Pumpkin Coffee Cake
Irresistible Pumpkin Coffee Cake is the best way to highlight warm fall flavors! With a moist, fluffy, pumpkin-flavored interior and a buttery spiced streusel topping, this is a unique twist on the classic that will have you hooked after the first bite! Drizzle with sweet vanilla glaze for the ultimate cozy treat!
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This Pumpkin Coffee Cake is easy to make, incredibly delicious with the perfect texture and infused with real pumpkin. It was inspired by two of my family’s favorite recipes – my traditional crumb cake and my apple coffee cake. We love a good brunch dessert for holiday brunches and lazy weekends to enjoy alongside coffee or tea and this recipe is an absolute winner.
This was super delicious easy to make. My family thought I got this from a bakery! Your recipes never disappoint!!
— Becca
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Amazing flavor: This pumpkin coffee cake boasts the perfect blend of pumpkin spice and sweetness, creating a delightful taste that captures the essence of fall.
- Simple to make: With straightforward instructions, this dessert is a breeze to prep, making it an excellent choice for beginner bakers.
- Perfect for any occasion: Make this for all your fall celebrations! It’s perfect for the holidays! It serves 16, so it’s great for feeding a big group and everyone loves it.
Ingredients you’ll need
This homemade pumpkin coffee cake recipe uses plenty of pantry staples to make a cake that’s deliciously tender, filled with cozy flavors and has the perfect amount of moisture. Here’s what you’ll need to make it (full measurements in recipe card below):
- Flour: Use all-purpose flour or whole wheat pastry flour for a light, tender crumb.
- Baking essentials: Baking powder and baking soda will help the cake rise and bake properly.
- Salt: To enhance all the flavors.
- Spices: Pumpkin pie spice adds warm, cozy flavor to the cake, while ground cinnamon does the same for the crumb topping.
- Eggs: Helps to bind the ingredients together and provides structure for the cake.
- Pumpkin: Be sure to use 100% pure pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling, which has added sugar and spices. My favorite is Libby’s Pure Pumpkin that can be found down the baking aisle.
- Brown sugar: To sweeten the cake and streusel.
- Sour cream: Keeps the cake moist without having to use very much oil.
- Olive oil: Adds extra moisture while lightening up the crumb more so than butter.
- Pure vanilla extract: A pop of delicious vanilla flavor!
- Butter: Softened unsalted butter makes for a rich crunchy layer that pairs so well with the tender cake.
- Powdered sugar: Adds sweetness to the icing.
- Milk: Provides the perfect consistency for the glaze.
Pumpkin recipes
Looking for ways to use up the leftover pumpkin puree? Try our very popular pumpkin waffles or pumpkin spice coffee creamer!
Substitutions and variations
- Flour options: You can substitute whole wheat pastry flour for all-purpose flour or a mix of all-purpose and regular whole wheat flour. I haven’t tried this cake with a gluten-free alternative, but I think a 1:1 gluten-free all-purpose flour would work.
- Oil: You can use any type of oil. I typically use light olive oil or melted coconut oil, but vegetable oil, canola oil or avocado oil will work.
- Use Greek yogurt: If you’d like to add a boost of protein, you can sub the sour cream with an equal amount of Greek yogurt.
- Icing: The icing is delicious, but feel free to skip it if you want.
- Mix-ins: If you want your coffee cake to have more texture, add in chopped walnuts or pecans!
How to make this recipe
This pumpkin streusel coffee cake recipe is super simple and whips up very quickly! You don’t need any special equipment to make it – not even an electric mixer!
See the full, printable recipe card at the bottom of the page.
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease an 9×9-inch baking pan or line it with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and pumpkin pie spice.
Step 2: In a large bowl, stir together eggs, pumpkin puree, brown sugar, sour cream, oil and vanilla until smooth.
Step 3: Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until just combined. Set aside.
Step 4: Combine all of the crumb topping ingredients in a small bowl with a fork until crumbly. Set aside.
Step 5: Add cake batter to the prepared pan. Use a spatula or spoon to spread it out evenly.
Step 6: Sprinkle the crumb topping mixture evenly over the top. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, or with just a few moist crumbs sticking to it.
Step 7: Let cake cool for about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, make icing by whisking together powdered sugar, teaspoon vanilla extract and milk in a small bowl. Drizzle icing over warm cake.
Step 8: Cut into squares and serve!
Helpful tips
This is the best pumpkin cake and it is really straight-forward and easy to make, but here are a few tips so it’s perfect every time.
- Homemade pumpkin spice: For the 1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice that this recipe calls for, you can combine 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger and 1/8 lightly heaping teaspoon ground cloves or allspice.
