This Pumpkin Coffee Cake has a thick layer of buttery dark brown sugar crumbs, but the cake underneath is every bit as good: soft, moist, and boldly spiced with cinnamon and ginger.
I wanted this cake more deeply spiced than my Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bread. I made it with both 1 cup and 1¼ cups of pumpkin and kept the softer second version. If you are in the mood for fruit, try my Blueberry Coffee Cake.
🔍 At a Glance
- ⏱️ Time: 20 minutes prep + about 40 minutes bake + 30 minutes cooling (1 hour 30 minutes total)
- 👥 Yields: One 9-inch square cake; 9 large or 12 smaller pieces
- 📌 Main ingredients: Pumpkin puree, dark brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, and butter
- 🔥 Cook method: Oven-baked
- 😋 Flavor profile: Deeply spiced pumpkin cake with buttery brown sugar crumbs
- 📝 Great for: Breakfast, brunch, or an afternoon slice with coffee
Table of Contents
Why This Recipe Works
- Lots of crumb. I use the same topping proportions as my Blueberry Coffee Cake for a 9-inch square pan. Melted salted butter binds the flour, dark brown sugar, and cinnamon into generous clumps, so every slice gets plenty of topping.
- Oil in the cake, butter in the crumb. I tried both fats in the batter and preferred oil because the cake was moister. The butter goes in the topping, where you can really taste it.
- Boldly spiced cake. I use plenty of cinnamon and ginger, plus nutmeg, cloves, and allspice, so the cake itself has the deep spice flavor I wanted—not just the crumb on top.
Ingredients & Why They Matter
- Pumpkin puree: Use plain canned pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling; the latter already contains sugar and spices.
- Oil and salted butter: A neutral oil, such as vegetable or canola, goes in the cake. Use salted butter for the crumb.
- Dark brown sugar: I use it in both the cake and the crumb. It gives them a deeper brown sugar flavor, and you only have to measure one kind of sugar.
- All-purpose flour: Weigh it if you can. Too much flour can make this already-thick batter stiff and the cake dry.
- Sour cream: Full-fat sour cream adds moisture and a little tang.
- Spices: If you would rather buy one blend, use 2 tablespoons of store-bought pumpkin pie spice instead of the five individual cake spices. Blends vary, so the flavor will be a little different. Do not add the individual spices as well.
- Baking powder, baking soda, and salt: The baking powder and soda help the thick batter rise. I reduced the Morton kosher salt to ½ teaspoon after the first bake and kept that amount.
Find all quantities in the recipe card below.
Pumpkin Coffee Cake Step by Step
- Prepare the pan and crumb topping. Heat the oven to 350°F. Add a little oil or nonstick spray to a light-colored 9-inch square metal pan to hold the parchment in place. Line it with parchment, leaving overhang on two sides. Stir the crumb flour, dark brown sugar, and cinnamon together. Add the melted salted butter and mix until clumps form.
- Whisk the wet ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk the dark brown sugar, pumpkin, eggs, oil, sour cream, and vanilla well until smooth, with no streaks of sour cream.
- Add the dry ingredients. Whisk the cake's all-purpose flour, spices, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl, then add them to the pumpkin mixture.
- Fold the batter. Use a spatula to fold just until no dry flour remains. The batter will be thick and spreadable, not pourable.
- Fill the pan. Spread the batter evenly in the pan. Scatter the crumb over the top in small and large clumps without pressing it into the batter.
- Bake and cool. Set a timer for 35 minutes, then check the cake. Continue baking as needed, up to about 45 minutes. The center should spring back lightly, and a toothpick inserted through a gap in the crumb should have moist crumbs but no wet batter. Let the cake rest in the pan for 30 minutes, then lift it out with the parchment and slice. Cool completely before covering for storage.
💡 Bri’s Best Tip
Set a timer for 35 minutes and test the center. Both of my cakes were done at 38 minutes, but ovens vary. Insert a toothpick through a gap in the crumbs and into the center of the cake. Remove the cake from the oven when the toothpick has moist crumbs but no wet batter.
Pro Tips
- Use room-temperature eggs and sour cream: They whisk into the pumpkin mixture more easily than cold ingredients.
- Whisk the wet ingredients well: Before adding the flour, make sure the mixture is smooth and no streaks of sour cream remain.
- Use a scale: Weigh 260 g of flour for the cake and 130 g for the crumb. Too much flour can make this thick batter stiff and the cake dry.
- Use a light-colored metal pan: I baked both cakes in this Nordic Ware 9-inch square aluminum pan with a storage lid. The lid is handy for covering the cake once it has cooled. The bake time may differ in a glass or dark metal pan.
- Spread the batter into the corners: This is not a pour-it-in-the-pan batter. Smooth it into an even layer before adding the crumb.
- Let the cake rest before lifting it out: Give it about 30 minutes in the pan so the cake and crumb have time to set.
Common Mistakes
- Overmixing the thick batter: Stop folding as soon as the flour disappears. Continuing to mix can make the cake tough.
- Pressing the crumb into the batter: Scatter it on top in loose clumps. Pushing it down can bury the topping.
