Pumpkin Crumb Cake

Delectable, tender pumpkin cake spiced with cinnamon and topped with an unbeatable coffee cake crumb. This Pumpkin Crumb Cake is the perfect fall treat to have with your morning coffee! Breakfast will never be the same.

Tender Pumpkin Crumb Cake

When it comes to pumpkin recipes, I’ve been a late bloomer. I grew up only knowing pumpkin desserts in the form of pumpkin pie (which I’ve come to terms with as not my cup of tea), and it wasn’t until I started baking for this blog that I realized there’s so much more to this vegetable – fruit? – than I ever could have imagined!

Cookies, muffins, blondies and cakes. Gone are my childhood days when it was only pie, all the time. Since then, I’ve been awakened to pumpkin’s unbounded potential. Today, it’s this tender, moist Pumpkin Crumb Cake. 

I love to have this Pumpkin Crumb Cake with my hot cup of coffee on a crisp fall morning. The flavors of cinnamon and pumpkin are just so comforting together! I’ve made this crumb cake recipe on many occasions for breakfast during the holidays, too. It’s perfectly spiced and unbeatably soft yet crumbly in texture, giving it that extra something special right down to the last crumb.

What You’ll Need

The ingredients list for this Pumpkin Crumb Cake may look on the long side. But it’s so straightforward, you likely have most of what you need in your pantry already! A few ingredients overlap between the cake and the crumb, too, so here’s what’s involved:

• All-purpose Flour: You’ll need this both for the cake batter as well as the crumb topping.
• Pumpkin: A whole can – also make sure you’re using pure pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie filling. 
• Cinnamon: Ground cinnamon is what brings that delicious fall spiciness to this cake.
• Whole milk: This will give the cake a moist, tender texture.
• Butter: Allow the butter for your cake mix to get to room temperature, but leave some in the fridge since you’ll need it cold to make the crumb topping!
• Sugar: This cake is sweet, but not too sweet. Still, you can swap white sugar out for brown sugar if you prefer a cake that’s still rich in flavor but slightly less sweet.
• Eggs: I always choose free-range when I can, but any large eggs will do.
• Vanilla: If you can, use pure vanilla extract for the best flavor.
• Baking Powder: To give your cake a bit of tang and “lift”.
• Salt: To balance the sweetness in the cake, and another pinch for the crumb topping.
• Light Brown Sugar: For the crumb.

How to Make Pumpkin Crumb Cake

This Pumpkin Crumb Cake recipe is actually so simple to make. What’s better is that it can be served warm or at room temperature, so you can even make it the night before! Here are the steps to a perfectly tender Pumpkin Crumb Cake.

Grease the Pan: Coat a 9×13 pan with cooking spray and set this aside.

Combine the Dry Ingredients: In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. You can sift your flour using a fine-mesh strainer if you have one – not necessary if you don’t! Sifting will just make the flour lighter and therefore a bit easier to mix into batter.

Combine the Wet Ingredients: In a separate bowl, beat together the butter and sugar. Add in the eggs, vanilla and pumpkin puree, and continue to mix until everything is smooth.

Mix the Wet and Dry Ingredients: To finish the batter, slowly combine the flour mixture into the wet ingredients a little at a time. This is where I alternate between adding cups of dry mixture and milk, beating until everything is blended.

Fill the Baking Pan: Spread the batter evenly into the baking pan and get started on the crumb!

Make the Crumb Topping: The crumb topping is just as easy as the rest of the recipe. Cut together the cold butter (emphasis on cold!), brown sugar, flour and salt using a fork, or pastry cutter if you have one. Combine the ingredients until everything is well mixed into large clumps of crumb. I like to use my hands for this step!

Spread the Topping over the Batter: Using your hands or a large spoon, spread the crumb topping over your Pumpkin Cake batter in an even layer.

Bake: Place the crumb cake into the oven and bake until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean – about 45 minutes. If you notice the crumb topping is getting overly brown before the time is up, you can cover the pan with foil to prevent burning the crumb.

Enjoy your Pumpkin Crumb Cake warm from the oven or let it cool to room temperature. Serve alongside a hot cup of coffee and get cozy!

Tips for Success

• Make Sure Your Butter is Cold: If your butter for the crumb isn’t fresh-out-of-the-fridge cold when making the topping, or if you leave your crumb to sit too long before sprinkling over top your cake batter, it will become chewy and hard after baking. If needed, pop your prepared crumb in the fridge until it’s time to cover the batter.
• Use Foil to Prevent Over-baking: Cover your cake with foil if the crumb starts to brown too much in the oven.
• Serve Warm or Cold: This Pumpkin Crumb Cake tastes just as delicious cooled off as it does fresh out of the oven.
• Glaze After Baking: Adding a sweet glaze frosting after baking gives an extra bakery-inspired touch and amps up the sweetness of the crumb cake. This glaze icing that I drizzle over top of the crumb on my Best Ever Coffee Cake is great for this recipe, too. The choice is yours!
• Add Pecans into the Crumb: Mix some crushed pecans into the crumb topping for some extra crunch.

How to Store Homemade Crumb Cake

Store your cake in an airtight container or covered tightly with saran wrap to prevent the cake from drying out. It can be stored at room temperature up to 3-4 days. 

Can I Freeze This?

You can freeze this crumb cake for up to 4 months – just wrap it tightly or keep it in a freezer-safe container and defrost overnight at room temperature. 

More Pumpkin Recipes to Try

• Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Pumpkin Banana Bread
• Easy Pumpkin Blondies
• Perfect Pumpkin Cake with Maple Frosting

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