I reimagined a Pumpkin Coffeecake with Cinnamon Streusel and Pecans by borrowing ideas from Coffee Cake Recipes and slipping one unexpected ingredient into the batter that will make readers curious to learn more.
I’ve been tinkering with a Moist Cinnamon Streusel Pumpkin Coffeecake that never behaves the same way twice, and I like that. Using canned pumpkin puree and all purpose flour gives a crumb that’s tender yet sturdy enough to hold gooey pockets of cinnamon streusel.
I bring it out when I want something slightly showy, part Patisserie Fine vibe, part easy weekend thing, it’s oddly proud and a little rough around the edges. I don’t always get a clean slice, crumbs everywhere, but when the spices hit you, people get quiet and start guessing what’s hiding inside.
Ingredients
- All purpose flour: Mostly carbs, gives structure; little protein, no fiber, kinda plain but filling.
- Granulated sugar: Pure sucrose, makes it sweet and crisp crust, zero nutrients, quick energy.
- Brown sugar: Molasses in it adds moisture and caramel notes, helps browning, slightly deeper flavor.
- Pumpkin puree: High in fiber and vitamin A, low fat, moistens cake, adds subtle earthiness.
- Pecans: Provide healthy fats and some protein, give crunch and warm nutty flavor.
- Unsalted butter: Adds richness and tender crumb, saturated fat, helps streusel be crisp and flaky.
- Sour cream or yogurt: Adds tang and moisture, some protein, keeps cake tender and soft.
Ingredient Quantities
- 2 cups (240 g) all purpose flour
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (100 g) packed light brown sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon fine salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 2 large eggs, room temp
- 1 cup (245 g) canned pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) neutral oil (vegetable or canola)
- 1/2 cup (120 g) sour cream or plain yogurt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup (150 g) packed light brown sugar for streusel
- 1/2 cup (60 g) all purpose flour for streusel
- 3/4 cup (95 g) chopped pecans
- 6 tablespoons (85 g) cold unsalted butter, cubed
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon for streusel
- pinch of salt
How to Make this
1. Preheat oven to 350F (175C). Grease and line a 9×13 inch baking pan with parchment leaving an overhang so you can lift the cake out later, or just grease and flour well.
2. Make the streusel: in a bowl mix 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar, 1/2 cup all purpose flour, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon and a pinch of salt; stir in 3/4 cup chopped pecans. Cut in 6 tablespoons cold cubed unsalted butter with a pastry cutter, two forks or pulse briefly in a food processor until you have coarse crumbs, some pea sized bits are fine. Keep it cold in the fridge while you make the batter.
3. Whisk dry batter ingredients: 2 cups (240 g) all purpose flour, 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar, 1/2 cup (100 g) packed light brown sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon fine salt, 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg and 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves.
4. Whisk wet ingredients in another bowl : 2 large room temp eggs, 1 cup (245 g) canned pumpkin puree (not pie filling), 1/2 cup (120 ml) neutral oil, 1/2 cup (120 g) sour cream or plain yogurt and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Make sure eggs are room temp so the batter mixes smoothly.
5. Combine wet and dry: pour the wet into the dry and stir with a spatula until just combined, dont overmix or the cake will be tough; batter should be thick and moist.
6. Assemble the cake: spread about half the batter into the prepared pan using an offset spatula or the back of a spoon. Sprinkle about half the streusel evenly over the batter. Dollop the remaining batter on top as evenly as you can then gently spread or swirl to cover. Finish with the rest of the streusel, pressing lightly so it sticks.
7. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes at 350F, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs but no raw batter. If the top browns too fast, loosely tent with foil for the last 10 minutes.
8. Cool on a rack at least 15 to 20 minutes before lifting from the pan and slicing, the cake firms up as it cools. If you slice too hot it will crumble.
9. Storage and serving tips: serve warm or at room temp, it gets better after a few hours. Store covered at room temp up to 2 days or refrigerated up to 5 days. Reheat slices 10 to 20 seconds in the microwave if you like it warm. For extra flair dust with powdered sugar or drizzle a simple glaze of powdered sugar and milk.
Equipment Needed
1. Oven (preheat to 350F)
2. 9×13 inch baking pan (lined with parchment or well greased)
3. Parchment paper and scissors (or just extra oil for greasing)
4. Two mixing bowls – one large for dry, one medium for wet/streusel
5. Measuring cups and spoons (and a kitchen scale if you like more accuracy)
6. Whisk (for dry ingredients and wet mix)
7. Pastry cutter or food processor (or two forks) to cut in the butter for streusel
8. Rubber spatula plus an offset spatula or spoon for spreading the batter
9. Cooling rack to let the cake firm up before slicing
.Toast or warm slices briefly in the microwave if you want them warm, dont slice while too hot or it will crumble.
FAQ
Moist Cinnamon Streusel Pumpkin Coffeecake Recipe Substitutions and Variations
- All purpose flour: swap cup for cup with whole wheat pastry flour for a nuttier, slightly denser cake, or use a 1-to-1 gluten free all-purpose blend (make sure it has xanthan gum, or add about 1/4 tsp xanthan per cup) — gives similar texture.
- Neutral oil (vegetable/canola): replace with melted unsalted butter, same volume (1/2 cup), for richer flavor; let butter cool a bit so it doesn’t cook the eggs.
- Sour cream or plain yogurt: use full-fat Greek yogurt 1:1, same weight/volume, it keeps the cake moist and tangy just like sour cream.
- Light brown sugar (streusel): if you don’t have brown sugar, make light brown by stirring 1 cup granulated sugar with 1 tablespoon molasses (for 3/4 cup streusel, use 3/4 cup granulated + about 2 1/4 teaspoons molasses), or use coconut sugar 1:1 for a deeper caramel note.