- Measure the flour correctly: To ensure that you’re using the correct amount of flour for the best texture, whisk the flour, then spoon it into a dry measuring cup and (without shaking the cup) level off the top with a straight edge.
- Room temp ingredients: Bring the butter, egg, and sour cream to room temperature before getting started. All of the ingredients will mix together more easily and you won’t have to worry about over-mixing the batter.
- Do not over-mix the batter: Over-mixing the batter can result in dry, tough baked goods. Here’s more info on over mixing and why it should be avoided.
- Leftovers: If you’re enjoying this the next day, give it 10-20 seconds in the microwave. We love it a bit warm!
Frequently asked questions
Coffee cake, or kaffekuchen, is a single layer cake with a streusel topping made from flour, butter, and sugar. Streusel can also be layered inside of the cake like a filling.
No, coffee cake usually doesn’t have any actual coffee in it. It’s often associated with being served with a cup of coffee and that’s where it gets its name.
Serving suggestions
If you’re looking for ideas for a full fall brunch spread, here are some pairing options that would go great with this pumpkin coffee cake.
- Coffee: Having a fall-flavored coffee to sip on is a must!
- Eggs: You’ll need some savory bites like these egg muffins to go along with the sweeter options.
- Breakfast meats: Keep things simple with some bacon or sausage!
- Breakfast bake: Every brunch spread needs some type of breakfast casserole or quiche!
Storage recommendations
- At room temp: Leftovers will stay fresh for 2-3 days stored at room temperature.
- In the refrigerator: For longer storage, transfer to an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Freezing: You can freeze the pumpkin coffee cake for up to 3 months. If storing in the freezer, I recommend cutting the cake into individual servings before freezing. Then, you can conveniently grab one piece at a time as desired. To thaw, place it in the refrigerator overnight or leave it at room temp for a 1-2 hours.
More fall dessert recipes
If you try this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment and if your family loves it as much as mine does, be sure to give it a five star ⭐️ rating! Also, tag @kimscravings on Instagram with a picture of your creation. Be sure to subscribe to our mailing list to receive more healthy delicious recipes straight to your inbox.
Pumpkin Coffee Cake
Ingredients
Cake
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- ⅔ cup light brown sugar
- ½ cup sour cream or full fat Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup light olive oil or melted coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Crumb topping
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ¼ cup softened unsalted butter
Icing
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- ¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2-3 teaspoons milk, plus more to thin
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease an 9×9-inch baking pan or line with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and pumpkin pie spice.
- In a large bowl, stir together eggs, pumpkin puree, brown sugar, sour cream, oil and vanilla until smooth.
- Add the flour mixture to the wet mixture and stir until just combined. Set aside.
- Combine all of the crumb topping ingredients in a small bowl with a fork until crumbly.
- Add cake batter to the prepared pan and use a spatula or spoon to spread it out evenly. Sprinkle the crumb topping evenly over the top.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, or with just a few moist crumbs sticking to it.
- Let cake cool for about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, make icing by whisking together powdered sugar, vanilla extract and milk in a small bowl.
- Drizzle icing over warm cake. Cut into squares and serve!
Notes
- Homemade pumpkin spice: For the 1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice that this recipe calls for, you can combine 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger and 1/8 lightly heaping teaspoon ground cloves or allspice.
- Measure the flour correctly: To ensure that you’re using the correct amount of flour for the best texture, whisk the flour, then spoon it into a dry measuring cup and (without shaking the cup) level off the top with a straight edge.
- Room temp ingredients: Bring the butter, egg, and sour cream to room temperature before getting started. All of the ingredients will mix together more easily and you won’t have to worry about over-mixing the batter.
- Do not over-mix the batter: Over-mixing the batter can result in dry, tough baked goods. Here’s more info on over mixing and why it should be avoided.
- Leftovers: If you’re enjoying this the next day, give it 10-20 seconds in the microwave. We love it a bit warm!
Did you make this recipe?
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This coffee cake is SO GOOD. Not too sweet, perfect texture. I made a double batch so I could take it to work!
Thanks so much!! You can just use ground cinnamon. Enjoy!
This was super delicious easy to make. My family thought I got this from a bakery! Your recipes never disappoint!!
That’s so great to hear! Thank you for your comment!
The cake turned out so light and flavorful. Everyone loved it and didn’t last long! Yummy!
This coffee cake is delicious! I made it gluten free using Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 flour (same amount called for in the recipe) and it worked great. It took the full baking time (35 minutes) but was fully baked. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Thanks so much for your feedback! So happy you enjoyed!
Just made this and had a piece with my coffee and I’m seriously sitting here trying not to go back and devour the whole thing!! Delish!!