Pumpkin Coffee Cake: Thanksgiving/Holiday Recipe #1

To my taste testers at Cornerstone Church

In my dream world, I cook and host elegant, elaborate parties on fine china, serve tea and delicious sandwiches with designer plates, and have elegant breakfasts with my lady friends with delicious espressos and cappuccinos in my beautiful garden veranda. I am so far off from this reality with three small children, a part time job and a husband who works odd hours. And that is okay, because a dream is a wonderful thing to have.

One day I'll have my dream and I'll make this coffee cake which I created with my dream in mind. The cake is wonderful pumpkin-y, due to the decision I made to leave the cake batter itself without any spices, and instead to put the entirety of the spices in the streusal swirl and topping. It is also not overpoweringly sweet and rather the pumpkin and spices shine, not sugar. This is also a cake that benefits from being made ahead of time, so perhaps my dream of hosting a beautiful breakfast coffee and cake isn't so far off...

Meanwhile, I fully intend to make this the day after Thanksgiving for some out-of-town guests we'll have over for breakfast.

Pumpkin Coffee Cake
Serves 12

Topping
3/4 cup flour
1/4 cup butter (1/2 stick) room temperature
1/2 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger (feel free to make your own spice mixture of the spices you like)
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt

Cake
2 cups flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, (1 stick) room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 can of pumpkin (15 oz)

For the topping, combine flour, butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg and salt in a medium bowl. Mix until crumbly. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 375. Butter and flour 13X9X2-inch baking pan. Sift 2 cups of flour, baking powder, and salt into a small bowl. Using electric mixer, beat 1/2 cup of butter in a large bowl until fluffy. Gradually add 3/4 cup sugar and 1/2 cup brown sugar, beating until well blended. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating to blend after each addition. Mix in entire can of pumpkin. With the mixer on low, add the dry mixture. Mix until just all blended.

Pour half of the batter into the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle half the 1/2 the topping mixture. Pour and spread remaining batter on top. Sprinkle topping evenly over batter. Bake until tester inserted into center comes and clean and topping is golden brown, about 40 minutes. Cool cake. Serve room temperature. (It gets better with some rest.)

Printable recipe

You know you want to sink your mouth into this.

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