Crumb Cake Shouldn’t Equal Heartbreak

Maybe you’ve had a “crumb bun” from a deli in New Jersey. Maybe you’ve picked up a shelf-stable “crumb cake” at the supermarket. Maybe you grew up with a relative who served crumb-topped coffee cake on Sunday mornings. I’ve done all of the above. And I’m sorry to say, in all instances, my satisfaction has been tempered by a wistful sense of regret. I regretted that there wasn’t a higher crumble-to-cake ratio. I regretted that the crumbles tumbled away before I could close my mouth around a bite. I regretted the collapse of the partnership between vanilla-scented sponge and heady cinnamon crumbles—a partnership that should have been perfect. Oh, woe.

Don’t get me wrong. I’ll eat it anyway. I’m genetically unequipped to say no to crumb cake; I just don’t have it in me to refuse. But still, I believed there had to be a better version.