Pumpkin Coffee Cake has the best buttery brown sugar crumble on top! This ultra-moist cake is loaded with warm fall spices and couldn’t be easier to make. Serve it as a Thanksgiving breakfast or enjoy it with a cup of coffee on a crisp October morning. There’s never a bad time to enjoy a treat this good!
Pumpkin Coffee Cake
Don’t you love a breakfast recipe that can double as a dessert? This easy pumpkin coffee cake is one of my all-time favorite fall treats! It’s unbelievably moist thanks to the pumpkin puree, eggs, and perfect amount of melted butter. The topping is what really sells it, though. A buttery brown sugar topping adds the best warmth and crunch to every bite! I also include a sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice to the crumble to really drive that autumnal flavor all the way home. Oh, and when this is baking in the oven? Your kitchen will smell better than any candle ever could.
Keep the pumpkin flavors going all season long with more recipes like pumpkin pie, no bake pumpkin cheesecake, and pumpkin monkey bread!
How do I know when pumpkin coffee cake is done?
Insert a toothpick into the center. It should come out clean or with a few crumbs attached, but there shouldn’t be wet batter on it. It shouldn’t need more than 50 minutes of bake time!
How to Make Pumpkin Coffee Cake
- Prepare. Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease or line a 9×9-inch baking pan with parchment paper.
- Make the crumble. Combine the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and salt for the topping. Cut in the butter with a fork or pastry cutter until coarse crumbs form, then place in the refrigerator while preparing the cake batter.
- Whisk the dry ingredients. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, and salt, and set aside.
- Mix the wet ingredients. Whisk the pumpkin puree, sugar, butter, and brown sugar in a separate medium bowl. Add the eggs and whisk to combine, then whisk in the milk and vanilla.
- Make the batter. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until combined.
- Assemble. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared baking pan. Sprinkle the crumble topping evenly over the batter.
- Bake. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Let it cool, then serve! Allow the cake to cool for at least 15 minutes before slicing and serving with a dusting of powdered sugar if desired.
Storing
This is a great make-ahead cake because the pumpkin helps it stay moist! Keep it in an airtight container at room temp for up to 3 days, or keep it around for longer (5 days) in the fridge. No matter how you store it, just make sure it’s fully cooled to room temperature first so you don’t end up with condensation.
Ingredient Notes
For the crumble topping:
- All-Purpose Flour – Spoon and level the flour. Do NOT dunk the measuring cup straight into the bag of flour, or you’ll end up with packed flour.
- Brown Sugar – This adds a sweetness and warm depth.
- Cinnamon – Don’t go too heavy handed with the cinnamon since we’re also using pumpkin pie spice.
- Pumpkin Pie Spice – This creates the ultimate fall flavor. A little goes a long way!
- Salt – Just a pinch to help develop the other flavors.
- Cold Butter – Cold butter stays in small pieces until the cake starts baking. Once those pieces melt in the oven, they create a crumbly topping instead of soaking into the batter.
For the cake:
- All-Purpose Flour
- Baking Powder and Baking Soda – Double check the container and make sure it’s not outdated. If either of these have expired, your cake won’t rise to the right height. You need both to get the cake to achieve the best fluffy, soft texture.
- Cinnamon and Pumpkin Pie Spice
- Salt
- Pumpkin Puree – Do NOT use pumpkin pie filling. That contains extra spices and sweeteners that won’t taste good with everything else already in the cake batter.
- Granulated Sugar and Brown Sugar – Granulated sugar provides sweetness without making the cake batter too heavy, while brown sugar adds moisture and a deeper caramel/molasses flavor.
- Melted Butter – Opt for unsalted butter to avoid a salty flavor.
- Eggs – If you have time, let the eggs adjust to room temperature first so they mix more evenly into the batter.
- Milk – Any milk will get the job done. Whole milk is my go-to.
- Vanilla Extract – This adds a wonderful warmth and depth.
Enjoy!
~Nichole
Pumpkin Coffee Cake
Ingredients
For the crumble topping:
- 3/4 Cup All-purpose flour
- 1/2 Cup Brown sugar
- 1 tsp Cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp Pumpkin pie spice
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 6 Tbsp Cold butter cubed
For the cake:
- 2 Cups All-purpose flour
- 1 tsp Baking powder
- 1 tsp Cinnamon
- 1 tsp Pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 tsp Baking soda
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1 Cup Pumpkin puree
- 3/4 Cup Granulated sugar
- 1/2 Cup Melted butter
- 1/4 Cup Brown sugar
- 2 Large eggs
- 1/2 Cup Milk
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and grease or line a 9×9-inch baking pan with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and salt for the topping.
- Cut in the butter with a fork or pastry cutter until coarse crumbs form, then place in the refrigerator while preparing the cake batter.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, and salt, and set aside.
- Whisk the pumpkin puree, sugar, butter, and brown sugar in a separate medium bowl.
- Add the eggs and whisk to combine, then whisk in the milk and vanilla.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until combined.
- Spread the batter evenly into the prepared baking pan.
- Sprinkle the crumble topping evenly over the batter.
- Bake for 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Allow the cake to cool for at least 15 minutes before slicing and serving with a dusting of powdered sugar if desired.
Notes
This pumpkin coffee cake can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
