Pumpkin Coffee Cake

Spiced pumpkin coffee cake is made with real pumpkin puree, swirled with a pumpkin butter middle layer, and finished off with a gorgeous pumpkin spice crumb topping (and a dusting of powdered sugar, of course!).

Looking for more pumpkin recipes? I’ve got you covered:

• Pumpkin Butter
• Pumpkin S’mores Bars
• Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
• Pumpkin Pancakes

Pumpkin Coffee Cake Ingredients

All-purpose flour: I use King Arthur AP flour

Pumpkin puree: Not to be confused with pumpkin pie mix!

Pumpkin butter: Either store-bought or homemade pumpkin butter

Leavening agents: Baking powder and baking soda

Sour cream: This will add the necessary tang to the coffee cake

Unsalted butter: For both the batter and the crumb topping

Brown sugar and granulated sugar: You’ll use both for the topping, and just the granulated sugar for the batter

Pumpkin pie spice: To give hint of subtle warm spices to both the cake and the topping

Vanilla extract: Just a couple of teaspoons

Eggs: One large egg plus an additional yolk

Salt: To balance everything out

Powdered sugar: To dust on the cake at the end

How to Make Pumpkin Coffee Cake

Step 1: Make the crumb topping

Make the crumb topping by combining half of the flour with everything else. Once mixed, add the rest of the flour and mix with a fork until there are no more flour bits, like this:

Set aside, and preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.

Step 2: Make the batter

Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin pie spice in a bowl and set aside.

Next, add the room temperature butter and the granulated sugar to the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Turn it on low, and once the butter begins to cream into the sugar without making a huge mess, turn it up to medium. Let continue to cream until combined, then add the vanilla, eggs, sour cream, and pumpkin puree. Use a rubber spatula to scrap down the sides when needed. It should look like this:

Note: It may appear a little curdled. This is fine.

Next, turn the mixer to the lowest setting and add ⅓ of the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Mix until incorporated, and then add the next ⅓. Keep doing this until everything as bee mixed together, being careful not to overmix. (TIP: I like to add the last ⅓ of flour and finish mixing by hand.)

Step 3: Add the batter to the cake pan

Line an 8×8 square cake pan with parchment paper. Scoop half of the batter into it and spread it evenly. Then, add the pumpkin butter and spread it on top of the batter, like this:

Next, take a handful or 2 of the crumb topping and sprinkle it on top of the pumpkin butter, like this:

Add the rest of the cake batter on top of the crumble and spread it out to cover, like this:

Then, sprinkle the rest of the topping all over, pressing it in GENTLY (not too much!).

Step 4: Bake & finish the cake

Add the cake to the preheated oven and let cook for about 55 minutes, or until the middle is just set. Remove from the oven and let sit in the pan for about 15 minutes. Then, lift out of the cake pan with the parchment paper and let rest on a cutting board. Dust with powdered sugar before cutting: