PUMPKIN COFFEE CAKE WITH CREAM CHEESE
The only way to make a classic coffee cake recipe any better is to add some pumpkin and a brown sugar pecan streusel topping!
This is one of those pumpkin recipes that I think everybody should make. So soft, moist, full of warm spices, pure pumpkin, and a sweet brown sugar streusel topping.
HOW DO I MAKE PUMPKIN COFFE CAKE?
This pumpkin coffee cake may seem complicated judging by the ingredient list, but it's actually fairly simple, it just requires a few bowls 🙂
Make the streusel topping by combining all the ingredients and mixing it with a pastry cutter or your hands. It's so much easier to use your hands. The streusel topping has common pantry ingredients like flour, brown sugar, pecans, salt, and butter.
Prepare the cream cheese filling by combining the cream cheese, sugar, egg, and vanilla extract in a small bowl. Beat it together until it's combined and somewhat smooth. To avoid a lumpy cream cheese batter make sure the cream cheese is softened well.
Mix up the pumpkin cake in two parts. First add all the dry ingredients + shredded butter, and then after that is mixed add an egg, sour cream, and pumpkin to it. Beat it together until it forms a thick batter. As with any pumpkin batter it won't be perfectly smooth but make sure that there are no flour streaks or pockets in the batter.
Pour ⅔ of the pumpkin batter into the baking dish, top with the cream cheese mixture and then the remaining pumpkin batter. Sprinkle the streusel evenly over the top and it's ready to go!
MY TIPS & TRICKS FOR MAKING THIS PUMPKIN RECIPE
- The shredded butter may not seem necessary or like an extra step, but it's really just as easy, you don't have to worry about softening butter. Just grab the cold butter from the fridge and shred it on a cheese garter. So easy and it really makes the texture of this cake so amazing and soft.
- If you use unsalted butter when baking then you may want to add ¼ teaspoon of salt to the pumpkin cake mixture when you are combining the flour and the spices.
- This recipe can easily be doubled if wanted. Just watch the cook time because it will need just a bit longer in the oven. I am thinking like 8-10 minutes.
- When the cake is done it will be slightly domed and risen in the middle. That's what you want and you also want to do the toothpick test. Make sure that a toothpick inserted in the middle does not come out with wet pumpkin batter.
- For best texture and taste use full-fat real cream cheese & sour cream.
TRY THESE OTHER CAKE RECIPES
- cinnamon streusel pumpkin cake
- caramel pumpkin bundt cake
- chocolate chip streusel pumpkin cake
- sheet pan carrot cake bars
- cake mix recipe
Cream Cheese Pumpkin Coffee Cake
Ingredients
Pecan Streusel
- 4 tablespoons cold butter, shredded
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup brown sugar (light or dark is fine)
- ⅓ cup chopped pecans
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Cream Cheese Filling
- 1 bar (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pumpkin Cake
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- 4 tablespoons cold butter, shredded
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup sour cream
- 1 cup pure pumpkin
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350° and spray a 8x8 baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside.
- TO MAKE THE STREUSEL - Combine all the streusel ingredients into a small bowl and use a pasty cutter, or your hands (this is easiest), to combine it together until a crumb-like mixture forms. Set aside.
- TO MAKE THE CREAM CHEESE FILLING - Combine the cream cheese, sugar, egg, and vanilla into a bowl and beat with a mixer until well combined.
- TO MAKE THE PUMPKIN CAKE - In a large mixing bowl, add the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and shredded butter. Mix together with a wooden spoon.
- Add the egg, sour cream, and pure pumpkin into the bowl. Beat together, using a handheld mixer, until a thick batter form. It's ok if you see some small butter chunks in it.
- ASSEMBLE THE COFFEE CAKE - Pour ⅔ of the pumpkin cake batter into the prepared pan and spread out evenly. Pour the cream cheese mixture over top, trying to keep it away from the sides (not a big deal if it does touch the sides). Drop spoonfuls of the remaining pumpkin batter over the cream cheese mixture and try to spread it out as best you can. It's ok if some cream cheese is showing through or if some pumpkin batter is not covering every part. Sprinkle the streusel evenly over the top.
- Bake for 38-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out with crumbs.
Notes
Can this be made in a Bundt pan?
I have never tried doing that. Bundt pans are tricky because you definitely don't want too much batter in them or else it won't cook all the way and just sink. If you use a bundt pan I would only fill it halfway with batter. And Coffee Cake is traditionally made in a pan which is why the recipe calls for that. Enjoy! Let me know if you try the bundt pan.
Can this be made in a springform pan? If so, what size do you suggest?
I’ve never tried it before but I would follow the same recipe. If you wanted the cake a little bit thicker I would 1.5 times the recipe. Let me know how it turns out!
Was not cakelike the bottom layer was compacted and nothing like a coffee cake. Threw it out and will not make again. Very disappointed 😞
I’m so sorry!