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.
There is a reason this has so many 5* reviews. We’re not a pumpkin family so I was hesitant to try it. I didn’t tell hubby until after he said he loved it and I still haven’t told my son! I followed the recipe almost exactly except switching greek yogurt for the sour cream. I contemplated doubling the cinnamon but the cake was perfectly spiced. I do feel that the maple glaze is unnecessary and that the cake is perfect without it. I made the glaze but in the end just used very little of as a drizzle.
So happy to hear this was such a hit!!!
A+++ recipe!! Baked in a 9×9 pan and still turned out amazing. Definitely a keeper and the whole family loved it!
Yay! So thrilled to hear that, MK!
Can this be doubled and made in a 9×13 pan?
Hi Rachel! Yes! As Tessa mentions in the pink tip box above the recipe, this can be doubled into a 9×13 pan and add about 5 minutes to the baking time 🙂 Happy baking!
Just made this as a double batch and completely forgot the eggs. 🙁 Was wondering why it was so thick and hard to spread. I also MIGHT have reduced the oil by 1/4 and both sugars a bit as well – this is what happens when youre scatterbrained and get interrupted while baking. Sigh. figured better to have less than too much, so took a risk. It’s in the oven – Wish me luck….
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How it turned out: turned out really great. a little dense but i like the denseness for a coffee cake. it’s very moist. I skipped the icing and topped it with cream cheese fruit dip i had on hand from a fruit platter. DELISH! Next time i wont forget the eggs haha.
So glad this worked out and still tasted good, even with your adjustments, Joanne!
Looks absolutely delicious! Please clarify that sour cream is 1/2 cup as equivalent to 4 oz. Thanks.
Hi Mindy! Yes, that is correct 🙂 Please let us know what you think of this recipe once you give it a try! Happy baking 🙂
It was perfect! It turned out completely, totally perfect. YUM. And thank you!
So happy to hear you enjoyed this coffee cake so much, Taisa!! 🙂
I made this recipe several times already. This is now one of my favourite cakes and everyone loved it so far.
I had to translate the recipe to German for colleagues and friends
I doubled the amount of streusel this time (currently cooling), because my family loves streusel. Let’s see what they’ll say tomorrow ☺️
So happy to hear this cake has been such a hit! I’m with you on doubling the streusel, yummy! Thanks for the comment, Kati 🙂
Absolutely delicious! Great flavour and so moist! The streusel is perfect. A new favourite that will be made again and again. Thank you!
So happy you enjoyed this recipe! Thanks so much for the comment 🙂
Delicious! Baked for 40 minutes. Maybe should have been 37 but still moist. Make glaze with milk because no maple syrup. Love no mixer! Your recipes always terrific. Will post and tag on Insta later.
Yum! Perfect, warm treat for a cold winter morning. I was excited to make this and started mixing everything up only to discover I was out of eggs! Doh! I hate when that happens. I just added the rest of the can of pumpkin for extra moisture and crossed my fingers. Ha! It still turned out deliciously but probably a little more dense than with eggs. Next time I’ll check my ingredients before starting (not the first time I’ve made ingredient assumptions) ♀️ Thanks for a tasty treat!
I don’t think there’s anything more frustrating on a wintry day to find out you’re out of a key ingredient for such a warm treat, way to keep with it and experiment! Glad it still turned out delicious 🙂
This has become part of my Christmas morning buffet. It’s so good. Always a hit!
Wonderful! So happy to hear how much you love them, thanks so much for the comment!
This recipe is a keeper! Only thing I had to substitute was walnuts for the pecans because that’s what I had on hand. I can’t wait to make it again with pecans in the future!