Pumpkin Coffee Cake
Posted Oct 05, 2025
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This pumpkin coffee cake is moist with a beautiful crumb and a delicious cinnamon crumb topping. It’s a cozy breakfast loaded with rich fall spices – a perfect morning treat!
Chilly fall mornings often require a cozy breakfast – and this pumpkin coffee cake is a wonderful way to warm up from the inside out (with a pumpkin spice latte of course).
This from-scratch recipe is irresistibly moist with all the best flavors of autumn. The crisp and buttery crumb topping perfectly compliments the rich pumpkin coffee cake for a true breakfast treat.
Pumpkin Coffee Cake: Ingredients & Substitutions
- Pumpkin Puree. canned or homemade pumpkin puree both work well.
- Salted Butter. unsalted butter, coconut oil or ghee are all good substitutes.
- Sour cream. I recommend full-fat sour cream for the richest taste and best texture, however low fat can be used, or plain Greek yogurt.
- Whole milk. half and half, heavy cream and 2% milk are al good substitutions.
- Granulated sugar. Organic cane sugar and white sugar are the best choices.
- Light Brown Sugar. If you like a little bolder, molasses taste, use dark brown sugar.
- All-purpose flour. I recommend using an unbleached, all-purpose flour. Bread flour and cake flour also work well. You can substitute up to half the flour with whole wheat pastry flour. Or, use all-purpose gluten-free baking flour to make it gluten-free.
- Pumpkin Pie Spice. If you’d like to make your own pumpkin pie spice, follow this recipe: homemade pumpkin pie spice. Then, use 2 tsp of the mixture (and use the rest in some of my other pumpkin recipes).
How to Make Pumpkin Coffee Cake
Let’s discuss how to make this recipe, and be sure to watch the video for additional guidance.
Make the Crumb Topping
Begin by making the crumb topping. Put all the crumb topping ingredients in a small bowl.
Then, use a fork, pastry cutter or your hands to cut the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture forms large crumbs, set aside.
Make the Cake Batter
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (177 degrees Celsius). Grease a 9×9” pan, set aside.
Then, mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder, sea salt, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice together in a medium bowl and set it aside.
Next, whisk the pumpkin, melted butter, sour cream, whole milk, eggs and vanilla in a large bowl until the mixture is smooth.
Once the mixture is smooth, whisk in the granulated sugar and brown sugar until the sugars are dissolved.
Then, add the dry ingredients and stir until the mixture is smooth and there are no pockets of flour.
Assemble & Bake
Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan.
Then, sprinkle the crumb topping over the cake.
Bake the pumpkin coffee cake in the preheated oven for 35 minutes, or until the top is lightly browned and puffed and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
Let the cake cool to room temperature.
Serve
Serve the pumpkin coffee cake at room temperate or very slightly warm. I suggest serving with with a dollop of homemade whipped cream and a drizzle of caramel sauce.
Or, serve it alongside your favorite breakfast recipes and a delicious pumpkin spice latte.
Store or Freeze
Store leftover cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Reheat slightly in the microwave or oven set to warm before serving.
Pumpkin Coffee Cake Recipe FAQS
Yes, double the ingredients and bake the recipe in a 9×13″ glass or ceramic baking dish. You may need to bake a double recipe for an additional 5 minutes.
Honestly, not much is different between the two. This particular recipe is different from my pumpkin cake recipe because it’s slightly denser and has a crumb topping instead of cream cheese frosting.
Yes, I suggest using this vanilla glaze or maple glaze.
If you make and love my recipes, it would mean so much to me if you would leave a comment and rating! And don’t forget to follow along on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, TikTok and Youtube – be sure to tag @joyfoodsunshine and use the hashtag #joyfoodsunshine so I can see your creations!
Pumpkin Coffee Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- ¼ cup salted butter (melted)
- 2 Tablespoons sour cream (room temperature)
- ½ cup whole milk (room temperature)
- 1 egg (room temperature)
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup light brown sugar
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
Crumble topping
- ¼ cup salted butter (softened)
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- ¼ cup all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt
Instructions
Make the Crumb Topping
- Put butter all crumb topping ingredients in a small bowl.
- Use a fork, pastry cutter or your hands to cut the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture forms large crumbs, set aside.
Make the Coffee Cake Batter
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (177 degrees Celsius).
- Grease a 9×9” pan, set aside.
- In a medium bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, baking powder, sea salt, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together pumpkin, melted butter, sour cream, whole milk, eggs and vanilla until mixture is smooth.
- Add granulated sugar and brown sugar and whisk until dissolved and there are no lumps.
- Add dry ingredients and stir until the mixture is homogenous (uniform throughout) and there are no lumps.
Assemble & Bake
- Pour batter into prepared pan.
- Evenly sprinkle the crumb topping over the cake.
- Bake in preheated oven for 35 minutes or until the top is lightly browned and puffed and a toothpick comes out clean.
- Let the cake cool to room temperature.
Video
Notes
- Pumpkin Puree. canned or homemade pumpkin puree both work well.
- Salted Butter. unsalted butter, coconut oil or ghee are all good substitutes.
- Sour cream. I recommend full-fat sour cream for the richest taste and best texture, however low fat can be used, or plain Greek yogurt.
- Whole milk. half and half, heavy cream and 2% milk are al good substitutions.
- Granulated sugar. Organic cane sugar and white sugar are the best choices.
- Light Brown Sugar. If you like a little bolder, molasses taste, use dark brown sugar.
- All-purpose flour. I recommend using an unbleached, all-purpose flour. Bread flour and cake flour also work well. You can substitute up to half the flour with whole wheat pastry flour. Or, use all-purpose gluten-free baking flour to make it gluten-free.
- Pumpkin Pie Spice. If you’d like to make your own pumpkin pie spice, follow this recipe: homemade pumpkin pie spice. Then, use 2 tsp of the mixture (and use the rest in some of my other pumpkin recipes).
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
