Pumpkin Spice Coffee Cake

Making this pumpkin spice coffee cake at nine on a random Tuesday morning happened while dodging a toddler actively trying to color the dog with a blue marker. Sometimes a massive slice of pumpkin spice coffee cake counts as the only thing that convinces anyone they have their life together.

I definitely did not have my life together, and I completely forgot to prep any ingredients before starting, but this recipe saved me from a complete morning meltdown. The batter bakes up ridiculously thick, heavily spiced, and mostly just an excuse to eat cake before noon. Here is exactly how I do it.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• No mixer required. A couple of bowls and a whisk handle this batter, which means fewer dishes to scrub later.
• The crumb ratio is unhinged. This fall pumpkin coffee cake splits into half cake, half topping, exactly as nature intended.
• Totally egg-free. This works perfectly when the last egg disappeared yesterday and nobody wants to go back to the grocery store.
• Peak autumn vibes. This makes the kitchen smell infinitely better than those aggressively expensive seasonal candles.

Tools You’ll Need

Nothing fancy, I promise.

• pastry blender – Technically you can use a fork to cut the butter into the crumbs, but your hand will cramp, and you will question your life choices.
• 9-inch square pan. This classic vessel holds the thick batter without overflowing.
• Glass mixing bowls. Weighted bowls keep the counter from turning into a sliding surface while whisking.

Ingredients

For the Crumb Topping

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour – Spoon and level it so your crumbs do not turn into dry little rocks.
• 1/2 cup packed light or dark brown sugar – Dark brown sugar gives it a deeper molasses flavor, but use whatever is currently hardening in your pantry.
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon – Do not skimp on this, it is the backbone of a good pumpkin streusel coffee cake.
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, cold – It must be cold. If it is warm, you get a greasy paste instead of crumbs.

For the Pumpkin Coffee Cake

• 2 cups all-purpose flour – Again, measure nicely.
• 1 teaspoon baking soda & 1/2 teaspoon baking powder – Check the expiration dates unless you want a flat brick.
• 1/2 teaspoon salt – Balances the sweet.
• Spices (1.5 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, 1/4 tsp cloves, 1/4 tsp ginger) – You can swap all of this for 2.5 tsp of pumpkin pie spice if you are lazy. I am usually lazy.
• 1 cup pumpkin puree – Make sure it is 100% pure pumpkin, NOT pumpkin pie filling. I made that mistake once and the sugar crash was historic.
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar – For moisture and deep flavor.
• 1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil – This is the absolute secret to an incredibly moist pumpkin crumb cake.
• 1/4 cup pure maple syrup – Use the real stuff, not the fake pancake syrup.
• 1/4 cup milk – Any kind works, honestly.

For the Vanilla Icing

• 1 cup confectioners’ sugar – Sift it if it looks like a gravel driveway.
• 2 Tablespoons pumpkin spice coffee creamer or milk – Use whatever you have open in the fridge.
• 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract – Just a splash to make it taste homemade.

How To Make Pumpkin Coffee Cake

This batter is thicker than wet cement, so do not panic when you have to aggressively spread it into the pan.

1. Prep the pan: Preheat your oven to 350°F (177°C) and grease your baking pan. If you forget to grease the pan, you will be eating this straight out of the dish with a spoon, which I have absolutely done.
2. Make the crumbs: Whisk the flour, brown sugar, and ground cinnamon together, then cut in the cold butter until it clumps. If a few large chunks of butter survive, that is between you and the pastry blender, nobody else needs to know.
3. Whisk the dry ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and all those warm spices together until well combined.
4. Mix the wet ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk the pumpkin, brown sugar, oil, maple syrup, and milk. It will look a little gloopy, but trust the process.
5. Combine and spread: Pour the wet into the dry and stir until just combined. The batter is ridiculously thick. Spoon it into your pan and spread it out—try not to over-mix or your cake will end up tough.
6. Top and bake: Pour your crumb topping evenly over the batter and gently press it down. Bake for 30-35 minutes. Test it with a toothpick; if it comes out with a few moist crumbs, you are golden.
7. Glaze it: Whisk the icing ingredients together and drizzle over the warm cake. If you accidentally pour it all in one giant puddle in the center, just call it rustic.

Make it yours

• Brown butter glaze version. You brown a tablespoon of butter in a saucepan and whisk it into the powdered sugar with a splash of milk for a pumpkin coffee cake with brown butter glaze.
• Extra spice version. You add an extra quarter teaspoon of cloves and ginger for a more intense fall flavor.

Perfect Pairings

This pumpkin spice coffee cake suits two specific pairings particularly well.

• A tall glass of cold milk helps wash down that absurdly thick layer of crumbs.
• Thanksgiving morning calls for exactly this kind of quiet chew while relatives ask probing life questions.

Pumpkin Spice Coffee Cake

This pumpkin spice coffee cake proves that a genuinely impressive fall bake needs nothing beyond pure pumpkin, cold butter, and a little patience while mixing. This pumpkin coffee cake recipe layers a thick, spiced crumb under a sweet vanilla icing, delivering everything a proper pumpkin streusel coffee cake should taste like. Whether served on Thanksgiving morning or sliced for a quiet Tuesday afternoon, this fall pumpkin coffee cake earns a permanent spot in the regular rotation.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 35 minutes mins

Total Time 50 minutes mins

Servings: 9 servings

Course: Coffee Cake

Cuisine: American

Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 1/2 cup (63g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
• 1/2 cup (100g) packed light or dark brown sugar
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup (4 Tablespoons; 56g) unsalted butter cold
• 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg*
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves*
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger*
• 1 cup (226g) pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup (100g) packed light or dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup (120ml) canola or vegetable oil (or melted coconut oil if you prefer)
• 1/4 cup (82g) pure maple syrup
• 1/4 cup (60ml) milk*
• 1 cup (120g) confectioners’ sugar
• 2 Tablespoons pumpkin spice coffee creamer half-and-half, or milk
• 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Equipment

• Pastry blender
• 9-inch square pan
• Glass mixing bowls

Method

 

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease a 9-inch square or 9-inch springform baking pan (or any 2.5 quart baking dish) with nonstick spray. Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon together. Cut in the cold butter using a pastry blender or a fork. Mix to create clumps and crumbs. Set aside.
3. Whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger together in a large bowl until combined. In a medium bowl, whisk the pumpkin, brown sugar, oil, maple syrup, and milk together until combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until *just* combined. Avoid over-mixing the batter. Batter will be very thick. Spoon/pour the batter into the prepared baking pan. Spread to make an even surface. Pour the crumb topping evenly on top and gently press them down into the batter.
4. Bake the cake for 30-35 minutes. Check the cake’s doneness at the 30 minute mark by inserting a toothpick into the center. If the toothpick comes out clean or with a couple moist crumbs, the cake is done. If the toothpick has wet batter on it, bake the cake for 5 more minutes or until the toothpick comes out clean.
5. Whisk the icing ingredients together. Add an extra splash of creamer/milk to thin out if desired. Drizzle over warm or cooled cake. (We like serving this warm.)
6. Cover leftover cake tightly and store at room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Recipe Notes

Pumpkin puree: I always use 100% pure pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling, since the added sugar in pie filling throws off the whole recipe.

Brown sugar: I use whatever brown sugar sits in the pantry, light or dark, since both work fine in the batter and topping.

Butter: I keep mine cold for the crumb topping, since room temperature butter turns the mixture into a paste instead of crumbs.

Oil: I use canola or vegetable oil for the moistest texture, since butter alone dries this out faster.

Spices: I use a mix of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger, though pumpkin pie spice substitutes easily in equal amounts.