PUMPKIN COFFEE CAKE with the biggest, thickest streusel you’ve ever seen!
I feel like this pumpkin coffee cake recipe needs a disclaimer.
Warning: What you are about to see is disturbing in the best way possible. This coffee cake is so moist and dense, much like a pumpkin pie, that you’ll wonder how life can be so magical. Your eyes will struggle to take in the gloriousness that is the humongous gobs of streusel topping. Ordinary coffee cake will never taste as good to you after eating this one.
There. Now that all the legal disclaimers are out of the way, let’s talk about this recipe.LET’S TALK ABOUT THIS RECIPE RIGHT NOW.
It is, in a word, phenomenal.
I took my very favorite pumpkin coffee cake that I make year after year and I doctored it up into this glorious piece of heaven topped with magical streusel. The streusel. I can’t stop talking about it.
I used the streusel recipe from one of my favorite cookbooks – Baked Explorations. It’s not a traditional streusel with oats or softened butter that requires a pastry cutter and a bunch of elbow grease. It’s melted butter, lots of sugar, cinnamon, and flour that gets stirred together. Much easier than cutting things in, in my opinion. It needs to set for a few minutes, so I always make the streusel first, then the cake, then it’s perfect for crumbling big huge crumbs over your batter.
The cake itself is not like your normal cake. It’s a cross between a pumpkin pie filling and a cake, which sounds weird but is actually quite delightful. The cake, thanks to the two full cans of pumpkin, is super moist and dense, like a custard, but not quite so heavy. It’s just really, really good.
Give this one a try and let me know what you think! And don’t be scared off by the long ingredient list or directions – this is really straight forward and uses ingredients you likely have on hand.
Pumpkin Coffee Cake with Streusel
Ingredients
For the streusel
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon
- 1 cup butter melted
- 2 1/2 cups flour
For the cake
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup brown cup sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup butter, room temperature
- 2 eggs
- 2 15 ounce cans pumpkin puree
For the icing
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13 baking dish with non-stick spray.
- To prepare the streusel, stir together the sugars, cinnamon, salt, and melted butter in a medium mixing bowl until well combined.
- Stir in the flour. Set aside while you prepare the cake batter.
- To make the cake, add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt to a large mixing bowl and whisk to combine.
- Add the sugars and butter to a medium mixing bowl and beat with a mixer until light and fluffy.
- Beat in the eggs and pumpkin until just combined.
- Add the pumpkin mixture to the flour mixture and stir until just combined.
- Spread cake batter into prepared pan.
- Take the streusel topping in your hands and press together to form large crumbs. Top the cake with the streusel. It will seem like too much, but use it all for the best streusel experience.
- Bake for 50 minutes or until a tester inserted in the middle comes out mostly clean.
- Cool completely.
- Whisk together the powdered sugar and milk to make the glaze. Drizzle over the top before serving.
Tips & Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Carlee says
Holy cow! Look at all of that yummy streusel! Good thing you gave the warning!
Cheryl says
I made it yesterday! It is DELICIOUS! So moist and the streusel topping is to die for!
Allison // Always Eat Dessert says
I cannot stop staring at the pictures of this recipe! Those crumbs! This sounds heavenly, and I can’t wait to give it a try!
xx Allison
alwayseatdessert.com
Karly says
Hope you love it!
Cheryl says
Nth asks for this recipe! I made it yesterday and it is truly the best crumb cake I’ve ever made myself or tasted anywhere else! So DELICIOUSLY moist and that streusel! There are no words! ?
Cheryl says
That should say *thanks for the recipe! ?
Karly says
Yay! Glad you enjoyed it.
Barbara Falco says
I made this tonight and it is perfectly delicious! I didn’t change a thing. The only thing was that I didn’t realize how big of a cake is was going to be. We all loved it!
Claire says
This cake is ridiculous in all the right ways. Can’t wait to make it!!
Heather Looten says
Looks amazing! What do you think would happen if you made this into cupcakes???
Karly says
It’d be great, but you’ll need to adjust the baking time down, I imagine.
