Pumpkin Crumb Cake

By Yossy Arefi

Published Sept. 30, 2022

Pumpkin Crumb Cake
Armando Rafael for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Maggie Ruggiero.
Total Time
1 hour
Rating
5(2,813)
Comments
Read comments

This pumpkin-packed crumb cake is everything that is wonderful about fall baking. Warmly spiced, moist pumpkin cake topped with spicy, crispy streusel and topped with an optional but delicious glaze. It is just the thing for an afternoon snack, and just as good for breakfast the next day. You can use any pumpkin spice blend you like, but the homemade recipe included below includes a bit of cardamom, which isn’t usually included in pumpkin spice blends, but brings a hint of citrusy floral flavor. The pumpkin-spice glaze is optional, but if you have the time, don’t skip it. It adds a nice extra hint of sweetness and spice.

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Ingredients

Yield:1 (8-inch-square or 9-inch-round) cake

    For the Streusel

    • ½(packed) cup/100 grams light brown sugar
    • ½cup/64 grams all-purpose flour
    • 1teaspoon store-bought or homemade pumpkin spice blend (see Tip)
    • Pinch of salt 
    • ¼cup/56 grams unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes

    For the Pumpkin Cake

    • Nonstick cooking spray
    • 1(packed) cup/200 grams light brown sugar
    • 2large eggs
    • 1cup/230 grams canned pumpkin purée
    • ¼cup/56 grams unsalted butter, melted
    • ¼cup neutral oil
    • 1tablespoon store-bought or homemade pumpkin spice blend (see Tip)
    • ½teaspoon fine sea salt
    • 1teaspoon baking powder
    • ½teaspoon baking soda
    • 1½cups/190 grams all-purpose flour

    For the Glaze (optional)

    • ¾cup/75 grams confectioners’ sugar
    • ¾teaspoon pumpkin spice blend
    • Pinch of salt
    • 3 to 5teaspoons milk (any kind will do)
Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Place a rack in the center of the oven and heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8-inch square or 9-inch round baking pan with cooking spray and line with parchment paper.

  2. Step 2

    Make the streusel: In a small bowl, combine the sugar, flour, pumpkin spice and salt. Add the butter, then pinch the butter into the flour mixture with your fingertips until the mixture forms pebble-size crumbs and is evenly moistened.

  3. Step 3

    Make the cake: In a large bowl, whisk the sugar and eggs until pale and foamy, about 1 minute. Add the pumpkin purée, melted butter, oil, pumpkin spice and salt; whisk until combined and smooth. Whisk in the baking powder and baking soda, then whisk in the flour.

  4. Step 4

    Transfer the batter to the prepared pan, smooth the top and tap on the counter a few times to release any large air bubbles. Sprinkle the streusel evenly over the top.

  5. Step 5

    Bake the cake until puffed and golden, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Set the cake in the pan on a rack to cool. After about 15 minutes remove the cake from the pan and set it on the rack to cool almost completely.

  6. Step 6

    When the cake is just slightly warm, make the glaze, if using: Add the confectioners’ sugar, pumpkin spice, pinch of salt and 3 teaspoons of milk to a bowl. Whisk until smooth, adding a bit more milk as necessary to form a glaze that is very thick but can be drizzled.

  7. Step 7

    Drizzle the glaze over the top of the cake.

Tip
  • Make your own pumpkin spice blend by combining 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon, 1 tablespoon ground ginger, 1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, 1 teaspoon ground cardamom, ½ teaspoon ground allspice and ¼ teaspoon ground cloves. Makes about ¼ cup. 

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Ratings

5 out of 5
2,813 user ratings
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Comments

RL

Really good - I didn't make the glaze because I intended to freeze half, but to my taste it's actually sweet enough without. Coincidentally, if you're opening a 15 oz can of pumpkin puree for this, the amount left over is almost exactly the right amount for Jesse Szewcyzk's Chewy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bars (also in this database).

Marvis

I give it a 5 for taste, texture and appearance. However this is just a quick bread. After whisking all liquid ingredients together, the flour, spice, salt and leaveners can be combined and added to the liquid ingredients, all at once, for a simpler and quicker combination.

Ellen Tabor

I love your idea and am going to steal it. That said, if you bake it in a 9x13 pan, it should be the same thickness as the 8x8 pan but will take longer to bake because it's larger overall. I've stopped using the toothpick method and started using my instant thermometer; I take my cakes out at 205 deg F. Many sources say 210 but my experience is that 205 deg F is moist and perfect. The eggs are done at 185 deg F in any case.

Tiffany

This recipe is pretty much perfect. We don’t use the glaze. With the streusel topping it doesn’t need it. My husband requests this regularly now so it’s on repeat at our house!

M Burris

Instead of the glaze, I melted some dark chocolate chips with a tiny bit of coconut oil and drizzled that over. Kept it from being too sweet and added the always-welcome medicinal bit of dark chocolate.

Debbie

I just made this and did something weird: I didn't have neutral oil, so substituted an equal amount of mayonnaise. It came out great!

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