This buttery and tart Lemon Crumb Cake is a fluffy lemon cake with lemon curd swirled in the batter and topped with a sweet crumb topping. This tangy lemon coffee cake is exactly the summer breakfast you’ll want over and over.

Easy Lemon Cake with a Crumb Topping

Lemon has always been one of my favorite flavors, as I love the lip-puckering tartness that comes from fresh lemon desserts.

The tangy citrus of fresh lemon seemingly has the taste of sunshine, and no matter what form it’s in—Lemon Bars (with a shortbread crust), Lemon Cheesecake, or Lemon Bundt Cake—I’m going to go back for seconds. It’s just who I am. 😆

And, in true sweet tooth fashion, I’ve also always been a sucker for anything that has a crumb topping—a streusel topped blueberry lemon muffin, a peach crumb cake scone, coffee cake banana bread…I digress. Put my love of lemon and a streusel topping together?

This is the dessert (or breakfast, because this 100% should be considered breakfast) I’d be coming back for 3rds. Soft and fluffy lemon cake with a buttery and sugary crumb = Heaven.

Reasons I’m Making This Lemon Crumb Cake Repeatedly

Fresh Lemon: If you’ve been around here before, you know I am a big believer in fresh lemon juice and zest, and never lemon extract. Ever. The best way to get that bright lemon flavor is by using a lot of lemon zest.
Lemon Curd: Lemon curd is one of my favorite spreads! It’s sweet and tangy, and the creamy lemon curd pairs so well with this fluffy lemon cake. It gets swirled into the cake batter, and when it’s baked, the lemon crumb cake has pockets of juicy lemon curd.
Easy: The lemon cake is a one bowl cake recipe. Everything gets mixed together and spread into a baking pan. Lemon curd is dolloped and swirled on top of the lemon batter. The crumb topping is sprinkled on top. Lastly, if desired, a tangy lemon icing gets drizzled on top.

Clearly I’m biased, but if you need a good Mother’s Day brunch recipe, 100% make this cake. It’s kind of like a coffee cake met a lemon cake and had themselves a little love child.

Ingredients:

Lemon Juice and Lemon Zest: We use the zest in the lemon cake batter and the juice in the lemon icing.
Granulated Sugar
All Purpose Flour
Baking Powder
Salt
Unsalted Butter: I only use unsalted butter in my baking, as I prefer to control the salt content in each dessert.
Egg
Buttermilk
Vanilla Extract
Almond Extract: Lemon and almond pair so well together, but if you don’t have almond extract, feel free to use more vanilla extract.
Greek Yogurt or Sour Cream: The purpose of the yogurt and/or sour cream is to add moisture and texture, yielding a really fluffy and tender crumb.
Lemon Curd: You can use a homemade lemon curd or store bought. Generally speaking, store bought lemon curd is a little sweeter than homemade so you may want to use less store-bought lemon curd if you prefer things a pinch less sweet.
Powdered Sugar

How To Make This Streusel Lemon Cake From Scratch:

Crumb Topping: Whisk sugar and flour together, then drizzle in melted butter. Mix until it becomes the texture of wet sand. Use your hands to gently break into smaller pieces. Set aside.
Lemon Sugar: Mix the lemon zest and sugar together. This is a really important step, because the coarse texture of the sugar helps release the natural oils in the lemon zest. It makes everything extra lemony and flavorful.
Dry Ingredients: Add flour, baking powder, and salt to the lemon sugar and mix together. Make a well in the center.
Wet Ingredients: Whisk together melted butter, buttermilk, the vanilla and almond extracts, and the egg together. Pour the wet ingredients into the well and mix until just combined.
Greek Yogurt: Lastly, add in the greek yogurt (or sour cream), and mix until just combined.
Batter: Spread the batter into a prepared baking dish (I like to line with parchment paper or aluminum foil, but you can grease with butter and flour, or with a baking spray).
Lemon Curd: Dollop little spoonfuls of lemon curd, then using a knife or toothpick, gently swirl the lemon curd into the cake batter. Sprinkle on the topping.
Bake: Bake the lemon cake for about 25-30 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean and the topping is lightly golden.
Icing: While the cake is cooling, make the icing by whisking together powdered sugar, lemon juice, and a little lemon zest. Drizzle on top of the cake.
Serve: You can serve this lemon crumb cake warm, cold, or at room temperature.

Storage Tips:

You want to let the lemon crumb cake come fully to room temperature before you store it, otherwise it’ll get a little wet and soggy. If it’s not fully cooled before it’s covered, the warm moisture gets locked in, and it changes the texture of everything.

Once fully cooled, you can cover it in aluminum foil or plastic wrap, or put it in an airtight container. Store it at room temperature for 2-3 days, or store it in the fridge for 4-5 days.

If you want to freeze lemon cake, my suggestion is cutting into squares after it’s cooled, wrapping each individual lemon cake square in plastic wrap, and then putting them in an airtight container to freeze. Let them thaw in the fridge overnight, or warm in the microwave.

Quick And Easy Lemon Crumb Cake Baking Tips:

Baking Dish: I prefer to use a 9×9 baking dish, but you can also use a cake pan or a springform pan.
Lemon Curd: You can use a homemade lemon curd or store-bought. As noted above, store-bought lemon curd can be a little sweeter and tarter than homemade. Keep that in mind, and if you prefer your desserts a little less sweet, then use a little less lemon curd.
Lemon Sugar: Rub the sugar and lemon zest together first. It might seem like a skippable step, but trust me, it’s not. It’s so easy to do, and it’s going to make your lemon desserts 100% better.
Dry Ingredient “Well”: Making a well in the center of dry ingredients just means making a hole in the center of the dry ingredients for the wet ingredients to go into. Basically, the point is just to prevent over-mixing. The wet ingredients get dispersed into the dry ingredients a little quicker and keeps your cakes and breads really tender.