Pumpkin Crumb Cake

We’re all doing the fall baking at this point, right? I’ve got one of my absolute favs today- Pumpkin Crumb Cake is the sweetest little coffee cake you’ll ever make, and it’s obviously perfect for fall.

This is a twist of course on a classic coffee cake recipe, and it’s got a super fluffy spicy pumpkin cake topped with piles and piles of crumb. Seriously, I like to go heavy on the crumb here- it’s my favorite part! Let’s get to it.

How to Make Pumpkin Crumb Cake

This cake can be whisked together entirely by hand, which is always my favorite because you don’t have to pull out a whole mixer. We’re starting out by stirring together the dry ingredients including lots of warm spices. Then it’s time to whisk together the oil and sugars until combined, and then add in your egg, vanilla extract, and pumpkin puree.

After that, we’re whisking in the dry ingredients in alternating additions with buttermilk until you have a smooth batter to spread in your prepared cake pan. This recipe makes a 9×13 inch cake, and it’s honestly so good that I promise you’ll want the whole thing.

The crumb mixture can be mixed with a fork in a bowl, and I find that it’s the easiest way to get everything worked together evenly to create a soft crumb. It should hold together when you press it in your hand, and still crumble apart fairly easily. It’s going to seem like a lot of crumb- that’s because it is! Use it all though!

Then it’s off to the oven to bake until you have a fully baked and set cake. It should get just lightly browned on top, and you’ll end up with a cake that is about half cake and half crumb!

Cool the cake completely before slicing, serving, and giving out to everyone you love in life. Enjoy!

Tips & Tricks for Pumpkin Crumb Cake

This is a pretty easy recipe and you don’t need many tools. I have a few tips and tricks to make it even easier!

• Whisk the cake batter by hand to avoid over mixing, and to avoid pulling out a whole mixer!
• This recipe uses an entire can of pumpkin puree, but you want to be sure it’s pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling.
• You can use any spice combo you like. I have listed a pretty classic combination of spices here, but if there’s anything you really love or hate, adjust as you like!
• Why does this make so much crumb? It’s going to seem like a lot of crumble topping, but it’s correct! I like a crumb cake that is equal parts crumb to cake, and that’s what you’ll get by using all of this crumb topping.
• How do I know when it’s finished baking? You can use a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake, which should come out mostly clean, or use an instant read thermometer inserted into the center- it should read about 200 degrees when the cake is ready.
• Can I cut this recipe in half? Yes, you can. Use just the egg yolk, and all the other ingredients can be cut in half easily. Use an 8×8 inch cake pan!
• I’m at about 5,000 ft. above sea level, and I find that most people who live between about 3,000-7,000 ft above sea level do not need to make any adjustments to my recipes.

Enjoy!

5 from 1 vote

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Pumpkin Crumb Cake

Servings 16 slices

Ingredients

For the cake:

• 1 3/4 cup flour
• 3/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
• 1 tsp. ginger
• 1/4 tsp. allspice
• 1/4 tsp. cloves
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1 egg
• 1 15 oz. can pumpkin puree
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup buttermilk

For the crumb:

• 2/3 cup sugar
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 cup melted butter

Instructions

For the cake:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9×13 inch cake pan.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice, and cloves. Set aside. In a large bowl, beat together the sugar, brown sugar, and oil until combined. Add in the egg, pumpkin puree, and vanilla extract and beat until combined.
3. Slowly add in the flour mixture in alternating additions with the buttermilk, starting and ending with the flour mixture. Beat until the batter is smooth. It will be fairly thin. Pour the batter into your prepared pan.

For the crumb:

1. In a large bowl, stir together the sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, cornstarch, and flour. Use a fork to stir in the melted butter and work the mixture together until a soft crumble forms. Sprinkle the crumble evenly over the top of your prepared cake batter. Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely, slice, and enjoy!

Dough-Eyed

Hello and welcome! My name is Nicole, and Dough-eyed is a food blog for people who want to bake for their family and friends in high-altitude areas. Think of me as a friendly voice there with you in the kitchen, here to give you confidence when you’re baking, and to help you with the struggles of baking at high-altitude. Come back every week for new recipes, tips, and advice on high-altitude baking!