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Why I Love This Pumpkin Coffee Cake
Everything is made with pumpkin in the fall. While it may seem overused, I think pumpkin creates an ideal texture in a cake. Pumpkin creates a moist texture in the finished cake. The coffee cake base uses both pumpkin and oil, and combining the two helps keep the finished cake moist for days at room temperature or months in the freezer. Pumpkin can be one note on its own, which is why this coffee cake has a cheesecake mixture swirled in. The sweet, tangy cheesecake with the soft spiced pumpkin is a perfect match. A streusel topping makes this a true coffee cake; it wasn’t needed, but at the same time, it was needed.
Pumpkin Coffee Cake Ingredients
- Brown sugar is white sugar mixed with molasses. The result is moist sugar with caramel-like toffee flavors. These work well with the spices and pumpkin.
- Neutral oil is used instead of butter. Neutral oil has no flavor but moistens the cake and allows the pumpkin to shine.
- Pumpkin purée can be store-purchased or homemade. If using homemade, make sure you drain the purée so it doesn’t have too much moisture.
- Cream cheese will mix best at room temperature. Do not use low-fat cream cheese; the full-fat will have more flavor and give the correct finished texture.
- Cinnamon, ground ginger, cloves, and nutmeg combined together are a homemade version of a pumpkin pie spice. I like to notice each spice and give certain amounts rather than use a premixed version.
The full amount of each ingredient can be found in the recipe card below.
How to Make Pumpkin Coffee Cake
Step 1: Prepare the wet ingredients – To a bowl, add the brown sugar, white sugar, pumpkin purée, eggs, oil, and vanilla extract. Mix all of the ingredients together until the mixture is fully combined.
Step 2: Prepare the dry ingredients – To the bowl with the combined wet ingredients, add the flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, ground ginger, cloves, and nutmeg. Mix the dry ingredients directly into the wet ingredients, making a homogenous mixture. Once mixed, pour the batter into a greased 8 x 8-inch baking dish and smooth it out into an even layer.
Step 3: Prepare the cheesecake swirl – To a small bowl, add the room-temperature cream cheese. Using a spatula, smash the cream cheese to soften it even more. Once the cream cheese is loosened, add in the sugar, vanilla extract, and egg yolk. Stir this mixture to combine all of the ingredients. Dollop a spoonful at a time of the cheesecake mixture on top of the pumpkin batter in the baking dish. Once all of the cheesecake mixture is on top, use a table knife to swirl the pumpkin batter with the cheesecake.
Step 4: Prepare the streusel topping – In a small bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Using a spatula or hands, mix together these three ingredients until well combined. Add the cubed butter pieces and work them into the flour and sugar mixture. Once fully mixed together, the mixture should look sandy. Pour the streusel topping on the batter.
Step 5: Bake the coffee cake – Place the coffee cake in the 350°F preheated oven and bake for 50-60 minutes. Once baked, puffed, and golden on top, remove the cake and let it cool fully before slicing.
Recipe Tips
- For the best flavor, freshly grate your nutmeg. Since nutmeg is a spice that does not get much use, it can tend to go stale when left in the spice cabinet. Thus, if you have a nutmeg seed readily available, you ensure that the spice has the most potency, and the resulting coffee cake will be full of flavor.
- Do not over-mix the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients. Mixing too thoroughly will cause the coffee cake to be tough once baked, without the desired light texture. Simply mix until there are no longer dry streaks throughout the mixture. In fact, there may be some remaining lumps, which is completely fine.
- When mixing the cheesecake mixture into the pumpkin batter, do not be scared if the mixture looks messy. Once it is topped with the streusel topping and baked, the cheesecake layer will settle and look perfect on the cake.
- To test if the cake is finished, insert a wooden skewer into the middle of the cake. The cake can be considered fully baked and ready to remove if it comes out mostly clean.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can easily bake this in a 9 x 9-inch baking dish. The baking time will need to be adjusted since the 9 x 9-inch will bake slightly quicker.
Yes, the streusel topping can be left off. If not including the streusel, there are no other adjustments needed to the recipe or the baking time.
This cake is very moist, and since it has the cheesecake swirled in, it should be kept in the refrigerator. It will last for one week in the refrigerator, or it can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months.
