This Pumpkin Crumb Cake recipe has everything you look for in a good cake: moist texture, crumbly topping, and buttery taste. This is the go-to crumb cake for fall, thanks to its warm spices and pumpkin flavor. Loaded with a brown sugar crumb topping and stuffed with cheesecake filling, this is the ultimate pumpkin cake!
Nothing screams autumn more than a pumpkin crumb cake. Flavored with warm spices, moist crumb cake batter is mixed with pumpkin puree for the ultimate fall treat. This recipe takes pumpkin cake a few steps further with a luscious cream cheese filling and brown sugar crumb topping.
Crumb cake topping is an essential component of this cake (hence its name). This cake is loaded with homemade brown sugar crumble. This cake is a real treat because it is filled with a cream cheese mixture reminiscent of cheesecake. Yes, that's right - moist spiced pumpkin cake, cream cheese filling, AND brown sugar crumble.
Finish this homemade crumb cake with a dusting of powdered sugar. Enjoy a slice with your morning coffee or alongside a cup of milk after dinner. If you are addicted to crumb topping like myself, try my Cinnamon Streusel Muffins. Like this cake, they are loaded with buttery streusel topping.
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What's the difference between crumb cake and coffee cake?
Essentially, a crumb cake is a coffee cake with extra crumb topping. The cake is buttery and moist, while the crumble topping hints of butter and brown sugar. The streusel is an essential portion of the cake, hence the emphasis on "crumb" in its name.
Pumpkin Crumb Cake Recipe
Pumpkin crumb cake is spiced to perfection with a moist, tender crumb. This cake would be nothing without its brown sugar crumb topping made from flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, and melted butter. This made-from-scratch recipe is simply the best and here's why:
- Cheesecake-like filling
- LOADED with soft brown sugar crumb topping
- Small-batch recipe
- Perfectly spiced, tender, and moist pumpkin cake
Ingredients
- All-Purpose Flour
- Light Brown Sugar (packed)
- Granulated Sugar
- Ground Spices - You will need cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger.
- Baking Powder and Baking Soda - This recipe calls for two leavening agents to help the cake rise under the weight of the cream cheese filling and crumb topping.
- Salt
- Pumpkin Puree (*not pumpkin pie filling)
- Vanilla Extract
- Large Eggs (room temperature)
- Cream Cheese (softened)
- Unsalted Butter (melted)
See the recipe card for ingredient quantities.
Instructions
STEP 1 - Preheat the oven to 350° F. Grease and parchment line an 8-inch square baking pan.
STEP 2 (Cream Cheese Filling) - Whip the softened cream cheese and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla extract, and mix until light and fluffy.
STEP 3 (Crumb Cake Topping) - In a small bowl, stir together the light brown sugar, flour, cinnamon (or pumpkin pie spice), and a pinch of salt. Pour the melted butter over the dry ingredients and mix until the mixture is crumbly, and set aside.
STEP 4 (Pumpkin Cake) - Stir the remaining flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices in a large bowl. Mix the pumpkin puree, granulated sugar, melted butter, eggs, and vanilla in a separate bowl until incorporated. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix just until incorporated.
STEP 5 (Assembly) - Pour half of the cake batter into the prepared pan and smooth into an even layer. Top with the cream cheese filling. Dollop the remaining cake batter over the layer of cheesecake filling. Using a paring knife, gently swirl the cake batter into the filling. Sprinkle the topping onto the cake, ensuring everything is coated and covered.
PRO TIP - Use clips to hold the parchment down as you spread the cake batter; remember to remove them before baking.
STEP 6 (Bake) - Bake for 35-40 minutes.
Substitutions
- Ground Spices - Pumpkin Pie Spice
- Melted Butter (in the cake batter) - Canola Oil, Avocado Oil, Coconut Oil
Other Delicious Cake Recipes
- Vanilla Buttermilk Pound Cake
- Easy Cinnamon Roll Coffee Cake
- Cherry Almond Snack Cake
- Easy Blueberry Crumb Cake
Suggested Equipment
- KitchenAid Artisan Tilt-Head Stand Mixer
- USA Pan Bakeware Square Cake Pan, 8 inch
- Large Silicone Spatula
Storage
Store cake slices in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week. Bring the cake slices back to room temperature before eating for the best flavor results.
Can you freeze crumb cake? Ensure it is tightly wrapped or stored in an airtight container before freezing. Freeze the cake for up to 3 months.
Expert Tips
- Use room temperature ingredients - eggs and cream cheese. Cold cream cheese results in lumps of cheese throughout the filling. Eggs blend and bind better with the other ingredients when warm.
- Grease and line the baking pan with parchment to prevent sticking.
- Cool the cake completely before slicing.
- Finish the cake with a dusting of powdered sugar.
- Warm a slice of pumpkin crumb cake in the microwave for 15 seconds for the fresh-out-of-the-oven taste.
Frequently Asked Questions
You have added too much butter. Add a sprinkle of more flour and sugar to absorb some of the excess fat.
Your butter was too hot, or you've over-mixed the topping. Mix the topping until all the dry ingredients are coated in butter and large clumps of the mixture have formed (see picture above).
Pumpkin puree is 100% pure pumpkin, while canned pumpkin pie filling comprises pumpkin puree with spices and sweetener added. Most baking recipes call for pumpkin puree versus pumpkin pie filling.
If you make the recipe, don’t forget to rate the recipe, and let me know what you think in the comments below! Take pictures, tag #sugarylogic, and share them with me on Instagram or Facebook.
📖 Recipe
Pumpkin Crumb Cake with Cream Cheese Filling
Ingredients
Cream Cheese Filling
- 8 oz cream cheese softened
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg room temperature
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Crumb Topping
- ½ cup light brown sugar packed
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted
Pumpkin Cake
- 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 cup pumpkin puree not pumpkin pie filling
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted
Instructions
- For the Cream Cheese Filling: Whip the softened cream cheese and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla extract, and mix until light and fluffy.
- For the Crumb Topping: In a small bowl, stir together the light brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and salt. Pour the melted butter over the dry ingredients and mix until the mixture is crumbly, and set aside.
- For the Cake: Stir the remaining flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices in a large bowl. Mix the pumpkin puree, granulated sugar, melted butter, eggs, and vanilla in a separate bowl until incorporated. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix just until incorporated.
- Assembly: Pour half of the cake batter into the prepared pan and smooth into an even layer. Top with the cream cheese filling. Dollop the remaining cake batter over the layer of cheesecake filling. Using a paring knife, gently swirl the cake batter into the filling. Sprinkle the topping onto the cake, ensuring everything is coated and covered.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes, until set and there is a slight jiggle in the center. Allow the cake to cool completely before slicing.
Notes
- STORE: Store cake slices in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week. Bring the cake slices back to room temperature before eating for the best flavor results.
- FREEZE: Ensure it is tightly wrapped or stored in an airtight container before freezing. Freeze the cake for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Did you make this? Leave a review below and tag me on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest!
Julia
Hi!
In #4 “For the Cake”, was there supposed to be sugar added to the dry mix? I see the recipe calls for 3/4 cup of sugar but I don’t see it in the instructions! Just realized this after I put it in the oven haha, will have to try again another time!
Katelyn Theofanis
Julia, thank you! I am so sorry this happened. I recently updated this recipe and forgot to add the sugar to the cake instructions. Thank you for pointing this out. I just fixed the recipe card. This is a delicious cake recipe, and I hope you can make it again soon. If you do, please let me know what you think!