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You guy, you guys! I made a coffee cake!
My very first ever, and I have to say I’m kind of proud of it! 🙂
I mean, I know it’s technically just another cake, but I feel like there’s something kind of fancy about a cake baked in a bundt pan. Is that just me? Probably, but whatever! I’m excited because this is a semi new-to-me cake!!
I’ve made this cake multiple times now…you know, for testing purposes and all. But it’s cool, because this cake is honestly SO good! I wasn’t expecting to like a coffee cake this much, but thanks to these four words – cream cheese, streusel, brown sugar, and brown butter, well, those pretty much sums this cake up!
You know what’s weird though? I’ve only ever had coffee cake once in my life (or at least that I know of), and it was way back during my middle school days. I was at a friend’s house for a sleepover, a super rare event as I was such a homebody. Sleepovers were my worst nightmare and any time a friend asked me to sleepover I practically begged my mom to say NO. I was just a weird kid…
Anyway, I can’t remember why I chose to actually attend this particular sleepover, but what I do remember is the chocolate chip coffee cake my friend’s mom served in the morning! It was SO good, and I remember thinking it kind of tasted like a mix between a cookie, cookie dough and some kind of crumbly pastry. It was both moist and crumbly at the same time and I pretty much thought it was perfection.
I think I even asked my mom to buy one at the store next time, but pretty sure she never did, and that was my last experience with coffee cake. Or well until this cake, which I can tell you is a million times better than the store-bought one I had as a kid.
Like a million.
And you know what? There’s not even any chocolate!
Wait, what? I made a cake without chocolate and loved it?
Craziness, but true!
Okok, so let’s talk details here.
I made this three times in ONE day. Typically when I test out baking recipes I like to try to make all versions in one day so I can compare and then finalize the recipe in one big swoop! At first I wanted this to only be a brown sugar coffee cake with NO pumpkin. And my first test worked great, but I decide that I needed a larger cake, so I made it again. But it still felt like something was missing, and that’s when I added the pumpkin in.
I hesitated to use pumpkin because I have a ton of new pumpkin recipes coming up in the next few weeks (umm, hello! Thanksgiving!), but the flavors happening here just screamed “add pumpkin!”. So I added just a little to bump up the moistness and color of this cake.
Perfecto!
Let’s be real, we all want pumpkin right now anyway…hoping your motto for fall is “never enough pumpkin!”.?
Cream Cheese Swirled Brown Sugar Pumpkin Coffee Cake… yeah, the title is a bit long, but… I can’t leave anything out! The cake itself is a brown sugar, pumpkin, buttery kind of cake, swirled with a layer of cream cheese and a layer of streusel. I mean, that right there is pretty awesome, but since it’s cake, and all cake needs some kind of frosting, I decided to drizzle it with a brown butter and maple glaze.
FOR REAL.
This cake is so fallish, I just can’t help but love it to pieces… and even without the chocolate… it’s still so addicting! That pairing of pumpkin and cream cheese, it’s kind of unbeatable.
Just sayin’.
Cream Cheese Swirled Brown Sugar Pumpkin Coffee Cake.
Ingredients
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
- 3/4 cup brewed coffee, can use milk or water
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Streusel
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 6 tablespoons cold butter, cubed
- 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
Brown Butter Maple Glaze
- 1/4 cup butter
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a 10 inch bundt pan.
- In a large bowl, beat together the butter, brown sugar and vanilla until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, until fully incorporated. Add the pumpkin and coffee, beat until smooth and creamy. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt and mix on low speed until just combined, being sure the batter is completely mixed.
- To make the streusel. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar and cinnamon. Add the butter and use your fingers to mix the butter into the flour until a crumble forms.
- Spoon half the batter into the prepared pan. Gently dollop the softened cream cheese over the batter and spread in an even layer. Sprinkle 3/4 of the streusel over top the cream cheese. Spoon the remaining batter over the streusel and carefully spread in an even layer. Sprinkle on the remaining streusel. Transfer to the oven and bake for 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Let cool 30 minutes and then invert the cake onto a plate.
