Each bite of pumpkin coffee cake with crumb topping is moist and flavorful thanks to power ingredients like pumpkin puree, pure maple syrup, and seasonal spices like ground nutmeg, ginger, and cloves. Piled high with brown sugar cinnamon crumble topping and drizzled with easy vanilla icing, this spiced breakfast cake certainly hits the spot during the fall season.
I originally published this recipe in 2013 and have since added new photos, a video tutorial, and more success tips.
Perfectly acceptable for breakfast, snack, or dessert, today’s pumpkin coffee cake is a must make during the fall season. Heavy on the crumb topping, this is a fall version of my New York-style crumb cake and tastes just like my pumpkin crumb cake muffins but in cake form. We love it so much, we also created a cookie version with these pumpkin crumb cake cookies! It’s bursting with pumpkin flavor and will have you racing to the kitchen table any morning of the week! Not to mention, it’s the perfect treat to serve on Thanksgiving morning as a prelude to all the pumpkin pie in the evening (see my complete list of 30+ make-ahead Thanksgiving breakfast ideas for even more inspiration).
And if you’re looking for dessert, this pumpkin crumb cake is perfectly acceptable or you may love my regular pumpkin cake instead. For even more inspiration, here are my 30+ best pumpkin dessert recipes.
One reader, Jamie, commented: “This recipe turned out exceptionally. I baked it for about 35 minutes. The crumb topping is not as floury as coffee cakes but blends into the cake beautifully. The vanilla glaze took it over the edge. One of the best recipes I have made in some time. I used 1/2 dark and 1/2 light brown sugar and enjoyed the result. Thank you! ★★★★★“
This Pumpkin Crumb Coffee Cake Is:
- Simple and quick to prepare
- Ultra soft and moist
- Incredibly pumpkin-y
- A perfect fall breakfast indulgence (serve alongside another fall favorite, cranberry cake!)
- Wonderfully spiced with cozy fall flavors
- Piled high with crumb topping
- Garnished with a sweet vanilla icing
This recipe also joins 30+ others in my collection of Quick Dessert Recipes—ready in 1 hour or less!
Video Tutorial
3 Parts to My Best Pumpkin Coffee Crumb Cake
- Pumpkin Coffee Cake: There’s incredible flavor in each soft, moist bite of the pumpkin cake layer.
- Crumb Topping: Top today’s coffee cake with a thick layer of cinnamon-spiced crumbs.
- Vanilla Icing: It’s not coffee cake without a drizzle of icing. For something different, you may love this pumpkin crumb cake paired with the same brown sugar icing we use on pumpkin donuts.
Overview: How to Make Pumpkin Coffee Cake with Crumb Topping
This recipe is made completely from scratch with no boxed cake mix in sight. Made with pantry basics, the cake comes together in minutes without a mixer. Ingredients like oil, maple syrup, brown sugar, and pumpkin puree make this the moistest coffee cake you’ll ever taste. (Careful not to over-bake it!) Pumpkin takes the place of egg and helps bind everything together, so this is an entirely egg free recipe. (This cake is vegan-friendly as well—use dairy free milk in the cake and dairy free butter in the crumb topping.)
See more egg-free baking recipes.
Make sure you’re using real pumpkin puree (I like canned puree), not pumpkin pie filling. We’ll use a little brown sugar and maple syrup to sweeten. There’s lots of spices and you can absolutely use homemade pumpkin pie spice here, see recipe Note. The crumb topping and glaze sweeten the cake, so there’s no need for more sugar in the cake itself. You’ll love how the sweet maple flavor pairs with real pumpkin and warm spices!
Be prepared, this is a super, super thick batter. Why? We’re using lots of heavy, wet ingredients to yield a moist and satisfying cake.
Crumb Topping
We can all agree that the crumbs are the best part of coffee cake, so we’re going heavy on the crumb topping today. (For more recipes loaded with crumbs, try apple crumb cake, zucchini crumb cake, pumpkin french toast casserole, and apple cinnamon muffins.) Today’s crumb topping is cinnamon-spiced—you need flour, brown sugar, salt, ground cinnamon, and cold butter. Cut the cold butter in with a fork or pastry cutter until it begins to clump together and form crumbs. Pour that glorious crumb streusel on top of the batter and gently press it down into the cake before baking. So easy!
