This Pumpkin Coffee Cake is the perfect fall dessert. It's a fluffy and moist pumpkin cake infused with warm spices, layered with a sweet cinnamon filling, and topped with a buttery streusel and a simple glaze. It's a crowd favorite and takes just 20 minutes to prep!
Easy Pumpkin Coffee Cake Recipe
It's officially pumpkin season...which means I'm soaking up all those fall flavors while I can. It'll be peppermint season before we know it and I want to get every bit of pumpkin spice flavor in that I possibly can first.
This pumpkin coffee cake is one of my favorite fall recipes. I make it as many times as I can throughout the whole season.
It's a classic coffee cake with the perfect amount of pumpkin flavor. It's moist and rich thanks to pumpkin purée, oil, eggs, and sour cream.
In between two layers of the most tender pumpkin cake is a layer of cinnamon filling, then sprinkled on top is the best cinnamon streusel topping and a deliciously sweet glaze. Swoon!
This really is the only dessert recipe you'll need all of fall!
How to Make Pumpkin Coffee Cake
Scroll to the recipe card below for the ingredient amounts and full instructions.
- In a food processor, combine all of the streusel ingredients. Pulse until moist crumbs form. Place into the fridge until ready to use.
- In a small mixing bowl, use your fingers or two forks to mix together all of the filling ingredients until small crumbs form. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- In a separate bowl, combine pumpkin puree, brown sugar, granulated sugar, oil, sour cream, milk, eggs, and vanilla. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
- Spoon half of the pumpkin mixture into a prepared baking pan, then sprinkle the filling evenly on top. Spoon the remaining cake batter over that, spreading it into an even layer. Finish with the streusel topping.
- Bake the coffee cake at 350ºF for 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely.
- In a small bowl, whisk together powdered sugar and milk to make the glaze. Drizzle that over the cooled cake, then slice and serve.
Tips and Notes
- Pan size: This recipe can be made using a 9x9 square baking pan or an 11x7 rectangular baking pan. The 9x9 will yield 9 or 16 pieces of cake while the 11x7 will yield 12 slices. Use whichever works best for you!
- Check your pumpkin. Make sure the pumpkin you're using is a can of pumpkin purée, not pumpkin pie filling. They are not the same!
- Grease the pan. This prevents the cake from sticking to the bottom as it bakes.
- Do not over-mix! When you're mixing up the batter, be sure to stop mixing as soon as everything is combined. Mixing too much can cause the cake to be tough and dense.
- Check for doneness. The baking time can vary depending on a number of different factors. To check that your cake is done, insert a toothpick into the center. If it comes out clean, then it's good to go!
- The filling and icing are optional. Both additions add delicious sweetness, but the cake is decadent without too!
- If you do add the filling, be careful to not mix it into the batter when you layer on the rest of the batter.
Serving Suggestions
Classic coffee cake is served for breakfast with a hot cup of coffee—hence the name coffee cake!
It can also be enjoyed as a Thanksgiving dessert or alongside other delicious breakfast recipes as part of a big holiday brunch spread. Here are a few delicious pairing ideas:
Storage
Room Temperature: Pumpkin coffee cake without glaze can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days.
Refrigerator: Glazed coffee cake should be stored in the fridge. it will last for 4-5 days.
Freezer: A baked pumpkin cake freezes beautifully! To freeze it, let it cool completely and leave the glaze off. Wrap it tightly in a layer or two of plastic wrap followed by a layer of heavy duty aluminum foil. Store in the freezer for up to 2 months.
When you're ready to serve, thaw overnight in the fridge, then add the glaze before serving.
What Makes Coffee Cake Different From Cake?
The key differences are in the topping and in the structure! Classic cake is usually topped with a delicious frosting and is often made up of multiple layers.
Coffee cake, on the other hand, is usually characterized by a crumb or streusel topping and is baked sheet cake style in a single layer.
Why is Coffee Cake Called Coffee Cake?
Coffee cake gets its name simply because it's meant to be served with a cup of coffee!
So, while there can be a coffee-flavored coffee cake with coffee in it, most coffee cakes do not contain any actual coffee.
More Pumpkin Recipes You'll Love
Do you love all things pumpkin? Check out more of my favorite pumpkin recipes:
Recipe Card with Ingredient Amounts and Instructions
Suggested Equipment
Ingredients
Streusel Topping
- 5 tablespoons (70 g) unsalted butter, softened
- ¾ cup (90 g) all-purpose flour
- ½ cup (106 g) light brown sugar, packed
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
Cinnamon Filling
- ½ cup (60 g) all-purpose flour
- ½ cup (106 g) light brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons (43 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
Cake Batter
- 2 cups (240 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup (227 g) pumpkin puree, canned (not pumpkin pie filling)
- ½ cup (106 g) light brown sugar, packed
- ½ cup (106 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (100 mL) canola oil
- 2 ounces (57 g) sour cream, room temperature
- ¼ cup (57 mL) milk, room temperature
- 2 (100 g) large eggs, lightly beaten, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Glaze
- 1 cup (114 g) powdered sugar
- 1 to 2 tablespoons milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F, and lightly grease a 9x9-inch or 11x7-inch baking pan. Set aside.
For the Streusel Topping:
- Place the ingredients in a food processor, and pulse briefly until moist crumbs form. There should be no dry sandy patches. (You can use a bowl with two forks, a pastry cutter, or your hands if you don’t have a food processor.)5 tablespoons (70 g) unsalted butter¾ cup (90 g) all-purpose flour½ cup (106 g) light brown sugar1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- Transfer the topping to the refrigerator until ready to use.
For the Cinnamon Filling:
- In a small bowl, use your fingers or two forks to combine the filling ingredients until small crumbs form. Set aside.3 tablespoons (43 g) unsalted butter1 tablespoon ground cinnamon½ cup (60 g) all-purpose flour½ cup (106 g) light brown sugar
For the Cake Batter:
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.2 cups (240 g) all-purpose flour1 teaspoon baking soda½ teaspoon baking powder½ teaspoon kosher salt1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
- In a medium bowl combine the pumpkin puree, light brown sugar, granulated sugar, oil, sour cream, milk, eggs and vanilla.1 cup (227 g) pumpkin puree½ cup (106 g) light brown sugar½ cup (106 g) granulated sugar½ cup (100 mL) canola oil2 ounces (57 g) sour cream¼ cup (57 mL) milk2 (100 g) large eggs1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix just until combined. Make sure not to over; otherwise, the cake will be tough.
- Spoon half the batter into the prepared pan, and sprinkle the filling evenly over the batter.
- Carefully spoon the remaining batter over the filling and spread into an even layer. Sprinkle the streusel topping evenly over the batter.
- Bake for 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Allow the cake to cool completely before adding the glaze.
For the Glaze:
- In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar and milk.1 cup (114 g) powdered sugar1 to 2 tablespoons milk
- Drizzle the glaze over the cooled cake, and serve. See post for tips and storage options.
Barbara says
Can I substitute coconut oil for the canola oil?
Kim says
Hi Barbara!
Yes, coconut oil works in place of the canola oil. The taste may be slightly different, but it shouldn't change the way the cake bakes. We've swapped coconut oil for canola oil in some of our baking recipes with no issues. 🙂