Each bite of pumpkin coffee cake with crumb topping is moist and flavorful thanks to power ingredients like pumpkin puree, pure maple syrup, and seasonal spices like ground nutmeg, ginger, and cloves. Piled high with brown sugar cinnamon crumble topping and drizzled with easy vanilla icing, this spiced breakfast cake certainly hits the spot during the fall season.
I originally published this recipe in 2013 and have since added new photos, a video tutorial, and more success tips.
Perfectly acceptable for breakfast, snack, or dessert, today’s pumpkin coffee cake is a must make during the fall season. Heavy on the crumb topping, this is a fall version of my New York-style crumb cake and tastes just like my pumpkin crumb cake muffins but in cake form. We love it so much, we also created a cookie version with these pumpkin crumb cake cookies! It’s bursting with pumpkin flavor and will have you racing to the kitchen table any morning of the week! Not to mention, it’s the perfect treat to serve on Thanksgiving morning as a prelude to all the pumpkin pie in the evening (see my complete list of 30+ make-ahead Thanksgiving breakfast ideas for even more inspiration).
And if you’re looking for dessert, this pumpkin crumb cake is perfectly acceptable or you may love my regular pumpkin cake instead. For even more inspiration, here are my 30+ best pumpkin dessert recipes.
One reader, Jamie, commented: “This recipe turned out exceptionally. I baked it for about 35 minutes. The crumb topping is not as floury as coffee cakes but blends into the cake beautifully. The vanilla glaze took it over the edge. One of the best recipes I have made in some time. I used 1/2 dark and 1/2 light brown sugar and enjoyed the result. Thank you! โ โ โ โ โ “
This Pumpkin Crumb Coffee Cake Is:
- Simple and quick to prepare
- Ultra soft and moist
- Incredibly pumpkin-y
- A perfect fall breakfast indulgence (serve alongside another fall favorite, cranberry cake!)
- Wonderfully spiced with cozy fall flavors
- Piled high with crumb topping
- Garnished with a sweet vanilla icing
This recipe also joins 30+ others in my collection of Quick Dessert Recipesโready in 1 hour or less!
Video Tutorial
3 Parts to My Best Pumpkin Coffee Crumb Cake
- Pumpkin Coffee Cake: There’s incredible flavor in each soft, moist bite of the pumpkin cake layer.
- Crumb Topping: Top today’s coffee cake with a thick layer of cinnamon-spiced crumbs.
- Vanilla Icing: It’s not coffee cake without a drizzle of icing. For something different, you may love this pumpkin crumb cake paired with the same brown sugar icing we use on pumpkin donuts.
Overview: How to Make Pumpkin Coffee Cake with Crumb Topping
This recipe is made completely from scratch with no boxed cake mix in sight. Made with pantry basics, the cake comes together in minutes without a mixer. Ingredients like oil, maple syrup, brown sugar, and pumpkin puree make this the moistest coffee cake you’ll ever taste. (Careful not to over-bake it!) Pumpkin takes the place of egg and helps bind everything together, so this is an entirely egg free recipe. (This cake is vegan-friendly as wellโuse dairy free milk in the cake and dairy free butter in the crumb topping.)
See more egg-free baking recipes.
Make sure you’re using real pumpkin puree (I like canned puree), not pumpkin pie filling. We’ll use a little brown sugar and maple syrup to sweeten. There’s lots of spices and you can absolutely use homemade pumpkin pie spice here, see recipe Note. The crumb topping and glaze sweeten the cake, so there’s no need for more sugar in the cake itself. You’ll love how the sweet maple flavor pairs with real pumpkin and warm spices!
Be prepared, this is a super, super thick batter. Why? We’re using lots of heavy, wet ingredients to yield a moist and satisfying cake.
Crumb Topping
We can all agree that the crumbs are the best part of coffee cake, so we’re going heavy on the crumb topping today. (For more recipes loaded with crumbs, try apple crumb cake, zucchini crumb cake, pumpkin french toast casserole, and apple cinnamon muffins.) Today’s crumb topping is cinnamon-spicedโyou need flour, brown sugar, salt, ground cinnamon, and cold butter. Cut the cold butter in with a fork or pastry cutter until it begins to clump together and form crumbs. Pour that glorious crumb streusel on top of the batter and gently press it down into the cake before baking. So easy!
