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With its cinnamon swirl filling and buttery streusel topping, no one will believe that this easy Pumpkin Coffee Cake starts with a box of cake mix! Serve the cozy fall treat with a mug of mulled cider, a cup of hot coffee, or scoop of vanilla ice cream. It’s perfect for breakfast, snack or even dessert!

Side shot of a piece of pumpkin streusel coffee cake on a fall table

Pumpkin Streusel Coffee Cake

I brought this pumpkin coffee cake to my friend Kristin after she had her third baby about 7 years ago…because what new mom doesn’t LOVE a tasty breakfast that’s ready and waiting after a sleepless night with a newborn?!

Overhead shot of a table with plates of pumpkin coffee cake with cinnamon streusel

Kristin sent me a text message the next day that said, “BTW, that was the best coffee cake I have ever had. Really, EVER.”  So you don’t have to take my word for it. She agrees!

Best of all, the easy fall treat starts with a box of cake mix — and the crumb topping comes together in minutes. It’s really the easiest (and most delicious) pumpkin coffee cake recipe that you will ever taste!

Spoonful of cinnamon streusel in a white bowl

Ingredients

This is a quick overview of the ingredients that you’ll need for an easy pumpkin coffee cake recipe. As always, specific measurements and complete cooking instructions are included in the printable box at the bottom of the post.

  • Brown sugar: for the filling and streusel
  • Cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and ginger: warm spices that pair nicely with the pumpkin and give the cake its classic fall flavor.
  • Salt: to balance the sweetness and enhance the other flavors.
  • All-purpose flour: for the streusel.
  • Unsalted butter: for the streusel. If using salted butter, you can decrease the salt to ½ teaspoon.
  • Yellow cake mix: the base of the cake. I like Duncan Hines brand, but any similar variety will work.
  • Vanilla instant pudding mix: just the dry mix — do not prepare the pudding according to the package instructions.
  • Canned pumpkin puree: make sure that you use just 1 cup (not an entire can) of 100% pumpkin puree. This is different from canned pumpkin pie filling, which has added sugar and spices.
  • Vegetable oil: keeps the cake moist.
  • Water: to thin the batter.
  • Eggs: give the cake structure.
Mixing cake batter in white bowl

Why add pudding to cake mix?

The gelatin component in the instant pudding mix makes the cake super moist. It’s the secret ingredient to make your cake more fluffy, too! Don’t omit the pudding, which is a key ingredient.

Sprinkling cinnamon streusel over cake batter

How to Make Pumpkin Coffee Cake

I dreamed up this delicious recipe as a perfect cross between my easy pumpkin cake and a cinnamon streusel coffee cake. It’s incredibly moist, full of warm autumn spices, and quick to pull together. With a few shortcuts, you can serve a homemade pumpkin streusel coffee cake that requires minimal effort and tastes like it’s made from scratch!

  1. Stir together the filling and streusel.
  2. Mix together the pumpkin cake batter.
  3. Top half of the cake batter with the brown sugar and cinnamon filling.
  4. Spread the remaining batter on top and finish with a layer of streusel.
  5. Bake the coffee cake in a 350°F oven for 35-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
  6. Cool in the pan for about 30 minutes, and then slice into squares and serve!
Process shot showing how to make pumpkin coffee cake recipe

What to Serve with Pumpkin Spice Coffee Cake

This cake is perfect on its own with a hot cup of coffee, tea or mulled cider. For a more elaborate brunch spread, try pairing the cake with any of these other morning dishes:

The decadent pumpkin coffee cake is also a great dessert option. Serve a slice with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream at the end of a long day!

Square shot of pumpkin coffee cake on a table with pumpkins and flowers in the background

Storage

Store the coffee cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Wrapped tightly, the baked cake will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Close up side shot of a piece of easy pumpkin coffee cake on a small plate

Recipe Variations

  • This recipe yields one large 9 x 13 coffee cake or you can divide the ingredients between two smaller round or square cake pans, or between two loaf pans. Keep one for yourself and share the other with a friend (or freeze it for later)!
  • Use a box of spice cake mix (instead of yellow cake mix) and omit the extra seasoning.
  • Add finely chopped pecans or walnuts to the streusel for some extra crunch and toasted nutty flavor.

