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Lemon Crumble Breakfast Cake

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Lemon Crumble Breakfast Cake ~ from the first bite to the last, this cake is loaded with bright lemon flavor. This is a moist, tender cake topped with a sweet crumble top then dusted with powdered sugar. Whether you serve it for breakfast, brunch, afternoon tea or dessert, you'll be basking in enthusiastic, sunny compliments! www.savingdessert.com | breakfast | cake | lemon | crumble | brunch | coffee cake | dessert

Lemon Crumble Breakfast Cake ~ from the first bite to the last, this cake is loaded with bright lemon flavor.

This moist, tender cake is easy to make and topped with a sweet crumble topping then dusted with powdered sugar.  Whether you serve it for breakfast, brunch, afternoon tea or dessert, you’ll be basking in enthusiastic, sunny compliments! I’m not sure who coined the phrase “breakfast cake” but I’m all over it.  I guess you could call it coffee cake or brunch cake too, but I really like the idea of cake for breakfast.

This lemony cake is not overly sweet, so adding the sweet crumble topping gives you a little extra bite of crunchy lemon goodness that’s like icing on the cake!

 

Lemon Crumble Breakfast Cake ~ from the first bite to the last, this cake is loaded with bright lemon flavor. This is a moist, tender cake topped with a sweet crumble top then dusted with powdered sugar. Whether you serve it for breakfast, brunch, afternoon tea or dessert, you'll be basking in enthusiastic, sunny compliments! www.savingdessert.com | breakfast | cake | lemon | crumble | brunch | coffee cake | dessert

What’s the best way to serve Lemon Crumble Breakfast Cake?

Sprinkle the warm cake with powdered sugar, or feel free to whip up a light lemon glaze to drizzle over the top.  Fresh fruit is always a good idea so grab some blueberries to serve with this Lemon Crumble Breakfast Cake.

 

Lemon Crumble Breakfast Cake ~ from the first bite to the last, this cake is loaded with bright lemon flavor. This is a moist, tender cake topped with a sweet crumble top then dusted with powdered sugar. Whether you serve it for breakfast, brunch, afternoon tea or dessert, you'll be basking in enthusiastic, sunny compliments! www.savingdessert.com | breakfast | cake | lemon | crumble | brunch | coffee cake | dessert

I use vanilla bean paste in this recipe and highly recommend picking up a bottle if you haven’t tried it yet.

While vanilla bean paste is not cheap, it lasts a long time and adds rich vanilla flavor to all your baked goods. Plus, who doesn’t love to see all those tiny vanilla beans throughout your cake and cookies?

 

Lemon Crumble Breakfast Cake ~ from the first bite to the last, this cake is loaded with bright lemon flavor. This is a moist, tender cake topped with a sweet crumble top then dusted with powdered sugar. Whether you serve it for breakfast, brunch, afternoon tea or dessert, you'll be basking in enthusiastic, sunny compliments! www.savingdessert.com | breakfast | cake | lemon | crumble | brunch | coffee cake | dessert

Top with your favorite whipped cream for a lovely dessert.

We had whipping cream and mascarpone cheese in the refrigerator leftover from a recent recipe so I made a Lemon Mascarpone Cream to serve on top. Oh boy did everybody flip for this combination! Moans were had by all.  Lemon in the cake, lemon in the crumble topping and lemon in the whipped mascarpone cheese. Lemon rules!

 

Lemon Crumble Breakfast Cake ~ from the first bite to the last, this cake is loaded with bright lemon flavor. This is a moist, tender cake topped with a sweet crumble top then dusted with powdered sugar. Whether you serve it for breakfast, brunch, afternoon tea or dessert, you'll be basking in enthusiastic, sunny compliments! www.savingdessert.com | breakfast | cake | lemon | crumble | brunch | coffee cake | dessert

Squeeze a little lemony sunshine into your weekend and enjoy a nice big slice of this crazy good Lemon Crumble Breakfast Cake!

 

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Lemon Crumble Breakfast Cake dusted with powdered sugar

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4.34 from 6 votes

Lemon Crumble Breakfast Cake

Prep Time: 20 mins
Cook Time: 40 mins
Total Time: 1 hr
Yield: 8
Course: Breakfast, Brunch
Author: Tricia
PRINT RECIPE
An easy to make breakfast cake with a moist, tender crumb topped with a sweet crumble topping.  

Ingredients

For the Crumble Topping:

  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • ¾ cup all-purpose flour
  • â…“ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • zest of 1 lemon

For the Lemon Cake:

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
  • zest from 2 lemons (preferably organic)
  • ¾ cup granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla bean paste
  • ½ cup buttermilk, well shaken (whole fat or whole milk mixed with 1 1/2 teaspoons vinegar)
  • ¼ cup fresh lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
  • powdered sugar for dusting if desired

Instructions

For the Crumble Topping:

  • Melt 4 tablespoons of butter in a small bowl.  Add the flour, sugar, lemon juice and zest.  Mix with a fork to combine.  Set aside.

