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This Pumpkin Coffee Cake is the perfect make-ahead breakfast cake. A moist cake made with pumpkin, sour cream, and warm spices is topped with a sweet and crunchy brown sugar streusel.

An ideal fall treat, this pumpkin coffee cake recipe is ideal for serving alongside a hot cup of coffee or tea for breakfast or brunch, for an afternoon snack, or as an easy dessert.

Square slice of pumpkin cake on a small plate

Table of Contents

This Pumpkin Coffee Cake Is:
Ingredients For Pumpkin Coffee Cake
How To Make Pumpkin Coffee Cake
Serving Suggestions
Variations
Storage
Expert Tips
More Pumpkin Recipes
Pumpkin Coffee Cake Recipe

This Pumpkin Coffee Cake Is:

Full of warm flavors of fall, like pumpkin, pumpkin spice, cinnamon, and brown sugar.
Topped with a sweet, crunchy streusel topping that adds texture and dimension.
Perfect for enjoying with your morning coffee, after-dinner dessert, and everything in between.

Ingredients For Pumpkin Coffee Cake

Pumpkin Puree – I use canned pumpkin puree for this recipe, but you can certainly make your own or use mashed sweet potatoes. Note this is not pumpkin pie filling.
Vegetable Oil – As moisture without making the cake too dense.
Sour Cream – Like my Blueberry Sour Cream Coffee Cake Muffins, the sour cream in this recipe helps to keep the cake extra moist. Greek yogurt is always an option if you prefer.
Vanilla Extract – A hint of vanilla in both the cake and the icing for flavor enhancement.
Dry Ingredients – All Purpose Flour, Baking Powder, Baking Soda, Salt
Pumpkin Pie Spice + Ground Cinnamon – Pumpkin pie spice is easy to find during the fall months, but if you’re craving this coffee cake in the spring, you can easily whip up your own.
Streusel Topping – A mixture of brown sugar, all-purpose flour, cinnamon, butter, and pecans. Feel free to add more pumpkin pie spice here instead of the cinnamon.
Icing – Cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, milk, and cinnamon.

How To Make Pumpkin Coffee Cake

See recipe card below for ingredient quantities and full instructions.

Preheat the oven and grease a square pan or baking dish.
Combine streusel ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
In a medium-sized bowl, mix together the sugars, vanilla, pumpkin, oil, sour cream, and eggs and set aside.
In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients – flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and pumpkin spice. Whisk together then form a well in the center to add the wet ingredients. Gently fold together until just mixed.
Spread the cake batter in the pan and top with the crumb topping. Bake 45-55 minutes. Cool completely before icing.
In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese, powdered sugar, milk, vanilla, and cinnamon until smooth then drizzle over the cake.

Collage of images showing the steps to making a pumpkin coffee cake.

Serving Suggestions

Depending on when you plan on serving this coffee cake, there are a variety of serving options.

For breakfast or brunch with coffee or tea, scrambled eggs, and bacon.
For an afternoon or after-school snack with a cold glass of milk or hot tea.
For dessert, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream on top.

Variations

Plain, full fat or greek yogurt can be substituted for the sour cream.
Cooked, mashed sweet potato can be substituted for pumpkin.
Walnuts can also be used in place of pecans.

Slice of pumpkin cake on a small white plate with a fork.

Storage

Room temperature storage: This cake can be stored in an airtight container on the countertop for up to 4 days. Heat individual slices in the microwave for 15 seconds to rewarm.

Can pumpkin cake be frozen? This cake can also be frozen for up to 3 months by wrapping individual slices or the whole cake in 2 layers of plastic wrap. Thaw at room temperature before serving.

Expert Tips

Pecans are optional, but add a great crunch.
There is no need to pre-toast your pecans as they will toast while in the oven.
This recipe can be doubled and baked in a 9”x13” pan, you will need to add an extra 5-10 minutes of bake time.
With the streusel topping and cream cheese glaze, this coffee cake is out of this world delicious. However, you can save a few steps by leaving them off. The cake can be made without the toppings – try a cream cheese frosting instead!

Small plates with pumpkin coffee cake and forks.

More Pumpkin Recipes

Recipe