Three pieces of pumpkin coffee cake stacked on top of each other

Tips for the Best Pumpkin Coffee Cake Recipe

  • Make sure that you use just 1 cup (not an entire can) of the pumpkin puree. This is 100% pure pumpkin, not the canned pumpkin pie filling.
  • The total baking time will vary depending on your individual oven, as well as the type of pan that you use. Dark or nonstick pans bake the cake faster, while a glass or light-colored dish will need a bit more time. Use a toothpick inserted deep into the middle of the cake to know exactly when it’s done.
  • Once cool, dust the top of the cake with powdered sugar or drizzle with vanilla glaze for a special touch.
  • The moist cake gets better as it sits, so this is a nice breakfast or dessert option to prepare the day before you plan to serve it.

Close up side shot of a piece of pumpkin coffee cake with cake mix on a small plate

More Easy Pumpkin Recipes to Try

Side shot of a plate of pumpkin coffee cake

Pumpkin Coffee Cake

5 from 6 votes
Prep: 30 minutes
Cook: 35 minutes
Cooling Time 30 minutes
Total: 1 hour 35 minutes
Servings 18 people
Calories 320 kcal
With its cinnamon swirl filling and buttery streusel topping, no one will believe that this easy Pumpkin Coffee Cake starts with a box of cake mix!

Ingredients
  

FOR THE FILLING AND STREUSEL:

  • 1 ½ cups packed brown sugar (light or dark will both work)
  • 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon table salt
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted

FOR THE CAKE:

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish; set aside.

MAKE THE FILLING AND STREUSEL:

  • Combine brown sugar, cinnamon and salt in a large bowl. Set aside ½ cup of this brown sugar mixture for the filling. Stir the flour into the remaining brown sugar mixture. Add melted butter and mix until completely combined and no dry pockets remain. The mixture should form little clumps. Set aside while you prepare the cake.

MAKE THE CAKE:

  • Beat cake mix, dry pudding mix, pumpkin, oil, water, eggs, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and ginger in a large bowl with an electric mixer on low speed just until moistened, scraping the sides of the bowl frequently. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes, or until well blended.
  • Pour about half of the batter into the prepared baking dish; spread in an even layer. Sprinkle the reserved brown sugar filling mixture evenly over the batter. Dollop the remaining batter evenly over the filling and spread to the edges of the pan with an offset spatula. Crumble the streusel into pea-size crumbs evenly over the top layer of batter.

BAKE THE CAKE:

  • Bake the cake in the 350°F for 35-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 30 minutes. Cut into squares and serve warm, or cool completely before slicing and serving.
  • Cake can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Notes

  • Make sure that you use just 1 cup (not an entire can) of the pumpkin puree. This is 100% pure pumpkin, not the canned pumpkin pie filling.
  • The total baking time will vary depending on your individual oven, as well as the type of pan that you use. Dark or nonstick pans bake the cake faster, while a glass or light-colored dish will need a bit more time. Use a toothpick inserted deep into the middle of the cake to know exactly when it's done.
  • Once cool, dust the top of the cake with powdered sugar or drizzle with vanilla glaze for a special touch.
  • The moist cake gets better as it sits, so this is a nice breakfast or dessert option to prepare the day before you plan to serve it.

Nutrition

Serving: 1sliceCalories: 320kcalCarbohydrates: 50gProtein: 3gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 9gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 41mgSodium: 356mgPotassium: 90mgFiber: 2gSugar: 33gVitamin A: 2319IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 88mgIron: 1mg
Keyword: easy pumpkin coffee cake, pumpkin coffee cake, pumpkin coffee cake with cake mix, pumpkin streusel coffee cake
Course: Breakfast, Dessert
Cuisine: American
Author: Blair Lonergan

This recipe was originally posted in October, 2014. It was updated in October, 2021.

blair

Hey, I’m Blair!

Welcome to my farmhouse kitchen in the foothills of Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains. Inspired by local traditions and seasonal fare, you’ll find plenty of easy, comforting recipes that bring your family together around the table. It’s down-home, country-style cooking!

Read More

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Comments

  1. The pictures of that cake are almost as good as the pics of the precious kiddos! Thanks for sharing your recipe.

  2. I always gravitate toward your recipes in link-ups! You speak my food language, lady! 🙂 This coffee cake looks fantastic! Thanks for sharing it.