Vanilla Icing
While the cake bakes, make the icing. If I have it on hand during the fall season, I like to use pumpkin spice coffee creamer instead of milk. If you have any leftover pumpkin puree, you can even make and use homemade pumpkin coffee creamer in the icing. Milk works just as well, though. Mix the coffee creamer or milk with a little confectioners’ sugar and vanilla extract, and then pour the glaze on top of the warm coffee cake. Instead of vanilla icing, try a drizzle of salted caramel or dollop of homemade whipped cream.
More Fall Breakfast Recipes
- Apple Cinnamon Rolls
- Morning Glory Muffins
- Apple Cider Donuts
- Pumpkin Scones
- Apple Cinnamon Muffins or Mini Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Muffins
- Pumpkin Pancakes or Pumpkin Waffles
And if you are looking for dessert, here is a list of 30+ fall cake recipes.
Print
Pumpkin Crumb Coffee Cake
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: serves 9
- Category: Cake
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
An incredibly moist and flavorful spiced pumpkin coffee cake, piled high with a crumb topping and finished with vanilla icing.
Ingredients
Crumb Topping
- 1/2 cup (63g) all-purpose flourย (spooned & leveled)
- 1/2 cup (100g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/4 cup (4 Tablespoons; 56g) unsalted butter, cold
Pumpkin Coffee Cake
- 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg*
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves*
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger*
- 1 cup (226g) pumpkin puree
- 1/2 cup (100g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup (120ml) canola or vegetable oil (or melted coconut oil if you prefer)
- 1/4 cup (82g) pure maple syrup
- 1/4 cup (60ml) milk*
Vanilla Icing
- 1 cup (120g) confectioners’ sugar
- 2 Tablespoons pumpkin spice coffee creamer, half-and-half, or milk
- 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ยฐF (177ยฐC). Grease a 9-inch squareย or 9-inch springform baking pan (or any 2.5 quart baking dish) with nonstick spray. Set aside.
- Make the crumb topping first: In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon together. Cut in the cold butter using a pastry blender or a fork. Mix to create clumps and crumbs. Set aside.
- Make the cake: Whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger together in a large bowl until combined. In a medium bowl, whisk the pumpkin, brown sugar, oil, maple syrup, and milk together until combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until *just* combined. Avoid over-mixing the batter. Batter will be very thick. Spoon/pour the batter into the prepared baking pan. Spread to make an even surface. Pour the crumb topping evenly on top and gently press them down into the batter.
- Bake the cake for 30-35 minutes. Check the cake’s doneness at the 30 minute mark by inserting a toothpick into the center. If the toothpick comes out clean or with a couple moist crumbs, the cake is done. If the toothpick has wet batter on it, bake the cake for 5 more minutes or until the toothpick comes out clean.
- Make the icing: Whisk the icing ingredients together. Add an extra splash of creamer/milk to thin out if desired. Drizzle over warm or cooled cake. (We like serving this warm.)
- Cover leftover cake tightly and store at room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Notes
- Freezing Instructions: This cake may be frozen for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before enjoying.
- Special Tools (affiliate links):ย 9-inch Square Pan, 9-inch Springform Pan, or any 2.5-quart Baking Dish | Glass Mixing Bowls | Pastry Blender | Whisk | Rubber Spatula
- Spices: Instead of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger in the batter, you can use 2 and 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice. You could also just replace the nutmeg, cloves, and ginger with pumpkin pie spice and keep the cinnamon in the recipe.
- Milk: You can use any milk, dairy or nondairy, in the cake batter. I really like using buttermilk when I have it on hand. Makes the cake very moist.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Can I make this in a 9×5 loaf pan?
Hi Jessica, that should work well. You may have just a bit of batter leftover. You can follow the baking time from our pumpkin bread as a guide. Enjoy!
I’m normally a HUGE fan of everything I’ve made here, but this one tasted like straight baking soda. I was surprised at the full teaspoon in the recipe, but I trusted the process. Texture-wise, the cake was plush and lovely, but it tasted bitter/salty, like a mouthful of baking soda. I was so sad.
Hi Beth, Iโm so sorry this happened. That’s disappointing, especially when the texture turned out well. A strong baking soda flavor usually means the baking soda didnโt have enough acidic ingredients to fully react, or a little too much accidentally made it into the batter. Did you use canned pumpkin purรฉe? I have found this provides a bit more acidity than fresh, and that helps neutralize the baking soda. Any chance the batter sat too long before baking? Sometimes that can affect the chemical reaction, too. Weโve made and re-tested this recipe many times and havenโt experienced a bitter or salty aftertaste, so Iโd really love to help figure out what went wrong for you. Thank you for sharing the feedback.
