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pumpkin pie crunch cake
Carli Christiansen

The Best Pumpkin Pie Crunch Cake (Holiday Dessert)

This perfectly plush pumpkin cake is full of delicious pumpkin pie spices. Half coffee cake, half pumpkin pie, everyone will be raving about this cake at your holiday dinners.
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings: 15
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Ingredients Equipment Method

Ingredients
  

Pecan Crumble Topping
  • ½ cup all purpose flour
  • ½ cup light brown sugar
  • ½ cup chopped pecans
  • ⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • ¼ cup melted butter
Cinnamon Sugar Filling
  • ¾ cup light brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Pumpkin Cake Batter
  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 and ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
  • ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
  • 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1 15 oz can of pumpkin puree not pumpkin pie filling
  • 1 and ¾ cups light brown sugar
  • ½ cup vegetable oil
  • ½ cup sour cream
  • 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 4 large eggs
  • baking spray such as Pam with flour or Baker's Joy.

Equipment

  • 1 set measuring cups and spoons
  • 2 small mixing bowls
  • 1 fork
  • 1 medium mixing bowl
  • 1 large mixing bowl
  • 1 Whisk
  • 1 Rubber spatula
  • 1 9x13 baking pan

Method
 

For The Pecan Crumb Topping
  1. In a medium bowl (like a cereal bowl), combine ½ cup flour, ½ cup light brown sugar, ½ cup chopped pecans, and ⅛ teaspoon of salt. Combine with a fork.
  2. Microwave the butter in another small bowl covered with a paper towel until it's melted, about 30 to 45 seconds. Add the butter to the dry topping mixture. Stir with a fork until a sandy consistency is reached. Set aside in the refrigerator.
For The Cinnamon Sugar Filling
  1. Combine ¾ cup of light brown sugar and 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon in a medium bowl. Stir together with either a small whisk or a fork.
For The Pumpkin Cake Batter
  1. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients: 2 cups all purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking soda, 1 and ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg (or dried), ¼ teaspoon each of ground cloves and ground allspice, and 1 teaspoon of fine sea salt. Whisk to combine and set aside.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, add the wet ingredients: 1 15 ounce can of pumpkin puree, 1 and ¾ cups brown sugar, ½ vegetable oil, ½ cup sour cream, 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract.
  3. Add the eggs to the rest of the wet ingredients 2 at a time, whisking after each addition to thoroughly incorporate. Make sure the first 2 eggs are really well combined before you add the second 2.
  4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ones, and fold the batter together with a rubber spatula. The batter should not have any streaks of flour, but will still have some lumps. Don't overmix.
Assembly
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit with a rack in the center position.
  2. Spray your 9"x13" baking pan liberally with baking spray.
  3. Pour ½ of the pumpkin cake batter into the baking dish. Spread into an even layer with a rubber spatula.
  4. With your hands, sprinkle about ⅔ of the cinnamon sugar filling as evenly as you can over the cake batter.
  5. Evenly pour the rest of the cake batter over the top of the cinnamon sugar filling. Carefully spread the top layer of cake batter into an even layer, trying to not disturb the filling too much.
  6. Take the pecan crumb topping out of the fridge. With your hands, crumble it all over the top of the cake batter. It's ok if it got kind of hard in the fridge, just break it up as you go. This will produce bigger crumbles.
  7. Sprinkle the rest of the cinnamon sugar filling over the top of the crumb topping.
  8. Bake at 350 degrees for 48 to 52 minutes, or until the cake springs back slightly when pressed in the center. Let the cake cool, and enjoy!