Pumpkin Coffee Cake {Recipe}

This Pumpkin Coffee Cake will get you in the mood for pumpkin season! Filled with pumpkin flavor, topped with a cinnamon pecan streusel, this is Fall in a bite.

Yep. I’m going there. I’m starting pumpkin. In August.

You’re welcome.

On Friday, I asked on Facebook what sort of recipe I should post today: Pumpkin or Apple. Pumpkin won by a landslide – but don’t fret apple lovers. The apple recipe is coming later this week!

Remember the movie Field of Dreams?

{One of the best movies ever. Plus, James Earl Jones: I want his voice for my ringtone.}

If you build it, he will come.

If I make Pumpkin Coffee Cake…Fall will come. Summer can kind of suck it. It’s been in the 90s or higher since the beginning of May and I know, from past experience, we will not have relief for a very long time.

I want cooler weather. Not cold, mind you. Cooler. 0 PG&E bill weather would be awesome.

So…if I make Pumpkin Coffee Cake…Fall will come. Eventually. In the meantime, I can pretend it’s fall while I have coffee and coffee cake flavored like my favorite season.

You may be thinking…hmmmm. This coffee cake looks familiar. It might, because it’s a re-do. I posted a version of this a looooong time ago.

Maybe it’s better you don’t remember. It tasted good back then but man-I thought those photos were GOOD. Prime photos, right there.

#whatadifference2yearsmakes

Let’s talk about greek yogurt vs. oil. In a perfect world where calories are free and I am a size 2, I’d use oil. Until someone invents a teletransporter to take me to that place, I’ll use greek yogurt.

I am really loving using yogurt in place of oil, but it does change the texture of the cake. It’s a little chewier and has less crumb. I like that just fine, especially because I’m not hitting myself over the head with my fat pants as I eat my second slice.

If you don’t have yogurt on hand, or prefer to use oil, you can substitute vegetable oil. I’ve even mixed yogurt and oil in recipes where I want to…mix it up. Get ambitious in the kitchen. If there’s one thing I want to teach you from reading this blog besides “pie is perfect” and “sugar is life” it would be to try new things in the kitchen. Try a substitution…you never know what will work.

Kind of like I’m trying to rain dance Fall into Sacramento.

Chances are, you’ll have more luck than me!

For the Cake

• 2 cups flour, divided
• ¾ cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
• 3/4 cup pure pumpkin puree
• ¼ cup non-fat vanilla or plain greek yogurt (or you can sub vegetable oil, see note)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• ½ cup milk

For the Streusel

• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 tablespoon cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans, optional (or use walnuts)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Line a 9x9” pan with foil and spray with cooking spray.
2. Whisk in pumpkin, greek yogurt, vanilla and milk in a large bowl until no lumps remain. Whisk in sugar, then baking powder, salt, and pumpkin pie spice. Stir in flour with a spatula or wooden spoon. Batter will be thick. Pour into prepared pan.
3. In a small bowl, stir butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and 2 tablespoons of flour with a fork. Stir in pecans. Spread on top of pumpkin cake layer.
4. Bake about 20 minutes until a toothpick inserted 2” from the side of the pan comes out clean. Cool until you can’t stand it anymore, then cut into squares and serve. It can take up to 30 minutes to bake, depending on your oven. Take it out as soon as a toothpick comes out clean along the edges. Remember, the yogurt will change the texture of the cake. It will be chewier.

Notes:

If you prefer to use oil, you can substitute vegetable oil for the greek yogurt.

© Crazy for Crust. All images & content are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to republish this recipe, please re-write the recipe in your own words, or link back to this post for the recipe.

Other recipes you’ll love:

Sweets from friends:
Caramel Apple Cinnamon Roll Coffee Cake by Shugary Sweets
Skinny Pumpkin Pie for One by Back for Seconds