Description
The ultimate pumpkin coffee cake recipe — topped with a crunchy streusel and cream cheese drizzle, and perfectly cozy and delicious.
Ingredients
Streusel Topping:
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- pinch of fine sea salt*
- 1/4 cup melted butter
Pumpkin Coffee Cake:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt*
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/2 cup granulated white sugar
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup pumpkin purée
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cream Cheese Drizzle:
- 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
- 2 to 3 tablespoons milk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Make the streusel topping. Add the flour, brown sugar, chopped nuts, pumpkin pie spice and salt to a small mixing bowl and whisk until evenly combined. Drizzle the melted butter evenly over the mixture, then toss it with your fingers until it is evenly combined and no dry, sandy parts remain. Pack the mixture firmly into one large clump, then gently crumble it into your desired size of chunks. Refrigerate the streusel until ready to use.
- Prep the oven and pan. Heat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease a 9-inch springform pan.*
- Combine the dry cake ingredients. Add the flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda and sea salt to a separate mixing bowl and whisk until evenly combined.
- Make the batter. Add the butter and sugars to the bowl of a stand mixer. (Or alternately, you can use a hand mixer with a large mixing bowl.) Beat the butter and sugars together on medium-high speed for 2 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, pumpkin purée, sour cream, vanilla extract and beat on low speed for 1 to 2 minutes until evenly combined, pausing to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the dry ingredient mixture and beat on low speed for 1 to 2 minutes, until just combined.
- Bake. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread it out in an even layer. Sprinkle the streusel topping evenly on top. Then bake the cake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean. Transfer the cake to a wire rack and let it cool to room temperature.
- Prepare the cream cheese drizzle. Meanwhile, as the cake is baking, whisk together all of the cream cheese drizzle ingredients until completely smooth. If the drizzle seems too thick, add extra milk. If it seems too thin, add extra powdered sugar.
- Drizzle. Once the cake has cooled completely to room temperature (if you can wait that long), drizzle it with the cream cheese icing. Then serve and enjoy!
Notes
Sea salt vs table salt: Please note that this recipe calls for fine sea salt. If you only have iodized table salt on hand, you will need to use half as much in both the streusel topping and the cake.
Pan alternatives: If you do not have a springform pan, you can line a 9-inch round cake pan with parchment paper to make the cake easier to lift out after baking. Alternately, you can bake this coffee cake in a 9 x 13-inch baking pan. Just note that it will need less time to bake (around 30 minutes, but do the toothpick test to double-check).
Storage instructions: Leftovers can be stored at room temperature in a sealed container for up to 4 days.
Source: Recipe adapted from my favorite Sour Cream Coffee Cake.