Pro Tips
1. Toast the pecans first in a dry skillet until fragrant, let them cool, then add to the streusel. Keep the streusel cold until you drop it on the batter so those pea sized butter bits stay intact, otherwise it just melts into the cake and you lose the crunch.
2. Bring the eggs and the sour cream or yogurt to room temp before mixing, if you forgot stick the eggs in warm water for 5 to 10 minutes. Cold ingredients make the batter lumpy and they slow down emulsifying, so doing this makes for a smoother, more even crumb.
3. Bake on the middle rack and rotate the pan once about halfway through for even color, and if the top starts looking too brown, loosely tent with foil for the last part of baking. Use a toothpick to check but also look for a slight spring when you press the center, that tells you it is done without drying it out.
4. Let the pan cool longer than you think, the cake firms up as it cools so wait at least 30 minutes before slicing or it will crumble. Leftovers reheat nicely 10 to 20 seconds in the microwave or wrapped in foil in a 325 degree oven to revive the streusel, and you can freeze slices between sheets of parchment for up to a few months.
Moist Cinnamon Streusel Pumpkin Coffeecake Recipe
I reimagined a Pumpkin Coffeecake with Cinnamon Streusel and Pecans by borrowing ideas from Coffee Cake Recipes and slipping one unexpected ingredient into the batter that will make readers curious to learn more.
12
servings
448
kcal
Equipment: 1. Oven (preheat to 350F)
2. 9×13 inch baking pan (lined with parchment or well greased)
3. Parchment paper and scissors (or just extra oil for greasing)
4. Two mixing bowls – one large for dry, one medium for wet/streusel
5. Measuring cups and spoons (and a kitchen scale if you like more accuracy)
6. Whisk (for dry ingredients and wet mix)
7. Pastry cutter or food processor (or two forks) to cut in the butter for streusel
8. Rubber spatula plus an offset spatula or spoon for spreading the batter
9. Cooling rack to let the cake firm up before slicing
.Toast or warm slices briefly in the microwave if you want them warm, dont slice while too hot or it will crumble.
Ingredients
-
2 cups (240 g) all purpose flour
-
1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
-
1/2 cup (100 g) packed light brown sugar
-
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
-
1 teaspoon baking soda
-
1 teaspoon fine salt
-
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
-
1 teaspoon ground ginger
-
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
-
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
-
2 large eggs, room temp
-
1 cup (245 g) canned pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
-
1/2 cup (120 ml) neutral oil (vegetable or canola)
-
1/2 cup (120 g) sour cream or plain yogurt
-
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
-
3/4 cup (150 g) packed light brown sugar for streusel
-
1/2 cup (60 g) all purpose flour for streusel
-
3/4 cup (95 g) chopped pecans
-
6 tablespoons (85 g) cold unsalted butter, cubed
-
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon for streusel
-
pinch of salt
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350F (175C). Grease and line a 9×13 inch baking pan with parchment leaving an overhang so you can lift the cake out later, or just grease and flour well.
- Make the streusel: in a bowl mix 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar, 1/2 cup all purpose flour, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon and a pinch of salt; stir in 3/4 cup chopped pecans. Cut in 6 tablespoons cold cubed unsalted butter with a pastry cutter, two forks or pulse briefly in a food processor until you have coarse crumbs, some pea sized bits are fine. Keep it cold in the fridge while you make the batter.
- Whisk dry batter ingredients: 2 cups (240 g) all purpose flour, 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar, 1/2 cup (100 g) packed light brown sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon fine salt, 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg and 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves.
- Whisk wet ingredients in another bowl : 2 large room temp eggs, 1 cup (245 g) canned pumpkin puree (not pie filling), 1/2 cup (120 ml) neutral oil, 1/2 cup (120 g) sour cream or plain yogurt and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Make sure eggs are room temp so the batter mixes smoothly.
- Combine wet and dry: pour the wet into the dry and stir with a spatula until just combined, dont overmix or the cake will be tough; batter should be thick and moist.
- Assemble the cake: spread about half the batter into the prepared pan using an offset spatula or the back of a spoon. Sprinkle about half the streusel evenly over the batter. Dollop the remaining batter on top as evenly as you can then gently spread or swirl to cover. Finish with the rest of the streusel, pressing lightly so it sticks.
- Bake for 35 to 45 minutes at 350F, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs but no raw batter. If the top browns too fast, loosely tent with foil for the last 10 minutes.
- Cool on a rack at least 15 to 20 minutes before lifting from the pan and slicing, the cake firms up as it cools. If you slice too hot it will crumble.
- Storage and serving tips: serve warm or at room temp, it gets better after a few hours. Store covered at room temp up to 2 days or refrigerated up to 5 days. Reheat slices 10 to 20 seconds in the microwave if you like it warm. For extra flair dust with powdered sugar or drizzle a simple glaze of powdered sugar and milk.
Notes
- Below you’ll find my best estimate of this recipe’s nutrition facts. Treat the numbers as a guide rather than a rule—great food should nourish both body and spirit. Figures are approximate, and the website owner assumes no liability for any inaccuracies in this recipe.
Nutrition Facts
- Serving Size: 126g
- Total number of serves: 12
- Calories: 448kcal
- Fat: 24.5g
- Saturated Fat: 6.9g
- Trans Fat: 0.04g
- Polyunsaturated: 4.2g
- Monounsaturated: 9.4g
- Cholesterol: 49mg
- Sodium: 250mg
- Potassium: 150mg
- Carbohydrates: 55.2g
- Fiber: 1.9g
- Sugar: 37.8g
- Protein: 4g
- Vitamin A: 750IU
- Vitamin C: 1.8mg
- Calcium: 21mg
- Iron: 0.61mg
