Pumpkin Spice Coffee Cake Recipe

This pumpkin spice coffee cake recipe is one that looks fancy but really isn't. Tender coffee cake filled with pumpkin spice and topped with streusel is always a big hit with my family and friends and it will be with yours, too. 

Pumpkin spice coffee cake is something I make a lot. Whether I make it in the fall with fresh pumpkins or just snag a can of pumpkin at the store, I'm never really more than a few minutes away from making this delicious treat. It's just too good to not keep in my arsenal of recipes year-round.

And yes, many people say that pumpkin products should be reserved for the fall. Do you know what I say to that? Ridiculous! Bring on the pumpkin! Pumpkin has a delicious flavor, and I think it's perfect any time of year.

My husband and son agree. They have never, ever in the history of our lives together not been interested in eating pumpkin spice coffee cake. So whether it's a crisp fall day or the middle of summer, this coffee cake is always a great idea. 

The Tasty History of Pumpkin Spice Coffee Cake

Pumpkin spice and coffee cake are both staples across the globe. You can find them both in almost any country you visit, and there's a good reason for that. They're both delicious!

When a sweet coffee cake base combines with the rich flavor of pumpkin and the zing of pumpkin spice, you've got something really special. But without both coffee cake and pumpkin spice, we wouldn't have this delicious treat. 

So, as always, we're going to take a little trip back in time and talk about the history of both coffee cake and pumpkin spice. 

History of Coffee Cake

Food historians believe that the idea of coffee cake originated sometime in the 17th century in North/Central Europe. The region's countries were already known for their sweet yeast breads, and with the arrival of coffee to the region, they combined the two, noting how well the flavor of coffee and sweet cakes paired together. 

There are tons of coffee cake variations, but for the purposes of this post, we're talking about the American version. The American version of coffee cake that is so popular in North America is an offshoot of the German variety of this dessert.

Over years of colonization of North America, German and Scandinavian transplants brought various coffee cake iterations with them to the new world. 

The cakes varied, but in general, they all featured ingredients such as yeast, flour, dried fruit, and sweet spices. It was the German immigrants that we have to thank for the modern version of coffee cake that we enjoy in North America.

German women brought the idea of a sweet cake filled with fruit, spices, or nuts and topped with streusel. Of course, it's no wonder that the coffee cake became a staple, it's so delicious. 

Fast forward, and these days you can find all manner of coffee cake recipes out there from sour cream or yogurt coffee cakes to this pumpkin spice coffee cake recipe and everything in between.

History of Pumpkin Spice

This history of pumpkin spice is really more the history of branding a mix of several spices under one name to increase sales. Just like Fruity Pebbles and Cocoa Puffs, we have capitalism to thank for another tasty invention that makes life much more convenient. 

The earliest reference to something akin to a pumpkin spice blend can be found in a recipe for Pumpkin Spice Cakes published in the Washington Post in 1936. This recipe featured all of the spices we normally associate with our pumpkin spice mix that we buy at the store.

Of course, back then, you had to mix them all individually rather than buy them in one convenient package. That's where spice companies like McCormick come into play. 

In the 1950s, spice companies began combining cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice into one container and calling it pumpkin pie spice. Of course, the added convenience of never having to measure or buy individual spices made the blend a hit almost immediately. 

By the 1960s, these companies dropped the "pie" out of the description altogether, simply calling it pumpkin spice.

It seemed that taking "pie" out of the title opened up consumers to the possibility of using this spice blend in all kinds of recipes that called for similar spice blends to that of pumpkin pie. Almost anything with sweet potato and many squash varieties was soon being spiced with this blend. 

Fast forward to today, and the pumpkin spice craze is at a fever pitch when fall rolls around. Companies now put the spice blend into everything from coffee to donuts - with varying levels of success.

Most of it is just plain gross, if you ask me because most of it is fake flavor. 

Pumpkin Spice Coffee Cake Recipe

This pumpkin spice coffee cake recipe is great because it looks and tastes like it was a lot of work, but in reality, it's a very basic recipe. What that means for you is people oohing and aahing over something that they swear must have taken forever while they gobble it down.

All the credit and none - well, at least not much - of the work. It's perfect. 

This coffee cake is so good because of its dense, moist texture and deep pumpkin flavor. Add in the wonderful taste and aroma of pumpkin spice and that sweet streusel topping that none of us can get enough of, and you've got a dessert that everyone will love. If there's any leftover, you also have breakfast and maybe a snack!

Ingredients

Don't freak out when you look at the ingredient list. If you break it down, it's really simple. There are only a few ingredients need to make the batter, the brown sugar filling, and the streusel.

When you separate them all out, you'll quickly see that each one of these parts of the recipe only needs a handful of ingredients, and fewer, in some cases. 

