick and you must stir well (elbow grease!) to combine all the dry ingredients. Continue to combine until the mixture looks wet.

Will look sandy. It’s okay if the mixture is “sandy” in texture. Use your hands to squeeze clumps together, forcing the mixture together.

Set the crumb aside until ready to use. The streusel topping can be made in advance and stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 days. 

Generously pile the crumb topping on muffins, bread, cake or pie. I found it easiest to squeeze some of the crumb in my hands, forming a ball, then break off smaller pieces, lightly pressing the crumb into the batter. Ideally you want substantial pieces of crumb. 

Sugar is a critical ingredient in streusel topping. Below I’ll talk about the granulated sugar versus brown sugar debate. 

Granulated Sugar vs. Brown Sugar

Using granulated sugar in crumble topping will produce a paler and crunchier topping because it lacks the rich brown color of brown sugar and the extra moisture that brown sugar has. 

Hear me, crumb topping with granulated sugar is not bad. It’s great and lots of recipes turn out awesome using it! 

I discovered that I personally liked using brown sugar in my crumb topping because I was looking for a color definition between the muffin and the crumb. 

Brown sugar based crumb topping will turn out richer in color. Dark brown sugar based topping will be even darker in color. 

Brown sugar crumb topping holds it shape well without being too crunchy, like granulated sugar streusel topping can be. 

There’s no right or wrong sugar to use, it just depends on personal preference. 

Troubleshooting Streusel Topping

The amount of butter is important. 

• Too much butter will result in a crumb topping that melts and spreads during the baking process.
• Too little butter will result in a dry and “flour-y” crumb. 

The amount of flour is important.

• Too much flour causes the crumb to be dry and overly crumbly. 
• Too little flour causes the topping to not have enough stability and structure. 

How to Use Crumb Topping

Add crumb topping to any muffin, cake or pie recipe before baking. 

When adding to muffins, be sure there is enough space in the muffin liner to “hold” the crumb topping. Meaning, add slightly less batter to each muffin liner.

When adding to cakes, be sure to add it to thick, dense batters. Thin, liquidy batters will cause the crumble topping to sink instead of staying on top of the cake.

When adding to pie, think fruit pies, tent the crumb topping if it becomes too brown during the baking process. 

Crumb pairs well with

• Blueberry Muffins
• Easy Banana Bread
• Chocolate Chip Muffins
• Applesauce Cake