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.
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.
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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.
Notes
This recipe was published in 2017 and recently updated with additional recipe tips. Photos by Sarah Fennel.
I doubled the recipe and baked it in a 9×13 glass pyrex. It took about 20 minutes longer to bake. It is delicious. The only change I made was to add some cloves to the batter. Next time I think I will add pecans to the batter as well. I shared it with family and friends. Everyone enjoyed.
Love your addition! And the pecans sound delicious too, yum! So happy to hear it was a hit, thanks for sharing, Liz! 🙂
While I liked the streusel and thought the texture of the cake to be nice, the cake itself was quite bland. Next time, I would double maybe even triple the amount of spices. Those proportions are what I generally find in flavorful pumpkin recipes.
Sorry to hear that! You’re more than welcome to experiment with the spices to perfect it for your preference. I hope you give this recipe another try!
Cannot wait to eat this coffee cake…as I write this it is baking in the oven..love the combination of pumpkin, pecans and maple…those flavors are my favorite.
I’m sure it smelled amazing while it was baking, please let us know how it turned out! 🙂
This was the best coffee cake I have made. My three year old son asked for it for his birthday! Can’t wait to make it again!
Amazing!! So happy it was such a hit, what a compliment that he’d like it for his birthday! Thanks for the rave review 🙂
This is so good. It really is moist and delicious and that streusel is to die for.
I wanted to make another pumpkin recipe on the same day (and in the same pan…) so I ended up using just a half can of pumpkin (212 g) for each recipes and it worked beautifully. So, one can of pumpkin will make this twice which is very handy.
So glad you enjoyed it, Rachel, and love how you incorporated two recipes into the same pan! So creative!
The beginning of September and the first cool day after a heat wave so obviously something pumpkin spice was needed. This cake did not disappoint! It was so delicious and very easy to make. Can’t wait to make it again!
So happy you loved this cake, Kelly! I don’t think there’s anything better than cooler days and pumpkin desserts 🙂
I made this yesterday. It’s good. Pumpkin flavor is subtle. I used a metal 9×9 plan and still had to cook longer than the recipe states. I’ve had this issue with other recipes on this site too. I don’t know what’s up with your oven, but I find the cooking times to be unreliable and have noticed other comments to that effect so I know it’s not just me.
Thanks for your feedback, Sally! Many home ovens aren’t accurately calibrated and can be off by 10, 20, even 40°F! That means when your oven says it’s preheated to 350°F, it may be incorrect and actually need more time to get to that temperature. Do you have an oven thermometer to check its accuracy? Here at Handle the Heat, we’ve noticed even with our own ovens that our temperatures can be off, so we always suggest using an oven thermometer. My personal oven takes an extra 15 minutes to get up to temp after it beeps stating it’s at the correct temperature, and if I bake anything before that, it does take longer. So happy your cake still turned out well 🙂
Hi we don’t get canned pumpkin purée here can I just boil it and put it in the blender ?
Hi Shamistha! You are welcome to use homemade pumpkin puree instead, that will work just fine! Here is a great recipe on how to make it (though there are many online). Please let us know what you think of this recipe when you have a chance to make it! 🙂
Oh my god!!.. Thanks a lot for this recipe Tessa.. It was so god.. so moist that my Dad specifically required me to use this recipe for his birthday cake.. it was incredible moist and loaded with the amazinf spices.. my godness.. dellicious… thanks so much!!… PD: I had to used plain yogurt (because here it is very dificult to find sour cream), and still was a hit!!.. thanks..
So awesome to hear, Dayris! I’m thrilled your dad loved this coffee cake so much he wants it again for his birthday! 🙂
Hi, Tessa.
I would like to make this cake, except I don’t have sour cream. I have greek yogurt, but it’s no fat. Can I sub that yogurt for the sour cream, or would the lack of fat not work so well? If it won’t work, I’ll just wait until I can buy the sour cream.
Thanks so much.
I haven’t tried a non-fat yogurt in this recipe, so I can’t say for sure! I’d personally recommend waiting-the sour cream really gives it that moist tang that you look for in coffee cake 🙂
Hi, Tessa,
Thanks for that. I’ll take your advice and use sour cream.
I appreciate it.
This cake was delicious! I made a few changes as I am at higher altitude and I don’t like ginger, I used cloves instead. I also added more cinnamon and nutmeg than called for 1 tsp and 3/4 tsp because we love spices! Overall, very much a hit at my house!
So glad you enjoyed this coffee cake recipe!
Hi,
Could you tell me what changes you made for higher altitude, please? I am at 3500 ft, so I am at a loss as to what I need to change.
Thanks very much,
Hi Lynda, I’m not really sure because I’ve never baked at a higher altitude. If you find that you normally need to make adjustments for a recipe to turn out, then I would stick to whatever you normally do. Good luck!
Oops sorry, Tessa, I didn’t mean for this question to go to you. I meant for it to go to the person above my question….Lyndsey M. She mentioned that she made changes for high altitude.
Thanks for responding, though. I appreciate it.
SO GOOD!!! 10/10. I omitted the glaze drizzle and the streusel filling to manage the overall sweetness. My fam devoured this and could not get enough…even my mom who supposedly said she didn’t like pumpkin asked me for the recipe. Thank you for sharing this delight!