Vanilla Icing
While the cake bakes, make the icing. If I have it on hand during the fall season, I like to use pumpkin spice coffee creamer instead of milk. If you have any leftover pumpkin puree, you can even make and use homemade pumpkin coffee creamer in the icing. Milk works just as well, though. Mix the coffee creamer or milk with a little confectioners’ sugar and vanilla extract, and then pour the glaze on top of the warm coffee cake. Instead of vanilla icing, try a drizzle of salted caramel or dollop of homemade whipped cream.
More Fall Breakfast Recipes
- Apple Cinnamon Rolls
- Morning Glory Muffins
- Apple Cider Donuts
- Pumpkin Scones
- Apple Cinnamon Muffins or Mini Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Muffins
- Pumpkin Pancakes or Pumpkin Waffles
And if you are looking for dessert, here is a list of 30+ fall cake recipes.
Print
Pumpkin Crumb Coffee Cake
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: serves 9
- Category: Cake
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
An incredibly moist and flavorful spiced pumpkin coffee cake, piled high with a crumb topping and finished with vanilla icing.
Ingredients
Crumb Topping
- 1/2 cup (63g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1/2 cup (100g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/4 cup (4 Tablespoons; 56g) unsalted butter, cold
Pumpkin Coffee Cake
- 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg*
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves*
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger*
- 1 cup (226g) pumpkin puree
- 1/2 cup (100g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup (120ml) canola or vegetable oil (or melted coconut oil if you prefer)
- 1/4 cup (82g) pure maple syrup
- 1/4 cup (60ml) milk*
Vanilla Icing
- 1 cup (120g) confectioners’ sugar
- 2 Tablespoons pumpkin spice coffee creamer, half-and-half, or milk
- 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease a 9-inch square or 9-inch springform baking pan (or any 2.5 quart baking dish) with nonstick spray. Set aside.
- Make the crumb topping first: In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon together. Cut in the cold butter using a pastry blender or a fork. Mix to create clumps and crumbs. Set aside.
- Make the cake: Whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger together in a large bowl until combined. In a medium bowl, whisk the pumpkin, brown sugar, oil, maple syrup, and milk together until combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until *just* combined. Avoid over-mixing the batter. Batter will be very thick. Spoon/pour the batter into the prepared baking pan. Spread to make an even surface. Pour the crumb topping evenly on top and gently press them down into the batter.
- Bake the cake for 30-35 minutes. Check the cake’s doneness at the 30 minute mark by inserting a toothpick into the center. If the toothpick comes out clean or with a couple moist crumbs, the cake is done. If the toothpick has wet batter on it, bake the cake for 5 more minutes or until the toothpick comes out clean.
- Make the icing: Whisk the icing ingredients together. Add an extra splash of creamer/milk to thin out if desired. Drizzle over warm or cooled cake. (We like serving this warm.)
- Cover leftover cake tightly and store at room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Notes
- Freezing Instructions: This cake may be frozen for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before enjoying.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 9-inch Square Pan, 9-inch Springform Pan, or any 2.5-quart Baking Dish | Glass Mixing Bowls | Pastry Blender | Whisk | Rubber Spatula
- Spices: Instead of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger in the batter, you can use 2 and 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice. You could also just replace the nutmeg, cloves, and ginger with pumpkin pie spice and keep the cinnamon in the recipe.
- Milk: You can use any milk, dairy or nondairy, in the cake batter. I really like using buttermilk when I have it on hand. Makes the cake very moist.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Amazing recipe. I made this today and my family loves it! I used oat milk and double the recipe so it took longer to bake. Definitely will try again. My family loves coffee cakes and this one has surely made the list!
Can I add 2 eggs to this cake recipe?
Oh amazing! I also doubled it and put it in a 9×13. Amazing! Flavor is spot on! I love your recipes. They are always perfect. I made the giant cookie one for my son the last two birthdays, and they were perfection. Easy to make this. Thank you.
