After incessant Instagram scrolling, I was inspired to try out several pumpkin coffee cake recipes and finally hit on a combination that was just right for me. This cake is very moist without being dense, the perfect amount of sweetness and double the streusel of most recipes–because I always find myself wishing there was more streusel topping. The streusel (more or less) comes from Rose Levy Beranbaum’s The Pie and Pastry Bible. Glaze is optional; I like it on there but it won’t make or break your coffee cake experience.
You can mix all the dry ingredients together before adding them to the wet stuff; I skip this step in order to avoid making more dishes and have not had any ill effects from it. Let your conscience be your guide.
Pumpkin Coffee Cake
Course: Cakes, Pumpkin9
servings34
minutesIngredients
- Cake
1 cup flour
1/2 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
1/2 t pumpkin pie spice
1/4 c sugar
3 T light brown sugar
1/2 cup pumpkin purée (Libby’s is best)
1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil
1/4 cup sour cream, room temp.
1 egg, room temp.
- Streusel
3 T light brown sugar
1 T sugar
1/2 cup pecans
1/2 t cinnamon
1/2 cup flour
4 T butter, room temp. or cold, cut into cubes
tiny pinch of salt
Directions
- For the streusel:
- Pulse all ingredients together in a food processor (or cut in using a pastry cutter) until the mixture is crumbly and clumpy.
- For the cake:
- Preheat oven to 350º.
- Spray an 8 X 8 inch metal baking pan with cooking spray. Cut out two pieces of parchment the width of the pan and form a sling in the pan, spraying each with cooking spray.
- Whisk pumpkin, egg, oil, both sugars and sour cream in a bowl until well combined.
- Add all the dry ingredients and whisk until everything is smooth.
- Pour pumpkin batter into the pan and top with the streusel.
- Bake for 35 minutes; the center should be puffed, not sunken.
- Remove cake from the pan using the parchment sling and get ready for some serious bliss.
- Optional Glaze
- Whisk 1/2 cup powdered sugar with 2 T milk, adding more milk if necessary to get a good pouring consistency. Drizzle glaze over cooled cake
Notes
- You don’t have to wait for the cake to cool completely; I love a warm coffee cake! The glaze will probably melt into the cake though if you put it on there while it’s too hot. I like to eat a warm piece and then glaze the rest after the cake has cooled.