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.
Hi! I’m curious, do you have a recommendation regarding canned vs fresh pumpkin for this? I saw your piece on the differences between the two but without trying this before i’m not sure which to go with. Thanks!
Hi Zoe! We recommend using canned pumpkin puree (such as Libby’s brand) for this recipe. Homemade should work just fine, but it can contain excess moisture and therefore impact the texture of the coffee cake if there’s too much excess liquid, so canned is your best bet. Let us know what you think of this coffee cake once you have given it a try! Happy baking 🙂
I made this into muffins – the recipe made 12 standard muffins. Baked for 20 minutes in a metal muffin tin. Topped with streusel- so good! I didn’t have a metal case on, so now I will get one to make into a coffee cake! loved the pecans in the streusel! A keeper!
made it today and wow! so delicious and moist! my new favorite pumpkin recipe for the fall! ty for sharing ❤️
Can I use a 9×9 pan instead and if so what would the cook time be
Hi Jennifer! We have only tested this coffee cake in an 8×8-inch pan, so I can’t say for sure how long to bake it for. I would recommend shaving about 10 minutes off the bake time to start, and add more if needed. Pay close attention to the sensory indicators in the recipe over the bake time. I hope that helps! Happy baking!
This is a delicious coffee cake, so tender and moist, even without the glaze. Your recipes are among the ones I don’t need to try in advance before serving to guests or potluck–I know they will turn out well and there will be no surprises or left-out instructions!
If I only have dark brown sugar on hand, can I substitute that for the light brown sugar or will the extra molasses flavor be too much? Also, can I just not add the pecans to the streusel or should I substitute it for something else?
Hi Stephanie! We haven’t tried that, but using dark brown sugar should work just fine. Yes, as you say, there will be a slightly more pronounced molasses flavor, but I think it will still be delicious and won’t overpower any of the other flavors. Feel free to simply omit the pecans. Let us know how it goes 🙂
Can I put together ant night and bake in the morning?
Hi Katie! We haven’t tried that, and I’m not sure how well it would rise after an overnight chill as the baking soda will have lost its strength by then. This coffee cake does keep very well for at least 4 days, and it freezes remarkably well – check out all the details about storage + freezing in the pink tip box, right above the recipe. I hope that helps! Happy baking 🙂
Oh my goodness. Made this for the first time today. Absolutely amazing; it’s a keeper.
Is it possible to replace the sour cream ? If so with what and I’m what proportion / quantity ?
Hi Julieta! Full-fat plain yogurt typically works as a perfect substitution for sour cream! Use at a 1:1 ratio. Let us know what you think of this coffee cake once you’ve tried it 🙂
I used nonfat plain Greek yogurt and it came out great.
It was delicious!
I’ve made this recipe 4 times already this fall! Absolutely obsessed. Do you know the calorie count per square if using an 8×8 pan?
Hi Abby! Yay, we’re so glad to hear that you love this coffee cake! We don’t have nutritional information for our recipes, as we believe that dessert should be an indulgence – but you should be able to find a nutritional calculator online to assist with this, if you wish! 🙂
Not sure why my comments are being deleted. I commented on the bake time being incorrect.
Hi Madi! Your comment was not being deleted; when comments are made they are ‘pending’ in our system, so we can have a chance to reply to the message you took the time to write. You should now see my response to your previous message about this recipe’s bake time just below. Happy baking 🙂