  3. Yummy! Great way to start the day right! Thanks for sharing! Pinning!
    -Michelle @TheGraciousWife.com

  4. Oh that looks so yummy! Especially the crunchy, sweet topping!

    Thank you SO much for sharing your awesomeness at Show Me Saturday! Please party with us again this weekend! Our party goes live at 7:00am EST each Saturday!
    ~ Ashley

  5. Love it!! You combine two of the best things…pumpkin and cinnamon/sugar.

    Pinned it!
    Thanks for sharing 😉

  6. Oh my goodness! Does that coffee cake ever look amazing! Love the addition of the streusel! I’d be thrilled if you shared this at my Creative Ways Link Party that goes live on Wednesdays at 8pm central. Hope to see you and this delicious cake there!
    Blessings,
    Nici

  7. Thanks for linking with us at Best of the Weekend – I’ll be featuring your recipe tomorrow night on my blog!

  8. I love that it is so easy! I’m not the best baker so the fewer ingredients for me to forget the better! Thanks for sharing it with us at #FoodieFridays!

  9. Looks delicious Blair! I don’t have any cute photos like that of my kids, it would have required ME getting dressed, LOL

    1. Thanks so much for stopping by, Lisa! That’s exactly right…getting myself dressed at that point was definitely NOT a priority. 🙂

  10. Yum! I love coffee cake with a streusel top! You get a little bit of texture with the delicious moistness of the cake! This recipe looks fabulous. Thank you for sharing!

  11. Delicious simple recipe? You are definitely speaking my language. Pinned so I can try it out soon!
    Thanks for linking up at Merry Mondays!

  12. That streusel looks great, I love a thick layer on cakes. Thanks for linking up to Sweet and Savoury Sunday, stop by and link up again. Have a great day!! Laura@Baking in Pyjamas

  13. Oh my, this looks delicious. I could est the streusel topping all by itself. Thanks for sharing at Foodie Fridays, have a wonderful week.
    Blessings,
    Shari

    1. Thanks for visiting, Shari! I agree — I could (and do!) take big bites of the streusel all by itself! Definitely the best part. 🙂

  14. Those pictures are adorable!! Congrats to her, and what a lovely looking cake. Thanks for sharing at Weekend Bites

  15. I picked two of the easy cakes (top 2 posted) to make this weekend for the Canadian Thanksgiving. Not a baker so this is right down my alley. Thank you for the recipes.

  16. 5 stars
    Holy cow! This recipe is awesome. I am eating my second piece of the morning. Easy to make, allows for substitutions, and the flavor is outstanding. I used a yellow cake mix, 1 Tbs King Arthur gingerbread spice, and 20 ounces of squash puree. I baked it for 40 minutes and it was toothpick clean and moist as could be. The squash puree works the same as a pumpkin. The recipe is a 15 minute Pierre Franey recipe that is amazing. Combined with this recipe, it is the bomb. Can’t wait to try it with a spice cake mix. Now I need to look at other recipes on this site. Nice job Blair.

    1. That’s wonderful, Mark! Thanks for taking the time to come back here and let me know. I’m glad that you enjoy it as much as we do! 🙂

  17. 5 stars
    This was really, really delicious! My 17 year old was raving as he was chewing-“so good Mom!” Thank you! Definitely a keeper for Fall. 🙂

  18. 5 stars
    This will be our new holiday tradition! I made it a few weeks ago, and although my kids refused to eat it, it was all gone after 2 days. I made it again to take to my family’s Thanksgiving and everyone loved it, and said I need to bring it again next year!

  19. 5 stars
    Wow! This is a scrumptious coffee cake, Blair! I made this today to serve with your baked ham and cheese omelet, grits, tomato slices, and a fruit salad. What a wonderful Sunday night dinner we enjoyed! I followed your instructions as written. When the cake had cooled, I microwaved some leftover canned cream cheese frosting from my fridge and drizzled it all over the top. My hubby and my 95 and 97-year-old parents raved over it! Thanks for another amazing recipe!

    1. Sounds like the perfect meal, Mary Catherine! I love the idea of drizzling the frosting over top. What a treat! 🙂

  20. 5 stars
    This cake is even better than I thought it would be! I took it to a carry-in breakfast at my elementary school. People loved it, and I shared the recipe many times! I didn’t have any nutmeg or ginger on hand, so I substituted those with 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice. Sooooooooooo moist and delicious!