This Pecan Pumpkin Coffee Cake recipe is made with pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spices, and a brown sugar crumb cake topping. It’s the perfect fall breakfast or brunch addition!
For the past few months I’ve been fielding calls right and left for some guy named Paul who put my number down on a home loan application.
Oh the joy.
Whether he accidentally wrote down the wrong number, or put down a random one just to see what rates he’d get, it’s been weeks of, “No, this is not Paul” and “Please don’t call this number again.”
What’s worse? This technically all started a few years ago. The calls die off for a little while, then they come back with a vengeance (apparently Paul sent out my number to every home loan place in California and those sales people are very thorough).
It makes me want to put my head through a wall, as well as eat an awful lot of this Pecan Pumpkin Coffee Cake by the forkful. Comfort food, you know??
Three Reasons Why This Is The Best Pumpkin Coffee Cake:
- Easy: This is such an easy pumpkin coffee cake recipe! It’s made with simple ingredients (most of which are probably already in your pantry), and it bakes in about 30 minutes or so!
- Streusel: The crunchy brown sugar pecan topping is perhaps my favorite part of this pumpkin coffee cake. The brown sugar pairs well with the pumpkin, and the toasted pecans add such a warmth and depth of flavor to the cake.
- Perfect Texture: This recipe calls for both sour cream and oil, so you know this is a moist pumpkin cake! It has such a tender crumb, and it such a fluffy coffee cake recipe with the perfect fall flavors of pumpkin, ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg!
If you’re loving all the flavors of the season, here are some other fall recipes to add to your baking list: Crumb Cake Pumpkin Bread, Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Donut Holes, Vanilla Pumpkin Bundt Cake, Cream Cheese Glazed Bundt Cake, Apple Butter Pumpkin Pie, and this Coconut Pumpkin Bread!
Ingredients:
Crumb Cake Topping:
- Ground Cinnamon
- All Purpose Flour
- Brown Sugar
- Unsalted Butter
- Chopped Pecans
Pumpkin Coffee Cake
- All Purpose Flour
- Baking Soda and Baking Powder
- Ground Cinnamon, Ginger, All Spice, and Nutmeg: I prefer to make my own pumpkin pie spice, but you can substitute store bought pumpkin pie spice in this recipe.
- Salt
- Brown Sugar: This recipe needs the molasses flavor from brown sugar. It enhances the overall rich fall flavors of pumpkin and spice.
- Canola Oil or Vegetable Oil
- Eggs
- Vanilla Extract
- Sour Cream: You can substitute greek yogurt for the sour cream in this coffee cake recipe, if you’d prefer.
How To Make Pumpkin Pecan Coffee Cake:
Preheat: Preheat the oven while you make the pumpkin coffee cake batter. Line a baking dish with parchment paper.
Crumb Cake Topping: First things first, make the crumb cake topping. Firstly, combine the cinnamon, flour and brown sugar together. Next, using a fork or a pastry cutter, work the cold butter into the dry ingredients. Mix until the topping looks like coarse crumbs. Mix half of the pecans into the topping. Set aside.
Dry Ingredients: Mix flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and all spices together.
Wet Ingredients: Mix Pumpkin and brown sugar together. Then add in the oil, eggs, vanilla extract, and sour cream.
Mix: Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, and mix until combined.
Assembly: Pour the batter into the baking pan. Sprinkle the crumb topping evenly over the batter. Finally, sprinkle to remaining pecans on top of the crumb cake topping.
Bake: Bake until cooked through in the center.
Serve: Warm, cold, or at room temperature!
Why Is This A Pumpkin Coffee Cake When There Isn’t Any Coffee?
I get asked this question often when it comes to coffee cake recipes (like this Coffee Cake Banana Bread recipe), so let’s answer it here.
Coffee Cake is called coffee cake because it’s traditionally a cake served with coffee. While some recipes might call for coffee as an ingredients (like my Dark Chocolate Toffee Coffee Cake recipe), a more traditional or classic recipe typically doesn’t use coffee in the ingredients.
What Size Pan Is Best For Coffee Cake?
