Sweet, flavorful, and very moist, this is the best pumpkin coffee cake I ever made! It's a simple recipe, brimming with fall flavors, with a cinnamon crumb topping and a quick icing that are just perfect. It keeps well and freezes wonderfully.
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This pumpkin spice coffee cake is what fall tastes like.
I love both pumpkin and coffee cakes. Throw a streusel into the mix and you have my undivided attention. And as much as I love a more traditional cinnamon coffee cake or an apple crumb coffee cake, I can pretty much declare that pumpkin trumps all others. Yup.
I used to make it with walnuts in the streusel, and you can certainly add them if you want to!
If you didn't know you wanted an irresistibly warmly spiced snack cake, you do now. As far as pumpkin recipes go, this is one of the best on this blog and a great recipe I make as soon as pumpkin season hits.
Why make this recipe
- Flavor: if you're a fan of anything with pumpkin spice flavor, this might be your perfect fall dessert.
- Easy to make and quick to disappear: trust me, it's a crowd-pleaser.
- It's very moist and tender but with a good crumb.
- Keeps well and freezes wonderfully.
- And the icing. Never underestimate the power of a simple icing on a coffee cake.
Ingredient list
This is a simple recipe and, though it might seem like a long list of ingredients, they're mostly staples you probably have at home.
For the pumpkin cake:
- Pumpkin: both canned pumpkin puree and homemade work well. I use the latter and follow this post on homemade pumpkin puree. Don't use pumpkin pie filling which is a different thing.
- Spices: both store-bought or homemade pumpkin spice mix work. Adjust to your palate.
- All-purpose flour.
- Salt: I like using kosher salt or fine sea salt when baking. But regular table salt works just fine.
- Unsalted butter.
- Eggs: fresh, large.
- Baking powder and baking soda: make sure they're not expired.
- Sour cream: use the regular type, full-fat sour cream. It adds richness and moisture.
- Brown sugar: light or dark.
For the crumble topping and icing
These two components are essential to the overall amazingness of this cake. So don't skip them!
- All-purpose flour.
- Salt: I like using kosher salt or fine sea salt when baking. But regular table salt works just fine.
- Unsalted butter.
- Cinnamon: any ground cinnamon you normally use works fine. I like Frontier Vietnamese cinnamon and Simply Organic Ceylon cinnamon.
- Sugar: again, brown sugar is my first choice, but you can use white. It will be a tad sweeter.
- Powdered sugar: also called confectioners or icing sugar, you can easily buy it online. Domino powdered sugar is a very popular one.
- Milk: regular and reduced-fat milk.
Variations & substitutions
- Liquid for the streusel: use vegetable milks like almond milk or orange juice.
- Spices: instead of a spice mix, you can use only cinnamon.
- Alternative glazes: use a cinnamon glaze or a light cream cheese glaze like we do for the banana bundt cake.
How to make pumpkin coffee cake
This pumpkin coffee cake has 3 steps: the cake itself, the crumble or streusel topping, and the glaze. All three are easy to make, so don't be intimidated by a long list of ingredients.
- Pumpkin mixture. First, the soft butter is beaten with the sugar in a large bowl and the eggs are added. It's a simple cake batter that has pumpkin puree, spices, and vanilla added to it (images 1 and 2).
- Sour cream and dry ingredients. These two components are added alternating, meaning that you begin and end with the flour mixture and add the sour cream in the middle. We do this in baking to make sure the temperatures and textures are leveled, which allows the ingredients to mix together better (images 3 and 4).
- The topping. The pumpkin batter is spread on the prepared pan and the cinnamon crumble is sprinkled on top of the cake. It might look like it's too much, but it's not. The cake will rise and the amount of crunchy streusel will be perfect (images 5 and 6).
Watch our step-by-step videos
Simple glaze or icing
Here, we resort to the popular and amazing powdered sugar glaze (also called icing depending on the consistency), which combines confectioners' sugar with a liquid.
What type of liquid should you use? I use milk for this recipe because I want the pumpkin flavor of the cake to shine together with the cinnamon streusel. But you can use orange juice, cream, or even a liqueur that you feel goes well with pumpkin.
Kitchen notes
- Organization: read the recipe first and ensure you have ingredients at the correct temperature, equipment, and enough workspace. This will make the process so much easier.
- Baking time: consider that all ovens and pans are different, even if they look similar. The baking time in my recipes is as accurate as it can be, but it might take you more or less time. You can use a thermometer(like the OXO oven thermometer) to check that your oven is at the right temperature. I recommend you keep track of how your oven works and what tiny details you might need to adjust.
- Sugar: brown sugar is the first choice, but you can use white granulated sugar (it doesn't add as much moisture to the cake) or even muscovado (it doesn't sweeten as much) if that's all you have.
- Yogurt: if needed, you can substitute Greek yogurt (the thick, tangy one) for the sour cream.
- Pan sizes: I used to make it as a tube cake (similar to a bundt cake) with two layers of batter and two streusels. It was way more laborious, but this recipe is enough for 1 tube cake. It's a very nice idea if you plan to serve it at a brunch table. You can also make a 9-inch round or square cake.
