Pumpkin Coffee Cake
Pumpkin Coffee Cake is the PERFECT fall breakfast made with real pumpkin, brown sugar, and fall spices, ready in under an hour!
Pumpkin Coffee Cake is the perfect fall treat, made with pumpkin puree mixed with warm spices like pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and nutmeg, with a brown sugar crumb topping. It’s perfect paired with a cup of coffee for breakfast, or as a cozy fall dessert!
For the year-round version of this cake, check out my Easy Gluten Free Coffee Cake! For another grab-and-go idea, try my Gluten Free Pumpkin Muffins!
Table of contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Tender & Moist Crumb – The pumpkin in this gluten free coffee cake helps keep the cake soft and fluffy, without drying it out. It’s perfect for a grab-and-go breakfast!
Easy to Make – This uses simple pantry ingredients that you probably already have, and no complicated steps!
Make-Ahead Friendly – You can make this the day ahead of time, making it perfect for brunch plans the next day!
Ingredients You’ll Need
Gluten Free Flour. Flour blends can vary widely depending on the brand, and what ingredients they use. I like to use King Arthur cup-for-cup or Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 gluten free flour, personally. For me, they’ve consistently provided good results.
These two gluten free flour blends are a 1-to-1 swap with regular flour, so you can use almost any recipe with them.
They also contain xanthan gum, which helps keep your cake from crumbling as you enjoy it. If your gluten free flour doesn’t have xanthan gum, you can add it separately.
If you’re not gluten free, you can just swap for regular flour in this recipe.
Butter. I like to cream together the butter and granulated sugar before adding other ingredients. This helps keep the cake light and fluffy, by incorporating more air into the batter.
I always use unsalted butter, so I can add my own level of salt later.
Sugar. This recipe uses a combination of granulated sugar and brown sugar.
This helps give the coffee cake a nice mixture of deep molasses notes and moisture from the brown sugar, and a light sweet texture from the granulated sugar.
Eggs. Eggs act as a binder, which means they help the cake keep its structure. They also add a little bit of fat, which is good for a nice moist texture.
Vanilla. This is added for flavor. I typically add a little more vanilla when baking with gluten free flour.
Leavening. I find that a combination of baking soda and baking powder works best for a gluten free coffee cake.
Baking soda reacts with the natural acidity in the ingredients, while baking powder contains its own acidity to create a reaction that helps the cake rise. Baking powder can add a flavor, so combining these two gives us the best of both worlds.
Canned Pumpkin Puree. Pumpkin adds moisture and flavor to the cake. Make sure you pick pumpkin puree that’s 100% pumpkin, not the pie filling.
Milk. You can also use half and half. If you’re dairy free, a milk substitute like almond milk will work.
Spices. I added pumpkin pie spice and ground cinnamon. You can add more or less to suite your taste. If you need it, here is my Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice recipe.
Kitchen Tools
For this gluten free pumpkin coffee cake recipe you’ll need a 9×13″ baking dish.
I also use a stand mixer, but you can use an electric hand mixer, or a whisk and a large mixing bowl.
How to Make Pumpkin Coffee Cake
Preheat oven to 350°F and grease a 9×13″ baking dish with butter or cooking spray. In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients until evenly combined.
In a stand mixer, cream together the butter and white sugar until just combined.
On medium-low speed, add the brown sugar and vanilla extract. Add one egg at a time until just combined. Be careful not to over-mix the wet ingredients.
Set the mixer on medium and add the dry ingredients and pumpkin puree. Then slowly pour in the milk. Stop the mixer and use a spatula to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl, then mix again until combined.
Add the cake batter to the prepared baking dish, using a spatula to spread it evenly.
In a separate bowl, mix together all of the topping ingredients until everything looks wet, then evenly sprinkle the topping over the cake batter.
Bake uncovered for 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Allow to cool before cutting into even pieces.
Recipe Variations
- Try using some add-ins like chocolate chips, pecans, walnuts, or sliced almonds.
