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    • Oct 4, 2023

Pumpkin Crumb Coffee Cake (Vegan & GF Option)

Ah, fall is in the air and I'm so excited for all of the fall baking ahead of me! I was hosting a lovely autumnal brunch for some friends to kick off the season and I, of course, was responsible for dessert.


I initially wanted to make yet another apple-based dessert because I just went apple picking--but, after eating my favorite apple crisp for a week straight (it's just too irresistible), I figured I'd use this opportunity to bake something different.


I decided to go with the other fall favorite - PUMPKIN! I begin searching for recipes, and also needed something I could easily convert into a gluten free + vegan dessert, since a couple folks attending the brunch had those restrictions and I wanted to accommodate them. Yet again, the Sally's Baking Addiction website came to the rescue.


I came across this wonderful (and perfect for brunch) recipe for Pumpkin Crumb Coffee Cake and after looking it over, I realized I could easily make this into a GF and vegan dessert. And of course, it looked delicious.

I tweaked the recipe a bit, and was initially nervous it wouldn't come out as great with the modifications, but all my worries were quickly casted aside once this beauty came out of the oven. As an added bonus, the whole house smelled of warm pumpkin and cinnamon spices. Yum.


After drizzling the lovely icing on top and taking a bite, I fell in love with this recipe. I usually don't like overly-pumpkin flavored things, but this recipe has the perfect balance. Even my hubby had a few slices and he's not really a fan of pumpkin-flavored anything!


The cake itself is soft and moist, with a warm crumble for some texture, and topped with a smooth icing. It almost tastes like a delicious pumpkin-spice frosted donut but in cake form! The cake was a hit at my gathering and this is definitely a recipe I'll continue to make each fall season.


The Recipe

  • Prep Time: 15 minutes

  • Cook Time: 35 minutes

  • Total Time: 50 minutes

  • Yield: serves 9-10

Here's What You Need:

Crumb Topping

  • 1/2 cup (63g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)

  • 1/2 cup (100g) packed light or dark brown sugar

  • 1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

  • 1/4 cup (4 Tablespoons; 56g) unsalted vegan butter (or regular butter), cold

Pumpkin Coffee Cake

  • 2 cups (250g) 1-to-1 gluten free flour OR all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)

  • 1 teaspoon baking soda

  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

  • 1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg*

  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves*

  • 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger*

  • 1 cup (230g) pumpkin puree

  • 1/2 cup (100g) packed light or dark brown sugar

  • 1/2 cup (120ml) canola or vegetable oil (or melted coconut oil if you prefer)

  • 1/4 cup (82g) pure maple syrup

  • 1/4 cup (60ml) unsweetened almond milk* OR regular milk

Vanilla Icing

  • 1 cup (120g) confectioners’ sugar

  • 2 Tablespoons almond milk (for vegan option), or pumpkin spice coffee creamer, half-and-half, or milk

  • 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract


Here's What To Do:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease a 9-inch square or 9-inch springform baking pan (or any 2.5 quart baking dish) with nonstick spray. Set aside.

  2. Make the crumb topping first: In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon together. Cut in the cold butter using a pastry blender or a fork. Mix to create clumps and crumbs. Set aside.

  3. Make the cake: Whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger together in a large bowl until combined. In a medium bowl, whisk the pumpkin, brown sugar, oil, maple syrup, and milk together until combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until *just* combined. Avoid over-mixing the batter. Batter will be very thick. Spoon/pour the batter into the prepared baking pan. Spread to make an even surface. Pour the crumb topping evenly on top and gently press them down into the batter.

  4. Bake the cake for 30-35 minutes. Check the cake’s doneness at the 30 minute mark by inserting a toothpick into the center. If the toothpick comes out clean or with a couple moist crumbs, the cake is done. If the toothpick has wet batter on it, bake the cake for 5 more minutes or until the toothpick comes out clean.

  5. Make the icing: Whisk the icing ingredients together. Add an extra splash of creamer/milk to thin out if desired. Drizzle over warm or cooled cake. (We like serving this warm.)

  6. Cover leftover cake tightly and store at room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Notes

  1. Freezing Instructions: This cake may be frozen for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before enjoying.

  2. Spices: Instead of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger in the batter, you can use 2 and 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice. You could also just replace the nutmeg, cloves, and ginger with pumpkin pie spice and keep the cinnamon in the recipe.

  3. Milk: You can use any milk, dairy or nondairy, in the cake batter. I really like using buttermilk when I have it on hand. Makes the cake very moist.



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