- Make ahead: you can freeze the cake, well wrapped for a month. I recommend icing it after you thaw it so it stays fresh. But you can freeze iced leftovers. Defrost at room temperature.
- Variation: this cake can be easily made with sweet potatoes or yams instead of pumpkin. Delicious alternative!
It depends on the recipe. A plain cake can be left at room temperature for a day or two, ideally under a cake dome or covered by a kitchen towel. After that, it's recommended that you refrigerate or freeze it, always well wrapped to avoid it from drying out too quickly. If it's filled or frosted the safest thing is to keep it refrigerated after the first few hours of assembling.
So many things! My favorites are:
Easy Pumpkin Bread
Pumpkin Whoopie Pies
Pumpkin Pie with Graham Cracker Crust
Pumpkin Muffins with Chocolate Chips
I have a whole post on how to make pumpkin puree. It's very easy, but you have to plan for it. And you can make a large batch and freeze it.
You mix powdered sugar with a liquid until you get the desired consistency. Liquids you can use: milk, water, cream, citrus juice, fruit juice, maple syrup, honey, even olive oil. We have a whole post on how to make powdered sugar glaze.
Related recipes you might like:
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Pumpkin Coffee Cake Recipe
Ingredients
For the streusel:
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- pinch salt
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
For the cake:
- ½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
- 2 eggs, at room temperature
- ⅔ cup pumpkin puree, canned or fresh, see notes
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
- OR use 3 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice mix instead of above spices
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup sour cream, at room temperature
For the icing:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 4 teaspoons milk
Instructions
For the streusel:
- Mix ⅓ cup all-purpose flour, ½ cup dark brown sugar, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon and pinch salt in a medium bowl.
- Add 5 tablespoons unsalted butter and work with your fingers or pastry cutter until you have a crumbly, clumpy mixture. Don't let the butter start to melt.
- Refrigerate while preparing the cake batter.
For the cake:
- Preheat oven to 350ºF (180ºC).
- Grease or spray well a 7x11-inch cake pan (or 9-inch square or round pan) and line the bottom with parchment paper.
- Beat ½ cup unsalted butter in a large bowl and gradually add 1 cup light brown sugar. Beat for 3 minutes, until creamy.
- Add 2 eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
- Add ⅔ cup pumpkin puree, 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon ground ginger¼ teaspoon ground allspice (OR use 3 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice mix instead of above spices) and ½ teaspoon vanilla extract and mix just until combined.
- Sift 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda and ½ teaspoon salt. You can do it directly or sift them in a different bowl before adding. Add the dry ingredients in 2 parts, alternating with ⅓ cup sour cream in 1 part. This means that you add half the dry ingredients, the total amount of sour cream, and the rest of the dry ingredients.
- Mix lightly with the beater each time to incorporate, and at the end with a spatula only until combined and no dry spots remain, especially in the bottom. Don't overbeat at this point to ensure a light crumb.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and smooth the top.
- Sprinkle the cold streusel over it.
- Bake for about 30 minutes, until a tester comes out dry. The top will be dark because of the cinnamon and brown sugar, but it's not burning. You can cover the cake for the last 5-10 minutes with a piece of foil to prevent it from turning very dark.
- Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes, and carefully run a smooth blade knife around the edges.
- Lift the paper carefully and transfer the cake to the wire rack to cool completely then peel off the paper very carefully.
- Drizzle with the icing, let dry out a little, cut into squares and enjoy!
For the icing:
- Mix 1 cup powdered sugar and 4 teaspoons milk in a bowl until completely smooth.
- Adjust liquid to get the desired consistency (more for a more runny icing, less for a thicker).
Deb says
Best coffee cake ever. It's the only one I make now. Perfect texture. I do cut the sugar in half but it still turns out perfect. Sometimes I don't have pumpkin so I use banana very interchangable.
Paula Montenegro says
Thanks for the feedback Deb. I did make it with sweet potato, but never with banana, and it sounds so good! I'll try it asap.
Adrya says
I don't see coffee as an ingredient listed. There's coffee in coffee cake, right? Or is it a play on the flavor because of the other ingredients? Lol Sorry for the silly question.
Paula Montenegro says
Hi Adrya! There isn't. Coffee cakes are named like that because originally they were meant to be eaten with a cup of coffee (or some similar beverage). The coffee in the title talks about a type of cake not an ingredient.
Priya says
Pumpkin and coffee sounds a great combo 🙂 Looks so delicious..
d says
This coffee cake is moist and delicious! I doubled the recipe and baked it in a 9×13 pan this morning. My family loved it! I am so happy that there’s enough left over to enjoy tomorrow! This is the perfect fall treat that I will make again and again! Thank you for such a great recipe!
Paula Montenegro says
So happy to hear this! Enjoy the week!
Angie@Angie's Recipes says
Anything with streusel and pumpkin is irresistible!
Curry says
Your directions state add vanilla but there is none listed in ingredients.
Paula Montenegro says
I added it (sorry about that!)