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.
Can this be made the night before? If so, should I keep it in the fridge and then heat prior to serving?
Thank you!
Yes, it actually tastes even better the next day! No need to keep it in the fridge, the baked coffee cake can be kept at room temp for up to 4 days. Enjoy!
this took about an hour and forty-five minutes to bake in a convection oven, but that’s the only downside i found. everything else about this recipe is great and i’m definitely making it again next year for my family’s Thanksgiving!! or if i’m invited to any potluck. i chose this recipe for the crumble going on the top as well as in the middle and it did not disappoint. thank you for sharing this!
adding the amendment that i did double the recipe so that could’ve contributed to the cooking time. but it was 1000% still worth the wait!
So happy you loved the recipe, Michelle!
I’m excited to try out this recipe and would like to use olive oil instead of vegetable oil. So was wondering what level of intensity level of extra virgin olive oil would you recommend?
Hi Mina, that will depend entirely on your preferred flavor intensity! We prefer more neutral oils in this recipe, such as avocado, vegetable, or canola. I’d start out with a light taste olive oil to ensure it doesn’t overpower the pumpkin flavor and go from there if you’d like to test something stronger. Let us know what you think!
Tessa, I came across your channel trying to find something different than basic pumpkin pie. So I made your Pumpkin Spice Coffee Cake & it was totally delicious! I followed your recipe exactly, & this cake was moist & delicious, with the crumb topping being the perfect added touch. Thank you for this, & I am a new subscriber. Will be making many of your delicious recipes. You are talented & gorgeous.
This is the most delicious pumpkin dessert I have ever tasted! It’s the perfect combination of pumpkin and cake!
Tried this today, instead of puree pumpkin plus all the spices – I used pumpkin pie filling.
SO GOOD. This cake is so delicious it’s going to be a problem lol !!
I used a glass pan and bake time was around 45 mins.
So good. Rises up beautifully and is super moist. I used only cinnamon and added a bit more than stated and halved the icing. It doesn’t even need icing but looks pretty.
I made it with butter because I was out of oil. I also used a bundt pan sprayed with baking spray (oil + flour). Cooked it for about 40 minutes. Came out awesome! I didn’t add the glaze. Might next time or I might add 50% more of the sugar/pecan mixture or maybe both! I also might double the spaces just because I love spice.
Easy to make! The streusel is yummy and the cake is moist, but I felt like the vegetable oil flavor was slightly overpowering. I measured everything with a food scale (following the grams listed in the recipe), so I don’t know where I went wrong.
Hi, Sophia — yay! Regarding the oil, it sounds like maybe your vegetable oil went rancid. The flavor should not be discernible. Sometimes veg oil can go bad before the expiration date, especially if stored near sunlight or in a warm place (like near your stove top). If you give it a sniff and it has any sort of ‘off’ smell, it should be tossed. You could also try “expeller-pressed” vegetable oil which is manufactured differently and some people prefer its taste. Hope that helps!
Can this recipe be doubled for a 13×9 baking pan??
Yep! Just add about 5 minutes to the bake time 🙂
Can this recipe be made without the nuts? I have allergies! Please let me know, thank you so much! I really want to try making this!
Yep, just omit them entirely!
Whoa, this is amazing. Hands down best coffee cake I’ve ever had. Thanks for the recipe. My girlfriend says it’s the best she’s ever had. So moist, perfect blend of ingredients. I’m not into seed oils so I tapped it out for melted butter. Other than that, no changes.
Absolutely delicious