Sally Parker says
I switched from my phone to my laptop and somewhere I lost the recipe for the pumpkin bars with the nuts on top.
Where did it go?
Alyssa @ My Sequined Life says
Crumb cake crumbs are my KRYPTONITE. Combine them with pumpkin cake and it’s game over. Love this, Karly!!
Victoria Novak says
Can you make a gluten free version
Karly says
I have not tried making this gluten free.
Julie Holbert says
I was wondering the same thing. In my experience homemade, gluten free baked goods seem dry but with all that moist pumpkin in the recipe I bet it would work! I will try a packaged gluten free flour mix. I’ll just have to check and see if it has baking soda/baking powder in it and if so, I won’t add it in the recipe.
Mandy says
I just made one gluten free. I took a gluten free cinnamon streusel muffin mix and added pumpkin to it. It was delicious!
Rachel @ Bakerita says
OH MY GOODNESS, that STREUSEL!!! It’s begging me to come eat it all 😉 this coffee cake looks so outstanding. I’m definitely wishing I had a slice in front of me 🙂
Meg says
Love the video! This cake looks so dense in the best way. You totally sold me in the comparison to pumpkin pie. So excited to try this (and not have to share it with my husband since he’s a pumpkin hating weirdo).
Karly says
It’s definitely different than a regular cake, but I love pumpkin pie too, so it’s one of my favorites!! Hope you try it!
Tina Barcenas says
Well I looked for the recipe but couldn’t find it. I would like to have it.
Rich says
Click the “read more” button underneath the video
Karly says
There is a gray recipe card at the bottom of the post. If you’re on a mobile device, click the “read more” button and scroll down.
Laurie grant says
How would you adjust the cooking time if you were making this in small loaf pans? I’m going to make some for my family too!
Karly says
It will probably take less time, but I can’t say how much as I haven’t tried it. Just keep an eye on things. 🙂
Paige says
I feel like I can taste this coffee cake from looking at the pictures. Throw in a cup of coffee and I’m done for!
Debbie says
Just put it in the oven!!!!! Yes!!
Karly says
Enjoy!!
Tracy | Pale Yellow says
Baked is my favorite bakey in NYC and I trust their cookbooks immensely! This coffee cake looks amazing! I can’t wait to give it a try!
Amy @ The Blond Cook says
This cake looks AMAZING! I’ve stocked up on pumpkin puree and can’t wait to make it!
Karly says
Hope you enjoy!
Nancy Curto says
is that 2 15 oz.cans of pumpkin
Karly says
Yes, ma’am! 🙂
Jodi says
You’re killing me!! This looks amazing!
Debbie says
Made this, it was so delicious! Gave it away to family, coworkers, neighbors… everyone loves it. Rich, moist, cinnamon pumpkin yumminess!!!!
AArti says
This looks good ?
Melissa @ Made by Melissa Lee says
Looks absolutely heavenly and the perfect thing for an October weekend breakfast 🙂
Alicia says
I made this for a birthday yesterday – SO SO SO good!!! Definitely a new favorite recipe!!
Shirley says
Should this cake be refrigerated?
Karly says
If you’re keeping it for longer than a day or so, I would refrigerate it.
Tara says
Absolutely delicious & highly recommend if u love pumpkin & crumbs 🙂 however my question is do I need to refrigerate this or can I leave it on the counter?
Karly says
It should be fine on the counter for a day or two, but I’d refrigerate it if you’re keeping it out any longer.
Denny says
I am trying this recipe today … Pumpkin is the only pie I eat, so I can’t wait…?
Karly says
Hope you enjoy it!
Allie | In This Kitchen says
Eep, this looks so good! I love the fact that it’s not like a regular, more dry coffee cake but instead almost like pie… literally want to make this as soon as possible.
Virginia Muccari says
This looks incredible, can’t wait to make this!
Helen Smith says
The Taco Lasagna
I can’t find the recipe
Karly says
You can find it here: http://www.bunsinmyoven.com/2016/01/25/taco-lasagna/
Jaime says
I’m making this now, the top seems to be browning..
