This is my favorite recipe to make in the fall, and I promise it’s a crowd pleaser! I am a total sucker for crumb cake, and the pumpkin and spices makes it that much better in this recipe. It has just the right amount of pumpkin and pumpkin spice flavor, with an overload of cinnamon sugar crumb on top.
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Though this recipe packs a lot of sweet elements, the end result is just sweet enough while still carrying the almost savory flavor of pumpkin and butter. Similar to my cinnamon sugar pound cake recipe, I also added a bit of sour cream in this cake to make sure it had enough moisture. The balance of pumpkin, pumpkin spice, cinnamon, and of course lots of butter comes together so nicely to create a cake that can be enjoyed at any time of day and is a perfect Thanksgiving day treat for during the day, the dessert table, or even breakfast the next day!
The cinnamon sugar crumb in this recipe is inspired by my strawberry crumb bar recipe. That crumb is one of my all time favorite things to eat (both on the bar, and separately!) so I knew it would bring the perfect texture and taste to this cake, minus the strawberry of course. If you’re in the mood for a crumb cake without the pumpkin, I recommend my cinnamon sugar crumb cake which is a recipe I created based on this one.
There are two main pieces to this recipe – making the crumb and then the cake batter. Though there are two separate things to make, there is no fancy equipment needed and it really does come together in a pinch. You certainly could use a stand or hand mixer for the cake batter, but I used a whisk and a medium bowl for both and everything came together quite smoothly. I baked my final recipe in a 9×9 square pan, but you could also absolutely bake this in a round 9×9 pan. In fact, I used one for the first round of this recipe because my square pan was in the freezer with another recipe! In the end, I like the utility of a square pan best, because it allows you to more easily lift up your crumb cake and slice it out of the pan into 16 perfect squares. Regardless of the shape, I recommend using a metal pan rather than a glass one. If glass is all you have on hand, just know that you may need to increase the bake time a bit!
This recipe calls for melted butter both in your crumb and your cake. For that reason, it’s also easy to make this recipe quickly since you don’t need to wait for the butter to come to room temperature. When you start making your crumb, I do recommend though taking your other cold ingredients out of the fridge, eggs and sour cream, as it will help to more easily combine all of your cake batter ingredients when the time comes.
Pumpkin Crumb Cake
Equipment
- 9×9 square pan or 8×8 and increase the bake time
- Spatula and whisk or you can use a large spoon and fork respectively
- Various bowls – large, medium, and small
Ingredients
For the best results, I highly recommend using the gram measurements provided
Cinnamon sugar crumb
- 12 tablespoons (170g) unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup + 3 tablespoons (180g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (96g) light brown sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 2/3 cup (200g) all purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Cake batter
- 12 tablespoons (170g) unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup (144g) granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup (48g) light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup (60g) sour cream
- 1/2 cup (130g) canned pumpkin
- 2 large eggs + 1 large egg yolk
- 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups (180g) all purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin spice
Instructions
- First, make your crumb. In a small bowl melt your butter and set it aside.
- In a separate, medium bowl combine your sugars and cinnamon. Pour in your melted butter and mix together until fully combined. Then add in your flour and salt, and use a fork to mix it in until clumps begin to form. Once your dry ingredients are combined in fully with your butter but there are still small and medium sized clumps formed, stop mixing and set your bowl of crumb into the fridge.
- Next, make your cake batter. Melt the butter for your cake batter and combine it in a large bowl with both sugars using a whisk.
- Next, pour in your canned pumpkin and sour cream. Use your whisk to keep stirring until everything is truly incorporated. Note: if your sour cream is cold, this may take a bit more muscle so keep going!
- Add in each egg and your additional egg yolk one at a time to your mixture, whisking in completely until your mixture has become glossy and slightly thickened. Add in your vanilla extract and whisk to combine.
- Finally, add in your dry ingredients – flour, salt, baking powder, and pumpkin spice. Begin mixing with your whisk to break up any clumps, and once your dry ingredients are about halfway incorporated, I recommend switching to a spatula or large spoon to ensure you don’t over mix your cake batter. Once you see no more dry ingredients, you can stop mixing.
- Assemble and bake your cake. Line a 9×9 square pan with parchment paper (you can also use a round 9×9 or square 8×8 pan just know that the time may be slightly different). Scoop in and spread your cake batter to ensure it goes all the way to the edges and is evenly spread across. Grab your bowl of crumb from the fridge and use your hand to pick up and sprinkle your crumb evenly over your cake batter.
- Place your cake into the 350 degree oven to bake for about 30 to 35 minutes. I recommend checking at 30 minutes to ensure you don’t over bake, and know that you can always add time. Once your cake doesn’t wiggle when you shake it, you’ll know it’s done! Your crumb should also be ever so slightly more brown than it was when you placed your cake into the oven.
- Allow your cake to cool for about 30 minutes to an hour, slice, and enjoy!
