Louisiana Pumpkin Coffee Cake

It’s our favorite time of year for baking the most luscious fall treats: pumpkin season!

Pumpkin coffee cake is one of the best desserts to ring in the fall season. With its soft and spicy cake body and crumbly brown sugar topping, it’s the perfect partner for a cup of hot coffee on a brisk autumn day. 

Coffee cake may initially seem intimidating with its multiple components and ingredients, but rest assured, it’s easier than you think! This cake has a few different steps, but all the ingredients we know (and likely have in our pantries). 

The key to a good coffee cake is mastering the crumb. This cake is a little shorter but with a tall crumb topping because, let’s face it, that’s the best part. To keep your crumb intact, make sure to chill the mixture well while you prepare the cake. This prevents the butter from melting too much and will keep your layers looking picture-perfect. 

Louisiana Pumpkin Coffee Cake Recipe

Note: This recipe has been scaled to fit in the Louisiana ceramic dish and is considered a small batch! 

Makes: 6-8 servings

Prep Time: 15 min

Cook Time: 30 min

Ingredients

Coffee Cake

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ¾ teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• ½ cup pumpkin puree
• ¼ cup packed light or dark brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil (or melted coconut oil)
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
• 1 large egg

Crumb Topping

• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• ½ cup packed light or dark brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 4 tablespoons cold butter

Icing

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2-3 tablespoons milk or half n half
• ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 350F and lightly grease your Louisiana dish. 
2. Prepare the crumb topping: In a small bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Cut in the cold butter with a fork or pastry cutter until there are large clumps and crumbs. You want these to be large pieces, or the topping will melt into the cake. Refrigerate or freeze while you prepare the cake.
3. Prepare the cake: In a large bowl add the flour, baking powder, spices, and salt and whisk to combine. In a separate bowl beat the pumpkin puree, maple syrup, brown sugar, oil, milk, and egg until smooth. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix just until combined, being careful not to overmix. 
4. Pour the batter into the prepared dish and smooth out the top. Avoid pushing the batter into the small crevices of the pan and focus on the main section. Cover with the chilled crumb topping and bake for 25-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. 
5. While the cake cools, mix the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla until smooth. Drizzle on the cooled cake before serving. 

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