Pumpkin Coffee Cake

Do you find that any baked good that is modified by saying it is "Pumpkin XYZ" makes it instantly better? Pumpkin Cheesecake -- YES. Pumpkin Cream Cheese Frosting-- YES. Pumpkin Snickerdoodles -- YES.

Enter: Pumpkin Coffee Cake. If you love the taste of those delightfully addicting Dunkin' Donuts pumpkin muffins, I think this recipe is going to make your skirt fly up!

What's with that saying? Let's agree to use it more often this holiday season.

Actually, no. That's not appropriate.

FOCUS JESSICA!

Alright, here's how the story goes. We are going to take basic coffee cake, add a bit of pumpkin puree along with some crucial spices (that is, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger oh my!), then add toasted pecans to the yummy crumbly topping. The perfect breakfast, dessert, or snack cake to bring home to your family this holiday season!

A warm cup of coffee and a wonderfully spiced cake--that is the right way to start ANY morning.

Here's what you need for Pumpkin Coffee Cake* (Print Recipe!)

For the topping
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
6 tablespoons cold butter, cut into cubes
1 cup chopped pecans, lightly toasted (see note)

For the cake
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
2 eggs
1/2 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
1/2 cup sour cream (you can also use plain greek yogurt)

Here's what you do

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease and flour a 9-inch cake pan with 3 inch sides or spring form pan.

In a small bowl, make the topping. Combine all ingredients in the bowl except the pecans. Use a pastry cutter to cut the butter into the flour, sugar, and cinnamon. This will take a bit of time, about 5 minutes - you want the final mixture to resemble course crumbles. Use a spoon to stir in the chopped pecans.

Now prepare the cake batter. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices, and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or in a separate bowl using an electric mixer), beat the butter and brown sugar together until light and fluffy about 3 minutes. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides and along the bottom of the bowl. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, scraping the sides after each addition. Stir together the pumpkin puree and sour cream and add it to the mixer on low speed. Mix until just combined.

Using a flexible rubber spatula, slowly encorporate the flour mixture into the wet ingredients. Mix until just combined, being careful not to overmix. The batter will be thick (it's a good arm workout...).

Dump the batter into the prepared cake pan and do your best to spread it out evenly. Sprinkle the streusel evenly on top of the batter and gently press down. Bake for 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes, then turn the cake out of the pan to cool completely on the wire rack.

Cake will keep, well wrapped at room temperature, for 3 days.

Note: Toast pecans in a dry skillet over low heat, tossing frequently until golden brown.

*Recipe from Williams-Sonoma