Pumpkin Coffee Cake

Sweet, flavorful, and very moist, this is the best pumpkin coffee cake I ever made! It's a simple recipe, brimming with fall flavors, topped with a cinnamon streusel and a powdered sugar icing that are just perfect. It keeps well and freezes wonderfully.

Originally published in October 2017, this post has been updated with images and text to serve you better. The recipe has been tweaked and is even more amazing!

This pumpkin beauty is what fall tastes like. If you didn't know you wanted an irresistibly warmly spiced snack cake, you do now.

I used to make it with walnuts in the streusel, and you can certainly add them if you want to!

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.

Why this recipe works

• Easy to make and quick to disappear.
• 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 powdered sugar icing on a coffee cake.

About the ingredients

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 and homemade work well. I use the latter and follow this post on how to make pumpkin puree.
• Spices: both homemade or store-bought pumpkin spice mix work. Adjust to your palate.
• Sour cream: it adds a lot of moisture and a very slight tanginess that is very welcome as the cake is so rich.
• Sugar: brown sugar gives the best flavor IMO, but you can use white or muscovado.

For the streusel and icing

These two components are essential to the overall amazingness of this cake. So don't skip them!

• Cinnamon: I add extra cinnamon to the crumble to deepen the flavor even more.
• Sugar: again, brown sugar is my first choice, but you can use white. It will be a tad sweeter.
• Powdered sugar: it's the main component of the icing and can't be substituted.
• Milk: I keep it simple because I want the flavor of the pumpkin and spices to shine, but you can use another liquid, such as orange juice.

Easy steps

I like to make simple video tutorial to show you step-by-step how to make the recipe 👇🏻

1

Make the streusel by mixing flour, sugar and cinnamon with butter

2

Work it with your hands until clumpy. You can also use a pastry cutter. Refrigerate!

3

For the cake: cream soft butter and sugar for a few minutes

4

Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well and scraping the sides of the bowl

5

Add the pumpkin 🎃 purée, spices and vanilla

6

Sift the dry ingredients over it alternating with the sour cream. Don’t overbeat at this point!

7

I like to use the spatula to finish incorporating the flour and avoid overworking the batter

8

Pour into the prepared pan and smooth the surface. Top with cold streusel and bake as directed

9

Drizzle with the powdered sugar icing

10

You can freeze it without the icing for a month. Enjoy! 🎃

Check out my other content @VintageKitchen on Jumprope.

My top tips

• Ingredients at room t°: this is important for the consistency and texture of the cake.
• Pan sizes: I used to make it as a tube cake (similar to a bundt cake) with two layers of batter and two of streusel. 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!

Frequently asked questions

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Pumpkin Coffee Cake

★★★★★ 5 from 2 reviews

• Author: Paula Montenegro
• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Total Time: 50 minutes
• Yield: 10 servings 1x
• Category: Cakes
• Method: Baking
• Cuisine: American

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Description

Sweet, flavorful, and very moist, this is the best pumpkin coffee cake I ever made! It's a simple recipe, brimming with fall flavors, topped with a cinnamon streusel, and a powdered sugar icing that is just perfect. It keeps well and freezes wonderfully.

 

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

For the streusel:

• ⅓ cup (45g) all-purpose flour
• ½ cup (100g) firmly packed dark brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Pinch of salt
• 5 tablespoons (70g) unsalted butter, cut into pieces

For the cake:

• ½ cup (115g) unsalted butter, room tº
• 1 cup (200g) firmly packed light brown sugar
• 2 eggs, at room t°
• ⅔ cup (160g) pumpkin puree (canned or fresh, see note)
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 ½ cups (210g) all-purpose or cake flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ⅓ cup (80g) sour cream, at room tº

For the icing:

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 4 teaspoons milk

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Instructions

For the streusel:

1. Mix dry ingredients in a medium bowl.
2. Add butter and work with your fingers or pastry cutter until you have a crumbly, clumpy mixture. Don’t let the butter start to melt.
3. Refrigerate while preparing the cake batter.

For the cake:

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF / 180ºC.
2. Grease or spray well a 7x11-inch cake pan (or 9-inch square or round pan) and line the bottom with parchment paper.
3. Beat butter in a large bowl and gradually add sugar. Beat for 3 minutes, until creamy.
4. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
5. Add pumpkin, spices, and vanilla and mix just until combined.
6. Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt over this batter (you can do it directly or sift them in a different bowl before adding) in 2 parts, alternating with the sour cream. This means that you add half the dry ingredients, the total amount of sour cream, and the rest of the dry ingredients.
7. 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. 
8. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and smooth the top.
9. Add the cold streusel over it.
10. 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.
11. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes, and carefully run a smooth blade knife around the edges. 
12. Lift the paper carefully and transfer the cake to the wire rack to cool completely then peel off the paper very carefully.
13. Drizzle with the icing, let dry out a little, cut into squares and enjoy!

For the icing:

1. Mix both ingredients in a bowl until completely smooth.
2. Adjust liquid to get the desired consistency (more for a more runny icing, less for a thicker). 

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Notes

• Pumpkin: both canned and homemade work well. I use the latter and follow this post on how to make pumpkin puree.
• Spices: both homemade or store-bought pumpkin spice mix work. Adjust to your palate. 
• Ingredients at room t°: this is important for the consistency and texture of the cake.
• Pan sizes: I used to make it as a tube cake (similar to a bundt cake) with two layers of batter and two of streusel. 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!

Keywords: pumpkin cake, pumpkin coffee cak

Paula Montenegro

I'm Paula, a baker for more than 30 years and your designated recipe finder, sharing the best ones on this blog, with simple ingredients + easy-to-follow instructions.