- For this recipe, I like to use an 8×8 square baking pan. It makes a tall and thick coffee cake.
- Other Options:
- Circular Pan: You can use a 9×9 circular cake pan.
- Springform Pan: You can also use a 9×9 springform cake pan.
- Square: If you don’t have an 8×8 sized square pan, you can use a 9×9 as well.
How To Store Coffee Cake with Pumpkin:
- You can store this cake at room temperautre or in the fridge.
- The coffee cake will last longer in the fridge, but I would suggest allowing it to reach room temperature before serving. Cold cakes are often dry and crumbly, and allowing it to reach room temperature will yield a softer, moister texture.
- You can freeze pumpkin coffee cake. I suggest cutting it into squares prior to freezing so you can thaw them overnight in the fridge as needed.
There’s something so indescribably homey, comforting, and fall-ish (100% technical right there) about this coffee cake. Despite the warm temps we’ve been having, this pumpkin coffee cake makes me want to curl up under a blanket with a good book and hot cup of coffee.
Tips and Tricks for this super easy Pumpkin Coffee Cake with a Pecan Brown Sugar Streusel:
- This coffee cake is super simple, and doesn’t call for any unusual ingredients. The only thing I will note here is that I prefer to use my own ratio of spices rather than “pumpkin pie spice.”
- I find pumpkin pie spice doesn’t always have the right blend of spices I’m looking for in a recipe, as I like quite a bit of cinnamon and all spice in my pumpkin recipes.
- Of course, if you prefer pumpkin pie spice, you are more than welcome to substitute it for the spices I use. (I will have a note in the recipe for substitutions.)
The only question is, should we brunch at your place or mine?
This Pecan Pumpkin Coffee Cake recipe is made with pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spices, and a brown sugar crumb cake topping. It’s the perfect fall breakfast or brunch addition!
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 6 Tbsp unsalted butter, cold
- 1 cup pecans, roughly chopped (divided)
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon*
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger*
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg*
- 1/4 tsp ground allspice*
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil
- 2 eggs, large
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup sour cream (or greek yogurt)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease an 8x8 square pan (or line with parchment paper). Set aside.
In a bowl, combine cinnamon, flour, and brown sugar. Cut in butter with a fork or pastry cutter, and mix until the topping looks like coarse crumbs. Mix in half of the chopped pecans. Set aside.
In a large bowl, mix flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice, and salt together.
- In a separate bowl, whisk pumpkin and brown sugar together until combined. Add in oil, eggs, vanilla extract, and sour cream. Mix until well combined.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, and stir until all ingredients are well incorporated.
Pour the batter into the pan. Spread the crumb topping evenly over the batter. Lastly, sprinkle the remaining chopped pecans evenly over the crumb topping.
- Bake for 28-30 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. (If the top looks like it's getting too brown, cover it with foil, and let it finish baking.)
Serve warm, at room temperature, or cold.
- Enjoy!
*If you would prefer to use pumpkin pie spice, I would substitute with 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice + 1/4 tsp cinnamon.
Originally posted in 2017; updated in 2021.
Here are some other pumpkin recipe favorites:
Diane Kraft says
This is a tasty, moist cake. Mark just went for his second piece. It is moist and flavorful. The topping brings texture to the tenderness of the cake. It took alot longer to bake (almost 20 minutes). Don’t know why but the outcome was awesome.
Denise says
I baked this this morning and took to work. It was a hit! Due to dairy and egg allergies I used a flax egg substitute and plain almond yogurt. I also used only half of what the topping recipe called since I didn’t want it to be overly sweet. It was delish and no one could tell I made the substitutions. Thank you for the recipe. Will definitely make this again!
Michelle says
I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe! ❤️ Thank you for letting me know, Denise!
Diana says
I rated it a five as it was very good. As someone else stated, I too, had to bake it 20 minutes longer and the recipe stated. The recipe does not fit into an 8 x 8 square pan. I used a 9 x 9 with taller than usual sides and it was a “tight fit”. I will make it again as it was so yummy. I will also half the topping ingredients.