Layered Pumpkin Coffee Cake starts with a sour cream coffee cake that is layered with a creamy pumpkin filling and then topped with a crunchy cinnamon sugar and pecan topping.
This is a wonderfully unique pumpkin dessert that’s perfect for any of your upcoming fall and winter gatherings.
Pumpkin Coffee Cake
For any coffee-cake lover who is also a fan of pumpkin pie, there could not possibly be a more perfect dessert. The filling in this coffee cake tastes just like pumpkin pie.
I love the taste and texture of coffeecake. Light and moist insides with a sweet crumb topping is my idea of a perfect treat on any autumn afternoon.
Cinnamon coffee cake loaded with layers of buttery cinnamon brown sugar streusel is something that I can not resist whenever it is in the house.
And pumpkin pie certainly isn’t hurting for publicity this time of year. Spiced creamy pumpkin pie filling brings back so many nostalgic memories of Thanksgivings and Christmases. I just can’t get enough pumpkin desserts this time of year.
The popularity of recipes like Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal with Vanilla Whipped Cream and Pumpkin Cheesecake Pie tells me lots of you feel the same way.
This Pumpkin Coffee Cake came into my life five years ago and I’m so very glad it did. It’s just different enough from the usual pumpkin pie and pumpkin bread fare to be extra exciting but with all the familiar fall flavors you love.
Over the past several years, this cake has been a hit with everyone who tried it. The recipe is a definite keeper.
Temperatures might still be over 100°F in Arizona, but fall has officially been welcomed into our home with the first pumpkin recipe of the season.
The desert has plenty of beauty but come October I’m happy to be somewhere where the seasons change!
When I take a bite of Pumpkin Coffee Cake, I can pretend I’m somewhere cooler, gazing at beautiful foliage out the window.
Pumpkin Coffee Cake Recipe
This recipe was very loosely adapted from one I found at Food.com and it is delicious. I know you’ll love it as much as we did.
This is not just a coffee cake flavored with pumpkin and pumpkin spice; it’s a rich cinnamon streusel coffee cake layered with fluffy pumpkin pie filling.
You’ll be pleased to know that the layered pumpkin coffee cake recipe I’m sharing below is incredibly simple (despite the lengthy ingredients list)!
A basic coffee cake batter is layered with a simple pumpkin pie filling then sprinkled with a cinnamon crumb topping of brown sugar, pecans, and butter.
Each piece of cake delivers the perfect balance of flavors and textures: moist coffee cake, silky pumpkin pie filling and crisp crumbly topping.
Please don’t let the ingredient list overwhelm you. This really is a simple cake to stir together. Just mix together the cake batter, stir the pumpkin mixture together and layer the two in the pan. The topping comes together in just a couple of minutes.
Gluten Free Coffee Cake
When you’re baking for folks who are avoiding gluten, this coffee cake recipe is easy to adapt. I used my go-to substitute blend of brown rice flour, tapioca starch, and potato starch with great success.
Whether you make your Layered Pumpkin Coffee Cake with traditional all purpose flour or with gluten-free flours it’s guaranteed to be a roaring success. I’m having a hard time thinking of anyone who’s tried this cake and not come back for a second piece.
For more gluten-free dessert ideas, check out all of the Gluten Free Dessert Recipes on this website!
Kitchen Tip: I use these mixing bowls and this baking pan to make this recipe.
Pumpkin Coffee Cake
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease a 9×13 pan and set aside. In a mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until smooth. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat again. Add the dry ingredients and mix to combine. Stir in the sour cream and then pour half the batter into the prepared pan.
- Stir together the pumpkin, sugar and the spices. Add the eggs and then the cream or half and half and stir to combine. Pour the pumpkin mixture over the cake batter and spread across the pan with the back of a spoon. Drop the remaining cake batter over the pumpkin in small spoonfuls and then smooth it across the pumpkin layer. (Don’t worry about making it look perfect.)
- Stir together the melted butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and pecans for the topping. Sprinkle the topping across the top of the cake. Bake for 50-55 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out mostly clean. Let cool before slicing.
Pumpkin Recipes
Have you noticed that everyone has a little bit of pumpkin fever lately? There’s no shortage of incredible pumpkin dessert recipes to spice up your autumn.
Of course, every coffee fan loves a Pumpkin Spice Latte but there’s no reason why tea drinkers should miss out on the fun. Have you tried this Pumpkin Spice Chai Latte variation? My friend Rebecca shared it a couple of years ago and it’s become a favorite way to enjoy a cup of tea in the fall (or any time of year).
Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice will be your secret weapon for whipping up pumpkin recipes all season long. Along with this coffee cake recipe, be sure to try my ultimate Pumpkin Muffins, and their whole wheat cousins.
Desserts tend to get ALL the pumpkin attention this year but there are plenty of savory pumpkin recipes that deserve your attention, too. You can get your pumpkin fix with this Beef Pumpkin Stew from The Thirsty Feast and this Pumpkin Alfredo with Butternut Squash Ravioli from Tidy Mom.
Pumpkin Coffee Cake
Ingredients
Cake Ingredients
- ½ cup butter softened
- ¾ cup sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour*
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup sour cream
Pumpkin Filling Ingredients
- 15 ounces canned pumpkin puree (not pie filling)
- ¾ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup half and half or ¼ cup heavy cream plus ¼ cup milk
Topping Ingredients
- ⅓ cup butter melted
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 cup pecans chopped small
*Gluten-Free Alternative
- 1¼ cup brown rice flour
- ½ cup potato starch
- ¼ cup tapioca starch
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. Grease a 9×13 pan and set it aside. In a mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until smooth. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat again.
- Add the dry ingredients and mix to combine. Stir in the sour cream and then pour half the batter into the prepared pan.
- Stir together the pumpkin, sugar, and spices. Add the eggs and then the cream or half and half and stir to combine. Pour the pumpkin mixture over the cake batter and spread across the pan with the back of a spoon.
- Drop the remaining cake batter over the pumpkin in small spoonfuls and then smooth it across the pumpkin layer. (Don't worry about making it look perfect.)
- Stir together the melted butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and pecans for the topping. Sprinkle the topping across the top of the cake.
- Bake for 50-55 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out mostly clean. Let cool before slicing. Enjoy!
Nutrition
{originally published 9/10/13 – recipe notes and photos updated 10/6/21}
VInnie says
I’ve made this several times it was excellent every time …. I call it my pumkin pie cake 😂😂
Mary Younkin says
So glad you like it!
Melanie says
I made this coffee cake for my neighbors this fall. It was a huge hit! Recipes by Barefoot in the Kitchen are my go-to!
Mary Younkin says
Happy to hear it, Melanie.
Kala Pitas says
Although delicious, my coffee cake didn’t turn out as pictured. I followed the recipe exactly but the pumpkin layer sank to the bottom during the baking process. This left a gooey/unpleasant layer at the bottom. I was intrigued by this recipe because it used a whole can of pumpkin but I think that is too much.
Was the pumpkin layer supposed to be so runny and the cake batter supposed to be so thick?
Mary Younkin says
Hello! Pumpkin puree is commonly sold in both 15 oz and 29 oz cans; it may have been either. Also, did you use pumpkin puree or pumpkin pie filling? The latter would make the pumpkin layer much runnier. Sorry to hear that the cake didn’t turn out well for you.