Moist, dense, and rich Pumpkin Coffee Cake with a brown sugar streusel and a vanilla glaze. The perfect fall treat!

Make the most of pumpkin season by baking this regular Pumpkin Cake, making these Pumpkin Cookies, and trying these “famous” Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars. Check off baking from your Fall Bucket List!

Delicious slice of pumpkin coffee cake with icing on top ready to be enjoyed.

Pumpkin Coffee Cake

We’re entering my favorite time of the year: back-to-school, pumpkin season, and fall. I’m excited to share my latest creation, Pumpkin Coffee Cake, which has been in development for months, even tested in June! Now, let’s dive in.

Why is it called coffee cake? Coffee cake dates back to the 17th century in Europe, where people enjoyed sweet cakes with coffee. These cakes became popular in American cookbooks by the late 1800s, evolving from Viennese sweet dishes.

Does coffee cake have coffee in it? Contrary to what some might think, coffee cake usually doesn’t contain coffee. They are simple cakes with spices, nuts, or fruit, often topped with streusel or a simple glaze.

Our Pumpkin Coffee Cake follows this tradition, combining a delicious streusel topping and a glaze for the perfect fall treat. Below, you’ll find a brief guide on how to make it.

Prepping and mixing the dry and wet ingredients; pouring the mixture in the prepared baking pan; the crumble topping being made and sprinkled over the batter.

Ingredients

  • Dry Ingredients (Flour, Cinnamon, Pumpkin Pie Spice, Nutmeg, Baking Soda, Salt, Baking Powder): These create the structure of the cake. The spices give the classic pumpkin flavor, while the baking soda and powder ensure it rises properly.
  • Wet Ingredients (Vegetable or Coconut Oil, Brown Sugar, Maple Syrup, Heavy Cream, Vanilla Extract, Canned Pumpkin): These add moisture, richness, and sweetness. The oil keeps the cake moist, sugar and syrup sweeten it, cream adds richness, vanilla enhances flavor, and pumpkin gives the cake its characteristic taste and moisture.
  • Streusel Topping (Flour, Brown Sugar, Cinnamon, Salt, Butter): This mixture provides a sweet, crumbly topping that contrasts with the soft cake. Butter binds the dry ingredients, creating the streusel’s texture.
  • Glaze (Powdered Sugar, Milk, Salt, Vanilla Extract): This simple glaze adds a sweet, creamy finish to the cake.

Quick Tip

Use high-quality (not watery) canned pumpkin for this recipe; I recommend Libby’s® (not sponsored). Using watery pumpkin will leave you with a too-moist and bland cake.

How To Make Pumpkin Coffee Cake

  1. Prep: Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9×13-inch baking pan.
  2. Dry Mix: Whisk flour, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, nutmeg, baking soda, salt, and baking powder in a large bowl.
  3. Wet Mix: In another bowl, combine oil, brown sugar, maple syrup, heavy cream, vanilla, and pumpkin.
  4. Combine: Mix wet ingredients into dry, spread in the pan.
  5. Streusel: Mix flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, and butter; sprinkle over batter.
  6. Bake: For 35-40 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pan.
  7. Glaze: Whisk powdered sugar, milk, salt, vanilla; drizzle over cooled cake.

Slice of the finished pumpkin coffee cake recipe topped with sweet icing.

5 from 3 votes

Pumpkin Coffee Cake

Moist and rich Pumpkin Coffee Cake, with its brown sugar streusel and vanilla glaze, is the perfect way to enjoy fall flavors!
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Servings: 24 pieces

Equipment

  • Baking pan 9 x 13-inch, lined

Ingredients 
 

Cake

  • 3 cups flour
  • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 3/4 cup vegetable oil or melted coconut oil
  • 3/4 cup dark brown sugar packed
  • 6 tablespoons maple syrup
  • 6 tablespoons heavy cream
  • 1-1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1-1/2 cups pumpkin

Streusel

  • 1 cup flour
  • 14 tablespoons dark brown sugar packed
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter cold

Glaze

  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 tablespoons whole milk
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 350โ„‰. Lightly grease a 9 x 13-inch metal baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. You can also line with parchment or foil and then grease for easy cleanup.
  • In a large bowl, mix together dry cake ingredientsโ€”flour, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, nutmeg, baking soda, salt, and baking powder. Set aside.
  • Whisk the oil (melted and cooled if using coconut oil), packed dark brown sugar, maple syrup, and heavy cream in a medium bowl until smooth. Add the vanilla and pumpkin, dabbing the pumpkin with a paper towel if too wet. Avoid adding extra pumpkin to prevent the cake from becoming too moist. Whisk until smooth.
  • Pour wet ingredients into dry. Mix until just combined, be careful not to overmix the batter. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the streusel dry ingredientsโ€”flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Add the butter and mix with a pastry blender or your fingers until the streusel is evenly combined and forms small clumps. Sprinkle the streusel mixture over the cake batter.
  • Bake until the edges begin to pull away from the sides of the pan and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs attachedโ€”about 35 to 40 minutes. Cool completely in the pan before icing.
  • Combine all the glaze ingredients in a small bowl. Start with 2 tablespoons milk and add more as needed. Whisk with a fork until smooth. Drizzle over the individual pieces and enjoy!

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 24pieces | Calories: 277kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 15mg | Sodium: 100mg | Potassium: 93mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 22g | Vitamin A: 2560IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 34mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Meet Chelsea


Hello, and welcome to Chelseaโ€™s Messy Apron! Iโ€™m Chelsea, the recipe developer, food photographer, and writer behind the site. Iโ€™m passionate about creating simple, reliable, and delicious recipes that anyone can make.

Thanks for stopping byโ€”I hope you find something delicious to make!

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5 from 3 votes

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8 Comments

  1. Briana says:

    5 stars
    I made this recipe today to kick off my favorite time of year! I love pumpkin but am usually not the biggest fan of coffee cake. I actually loved this one! It is not overly sweet. I left off the glaze and found it to be perfect without it.

    1. Chelsea says:

      I am so thrilled to hear this! Thanks so much Briana! ๐Ÿ™‚

  2. Theresa Hill says:

    Is it pumpkin purรฉe or pumpkin pie filling??

    1. Chelsea Lords says:

      Plain pumpkin puree

  3. samantha says:

    5 stars
    owsome, i like cakes too much and this pumpkin coffee cake is really a wonderful cake.

    1. Chelsea Lords says:

      So happy to hear it! Thanks Samantha!

  4. Audra says:

    Just put these in the oven! Hope I did it right. There aren’t any eggs(hope that wasn’t a typo)and it was super thick. We’ll see. They smell good:)

    1. Chelsea Lords says:

      Batter is super thick and yes no eggs ๐Ÿ™‚ Pumpkin takes the property of eggs for this recipe. It’s a dense and moist cake too. Hope you love it!