Here’s a full, detailed, step-by-step recipe for Pumpkin Spice Crumb Cake—moist pumpkin cake with a thick buttery crumb topping.
Pumpkin Spice Crumb Cake
Soft pumpkin cake + warm spices + crunchy cinnamon crumb.
⏱ Time
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Prep: 20 minutes
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Bake: 40–45 minutes
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Total: ~1 hour
🍽 Serves
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9–12 pieces
🧾 INGREDIENTS
🍰 Pumpkin Cake
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1½ cups all-purpose flour
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1 teaspoon baking powder
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½ teaspoon baking soda
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½ teaspoon salt
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2 teaspoons pumpkin spice
(or 1 tsp cinnamon + ½ tsp nutmeg + ¼ tsp ginger + ¼ tsp cloves) -
½ cup granulated sugar
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½ cup brown sugar
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½ cup vegetable oil (or melted butter)
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2 large eggs (room temperature)
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1 cup pumpkin purée (NOT pumpkin pie filling)
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1 teaspoon vanilla extract
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¼ cup milk or buttermilk
🍪 Crumb Topping
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¾ cup all-purpose flour
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½ cup brown sugar
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1 teaspoon cinnamon
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¼ teaspoon salt
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6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cubed
🍯 Optional Glaze
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½ cup powdered sugar
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1–2 tablespoons milk
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¼ teaspoon vanilla
🔪 PREPARATION STEPS
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Preheat oven to 350°F / 175°C
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Grease or line an 8×8-inch (20×20 cm) baking pan
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Bring eggs to room temperature
🍳 STEP-BY-STEP DIRECTIONS
Step 1: Make the crumb topping
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In a bowl, mix:
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Flour
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Brown sugar
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Cinnamon
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Salt
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Add cold butter cubes.
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Use fingers or a fork to mix until:
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Large crumbs form
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Mixture looks sandy but clumpy
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Refrigerate while making cake batter.
Step 2: Mix dry ingredients (cake)
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In a bowl, whisk together:
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Flour
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Baking powder
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Baking soda
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Salt
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Pumpkin spice
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Step 3: Mix wet ingredients
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In another bowl, whisk:
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Oil (or butter)
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Granulated sugar
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Brown sugar
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Add eggs, one at a time.
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Mix in:
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Pumpkin purée
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Vanilla
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Milk
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Step 4: Combine batter
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Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients.
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Mix gently until just combined.
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Do not overmix (keeps cake tender).
Step 5: Assemble
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Pour batter into prepared pan.
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Smooth the top.
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Sprinkle crumb topping generously over batter.
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Use all the crumbs!
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Step 6: Bake
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Bake at 350°F / 175°C for 40–45 minutes.
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Cake is done when:
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A toothpick comes out clean
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Crumbs are golden brown
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If crumbs brown too fast, loosely cover with foil for last 10 minutes.
Step 7: Cool
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Let cake cool 20–30 minutes before slicing.
🍯 Optional Glaze
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Whisk powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla.
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Drizzle over cooled cake.
⭐ PRO TIPS
✔ Use pure pumpkin purée, not pie filling
✔ Cold butter = crunchy crumb
✔ Don’t overmix batter
✔ Even better the next day
🍽 Serving Ideas
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Warm with coffee or chai
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Add whipped cream
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Serve with vanilla ice cream