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This Pumpkin Coffee Cake has a cream cheese layer and crumb topping that is out of this world! Perfect for breakfast, snack, or even dessert.
Featured with this recipe
If you’re looking for a fall brunch recipe, look no further than this decadent Pumpkin Coffee Cake! Pumpkin spices blend with the delicate flavor of a cream cheese layer and the yummiest streusel topping you’ve ever had! It’s truly the best pumpkin coffee cake recipe we’ve had in a long time. Top a slice with some whipped cream or easy vanilla glaze and mini chocolate chips for a delightful after dinner dessert.
Ingredients for Pumpkin Coffee Cake
This coffee cake recipe may seem like it has a lot of steps, but trust me, it comes together quickly, and each bite is worth the effort! Here’s what you need:
For the Cake
All you need is a baking pan and these simple ingredients to create the best dessert this fall!
- Pumpkin puree – a 15 oz can of pumpkin works great! Or you can make your own homemade pumpkin puree. Do NOT use pumpkin pie filling.
- White, granulated sugar
- Half cup vegetable oil
- Baking soda
- Pumpkin pie spice – this is really a mixture of cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger and other fragrant spices all in one! You can find it in the spice aisle in your grocery store.
- Sour cream – a half cup of full fat sour cream gives this cake a moisture that can’t be beat!
- Eggs
- All purpose flour
Cream Cheese Layer
- 8 ounces of cream cheese – make sure it’s at room temperature so it blends together smoothly with an electric mixer
- Sugar – white, granulated sugar
- Vanilla extract – you can use half to a full teaspoon vanilla extract depending your taste.
Crumb Topping
- All purpose flour
- Sugar
- Cold butter – Make sure it’s really cold! You’ll use a pastry cutter or your fingers to crumble the butter in with the flour, sugar and cinnamon. The crumb texture doesn’t work as well with melted butter.
- Cinnamon – about half a teaspoon or so to taste
Optional Add-ins
If you want to change up this classic pumpkin coffee cake, you can add all sorts of delicious toppings! We love mini chocolate chips or chopped pecans added to the mixture. You could also sprinkle a little brown sugar over the top before it bakes for a richer crumble topping. Or drizzle some maple syrup over the top. You can also whisk a simple glaze of powdered sugar and milk with a fork and spread over the top after cooling.
Frequently Asked Questions
Regular cake typically has frosting or a glaze, while coffee cake does not. Instead, it often has a crumb or streusel topping that is typically made with a combination of flour, sugar, butter and cinnamon.
The ratio of wet to dry ingredients determines a cake’s moisture level. If there’s simply too much flour and not enough butter, a cake will taste dry. If you have too much liquid and not enough flour, the cake will turn out gooey and taste too soggy.
The only real defining trait of a coffee cake is that it’s meant to be served alongside a cup of coffee. But really this cake is a treat that is meant to be savored, to slow down and enjoy with coffee or without.
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More Pumpkin Recipes
Pumpkin anything never gets old in my house, and all during the fall and winter months we enjoy pumpkin muffins, pumpkin cake, pumpkin bread, basically anything made from pumpkin puree! From breakfast, lunch and dinner plus all kinds of desserts, we have pumpkin recipes for you to make all day long! Enjoy the fall season with these tasty dishes:
How to Make Pumpkin Coffee Cake
Pumpkin Coffee Cake
Video
Equipment
Ingredients
For The Cake:
- 15 ounces pumpkin
- 2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 eggs
- 2 cup flour
- 1 bag mini chocolate chips
For the Cream Cheese Layer:
- 8 ounces cream cheese
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
For the Crumb Topping:
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup butter
- cinnamon to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl blend together all the cake ingredients except for the eggs, flour, and chocolate chips.
- Thoroughly blend the eggs in one at a time, then blend in the flour until it's completely incorporated into the batter. Then gently stir in about ¾ of the bag of mini chocolate chips.
- Pour the batter into a 9×13 inch pan that has been lined with cooking spray.
- In a medium size bowl, blend together the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla. Spoon the mix into a sandwich bag and cut a small hole in one corner. Pipe the cream cheese mix all over the top of the cake batter, it doesn’t need to be pretty. Also, don’t try to spread it out, it will even out while it bakes.
- Combine the crumb topping ingredients in a medium size bowl with a pastry blender until all the ingredients are thoroughly blended together. Do not soften the butter first! This takes a little work but is well worth it! Distribute the crumb topping all over the top, but don’t pat it down.
- Bake for about 40 minutes then check the cake, if the center hasn’t set up or if a toothpick comes out with wet cake batter you need to give it some more time. Mine ended up taking between 45 and 50 minutes. This can vary depending on your elevation.
- Optional: serve with whipped topping and extra chocolate chips.
Notes
- We love mini chocolate chips or chopped pecans added to the mixture.
- You could also sprinkle a little brown sugar over the top before it bakes for a richer crumble topping.
- Or drizzle some maple syrup over the top.
- You can also whisk a simple glaze of powdered sugar and milk with a fork and spread over the top after cooling.
Nutrition Information
I brought this for a work potluck for my boss’s 50th. He just came and told me it was SPECTACULAR and everything he likes in a dessert. Staff loves it. Win! One goof was I cut the baggie too large so the frosting came out in a tube and didn’t really spread out, but. I one seems to mind!
Loved your site. Thank you for posting. You’ve got a new fan.
Made this in the morning to take to work for my Principal’s birthday. Everyone loved it, it was soooo delicious! My new go-to coffee cake!
Oh my goodness, this recipe is just simply DIVINE. Making this over and over!
This is a favorite in the fall, love the added chocolate!
Everyone at my house loved it! It was so good!
Oh, yum! I am SO ready for pumpkin season! I love how many chocolate chips are in this! My family loves chocolate chips in their baked goods. This is awesome!
Have you ever made this in a bundt pan?
We haven’t made it in a bundt pan but you totally could! Just keep an eye on it so it doesn’t get over-done. Let us know how it turns out!
in the cake part is it by hand or can I use an electric mixer?
You can do either, I have done it both ways.
I don’t have canned pumpkin in Brazil. Can I use fresh pumpkin instead? Thank you!
Absolutely! You can use cooked and pureed pumpkin and it will taste great. Thank you for asking!
Please tell me there is something missing from the cake layer. After an hour I have bubbling soup in my oven! And yes, I tripled checked that I had included all the listed ingredients.
Sorry Alison, I’m not sure what went wrong. I’ve made it several times and haven’t had that issue.
I was wondering if I could use a 9×13 glass pan. Thanks!!
Yep, that’s what I used.
This looks delicious. Unfortunately I don’t have a pastry blender. Could I just use a fork?
Yes, of course. It just takes a little more time and effort, but it will work just fine! Enjoy!
Hello,
I would like to make this cake to take to Thanksgiving dinner. I was wondering if I can use less sugar and omit the chocolate chips. I like the fact that the cake has both sour cream and cream cheese. Please reply soon.
Tks. Marie
You can definitely do both those things. I haven’t tried it with less sugar, but hopefully it turn out great!
Looks yummy but I think you made a typo. It says bake for 4 minutes.
Thanks for the catch!! I just fixed it, it was supposed to be 40 minutes.
Thanks for sharing! It was absolutely delicious!!!