Pumpkin Coffee Cake With Brown Sugar Crumb Topping

Oh pumpkin, how I love you so.

Really, I could go on and on about how much I adore pumpkin in just about any type of culinary application, but one of my favorite things to do with pumpkin is put it in cakes. And since I happen to love coffee cake in general, this recipe is just about perfection in my book.

Recipe from Sally’s Baking Addiction

Ingredients:

For the cake:

2 cups AP flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon allspice (the original recipe suggests cloves – take your pick, or just add a pinch more cinnamon and nutmeg if you don’t have either)
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup pure maple syrup (this is when you want to bust out the good stuff, if you have it)
1/4 cup buttermilk (regular milk will work as well)

For the topping:

1/2 cup AP flour
1/4 cup unsalted butter, cold
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt (I used more like 1/2 teaspoon because I wanted the salt to help cut the sweetness a little; in reality, I think about 1/3 of a teaspoon would be ideal)
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Method:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9×9 baking pan and set aside.
Make the crumb topping first: In a small bowl, toss the flour, brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon together. Cut in the cold butter using a pastry blender or a fork. Use your fingers to create clumps and crumbs. Set aside in the fridge until ready to use.
For the cake, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and spices in a large bowl until combined.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, brown sugar, oil, maple syrup, and milk.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Try not to over-mix the batter, which will be thick.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and then use your fingers to sprinkle the crumb mixture evenly on top. It helps to coat your hands with a little cooking spray so that the crumbs don’t stick to your fingers.
Bake for 30 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
Let the cake cool in its pan before slicing and serving.

Oct 17

Apple Cranberry Walnut Coffee Cake

Okay…there are still apples in my fridge. Lots and lots of apples.

You know what that means: another apple cake, this time with some dried cranberries and walnuts for good measure. This recipe is essentially the same one I used for my last apple cake, only without the brown sugar topping. You can add the topping if you’d like, but I really don’t think this cake needs it.

I’ll stop making apple cakes (at least for a little while) until my supply is depleted. Till then, please bear with me.

Apple Cranberry Walnut Coffee Cake

Ingredients:

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 cup AP flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup apples, peeled and sliced
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup raisins (not really necessary, but I wanted to use some up)

Method:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease an 8×8 baking pan and set aside.
To make the cake, in a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg until well-combined
In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, alternating with the sour cream and vanilla.
Stir in the apples, dried cranberries, walnuts, and raisins (if you’re using them).
Pour the batter into your prepared pan and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
Let the cake cool in its pan completely before serving.

Oct 9

Apple Coffee Cake With Buttery Brown Sugar Topping

I’m impressed. I went apple picking several weeks ago at this point, but my apples still taste fresh and delicious. Storing them in the fridge probably helped, but it just goes to show that getting fruits and veggies right from the source is usually the best way to go.

Even though I was itching to make another cake out of pumpkin, I couldn’t let my seemingly never-ending supply of apples go to waste, and so I whipped up this yummy (and, ahem, incredibly easy) apple coffee cake. I have to say, I just love the way this cake came out. It was nice and moist (thank you, sour cream), and sweet without being too sweet. I was worried that the topping would add too much sugar, but it ended up balancing the cake out nicely.

If you’re looking for a way to use up some extra apples, give this recipe a try. You really won’t be sorry.

Apple Coffee Cake With Buttery Brown Sugar Topping

Recipe from Laura’s Sweet Spot

Ingredients:

For the cake:

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 cup AP flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup apples, peeled and sliced (I used a combination of Granny Smith and Golden Delicious, and that worked well for this cake)

For the topping:
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup AP flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened

Method:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease an 8×8 baking pan and set aside.
To make the cake, in a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg until well-combined
In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, alternating with the sour cream and vanilla.
Fold in the apples.
Pour the batter into your prepared pan.
To make the topping, combine the sugar, flour, cinnamon, and butter. Use your fingers to work it into a soft crumb mixture.
Sprinkle the topping over the cake and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
Let the cake cool in its pan completely before serving.

Note: The original recipe calls for double the ingredients. You can follow that and just bake your cake in a 9×13 pan. I wanted a slightly smaller cake this time around since it was pretty much only going to be me and my mom eating it, but if you’ve got a crowd to feed, feel free to go for the larger version.