Yeast Crumb Cake

This is a German streuselkuchen, the original yeasted crumb cake that American coffee cakes copy with quick-rising baking powder. Yeast gives this version a deeper, more bread-like crumb with subtle tang, and a slower rise means a more complex flavor than any baking-powder shortcut can produce. The cake is more substantial than the soft sour-cream coffee cakes popular at brunch but lighter than a cinnamon roll.

The streusel topping is what carries the whole cake. Cold butter gets cut into a mix of flour, sugar, brown sugar, and a generous two teaspoons of cinnamon until pebbly. Use the full amount of topping. A thin streusel layer barely flavors a cake this size, and the topping shrinks slightly during baking. The 1.5-hour rise after assembly is where the cake develops its character, and the bake itself only takes 45 minutes.

Pro Tips

• Heat the milk and butter to 120 to 130°F (49 to 54°C) as the recipe specifies. Too cool and the yeast won’t activate. Too hot and you kill the yeast.
• Use cold butter for the topping. Warm butter blends into a paste rather than forming the pebbly crumbs you want.
• Let the dough rise in a warm, draft-free spot. A turned-off oven with the light on is the classic home solution.
• Cool the cake in the pan for 15 minutes before slicing. Hot yeast cake compresses under a knife and the crumbs flatten.

Variations

• Add 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts to the streusel for extra crunch.
• Top with sliced fresh apples under the streusel for a German apfelkuchen variation.
• Drizzle the cooled cake with a powdered sugar glaze for a more dessert-leaning finish.