More Coffee Cake Recipes
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Pumpkin Coffee Cake with Cheesecake Swirl
Ingredients
For the pumpkin coffee cake
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 15-oz can pumpkin puree
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup neutral oil
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
For the cheesecake swirl
- 8 oz cream cheese room temperature
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 large egg yolk
For the streusel topping
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter cold, cubed into ½-inch pieces
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Prepare the batter: In a large bowl, combine the light brown sugar, white granulated sugar, pumpkin puree, eggs, oil, and vanilla extract. Whisk until smooth. Add the flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, ground ginger, cloves, and nutmeg. Fold to combine the wet and dry ingredients until smooth. Pour the batter into a greased 8 x 8-inch baking dish and set aside.½ cup light brown sugar, ½ cup granulated sugar, 1 15-oz can pumpkin puree, 2 large eggs, ½ cup neutral oil, 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract, 2 cups all-purpose flour, ½ tsp kosher salt, 1 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, ½ tsp ground ginger, ¼ tsp ground cloves, ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- Prepare the cheesecake: In a medium bowl, press and fold the cream cheese until soft and smooth. Add the sugar, egg yolk, and vanilla extract. Mix until smooth. Roughly divide the cheesecake batter into nine dollops, evenly spaced on top of the prepared coffee cake batter. Using a table knife inserted into the coffee cake, make figure-eight patterns all over the cake until the cheesecake is swirled into the coffee cake.8 oz cream cheese, ¼ cup granulated sugar, 1 large egg yolk, 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Prepare the streusel: In a small bowl, combine the flour, light brown sugar, and cinnamon. Mix to combine and add the cubed butter. Press the pieces of butter into the dry mixture until it resembles wet sand. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the prepared coffee cake.½ cup all-purpose flour, ½ cup light brown sugar, ½ tsp ground cinnamon, 4 tbsp unsalted butter
- Bake the cake in the preheated oven until fully baked. The cake will be puffed, with the streusel toasted brown, and a skewer inserted in the middle will come out mostly clean with a few moist crumbs, 50-60 minutes. Once baked, remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool for 30 minutes before slicing.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did you make this? Leave a comment below!
I made this today and I absolutely love this recipe. So moist and delicious. Will definitely make this again. Thank you for all your great recipes.😊
Made this today. Its absolutely delicious. This is the 1st recipe I’ve ever made that the ingredients didnt need to be altered! The whole family loved it. Thank you!
I would like to know if I can substitute ground ginger, cloves and nutmeg eith apple pie spice. If so, how much would I use. Thank you.
Can I use pumpkin pie spices in place of the ground ginger, cloves and nutmeg? If so, what amount would I use? Thank you. The recipe looks delicious!
This looks delicious! I wonder if I added toasted pecans? Have you ever tried it with nuts?
I’ve made this coffee cake 3 times this month alone for different gatherings. It was delicious, beautiful every time! I added toasted pecans to the streusel topping—I’m a Georgia girl & add Georgia pecans pretty much to everything. So good! I’ve shared your recipe many times as well. I’m baking your Apple Sausage Cornbread Stuffing & Easy Sweet Potato Casserole for Thanksgiving tomorrow. Love all your videos on Instagram! Hope your Thanksgiving is wonderful!
Just made this today & it is SO lovely!! Everything Kaleb promised –easy to make, moist, and just all the flavors of fall. I also love the easy clean-up/use of only one bowl. I know this will be in rotation for sure & will be a dessert (or breakfast) at Thanksgiving time, so thank you!!! If it helps anyone: I didn’t have an 8 inch pan, so I used a 9×9 & took it out at 48 minutes & it was perfect!
Love your recipes and all your videos .
Fellow midwestern resident /KS
Thanks!!!’
Probably the best coffee cake I ever tasted!
GREAT coffee cake – easy to make –
Will be adding this recipe to my ‘Must have pumpkin craving list’ !
This was so interesting to watch Kaleb make(everything he does is) that I had to try it myself.It was easy to make and amazing to taste! My son just requested something pumpkin so guess what he’s going to get? I know he and his family will love this coffee cake.Thank you Kaleb🥰