SALLY NEVER MISSES! Truly every recipe comes out amazing. This was super delicious and so quick and was to make. 10/10
Of all the pumpkin recipes Iโve made from Sally, this one is the most bland. If I were to make this again, Iโd double all the spices. I want more pumpkin flavor too. How can I accomplish that and maintain the right dry-to-wet ratio?
I make this recipe as least 2-3 times every fall. It is the perfect amount of pumpkin and spices and the crumble with the frosting on the top is melt in your mouth good! Another amazing recipe.
I donโt have maple syrupโฆis there anything I can swap instead and if so how much of that ingredient should I use to replace the maple syrup?
Hi Monica, the same amount of honey will work in a pinch.
Amazing recipe! This cake is always such a fan favorite whenever I make it for anyone. I’ve been making it for years and have no plans to stop. Just perfect.
Can you substitute apple sauce for the oil? I read that you don’t recommend butter as a substitute… thank you!
Hi Darla! We wouldn’t recommend substituting all the oil for applesauce, the texture could turn our gummy that way. You could try replacing half of the oil to see how that goes. Let us know if you try!
Cake was good but topping was dry, I like the topping on the pumpkin crumb muffins but not this
I noticed that the recipe has no eggs. Is this correct?
Hi Elaine, pumpkin takes the place of egg and helps bind everything together in this recipe, so this is an entirely egg free recipe.
Hi! I only have an 8×8 baking pan. Do I have to adjust the cooking time at all?
Hi Cassie, the cake will be quite a bit thicker and take longer to bake. You could make a few muffins with the excess batter!
can you make this in a 9 by 13?
Hi Tina, Some readers have commented that theyโve successfully doubled and baked this in a 9ร13, but we havenโt tested it ourselves. Weโd recommend making the batter twice (instead of doubling) and filling a 9ร13 halfway. Or use our larger pumpkin cake recipe and top with the crumbs (double the crumb portion). Let us know how it goes!
i make this every year and it is always a hit! what adjustments do you recommend to make this in a 9×13 size ? it goes too fast in a 9 inch pan! itโs my favorite to make
Hi Rachel, Some readers have commented that theyโve successfully doubled and baked this in a 9ร13, but we havenโt tested it ourselves. Weโd recommend making the batter twice (instead of doubling) and filling a 9ร13 halfway. Or use our larger pumpkin cake recipe and top with the crumbs (double the crumb portion). Let us know how it goes!
Why did my cake not rise? I included all ingredients and mixed just until moistened.
Hi Abby! Could your baking powder or baking soda be getting old? Those are the ingredients that will make your coffee cake rise in the oven.
I’ve made this cake twice and both times there is a large pool of butter on top when I take it out of the oven. It still comes out baked inside and tastes delicious but I have to blot the top off quite a lot. Am I doing something wrong? What can I do to prevent this? Thank you!
Hi TD, is your crumb topping overworked by chance? You’ll want larger clumps and crumbsโif it seems pasty, then it has been overworked and will melt into the top of the cake rather than staying in tact, which could be causing the buttery layer. After you make the crumb toping, you can place it back in the refrigerator to chill while you make the batter. The colder the topping is, the better it will keep its shape and be less likely to melt when baked. Hope this helps for next time!
I don’t use seed oils, so I used butter for the oil,
How did it turn out with using butter?
I doubled this recipe and made it in a 9×13 pan for my husbandโs firehouse. The whole pan was gone before 10am! It will definitely be a repeat recipe in our house!
This was perfect! Extremely moist. I just baked it in a 9×13 for 5 minutes less and it came out perfect. I thought I had powdered sugar for the drizzle, but I didnโt :/ it was still amazing and all the more of a reason to make it again for the drizzle next time!
Delicious! I subsituted Pumpkin for Hubbard Squash Puree and used Egg Nog in the cake and the frosting instead of milk, it tastes like Fall in a Pan!
I love this recipe! So easy and uses ingredients I always have, plus it’s so easy to make vegan using vegan butter and nondairy milk! The effort to reward ratio is amazing for this one ๐
I have powdered pumpkin pie spice creamer I would like to use in the icing. Would that be possible? If so, how much powder do I use?
Hi Rebecca, that should be fine. You can remove a bit of the confectioners’ sugar and replace with the coffee creamer (amount will really depend on how heavily you’d like the taste to come through), and then use plain milk or half-and-half for the liquid. Let us know if you try it!
I scrolled through a bit but didnโt see this question asked. Can I sub melted butter for the oil?
Hi Michelle, while that could work in a pinch, oil really is best here for an ultra moist cake! The cake may seem a bit dry with the butter swap.