For the Cake:

  • Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Invert the bottom of an 8" springform pan (to make it easier to slide the cake off the bottom) then lock on the sides of the pan. Lightly grease and flour the bottom and sides of the pan.  Line the bottom with a round of parchment paper and set aside.
  • In a small bowl combine the flour, salt and baking powder.  Set aside.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter, lemon zest, and sugar.  Beat for several minutes until light and fluffy.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.  
  • Beat in the eggs and vanilla bean paste just until blended.
  • In a measuring cup with a spout, combine the buttermilk with the lemon juice.  Add 1/3 of the flour mixture to the creamed butter and sugar.  Beat on low until incorporated.  Add 1/3 of the buttermilk mixture and blend until smooth.  Repeat adding 1/3 of the flour, then 1/3 of the buttermilk until both are incorporated.  
  • Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly.  Sprinkle with the crumble topping (leaving some in large clumps) and bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes or until the top is lightly browned and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out almost clean.  
  • Cool the cake on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes if serving warm, or cool completely before removing the sides.  Carefully slide the cake onto a serving platter and dust with powdered sugar before serving.  For a simple lemon glaze mix together 1/2 cup powdered sugar with enough fresh lemon juice for a drizzling consistency.  Drizzle on top of the cake just before serving.  Optional:  serve with Lemon Whipped Mascarpone Cream and fresh fruit.  Recipe below

Recipe Notes

A few of our readers said the cake was somewhat dry on the outside and wet in the middle. If you're concerned, please bake in a 9x9-inch square pan and adjust the baking time as listed below.
 
This cake can be baked in a 9x9" square pan, or a round 8" or 9" cake pan.  If using a 9" pan, be sure to adjust the baking time.  Check after 30 minutes to ensure it doesn't over-bake.
4.34 from 6 votes

Lemon Mascarpone Cream

Prep Time: 5 mins
Yield: 8
Course: Dessert
Author: Tricia
PRINT RECIPE

Ingredients

  • 4 ounces mascarpone cheese, room temperature
  • â…“ cup powdered sugar
  • zest of 1 lemon
  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream

Instructions

  • In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the mascarpone cheese, powdered sugar and lemon zest.  Blend until smooth.  Turn the mixer on low and slowly add the whipping cream until it's incorporated and starting to thicken.  Increase the speed to medium, then high, and beat until soft peaks form.  This won't take long!  Serve with the Lemon Crumble Breakfast Cake.

Here are a few more breakfast cake recipes you might enjoy:

We adore lemon everything here at SRFD and are always excited to try a new recipes!  One of our new favorite lemon treats is this Easy Lemon Ricotta Pound Cake. I bet you will love it too.  If you’re looking for lemon cookie recipes, we have you covered there too. We are over the moon in love with these Lemon Coolers. They are no doubt the perfect lemon cookie. Don’t miss our Lemon Macarons and these super popular Lemon Meltaways.

Would you believe it was 75 degrees here on Tuesday?  And then today they’re calling for snow.  You know what they say … if you don’t like the weather, wait a few minutes!  All this warm weather has made me long for the outdoors.  I could use a good hike in the woods, or a leisurely paddle in our dusty kayaks.  I guess I’ll settle for walking the dogs for now – but spring is not too far away!  Hope you have a lovely weekend and thanks so much for stopping by!

Tricia

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65 Comments

  1. Jennifer says

    5 stars
    LOVE this cake. Made it without any modifications and everyone at work raved about it. Really lemony – I used myers lemons just because I have never used them before and wanted to give it a try. I was worried about the “dry” comments but mine did not turn out dry. I am wondering if people are expecting it to be like a dessert cake and not a coffee cake? This is perfect with a cup of coffee or tea. Anyway, thank you so much for the recipe. Oh, and the marscapone whipped cream was perfect!

    reply to this comment >

  2. Barb says

    I made this cake . Loved the idea of this but found it to be very dry! I am an experienced baker, so I don’t
    know where the problem was. I think the crumbs could have used a little more butter or less flour, and less flour or more liquid in the batter. Just curious- are you at an elevation? I live at close to sea level about 780 ft.I know that can affect baking.

    reply to this comment >

  3. Karen says

    3 stars
    I followed the direction throughly and I love the taste. Nice and lemony. But my cake came out very dry. The top was very light in color and looked as though( it was not not done. It was very heavy and I thought it was under cooked. What could I have done differently?

    reply to this comment >

    • Tricia Buice says

      Hi Karen. Sounds like there is too much flour or it was over-baked. The top doesn’t get very brown. This is thicker than a regular cake-mix kind of cake, but it was designed to be a little more dense. Stir flour in the bag before lightly scooping into the measuring cup. Level off the top with the back of a table knife to ensure you are not adding too much flour. Sorry you had trouble but appreciate you trying this recipe.