- For extra sweetness, try drizzling some vanilla glaze or maple syrup on top of the streusel topping. I have a great glaze recipe I use with my Pumpkin Bread.
- To make this lighter, use 2% milk instead of whole milk or cream, and applesauce instead of butter in the cake batter.
- For a regular coffee cake, you can replace the pumpkin puree with sour cream or plain greek yogurt.
- Add some extra flavor by using a tablespoon of maple syrup in the streusel topping.
- For a more intense flavor, add 1/2 teaspoon of ground nutmeg and 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves to the batter.
Recipe Tip! If you’re making this for a holiday, try making it in a bundt pan to make it look extra fancy! Add the crumble topping to the bottom of the pan, then pour the batter over it. Sift some powdered sugar on top once it has completely cooled.
Frequently Asked Questions
The most common reasons that a cake can turn out dry are because it’s cooked too long, cooked too hot, or the ingredients aren’t being measured correctly. Try using an oven thermometer to make sure your oven is cooking at the temperature you’re setting it for, because this is a really common issue with older ovens.
Recipe Tip! Make extra crumble topping and add a layer of crumble in the middle of the cake as well as on top. Or use a butterknife to “swirl” around the cake before baking, for a cinnamon swirl effect.
More Pumpkin Recipes
- Gluten Free Pumpkin Bread
- Homemade Pumpkin Pie Dip
- Gluten Free Pumpkin Pancakes
- Breakfast Pumpkin Spice Smoothie
- Pumpkin Muffins with Streusel Topping
Storage
Store leftover coffee cake at room temperature in an airtight container for 2-3 days.
Freeze pumpkin coffee cake in an airtight container for 2-3 months.
Cooking Tips
- If you don’t like nuts, you can just leave them out of the recipe.
- Be careful not to over-mix the batter. Once all of the ingredients are added, mix until everything is just combined to avoid a dense cake.
- Bringing the butter and eggs to room temperature will help ensure that everything mixes more smoothly. Don’t leave the butter out for too long if you’re in a warmer environment, or it won’t cream together with the sugar effectively. About 20 minutes before you start baking should do the trick.
- The cake is done when a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Let your cake rest and cool to prevent it from breaking apart when slicing into it.
Tried this recipe? ⭐ Leave a review and share what worked best for you—your tips help other home cooks get the same delicious results!
Pumpkin Coffee Cake
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 1/2 cups gluten free all-purpose flour, 1:1
- 1/2 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons baking powder, double-acting
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup pumpkin puree, 100% pumpkin
- 1 cup 2% milk
Topping
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 3 tablespoons gluten free all-purpose flour 1:1
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup pecans, chopped
- 1/2 cup rolled oats, certified gluten free
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
Equipment
- 1 9×3" baking dish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and grease a 9×13″ baking dish with butter or cooking spray. In a stand mixer, cream together the butter and white sugar until just combined.
- On medium-low speed, add the brown sugar and vanilla extract. Add one egg at a time until just combined. Be careful not to over-mix the wet ingredients.
- In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients until evenly combined.
- Set the mixer on medium and add the dry ingredients and pumpkin puree. Then slowly pour in the milk. Stop the mixer and use a spatula to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl, then mix again until combined. Add the cake batter to the prepared baking dish, using a spatula to spread it evenly.
- In a separate bowl, mix together all of the topping ingredients until everything looks wet, then evenly sprinkle topping over the cake batter.
- Bake uncovered for 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Notes
- If you don’t like nuts, you can just leave them out of the recipe.
- Be careful not to over-mix the batter. Once all of the ingredients are added, mix until everything is just combined to avoid a dense cake.
- Bringing the butter and eggs to room temperature will help ensure that everything mixes more smoothly. Don’t leave the butter out for too long if you’re in a warmer environment, or it won’t cream together with the sugar effectively. 20 minutes before you start baking should do the trick.
- The cake is done when a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
- If you’re not gluten free, you can use the same amount of regular flour in this recipe.
Nutrition
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