Danelle says
I made it tonight, but mine took a little longer to cook, at about an hour the middle was still not quite done. I pulled it out at about 65 minutes just because the top was browning and I didn’t want it to over cook
Karly says
There is so much pumpkin in this one that the cake part stays very custard-y and moist. 🙂 Hope it turned out well for you!
Elizabeth @ Confessions of a Baking Queen says
I made a pumpkin bread a few years ago and as a mistake put way to much pumpkin in. But it was delicious, such a fun texture. This reminds me of it, and that crumble yum! I enjoy a melted butter crumble too!
Karly says
Such a happy mistake, right? 🙂
Olivia|The Girl Can Bake says
YAAASSSS! This recipe is giving me all the happy fall vibes! It looks amazing!
Leeleespears says
Question.. streusel directions can I use all purpose flour?
Karly says
Yep, all purpose flour.
Susan says
Could I use this cake recipe and then use a boxed yellow cake mix with butter and pecans in place of the streusel? My son doesn’t like streusel.
Karly says
Hmm, I think that would be pretty cake-y. It should work fine, but I’m not sure the flavor would be great. I’d probably leave off the topping and then add a browned butter drizzle over the top, found here: http://www.bunsinmyoven.com/2013/09/27/browned-butter-krispies-treats/
Laurine Jennings says
I want to make this, but in the recipe you say pumpkin puree and in the video is shows 100% pumpkin, not puree. Does it matter? Thank you, I will make it as soon as I know! Can’t wait!
Karly says
Pumpkin puree is the same as 100% pure pumpkin. 🙂
Liz says
I’m halving the recipe, because it’s only me and my fiance…how should I adjust baking time?
Karly says
It likely won’t take as long, but I haven’t tried halving it myself, so I can’t say how much shorter.
Laura says
I love pumpkin but am not a huge pumpkin pie fan bc of the texture. Would this be a little more “cakey” if you only used 1 can of pumpkin instead?
Karly says
Yep, absolutely! Much more like a traditional cake. 🙂
Julie says
This looks wonderful and I plan to make this very soon. I was thinking about substituting this streusel recipe for the topping on an apple crisp that I am making tomorrow. Do you think this will work?
Karly says
I think it should work! Let me know how it goes. 🙂
Julie says
Thanks! I’m going to try it today with some of the apples I picked over the weekend 🙂
Julie says
Made the apple crisp last week with this streusel topping and it was unbelievable. Absolutely the easiest and most delicious streusel I’ve ever had! I want to add it to everything. I followed the baking time from the apple crisp recipe but it probably could have used less time as the apples cooked down quite a bit. Using a smaller pan might have resulted in a deeper layer of apples as it was mostly streusel….not necessarily a bad thing. Just putting another one in the oven now. How well do you think the streusel mixture would freeze? I was thinking of keeping some on hand when my kids want pumpkin muffins before school.
Karly says
I think that it would freeze fine, but I haven’t tried it myself.
Glad to hear you enjoyed it! 🙂
Elizabeth says
Karly,
Thank you for this recipe. I served it to my guests at our bed and breakfast and they loved it! Elizabeth
Karly says
Glad to hear that!
Jenna says
Yum! Please excuse me while I scrape my jaw off the floor and go make this. This cake looks so unbelievably good.
Ashley Boyd says
Made this for a “pumpkin potluck” party! TO. DIE. FOR. !!!I have a search fam. Recipe that is soooo good..and honestlyl, I am so not a pumpkin fan, but ooohhhh man! This totally changed my life. So so moist from the extraaaa pumpkin puree and also very simple to put together! Need to make sure and emember and take the butter out ahead of time, but micro. For 30 seconds, and the 2 half sticks came out perfectly “room temp.” The strudel is a game changer as far as toppings go! Don’t skimp and make any less than what the recipe calls for to the T!(: so so worth it. 10000% will make this over and over ! Thank you so much for sharing this amazing recipe (:
Ashley Boyd says
Made this for a “pumpkin potluck” party! TO. DIE. FOR. !!!I have a scratch fam. Recipe that is soooo good..and honestly, I am so not a pumpkin fan, but ooohhhh man! This totally changed my life. So so moist from the extraaaa pumpkin puree and also very simple to put together! Need to make sure and emember and take the butter out ahead of time, but micro. For 30 seconds, and the 2 half sticks came out perfectly “room temp.” The strudel is a game changer as far as toppings go! Don’t skimp and make any less than what the recipe calls for to the T!(: so so worth it. 10000% will make this over and over ! Thank you so much for sharing this amazing recipe (:
Karly says
So glad to hear you enjoyed this! 🙂
Chris says
I want to make this for a holiday event with roughly 40 people, so I have a few questions…
1) how many do you recommend I make for 40 servings?