For the Cake Batter 

• 6 tablespoons butter, melted 
• ½ cup milk 
• ½ cup canned pumpkin 
• ¼ cup sour cream 
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoons vanilla extract 
• 2 cups all purpose flour 
• ¾ cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder 
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice 

For the Brown Sugar Filling 

• ⅓ cup brown sugar 
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice 

For the Streusel Topping 

• ½ cup brown sugar 
• ½ cup flour 
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice 
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted 

Making the Pumpkin Spice Coffee Cake Recipe

Making this pumpkin spice coffee cake recipe is super easy. Just like the ingredient list, I've broken it down into stages. You'll see that making each part of this cake and putting it all together takes very little effort at all. Again, it only looks and tastes like a huge undertaking!

Make the Cake Batter 

• Preheat your oven to 350F. Line a 9x5 loaf pan with parchment paper and spray it with nonstick baking spray. 
• In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter, milk, canned pumpkin, sour cream, egg, and vanilla until combined. 
• Next, add the flour, brown sugar, and baking powder. Whisk just until no large lumps of flour remain. Set aside. 

Make the Cinnamon Filling 

• In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar and pumpkin pie spice. Set aside. 

Make the Streusel Topping 

• In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, flour, and pumpkin pie spice. 
• Once combined, add the melted butter and mix until the mixture has the consistency of wet sand— about 1 minute. Set aside. 

Layer, Bake & Store 

• Add half of the cake batter to the loaf pan. Top with the cinnamon filling— make sure to spread it out evenly. 
• Top the cinnamon filling with the remaining half of cake batter. Finally, top the cake batter with the streusel topping. Again, make sure to cover the cake evenly. 
• Bake for 55-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with just a few crumbs. The top should be dark brown but not burnt. 

Pumpkin Spice Coffee Cake Recipe Tips

As always, I've included a tip section here. Although this is an easy recipe, it does have a few moving parts, so it's better to have more knowledge than less.

I highly encourage you to read these before beginning the recipe so that you can have the best possible outcome with this pumpkin spice coffee cake recipe. 

Let it Rest

The secret to getting the perfect texture to this coffee cake is actually letting it continue to cook after you stop officially cooking it. Let the coffee cake cool for at least 30 minutes before removing it from the pan.

The carryover heat from the pan and the bread itself will help the center set, giving it the perfect "just done" texture we love without becoming gummy.

Don't Forget the Salt

I always bake with salted butter. It just makes things easier for me. However, if you prefer to use unsalted butter, be sure to add about ¼ teaspoon of salt to the mix when you add the butter. 

Use a Cookie Sheet

This coffee cake will fill your loaf pan completely, so I recommend putting it on a cookie sheet to catch anything that might bubble over. It's unlikely that it will happen, but sometimes, it does. 

Substitutions

There are a few substitutions you can make with this recipe that will still give you the classic flavor that we all love about pumpkin spice and coffee cake. All of these are sort of "quality of life" substitutions that you can use if you only have certain ingredients on hand. 

Salted/Unsalted Butter

As I referenced above, you can use either salted or unsalted butter. Add ¼ teaspoon salt to the recipe if you choose unsalted butter. 

Milk

You can use any milk in this recipe. It's not picky. Heck, you can even use non-dairy milks like oat, oatmeal, or soy, and this coffee cake will come out absolutely fantastic. 

Sour Cream or Greek Yogurt

Both sour cream and Greek yogurt work well in this pumpkin spice coffee cake. Feel free to use whatever you have on hand or whichever you prefer when you make other baked goods. 

Light or Dark Brown Sugar

You can use either light or dark brown sugar in this recipe. They both work very well. I find that dark brown sugar tends to give the cake a bit of depth to the sweetness that you don't get with light brown sugar. But again, either works. 

If you enjoy this recipe, you may also enjoy our delicious Old-Fashioned Pumpkin Bread recipe!

Serving Pumpkin Spice Coffee Cake

This coffee cake is best served as-is and right from the oven - after cooling to firm up, of course. You don't need to add any whipped cream or some other topping. Simply serve it up on a plate and pair it with a mug of coffee or a glass of milk. That's all you need. 

If you're serving leftovers, I recommend microwaving the slice for about 30 seconds to give it that "fresh from the oven" taste. 

Storing Pumpkin Spice Coffee Cake

This cake can be stored at room temperature for up to three days in an air-tight container. Just be aware that it will dry out as it gets older, so the sooner you eat it the better. For longer storage, you can freeze this coffee cake for up to three months. 

To freeze it, let it chill completely in the refrigerator, then wrap it tightly in cling wrap and a layer of foil. After that, place it in a heavy-duty freezer bag. To serve, take it out the night before and allow it to defrost in the refrigerator. Then, just heat it up in the microwave.

Try This Pumpkin Spice Coffee Cake Recipe

This pumpkin spice coffee cake recipe is so delicious and so easy to make, it's worth giving it a try. It has a wonderfully dense, moist texture, great pumpkin flavor, and of course, that classic streusel topping.

Put it all together, and you've got a dessert that everyone will be coming back to again and again. Give it a try, and I'm sure you and your family will love it!