An ultra tender cake is topped with a tangy and smooth lemon curd topping and a buttery crumb coating.  This Lemon Crumb Cake is more than an ordinary coffee cake.  This cake is a dessert fit for a queen!

Every once in a while we need a dose of lemon to brighten everything up! Whether lemon is a flavoring in your food or a scent in your home, it has a way of making everything feel sunny, bright and fresh; I love it!  When I am in the mood to liven things up, I always reach for lemons!

What’s A Crumb Cake?

A crumb cake is a cake that is topped with a crumbly, flour-based topping.  Often, the flour is combined with granulated sugar and cold butter is cut in until the mixture resembles tiny pebbles in size.  The mixture will bake up as part of the cake and it will be crumbly and tender.

WHERE IS THE LEMON CRUMB CAKE RECIPE?

If you’d rather skip cooking tips, suggestions, handy substitutions, related recipe ideas – and get straight to the Lemon Crumb Cake Recipe– simply scroll to the bottom of the page where you can find the printable recipe card.

How To Make A Lemon Crumb Cake

This cake will start off by making lemon curd.  Lemon curd is quite easy to make, it just takes time to set up.  Some people make lemon curd in a saucepan, but I think I use a microwave.  This takes the cook time down to just minutes and the taste is just as good!

Lemon Curd is made by whisking together lemon juice, sugar, and eggs and heating the mixture until it is starting to bubble up and thicken.  You will know the curd is ready when it begins to coat the back of a spoon.

Refrigerate the lemon curd until it has cooled and takes on a pudding-like consistency.

The cake batter is made with softened butter, lemon zest, lemon juice, eggs, yogurt, and dry ingredients. The lemon curd is spread over the cake followed by a crumb topping (flour, sugar, and butter).  The cake will take about 45 minutes to bake.

Lemon Crumb Cake Tips

Store bought lemon curd can certainly be used in place of the homemade lemon curd

When combining your ingredients, take care not to overbeat the batter, you want to keep the cake light and fluffy.

I like to use a pastry cutter to blend the butter into the flour and sugar mixture. You only want to cut until the mixture resembles small pebbles.  If you don’t have a pastry cutter, two forks will work.  

You can use your fingers, however the warm of your hands will change the temperature of the butter.  You want to use COLD butter.   Cold butter will help the crumbs stay together and keep the crumb mixture from spreading and melting.

If you are ready for more lemon, try  Lemon Crumble Breakfast Cake, The Ultimate Lemon Cake, Coconut Lemon Curd Cake, Lemon Frosted Zucchini Cake, Lemon Monkey Bread, Lemon Bundt Cake, Naked Lemon Sour Cream Cake, and Lemon Meringue Pie!

Continue to Content

Lemon Crumb Cake Recipe

Yield: 12

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Additional Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes

An ultra tender cake is topped with a tangy and smooth lemon curd topping and a buttery crumb coating.  This Lemon Crumb Cake is more than an ordinary coffee cake.  This cake is a dessert fit for a queen!

Print

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 1 lemon zested

For the cake

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt

For the crumb

• 3/4 cup flour
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup cold butter, cubed
• pinch of salt

Instructions

Prepare the lemon curd: In a microwave safe bowl, whisk together the sugar and the eggs. Stir in lemon juice and zest. Slowly whisk in the melted butter and place the bowl in the microwave. Heat the lemon mixture in 1-minute intervals or until the mixture becomes thicken enough to coat the back of a spoon. Refrigerate the lemon curd until it has set.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8-inch square pan with non-stick spray and set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine butter and lemon zest. Add sugar and continue to mix until creamy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, scraping down your bowl as necessary. Stir in lemon juice.

Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add flour mixture to butter mixture alternatively with the yogurt. Pour batter into the prepared pan. Spread lemon curd over the batter.

To prepare the crumb, combine the flour, sugar and butter cubes in a bowl. Break down the butter with two forks or a pastry cutter until the mixture looks like small pebbles. Sprinkle over the cake and bake for 45-50 minute or until golden and set.

Serve cake with powdered sugar.

Notes

Jarred lemon curd can be used in place of homemade.

Nutrition Information

Yield 12 Serving Size 1
Amount Per Serving Calories 471 Total Fat 21g Saturated Fat 13g Trans Fat 1g Unsaturated Fat 7g Cholesterol 129mg Sodium 284mg Carbohydrates 65g Fiber 1g Sugar 47g Protein 6g