- Overbaking the cake: Waiting for a completely clean toothpick is the quickest way to end up with dry, crumbly coffee cake. Moist crumbs are what you want; wet batter means it needs more time.
Variations
- Add pecans to the crumb: Once the crumb has formed, stir in ½ cup chopped pecans. Scatter the mixture over the batter as directed.
- Add a vanilla glaze: Whisk ½ cup powdered sugar, 1–2 teaspoons milk, and ¼ teaspoon vanilla until smooth. Drizzle it over the cooled cake, right on top of the crumb.
Pumpkin Coffee Cake with Crumb Topping
This Pumpkin Coffee Cake has a soft, moist cinnamon-ginger cake under a generous layer of buttery dark brown sugar crumbs.
Equipment
Ingredients
Crumb Topping
- 1 cup (130 g) all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup (150 g) dark brown sugar packed
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup (113 g) salted butter melted and slightly cooled
Pumpkin Cake
- 1 cup (200 g) dark brown sugar packed
- 1 1/4 cups (about 284 g) canned pumpkin puree plain, not pie filling
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1/2 cup (110 g) neutral oil vegetable or canola
- 1/3 cup (80 g) full-fat sour cream room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups (260 g) all-purpose flour
- 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon Morton kosher salt
Instructions
- Prepare the pan and crumb topping. Heat the oven to 350°F. Add a little oil or nonstick spray to a light-colored 9-inch square metal pan to hold the parchment in place. Line it with parchment, leaving overhang on two sides. Stir the crumb flour, dark brown sugar, and cinnamon together. Add the melted salted butter and mix with a fork until clumps form. Set aside. 1 cup all-purpose flour ¾ cup dark brown sugar 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon ½ cup salted butter
- Whisk the wet ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk the cake’s dark brown sugar, pumpkin, eggs, oil, sour cream, and vanilla until smooth, with no streaks of sour cream. 1 cup dark brown sugar 1¼ cups canned pumpkin puree 2 large eggs ½ cup neutral oil ⅓ cup full-fat sour cream 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Add the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk the cake flour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, allspice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add them to the pumpkin mixture. 2 cups all-purpose flour 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon 2 teaspoons ground ginger ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg ¼ teaspoon ground cloves ½ teaspoon ground allspice 1½ teaspoons baking powder ½ teaspoon baking soda ½ teaspoon Morton kosher salt
- Fold the batter. Use a spatula to fold just until no dry flour remains. The batter will be thick and spreadable, not pourable.
- Fill the pan. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan. Scatter the crumb topping over it in small and large clumps without pressing it into the batter.
- Bake and cool. Set a timer for 35 minutes, then check the cake. Continue baking as needed, up to about 45 minutes. The center should spring back lightly, and a toothpick inserted into the cake through a gap in the crumbs should have moist crumbs but no wet batter. Let the cake rest in the pan for 30 minutes, then lift it out using the parchment and slice. Cool completely before covering for storage.
Did you make this recipe? Leave a comment below!
Notes
- Pumpkin and batter: Use plain canned pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling. The batter should be thick and spreadable, not pourable. Weigh the flour if possible: 260 g for the cake and 130 g for the crumb.
- Pan: Use a light-colored 9-inch square metal pan. The Nordic Ware storage lid is for the cooled cake, not for baking. Glass or dark metal may change the bake time.
- Spice shortcut: Replace the five individual cake spices with 2 tablespoons of store-bought pumpkin pie spice. Still add the 1½ teaspoons cinnamon to the crumb. Spice blends vary in flavor.
- Do not overbake: Start checking at 35 minutes; both of my cakes were done at 38 minutes. A toothpick inserted through a gap in the crumb should have moist crumbs but no wet batter.
- Keep the crumb loose: Mix until clumps form, then scatter them over the batter without pressing them down.
- Make ahead and storage: Once cooled, keep the cake covered for up to 2 days at room temperature or 4–5 days in the refrigerator.
Nutrition
Calories: 420kcal | Carbohydrates: 57g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 55mg | Sodium: 285mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 30g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe FAQs
Can I use the whole can of pumpkin?
Measure 1¼ cups of pumpkin puree rather than using the whole can. I tried 1 cup and 1¼ cups and preferred the moister cake made with 1¼ cups. The flour and bake time in this recipe are set for that amount.
What if I use a glass or dark metal pan?
I baked both cakes in a light-colored 9-inch square metal pan. Glass or dark metal may change the bake time, so begin checking at 35 minutes and remove the cake when a toothpick inserted through a gap in the crumbs has moist crumbs but no wet batter.
Can I make pumpkin coffee cake ahead?
Yes. Cool the cake completely before covering it. Keep it covered for up to 2 days at room temperature or 4–5 days in the refrigerator.
More Breakfast Recipes
Did you make this recipe?
If you try this recipe, please leave a star rating in the recipe card below and/or comment! I always appreciate your feedback.
Follow me on all of the platforms below.
This is the absolute best coffee cake I’ve ever had. My kids loved it and fought over the last piece.