Pumpkin Coffee Cake

Autumn isn't complete until you get to dig into a large slice of pumpkin coffee cake served with a large mug of coffee. This incredible fall coffee cake recipe is delightfully moist without being dense and topped with the most delectable cinnamon-infused streusel. 

Why it Works

This is a super simple cake that is light, moist, and packed full of flavor. The cake isn’t overwhelmingly spiced, but has a delicious and unforgettable balance of pumpkin, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and cardamom. 

The buttery streusel is a welcome addition, adding more spice and a delicious crunch. 

You will love how easy it is to make this cake. You don’t need a stand mixer. Just a couple of bowls and a whisk. It makes a great breakfast treat like these pumpkin pancakes and pumpkin scones to make with new bakers. 

Ingredient Breakdown

The ingredients are super simple for this coffee cake, but let’s review a couple of key ingredients and why we need them, plus any potential substitutions. 

• Pumpkin - We can’t have a pumpkin coffee cake without pumpkin - or can we? The best thing to use is pure pumpkin puree. The canned pumpkin is great, as long as it does not say pumpkin pie on the front label. You can also use pureed butternut squash as a homemade backup.
• Oil - We use oil to keep the coffee cake light and moist. I recommend any neutral-flavored oil like canola or vegetable oil. I do not recommend coconut oil or melted butter. 
• Yogurt - Plain yogurt helps the leavening rise, plus give the cake a subtle tang. You can use plain yogurt, plain Greek yogurt, or sour cream. Creme fraiche also works well here. 
• Butter - Butter is used in the streusel to add flavor and crunch. I recommend using unsalted butter to keep the cake from being too salty. If you want to try something different, add a few more tablespoons of butter, brown your butter, then freeze it and cut into cubes before using. 

How to Make Coffee Cake Streusel

If you're anything like me, the streusel is the best part of the coffee cake. I make it a point to have a lot of streusel in my pumpkin coffee cake. If you prefer less streusel, feel free to use only a portion of the streusel recipe. 

1. Mix the flour, spices, and sugar together in a bowl. 
2. Add in the butter, and cut the butter into the flour. Use a pastry cutter or your hands to rub the butter into the flour until it resembles large crumbs. 

Tip: For large pieces of streusel (my favorite), press the streusel mixture together well, then gently crumble back into the bowl. Chill, or freeze your streusel until you are ready to use it.

How to Make Coffee Cake

Coffee cake, in general, is one of the easiest things to make, no matter your baking level. It is a matter of mixing your dry ingredients together, then mixing your wet ingredients together, and ending with combining the two. Easy peasy.

1. Add your dry ingredients to a large bowl and stir them together. 
2. Add your wet ingredients to a separate bowl and stir them together. 
3. Mix your wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. 
4. Pour ⅔ of the batter into your prepared baking pan, then top with half the streusel. 
5. Top with the remaining batter, then the remaining streusel. 
6. Bake in a preheated oven until a toothpick comes out clean. 

Tips

• You can make the streusel ahead of time and store in the freezer until you need it. I like to make extra streusel to add to other things like blueberry muffins, apple cinnamon bread, and more.
• You should only mix your batter until just combined. If there are a couple of lumps in the batter, that is fine, just as long as there are no streaks of flour in the bowl. 
• Use the streusel when it is cold, or preferably frozen. This helps the streusel make large crumbs and hold their shape while baking. 

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