Tessa’s Recipe Rundown
Taste: Perfectly sweet with just the right amount of pumpkin spice complemented by the maple glaze.
Texture: The cake is super moist, fluffy, and light, while the streusel brings a heavenly subtle crunch.
Ease: Super easy and ready in only 1 hour!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe: Easy and crazy delicious fall recipe.
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This Pumpkin Spice Coffee Cake recipe is about to make all your pumpkin spice dreams come true.
This coffee cake has truly converted some pumpkin spice haters into total PSL lovers! In fact, it’s reigned supreme as my most popular fall recipe for years!
The cake is, of course, made with pumpkin puree and lots of warm spices. But then I also added in sour cream to get that moist tang we all want in coffee cake.
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What’s better than streusel?! TWO LAYERS of the stuff. One in the middle and one on top.
Then there’s the icing on top… literally. Just a simple powdered sugar and maple syrup icing does the trick. All of these flavors together are an autumn dream.
You can have a batch of this coffee cake cooling on your counter in about one hour. It’s extra cozy served warm.
The cake itself can be covered and stored for up to 4 days and it somehow still stays moist while the pumpkin spice flavors intensify over time.
Though I highly doubt it will last that long…
Sprinkle of Science
The Best Pumpkin Coffee Cake
The Star of the Show: The Pumpkin Puree!
- I used store-bought canned pumpkin puree for this Pumpkin Spice Coffee Cake recipe.
- If you’d like, you could use homemade pumpkin puree in this recipe. Use a paper towel to blot off as much excess moisture as possible.
- Note: Don’t use canned pumpkin pie filling for this recipe – it is not the same thing as pumpkin puree.
- If you’re curious, here’s my Fresh vs. Canned Pumpkin article for the differences between using fresh pumpkin puree, regular canned pumpkin, and organic canned pumpkin – and to learn how to make your own!
Why is There No Coffee in This Coffee Cake?
Generally, coffee cake is meant to be served with coffee, so it doesn’t typically contain coffee as an ingredient! Especially in this recipe where we want the pumpkin spice flavor to shine.
Why is There Sour Cream in This Coffee Cake Recipe?
Sour cream in coffee cake creates the most amazingly moist texture and flavor. If you don’t have sour cream, you can use plain full-fat yogurt instead.
What Baking Pan is Best for Coffee Cake?
This recipe was tested with an 8-inch square metal baking pan.
If you’re using a glass or ceramic pan, you may need to extend the baking time by 5 to 15 minutes as those materials cook more slowly than metal. Learn more about Glass vs. Metal Baking Pans in my article here.
My Coffee Cake Sank in the Middle. Why?
- This cake is very rich, so it may dip very slightly in the middle. It shouldn’t be dramatic.
- If you do have a dramatic caving in the center, you may not have baked the cake for long enough. Or, you used a glass or ceramic pan instead of metal (see above).
- Check your baking time and that your oven is properly heating with an oven thermometer.
- Learn more about ovens here.
Can You Double This Coffee Cake Recipe?
Yes! Simply double all ingredients and bake in a metal 9 by 13-inch baking pan and add about 5 minutes to the baking time.
How Long Can You Store Coffee Cake?
The Pumpkin Spice Coffee Cake itself can be covered and stored for up to 4 days. This cake stays very moist and the pumpkin spice flavor actually improves over time! Make this cake the night before serving it to save yourself time.
Can You Freeze Coffee Cake?
Slices of this coffee cake freeze well – just wrap each slice well in plastic wrap and place inside an airtight container or freezer bag, to prevent freezer burn. Allow slices to defrost at room temperature before icing and serving.
I’ve had surprisingly good results from freezing the entire baked Pumpkin Spice Coffee Cake in an airtight container, then allowing it to defrost at room temperature before icing and serving.
Pumpkin Spice Coffee Cake
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Ingredients
For the streusel:
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup (32 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup (60 grams) pecans, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3 tablespoons (43 grams) unsalted butter, melted
For the cake:
- 2 cups (254 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 cup (244 grams) pumpkin puree
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) vegetable oil
- 4 ounces (113 grams) sour cream, at room temperature
- 2 large eggs, beaten
For the glaze:
- 1/2 cup (63 grams) powdered sugar, sifted
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray the bottom of a metal 8-inch square pan with nonstick cooking spray.
Make the streusel:
- In a small bowl, combine all of the streusel ingredients with a fork until crumbly.
Make the cake:
- In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. In a small bowl, stir together the pumpkin puree, oil, sour cream, and eggs. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, then pour in the wet ingredients. Gently stir until just combined.
- Spoon half of the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle with half of the streusel. Spread the remaining batter over the streusel. Sprinkle with the remaining streusel.
- Bake for 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Glass and ceramic pans will take longer to bake than metal. Cool for 15 minutes.
Make the topping:
- In a small bowl, combine the sugar and maple syrup until a thick, pourable icing forms. Drizzle over the warm cake. Cut into squares and serve. Store leftovers, covered, at room temperature for up to 4 days.
Recipe Notes
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This recipe was published in 2017 and recently updated with additional recipe tips. Photos by Sarah Fennel.
This recipe is amazing, definitely adding this to my thanksgiving morning brunch
Fantastic cake, easy to make and delish!!
Perfect for the fall
This cake is really delicious! So soft and tender and just the right amount of sweet. I absolutely love the brown butter coffee cake on this site, so I took a cue from that recipe and used melted browned butter in place of the vegetable oil here. My only issue was the baking time. Mine took 45 minutes for a tester to come out clean, but even then, the very center fell a little while cooling, so it could have used another few minutes in the oven still.
Am currently eating a big square of this cake still warm from the oven and it’s absolutely delicious! It’s pure autumn in a cake!
I had to use more maple syrup with the half cup of icing sugar but it may be a difference between US and UK icing sugar.
Will definitely be making this again!
This coffee cake is amazing! I hadn’t made a coffee cake in probably ten years, but I can’t wait to make this one again! It’s so flavorful and delicious!
I just finished baking. I made my own pumpkin puree and overall turned out delicious even though I did not add pecans. The texture is moist, soft and tasty but pumpkin flavour not strong. For the cake, I reduced granulated sugar to 85g and it just right sweetness for us. For the streusel, it was a little too sweet so next try will reduce to 80g instead of original 100g.
Questions:
(1) can I add more puree and how much should I add for my next try?
(2) recipe does not call for coffee and why the name of this recipe is called pumpkin spice coffee cake?
Hi Annie–
The name “coffee cake” is misleading, as they rarely contain coffee. Coffee cakes are a type of breakfast baked good that typically accompany coffee. Most commonly seen in the US, they can also be found in Canada and parts of Europe, but might have a different name (streusel or crumb cake, for instance).
Hope that helps!
Kate
This looks so good! So moist and that streusel topping…Delicious!
This was so good! I made this for company and it was delicious!
Delicious- the cake rose up nice and high, all the way to the top of the pan. It tasted light despite the oil. Next time I make it I will add more nutmeg and ginger, as I like a spicier taste.
Delicious! “best cake ever” comments from the bake sale today – another great recipe 🙂
Hi is there a replacement for egg in the pumpkin cake recipe?
I used flax eggs in mine! 2 tablespoons ground flax seeds with 6 tablespoons water
This turned out moist and delicious! The perfect way to warm up a cold Monday. 🙂
Wonderful, just absolutely wonderful recipe. Soft and spongy coffee cake. I only had to extend the baking time by about 20 minutes extra…used a metal tin. Other than that, excellent. Love the flavours.