Upgrade your plain coffee cake with the sweet, autumnal flavor of pumpkin!
Despite its name, traditional coffee cake doesn’t actually contain coffee. It’s simply meant to be enjoyed alongside a cup of coffee. This pairing, while seemingly obvious to anyone who loves coffee and sweet treats, actually dates back to the influx of German and Dutch immigrants to the United States in the 19th century.
Coffee cake is essentially a buttery, soft cake topped with a rich, brown sugar-based streusel. It’s a very popular cake, and rightly so. But what if it could be even better? Like how a Coke is good, but sometimes a vanilla Coke is even better. That’s what happens when you add pumpkin spice and pumpkin purée to your basic coffee cake.
You’ll love pumpkin coffee cake because it has all the wonderful texture of regular coffee cake. The addition of pumpkin spice and purée gives it a warm, cozy flavor that’s especially perfect in the fall. Still, you might find yourself enjoying it year-round, as it’s made with simple ingredients and follows a straightforward recipe that even a novice baker can easily pull off.
DIY pumpkin pie spice blend
While most spice brands make a pre-mixed blend labeled “pumpkin pie spice” that you can grab at any supermarket, you can also just make your own using pantry staples. For this cake recipe, you need one tablespoon of pumpkin pie spice blend, but you can quickly mix up a small batch so you have some for other uses as well. Simply mix one tablespoon of ground cinnamon, one teaspoon of ground ginger, half a teaspoon of ground nutmeg, a quarter of a teaspoon of ground cloves, and a quarter of a teaspoon of ground allspice. Store in a small jar in your spice cabinet.
How do I store leftovers?
For leftovers, either place them in an airtight container or a resealable plastic bag and store at room temperature for 2-3 days or in the fridge for up to 5 days. Just like traditional, plain coffee cake, pumpkin coffee cake freezes very well. Once the coffee cake is cool, double wrap it (whole or sliced) in plastic wrap and freeze for up to 3 months. Let it thaw at room temperature before serving.
Serving suggestions
Pumpkin coffee cake is lovely on a brunch or buffet table, with coffee (or tea) to drink, of course! Consider serving it alongside other baked goods like The Best Chocolate Chip Muffins or a loaf of this tasty Cranberry Bread. For complementary savory dishes, try a hearty Christmas Breakfast Casserole or this easy Crock-Pot Breakfast Casserole. Both are especially nice on a holiday morning when you don’t want to be standing at the stove making breakfast.
Pumpkin Coffee Cake
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1 cup pumpkin purée
- 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup milk
- 4 tablespoons melted unsalted butter for streusel
- 1 cup brown sugar for streusel
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon for streusel
- 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour for streusel
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×9-inch baking pan.
- In a large bowl, mix together flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, and pumpkin pie spice.
- In another bowl, whisk together pumpkin purée, vegetable oil, eggs, and milk.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
- In a small bowl, mix the streusel ingredients until crumbly.
- Pour half of the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle half of the streusel over the batter. Repeat with remaining batter and streusel.
- Bake for 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
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