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Pumpkin Spice Coffee Cake

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.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
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.