- To make the glaze. Melt the butter over medium heat in a small sauce pot until just browned. The butter will melt, foam and froth, then begin to brown along the bottom. Whisk browned bits off of the bottom of the pan. Once the butter has browned, quickly remove from the heat. Stir in the powdered sugar, maple and vanilla until smooth. If needed, thin the glaze with a splash of water.
- Drizzle the glaze evenly over the cake and let set 10 minutes. Serve cake slightly warm or at room temperature. Keep cake stored, covered in the fridge.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
Fall Tuesday cake baking session? Yes, lets!
I love love love the sound of this cake. All those amazing things in there! I know how it feels like when you do the smallest new thing in the kitchen. It is definitely a hooray moment. Yayyy to first time bundt!
Thank you Jenny!
I can so relate to avoiding sleepovers like the plague 😉 This cake looks fab btw.
Thank you Natasha!
OMG! This is so festive!! Absolutely gorgeous!!
Thank you so so much Selina!
I saw this recipe and immediately went to the store to buy the ingredients! Mine did not come out as pretty, but it sure is delicious! I despise the taste of actual coffee, but it is perfect in the cake. I only used about half the cream cheese, and my crumbles turned out a bit pasty, but still yummy! Only problem is when slicing it, the cake separated a bit from the cream cheese, making the bottom fall off some! I am wondering, if using a nonstick pan, should I lower the temp a bit? I cooked it for only 45 min, and it probably should’ve come out a bit sooner. This will be my Thanksgiving dessert. Thanks for the recipe!
Hey Robin! Hmm, not sure why yours came apart, was it still moist? Sounds like maybe your oven temp runs a bit on the higher side, which might be why it cooked up a little fast. Hope that helps and let me know if you have any other questions. So happy you love the cake! 🙂
Hi. I don’t know how to cook, please forgive my question if necessary. “insert a toothpick into the center comes out clean. Bur in the center it has the cream cheese…won’t it come out “wet”?
Thank you!
Hey Lillian! Nope, the skewer should still come out clean. The cream cheese will not stick to the stick. Sounds odd, but just trust me. Let me know if you have any other questions. Thank you and I hope you love the cake! 🙂
Perfect fall treat! Can’t wait to try this =)
Thank you Sara!
You just gave me the prefect excuse to finally buy a Bundt pan! I’ve been wanting one for a year now.
Thanks
Haha yes! So glad I could help! I hope you love this recipe Jenn, thanks!
Hi everyone—the coffee will enhance the flavors–you won’t necessarily taste the coffee. Try it, I bet you’ll love it.
I do not like coffee flavor, is this necessary? is there a substitute?
Yes, but it’s to eat with coffee — not necessarily have coffee in it.
HI Alisha! You do not really taste the coffee, but you can use water or milk in its place. Let me know if you have any questions. Thank you! 🙂
I also would like to know what to use instead of coffee.
Hey Debbie! You do not really taste the coffee, but you can use water or milk in its place. Let me know if you have any questions. Thank you! 🙂
Umm, yes, I’ll take all of it!! Looks so delicious!! xo
Thank you Rebecca!!
What can I use instead of coffee?
Hey! You do not really taste the coffee, but you can use water or milk in its place. Let me know if you have any questions. Thank you! 🙂
I am making it right now. My fresh pumpkin is baking as we post.
YES!! Let me know how it is/ I hope you love it! Thank you Diana!
O.M.G. this looks freaking outstanding, Tieghan!! And a brown sugar maple glaze? I’m dying ova hea!
Haha so happy you are lovin’ this! Thanks Tara!
This looks great!! I’m most likely going to make this and your Broccoli Cheddar Chicken and Dimpling Soup on Halloween! Do you have an exact realese date for your book yet? Also please come to Raleigh NC!
Thank you so much Cassandra! And I will totally let you know on the book release date when I know, but for now it will be out Fall of 2017! (: