Best Pumpkin Coffee Cake Recipe

When August comes to an end and September is in full swing, it's officially time to turn to fall flavors. Starbucks starts early with pumpkin spice lattes before the end of August, but September, October, and November are definitely the best months for embracing all things pumpkin with plenty of streusel. And we have the perfect recipe for you to bake on repeat all fall long.

Ditch the traditional coffee cake and dress it up for the season with this simple recipe. With just a handful of easy-to-find ingredients and under 40 minutes of your time, and you'll have a moist coffee cake jam-packed with notes of cinnamon and pumpkin as the perfect breakfast treat.

With a hefty layer of pumpkin streusel on top, it's the ideal autumn recipe. So, what are you waiting for? Grab a slice, a cup of coffee, and cozy up as the leaves begin to fall.

Gather the ingredients for this pumpkin coffee cake recipe

To get started on making this pumpkin coffee cake, first gather all of your ingredients. For this recipe, you'll need brown sugar, butter, canned pumpkin, two eggs, flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and ground cinnamon.

Be sure when you're grabbing canned pumpkin that it's not the pumpkin pie mix. You want plain and simple canned pumpkin for this recipe. To make a glaze to drizzle on top, you'll also need powdered sugar and milk.

Cream the butter and sugar

To get started on this pumpkin coffee cake recipe, first preheat your oven to 350 F to allow plenty of time for it to come up to the proper temperature. 

Next up, grab a large mixing bowl. Add six tablespoons of softened butter into the bowl, and use a hand mixer to cream the softened butter with one cup of brown sugar until fluffy. Once the butter and sugar is creamed, mix in the eggs until combined. Then, mix in three-quarters of a cup of pumpkin.

Add the dry ingredients to finish the batter

In a separate bowl, add in one and three-quarters cups flour, the baking soda, baking powder, half a teaspoon of salt, and two teaspoons of cinnamon. Mix to combine.

Once the liquid mixture is mixed and ready, gradually mix the dry ingredients into the bowl. Mix just until the batter comes together. You want to avoid overmixing so the gluten in the flour won't develop too much, which ultimately results in a dry cake. 

Make the pumpkin streusel topping

Once the batter is prepped, prepare the pumpkin streusel to go on top. In a small bowl, combine one and a quarter cups flour, half a cup of brown sugar, one teaspoon cinnamon, and a quarter of a teaspoon of salt. Next, melt the four tablespoons of butter and pour it into the dry mixture. Add in two teaspoons of pumpkin, and use a large fork to mix the ingredients until combined. Clumps will begin to form in the mixture.

Sprinkle the streusel and bake the coffee cake

Spray an eight-inch square cake pan with cooking spray to prevent the coffee cake from sticking. A 10-inch round cake pan will work as well.

Once the batter is ready, use a spatula to spread the batter into the pan. Sprinkle the pumpkin streusel topping over the batter, thoroughly covering the top. Bake the coffee cake for 25 to 30 minutes until the top is set and the streusel is a light golden brown. Once baked, remove the coffee cake from the oven and set it aside to cool.

To add a glaze on top, whisk together two cups of powdered sugar and one tablespoon of milk. If the mixture is too thick, add a bit more milk. If it's too runny, add more powdered sugar and whisk until smooth. Drizzle the glaze over top of the pumpkin coffee cake before serving.

Best Pumpkin Coffee Cake Recipe Directions
4.9 (37 ratings)
With just a handful of easy-to-find ingredients, and you'll have a moist coffee cake packed with notes of cinnamon and pumpkin as the perfect breakfast treat.
Prep Time
10
minutes
Cook Time
25
minutes
Servings
9
slices
pumpkin coffee cake
Total time: 35 minutes
Ingredients
  • 1 ½ cups brown sugar, divided
  • 10 tablespoons butter, softened and divided
  • ¾ cup plus 2 teaspoons pumpkin, divided
  • 2 eggs
  • 3 cups flour, divided
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ¾ teaspoon salt, divided
  • 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon, divided
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 tablespoon milk
Directions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
  2. Cream 1 cup brown sugar and 6 tablespoons softened butter in a mixing bowl with a hand mixer until fluffy.
  3. Mix in the eggs, and then mix in ¾ cup pumpkin.
  4. Combine 1 ¾ cups flour, baking soda, baking powder, ½ teaspoon salt, and 2 teaspoons cinnamon in a separate bowl.
  5. Gradually mix the dry ingredient mixture into the wet ingredient mixture until the batter comes together.
  6. To make the streusel topping, combine 1 ¼ cups flour, ½ cup brown sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and ¼ teaspoon salt in a small bowl. Mix to combine. Pour 4 tablespoons melted butter into the bowl along with 2 teaspoons pumpkin, and mix the mixture with a large fork to combine. Mix until large clumps form.
  7. Prepare an 8-inch square cake pan with cooking spray to prevent sticking. Use a spatula to spread the batter into the pan. Sprinkle the cinnamon streusel topping over the batter.
  8. Bake the coffee cake for 25 to 30 minutes until set. Once baked, remove from the oven to cool.
  9. To make a glaze for the top of this coffee cake, whisk together 2 cups powdered sugar and 1 to 2 tablespoons milk in a small bowl. If the mixture is too runny, add more powdered sugar. Once the coffee cake has cooled, use a spoon to drizzle the glaze over the top.
  10. Serve and enjoy.

Nutrition

Calories per Serving 480
Total Fat 14.2 g
Saturated Fat 8.5 g
Trans Fat 0.5 g
Cholesterol 69.6 mg
Total Carbohydrates 83.7 g
Dietary Fiber 1.6 g
Total Sugars 50.1 g
Sodium 305.4 mg
Protein 5.9 g
The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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