Pumpkin 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.

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).

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!