I made this last night in a 9 inch pan. Super easy and quick to make. I did not add the glaze and my family loves it!! Cake is very moist and crump topping has the perfect amount of sweetness. Will definitely make it again!!
It’s baking now…
Leftover cake? You are so funny!
This was amazing!!! I had to bake mine quite a bit longer than the recipe called for but that could have been my oven. So delicious it may have replaced pie on Thanksgiving! Love it!!!
Such a great recipe. Delicious with a scoop of vanilla Ice cream Spices are such an important part of the flavor. Will definitely make it again!
I made this yesterday. Of all Sally’s recipes I have tried , this was the first big fail. It tasted so awful that we threw it away. Please do not waste your time or ingredients on this one.
Hi Judith, I’d love to help troubleshoot. This has been a successful recipe for many readers and I’m wondering what could have happened. Was it the flavor you didn’t like? Did you change anything in the recipe?
Sally, I prepared and baked exactly as written. I have made so many of your recipes and never has my family been disappointed before this. But this was a huge fail. No taste and what did taste ok was the topping and glaze…
Hi Judith! How strange that it would have no flavor, I would check to make sure that your cinnamon and other spices aren’t expired – that can make a big difference!
I had the same result. Followed the directions exactly- no substitutions. It came out raw- looked like rubbery fudge. I needed up cooking it an extra 30 minutes – the last 10 in speed bake. No difference. If I didn’t know better, I would say my oven wasn’t working. But made dinner later and it was fine. Couldn’t swallow one tiny bite- had to throw it all out. I usually look for a new recipe under Sally’s Baking Addiction- glad this wasn’t my first.
This recipe is amazing! My family loves it .will be making it a lot of times
What if we actually put instant coffee mixed with water into the batter? Have u tried them?
Also I’m glad I found this recipe it was the top 2 on my search lol since I didn’t have eggs and just had enough milk! Can’t wait for it to be done
Hi JC, we haven’t tested this recipe that way. You could try replacing some of the milk with the instant coffee mix, but we’re unsure of what the results would be. Or, how about using the espresso glaze from these chocolate sweet rolls for the addition of the coffee taste?
Wow!! This was so delicious!!! I absolutely loved it. At first I thought… No egg? Interesting… But boy was it delicious. Will definitely be making this one again.
Does the pumpkin in the cake need to be blotted? Also can the cake be doubled to fit in a 9 x 13 rectangular pan? It looks really good!
We haven’t tested it, but we’d recommend making the batter twice (instead of doubling) and filling a 9×13 halfway. Or use our larger pumpkin cake recipe and top with the crumbs. (double the crumb portion)
Thank you! Though to do this cake mentioned here, does the moisture from the pumpkin need to be blotted out?
Blotting won’t hurt but isn’t *completely* necessary in this recipe.
Another great recipe! Found this recently on your site and have made it twice already. Everyone who has tried this cake loved it … sooooo good! Thank you
Your recipes never disappoint! I always come to your site when I’m looking for something new to bake. I just made this coffee cake for breakfast today and it was delicious! My kids loved it too.
This recipe is fantastic! I normally like to follow recipes exactly the first time. But after reading yours this morning, I craved it so badly I didn’t even pause first and make sure I actually had all the ingredients. So I ended up subbing 1/4 cup of the oil for greek yogurt, and didn’t make the glaze. It was AMAZING! It was so good I’m tempted to sub out the whole 1/2 c oil next time, but I’m afraid to mess with perfection. Have you ever tried using orange juice instead of milk? My favorite pumpkin bread uses orange, but I wonder how different that would react with everything compared to the milk. But seriously, anyone on the fence about making this recipe should go for it. I doubt I’ll ever go back to normal coffee cake!