      reply to this comment >

  4. Adriene Dawson says

    I made this breakfast cake from a recipe I printed out about a year or two ago and loved it! I want to make it again today and went back online to check some comments about it and noticed that the recipe now calls for two eggs instead of one. Is this a change to the recipe or a typo?

    reply to this comment >

    • Tricia Buice says

      Hi Adriene – I retested the recipe using two eggs after receiving a couple of comments about it being dry. I love it with two eggs, and feel sure you’ll love it too. Let me know what you think – so glad you tried it. You are pretty sharp to remember that it originally had one egg 🙂 Thanks so much for the comment!

      reply to this comment >

  5. Susan says

    So I made this lemon cake today. I’m not sure what I did wrong? It turned out beautiful but to me I feel I can taste the baking powder like there is to much. I know I measured correctly. Has anyone else had this problem? I know it’s lemon but it taste a tad bit bitter? It was super fun to make.

    reply to this comment >

    • Tricia Buice says

      Sorry you had trouble Susan. I’ve never tasted baking powder in a recipe myself. Make sure you are using aluminum-free baking powder. All our taste testers loved this cake. Also, I think lemons can be a little “off” from time to time. Make sure you don’t add any white lemon pith to the batter. You might also check your lemons to make sure they taste good. I always use organic lemons when adding zest to a recipe. Who knows what kind of pesticides are sprayed on the fruit. I really appreciate you trying the recipe and hope you will again someday. We LOVE that crumble top too – so good!

      reply to this comment >

  6. cookinggram says

    as of the last comment in 2017, nobody had yet made the lemon cake. Has anybody made it as of this date?? I don’t know if this would be suitable for a grab n go at 6a.m. or more for 10a.m. tea.!!!!!

    reply to this comment >

    • Tricia Buice says

      Hi Dana! I’ve been traveling with no computer so sorry for the delayed answer. Vanilla Bean Paste can be found in the baking section next to the vanilla extract. Hope you found it and gave this wonderful cake a try. Thank you for the great question and for visiting!

      reply to this comment >

  9. Cristina says

    This lemon crumble cake is absolutely stunning! The texture and that crumbly topping reminds me of some of the lemon cakes I frequent in certain “so-called” restaurants. Can’t wait to make this with my garden lemons! Thanks for sharing this beauty of a cake. 🙂

    reply to this comment >

    • Katie says

      3 stars
      Made this cake per the directions with just two minor modifications. I used the scraping from one vanilla bean plus one tsp pure vanilla extra because I didn’t have vanilla pasta, AND I used a 9″ spring form pan.
      A few things to note…
      I kept the oven at the recommended 325° but the cake still took 40 mins to bake (knife coming out clean) but the crumbles still never browned.
      My cakes consistency was more like a shortbread and not very lemon-y. That was disappointing as we love lemon in our house.
      I definitely recommend a homemade whipped cream & berries or something like the mascarpone cream the author suggested.

      reply to this comment >

  17. tanna says

    I am moaning just seeing the pictures (btw, I haven’t said it recently, but you are an AMAZING photographer and food stylist)! That beautiful sugar spoon from Allie added to the beauty. She chose well for a gift! 😉 Lemon is just the best; sure wish I had a big slice to go with my coffee right now. Hope it doesn’t get too cold for you! blessings ~ tanna

    reply to this comment >

  18. Monica says

    I had to laugh because I so agree about the ‘genius’ of breakfast cake! This really looks gorgeous – it cheers me up just looking at this bright, beautiful cake. I’m sure it’s delicious just as it is…totally looks like the kind of everyday cake that’s moist and flavorful and needs nothing else. That said, the lemon mascarpone topping you whipped up sounds amazing. What a lovely treat to enjoy in the winter to brighten up the day.

    reply to this comment >

        • Cartnor says

          I agree. Mine was dry around the outside and undercooked in the middle, even tho I baked it for the time stated, and a toothpick came out clean. Underwhelming lemon taste.
          I wish people would limit their reviews to helpful comments AFTER they actually bake things instead of ‘ it looks wonderful.’

          reply to this comment >

          • Tricia Buice says

            Hi Cartnor – I am sorry you didn’t like this cake. All our taste testers loved this cake and it was perfectly moist as you can see in the photos. The crumble top is on the dry side, but not the cake. I’ve thought a lot about comments lately as you are not the first to mention it. I personally don’t see any harm in comments from my friends and peers telling me a recipe looks good, but do understand that actual comments from people that made the recipe helps the most. I have no control over what people write in their comments. My blog is a community of friends, cooks, bakers and bloggers, not a big business like AllRecipes or Food Network. Again sorry you didn’t like the cake, we really do.

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