Are you a pumpkin spice fan? I have to confess that I am a pumpkin addict! The weather finally started to act like fall this weekend, so it put me in the mood for some baked goods using pumpkin. This Pumpkin Spice Coffee Cake is a fall twist on coffee cake. How is it different? I added more spice, and I changed the streusel topping to include more pecans, less sugar and less flour. The topping makes the perfect crunch to the pumpkin coffee cake, but it also has a secret. I added 1 teaspoon of cocoa powder to the streusel. It’s really subtle, but I love it. If you are wondering where I will be in the morning, I will be curled up on my couch with a cup of coffee and this delicious Pumpkin Spice Coffee Cake.
I wanted to make this a bit better for you, so I made a few changes in amounts of ingredients as well. First, I went with white wheat flour vs. all purpose flour. White Wheat Flour is wheat flour from a nutritional standpoint. It does differ in the flavor. It’s sweeter so you don’t have to use as much sugar. The Whole Grain Council gives you an entire breakdown of the differences. Whole wheat and white wheat are both higher in fiber than all purpose white flour because it contains the whole grain: the bran, germ, and endosperm. Instead of a ton of flour, I add 1 cup of chopped pecans, less sugar, and a couple of tablespoons of flour with the melted butter. Overall, I decreased the sugar from most recipes by 1 cup. Believe me, you don’t even notice it! You just want to go get some more! Did I mention this was delicious? It really is and I am dreaming of tomorrow morning when I get to wake up and have a piece!
- 1½ cups of white wheat flour
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1½ teaspoons of cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup light brown sugar
- ½ cup canola oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- Streusel topping:
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 2 tablespoons white wheat flour
- ¼ cup + 2 Tablespoons light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon cocoa powder
- 4 tablespoons melted butter
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Spray a 9x9 pan with oil and set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, spices, brown sugar, and salt.
- In a separate bowl, combine eggs, vanilla, oil, and pumpkin puree.
- Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and combine well.
- Add to 9x9 pan.
- For the topping, combine pecans, cinnamon, cocoa powder, brown sugar, and melted butter.
- Evenly spread over the top of the batter.
- Bake for 40 minutes or until knife comes out clean.
Author: Betsy Ramirez
Betsy is a registered dietitian/nutritionist, homeschool mom, & fairy tale junkie, who loves getting crafty. Being on my bike and lifting weights are my therapy. Thinking outside the box is my jam!
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