2) how would you adjust the recipe so it can be made in disposable foil continers?
3) does the baking time change when two are baked simultaneously?
4) what steps could be done together for all the cakes to economize time/fridge space?
The event is in about 3 weeks, so I hope you respond in time.
Thanks!
Karly says
This cake bakes in a 9×13 pan, so you can cut it into as large or as small of pieces as you prefer. You shouldn’t need any adjustments for baking in foil pans. I haven’t baked two simultaneously, so I can’t answer that, but I would just recommend keeping an eye on them and adjusting as needed.
Lisa says
I made this over the weekend, it was absolutely delicious. I did just realize that I forgot to make the icing but I don’t think anyone noticed. I am glad I read in the comments that the cake was kind of a pie/cake hybrid since the cake itself seemed kind of “undone”. Once you bit in you knew. It was soooo good. Will definitely be making this again.
Karly says
Glad to hear you enjoyed it!
Karen beaver says
This looks soon yummy, can’t wait to try it. A few questions first can you do it without pumpkin? Or is there a substitute for pumpkin to keep so moist? What about cream cheese? Nor do you have similar every moist crumb cake recipe that is moist as this looks??? Thanks. I love crumb cake and would love an awesomely moist recipe for regular cc. Will definitely keep the seasonal pumpkin version too!!! Thanks for sharing.
Karly says
You could swap in a couple of bananas or mashed sweet potatoes, but I do not think leaving those out entirely would work. Applesauce MIGHT be an option, but I haven’t tried it myself.
Here’s another excellent coffee cake recipe, though it’s not as moist as this one. http://www.bunsinmyoven.com/2011/01/10/new-york-style-coffee-cake/ The pumpkin coffee cake takes on the texture of a pie a bit, so it will be hard to achieve that without pumpkin. 🙂
Vicky says
I used gluten free all purpose flour and it came out amazing!!
Courtney says
I usually make my pumpkin pies from scratch. Could I use real pumpkin instead of canned? I’m assuming I would prepare my pumpkin just like I do for pie right?
Karly says
Should work fine, so long as the pumpkin isn’t too watery. That’s always my problem with fresh pumpkin. 🙂
Maryann LaMothe says
Any changes to the recipie for high altitude?
Karly says
I don’t bake at high altitudes, so I can’t say.
Myrle Blady Grossman says
I made the Pumpkin Coffee Cake the other day and took it to a party. It was a hit! Being vegan I altered the recipe and used ground flax seed instead of eggs and Earth Balance instead of butter. I got so many compliments. Thank You!
Karly says
Glad to hear that! 🙂
Bambi Borkowski says
Oh my!! This is one of the best coffee cake recipes ever!! The mix itself was a perfect blend of cinnamon, sugars, flour and pumpkin.
You do need to adhere to the recipe and how to blend the pumpkin mixture into the flour mixture. The streusel mixture is fantastic, again, make sure you use it all, you won’t regret the results!
Thank you for this superb dessert recipe!!
Karly says
So glad you enjoyed it!
Cindy says
Can I make muffins with this recipe or will it be to moist?
Karly says
The recipe will be very moist, but the muffins would hold their shape fine. You’ll just need to adjust down the baking time as needed.
Helen Coppens says
Does the cake need to be refrigerated after cooling? I am making it on Tuesday for a Wednesday night get together. Thank you.
Karly says
It will last longer stored in the fridge. It’s very moist, so it doesn’t last more than a day or so on the counter.