Coffee cake is GREAT: it’s a socially acceptable way to eat cake for breakfast! For my fall pumpkin recipes series, I wanted to adapt my recipe for spice cake to incorporate this classic autumn ingredient into pumpkin spice coffee cake. I don’t want to toot my own horn, but this recipe absolutely knocks it out of the park.
Before you make Pumpkin Coffee Cake…
Coffee cake is one of my very favorite breakfast treats. It lasts for days, it serves a crowd, it’s cinnamon-y and delicious, and it pairs perfectly with coffee at any time of day. Before you make this recipe, keep a few things in mind.
Adapt as You Wish
Many of the ingredients can be adapted to suit your tastes. For example, I used dark brown sugar for a deeper flavor profile, but you can use light brown sugar if you prefer. The nuts are a classic part of a coffee cake, but you can omit them if you have an allergy (or a preference) and it won’t ruin the recipe.
If You Don’t Have Buttermilk
This recipe calls for buttermilk. I almost exclusively use buttermilk for recipes, so it can be hard to have the amount I need on hand. I often substitute milk with lemon juice in it for buttermilk as it serves the same chemical function in the recipe. It does have a slightly more lemony flavor than if you use buttermilk, but it doesn’t taste like out-and-out lemon.
How to Make Pumpkin Coffee Cake
Pumpkin Coffee Cake
Equipment
- 2 mixing bowls
- Small bowl
- Measuring cups
- Measuring spoons
- rubber spatula
- Flour sifter
- 9×13” baking pan
- Electric mixer (optional)
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 3/4 c vegetable shortening plus more for greasing your pan
- 1 1/4 c brown sugar
- 1 c granulated white sugar
- 2 c fresh pumpkin puree or 1 1/2 c canned pumpkin and 2 Tbs water
- 2 3/4 c all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 3/4 tsp nutmeg
- 3/4 tsp cloves
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 c buttermilk or 1 1/2 c milk with 1 Tbs of lemon juice
For the topping:
- 1 c brown sugar
- 1 Tbs cinnamon
- 1 c nuts such as walnuts or pecans (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350℉/180 ℃. Grease a 9×13 inch baking pan with vegetable shortening such as Crisco.
- If you don’t have buttermilk, put the lemon juice into the milk at this stage so it can sit while you’re mixing the other ingredients. The lemon juice will make the milk curdle slightly; this is normal.
- In a mixing bowl, mix together the shortening and sugars until they have the consistency of large crumbs. Beat in the pumpkin, 1/2 cup at a time.
- In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, spices, and salt, then whisk together (sifting adds air, whisking makes sure they’re evenly combined).
- Alternate adding the flour mixture and the buttermilk/milk to the sugars in batches until fully combined.
- In a small bowl, stir together the ingredients of the topping.
- Pour half the batter into the 9×13 pan and spread evenly with a rubber spatula or spoon. Sprinkle half of the topping onto the batter. Pour the second half of the batter over it, and top with the remaining topping mixture.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes, or until it’s a deep golden brown color. A metal cake pan may shorten the baking time.
- Serve with coffee and gossip!
Nutrition
Did you make this recipe? Drop your feedback!
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