Just made this, and it’s absolutely delicious. Moist in the middle, crunchy & sweet on top, and spicy. I used honey instead of maple syrup, and used homemade pumpkin puree, homemade buttermilk & pumpkin spice, and I baked it in a round 9 inch spring form pan, and it took 30 min. So, it turned out pretty much perfect, even with the substitutions. And for the glaze I added some lemon juice and pumpkin puree instead of milk, so the colour on top is gorgeous, though I halved the glaze recipe. I’ll probably make this again. Thank you for the amazing cake recipe.
this recipe is absolutely delicious! i made it for halloween and it was a quick and easy recipe that didn’t disappoint! it’s very moist and packed full of flavor. the cake itself isn’t that sweet so it’s perfectly balanced by the sweet topping & glaze. it also tastes just like a pumpkin muffin from dunkin’! which i love.
LOVED this recipe. I used the pumpkin spice and buttermilk alternatives as described. Gave some to a friend and she just called….her family also loves it and wants the recipe. Any suggestions for cooking time if these are made into muffins?
Hi Terri, We are so happy this was a hit! This is great for muffins– simply spoon batter into individual muffin liners. Fill the liners to the top. Bake for around 20 minutes or until baked through.
I was thinking the same thing but would the time be the same if I used the large muffin pan instead of the regular size?
This is one of the best pumpkin desserts I’ve ever made….and I bake often! It is moist, flavorful, and just bursting with classic fall flavors! I used a 9×13 sized dish and just reduced baking time. As an addition, I used 1.5 teaspoons of maple flavoring in the glaze. We love maple and pumpkin together. It was a HIT with everyone. I’ve made it 3 times in the past 2 weeks and have handed out the recipe every time! Thank you so much for sharing!
Best recipe!! So easy to make, and so delicious. Family loved it
I made this last weekend, and plan to make it again this weekend. I used vegan substitutes, and it was delicious. The baking time was SO off; the center was wet when it came out. It took an hour to cook through. I bought an oven thermometer after that, and found my oven cooks at 25 degrees below the setting! I’m going to put it in at 375 for 35 minutes this time to see if that goes better. If anyone has that issue though, I’d recommend getting an oven thermometer because I was surprised by how off my oven is! The good thing is that it miraculously didn’t dry out from the extended baking time, and it was great! My husband and I finished it too fast!
This recipe turned out exceptionally. I baked it for about 35 minutes. The crumb topping is not as floury as coffee cakes but blends into the cake beautifully. The vanilla glaze took it over the edge. One of the best recipes I have made in some time. I used 1/2 dark and 1/2 light brown sugar and enjoyed the result. Thank you!
Phenomenal cake. Easy to make, super easy to eat. My family whose Italian and haven’t eaten any type of pumpkin cake/dessert in their lives loved it too, and I was so pleased as I was trying to find the right intro to pumpkin for them. Thanks for another wonderful recipe Sally!
My daughter made this today. We love all your recipes. It is outstanding!!
Omgosh! What have you done! I cannot stop devouring this! I followed the recipe exactly using buttermilk for cake mixture and pumpkin spice coffee creamer for icing. So moist and just the perfect amount of spice and everything nice. This is incredible as is every other cake recipe I have tried of yours. I don’t even bother with any other website for cakes and breads. Yours are amazingly delish and hands down the absolute best. Always so well received by anyone who is quick enough to grab a slice before my guy takes it all for himself!
Literally a dream
This coffee cake is moist and delicious! I doubled the recipe and baked it in a 9×13 pan this morning. My family loved it! I am so happy that there’s enough left over to enjoy tomorrow! This is the perfect fall treat that I will make again and again! Thank you for such a great recipe!
Laura, how long did you bake the doubled recipe in a 9″ X 13″ pan. Was the pan aluminum or glass?
I’ve made this recipe several times and every time it has come out amazing!! Love this recipe!
This cake was amazing! I substituted gluten-free flour and oat milk to make the recipe gluten free and dairy free. I also baked my cake in a bundt pan so it took closer to 40 minutes. My one taste observation is that the spices are too mild but it could be due to how fresh my spices are.
Thank you Kate for telling me I can use gluten free flour. I will absolutely make it this weekend for company, and pump up the spices.
Wow! Thanks Kate! I am putting your tips to good use! Flour, milk, spices and bake time!
Made my life easier!
It was so delicious but i shoud use less suger for next time