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The perfect crumb cake

It doesn’t feel like Fall until I bake something with pumpkin. I was so happy to finally make something delicious this past weekend….Pumpkin Crumb Cake with Vanilla Maple Glaze! This is hands down one of my favorite recipes!

I know I may say that a lot, but I’m definitely partial to this recipe. I have always loved a good crumb cake. It makes for the perfect pairing with a hot coffee or tea on a cold day. Yes please!

I remember Starbucks used to carry a really good crumb cake that was so soft and had the best crumb topping. Sadly, I don’t think they make it anymore. I worked there as a barista about 10 years ago and that was one of my favorite pastries.

Take that delicious crumb cake and add pumpkin? Now we’re talking! Fall is my FAVORITE time of year and I love all the wonderful flavors that this season brings.

There are so many pumpkin recipes this time of year. Of course, I always have to make pumpkin pie…that’s a given. But, I usually don’t make it until Thanksgiving and that’s a long time to wait. Thank goodness I now have this Pumpkin Crumb Cake to satisfy all the pumpkin cravings.

Pumpkin spice flavors

This cake is soft with subtle flavors of pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, and a touch of clove. The addition of buttermilk adds a lot of moisture. The cake is good by itself, but when it’s topped with a buttery sweet crumble and the vanilla maple glaze, it makes this recipe over-the-top delicious!

What I like most about this Pumpkin Crumb Cake is that it isn’t too sweet. I feel like a lot of desserts made with pumpkin can be, since pumpkin alone needs a little help in that department. Once you get that pumpkin spice seasoning just right, you’ll find you don’t need a lot of sugar.

More reasons to love pumpkin!

A few reasons why you want to add pumpkin to your recipes all year round:

-Pumpkin contains a lot of Vitamin A (245% of our daily needed value) which is great for your vision, healthy skin, and brain function

-1 cup cooked pumpkin contains 49 calories and 3 grams of fiber

-It contains 20% of your daily value of Vitamin C along with many other Vitamins and Nutrients

For more information and a great list of 40 healthy recipes using Pumpkin, check out this post HERE from one of my favorite health and wellness sites by Dr.Axe.

I love using the best ingredients for the best flavor. The Trader Joe’s Organic Vermont Maple Syrup and the Organic Bourbon Vanilla Extract are a few of my favorites!

Recipe tips:

-You can also make this gluten-free. I use the Gluten-Free All Purpose Flour from Bob’s Red Mill. If you are making it gluten-free, just remember to mix the batter a little longer and keep your eye on the baking time. It does tend to cook a little faster.

-The great thing about this recipe is you can also make muffins! Just evenly divide the batter among the cupcake pan and top with a layer of the crumble. Finish with the glaze.

-I always grease my glass baking pan and then line with parchment when making a cake like this. It makes cleanup a breeze! I also love to lift it out of the pan using the parchment (when cooled) to slice and drizzle the glaze a little easier.

-If your crumb topping seems too moist just add more flour a tbsp at a time. I find the best crumble is like a lightly wet sand. If you don’t see small and big clumps forming, add more flour. You want those clumps for a great crumble.

-Feel free to substitute out another milk in the glaze. I used heavy cream because it was what I had at the time. Although, the glaze did turn out amazing!

-If you don’t have buttermilk on hand you can make it. For each cup of buttermilk, add 1 tbsp of white vinegar or lemon juice to a 1 cup measuring cup. Then add enough milk to fill the cup. Stir and then let stand for 5 minutes. So for this recipe that needs 1/3 cup buttermilk, you would do 1 tsp (since there are 3 tsp in a tablespoon) vinegar and the rest milk in a 1/3 cup. You can also use plain yogurt as a substitute.

-This cake can be stored at room temperature if serving the same day. After that, I would keep it in the fridge to maintain freshness. Then you can just pull a slice out as needed and let warm to room temp.

Pumpkin crumb cake with vanilla maple glaze

I hope you enjoy this Pumpkin Crumb Cake with Vanilla Maple Glaze as much as we do! It is such a fun thing to make this time of year and it will stand out amongst all the other pumpkin treats. Great to make for a family gathering, a bake sale, or a potluck.

Follow me on Instagram @motivate.educate.repeat and tag me if you try this recipe. You can also use the hashtag #MotivateEducateRepeat. I’d love to see what you come up with. 🙂

If you love this recipe, you are sure to love my Blueberry Oat Bar Recipe. Check it out HERE.

Pumpkin Crumb Cake with Vanilla Maple Glaze

This recipe consists of a pumpkin spice cake topped with a buttery-sweet crumble. The vanilla maple glaze is the perfect finishing touch. This will easily become a Fall favorite!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword applesauce, cake, cinnamon, cloves, coffee cake, crumb cake, nutmeg, pumpkin, pumpkin crumb cake, pumpkin desserts, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin recipes, pumpkin spice

Servings 18

Author Holly Nicolas

Ingredients

PUMPKIN CAKE

2 1/2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
3/4 Cup Brown Sugar
2 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/4 tsp Kosher Salt
2 tsp Ground Cinnamon
1/4 tsp Ground Nutmeg
1/8 tsp Ground Cloves
1 1/2 Cup Pumpkin Purée (not pumpkin pie filling)
1/2 Cup Apple Sauce, unsweetened
1/3 Cup Buttermilk
2 Whole Eggs, Organic if possible
2 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract

CRUMB TOPPING

1 1/2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
1/3 Cup Granulated Sugar
1/3 Cup Brown Sugar
1/4 tsp Kosher Salt
1/4 tsp Ground Cinnamon
1/8 tsp Ground Nutmeg
1/2 Cup Unsalted Butter, melted
2 Tbsp Unsalted Butter, melted

VANILLA MAPLE GLAZE

1 Cup Confectioners Sugar
3 Tbsp Heavy Cream
1 Tbsp Maple Syrup
1/2 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 13x9in glass baking pan. Line with parchment paper. Make sure there is enough parchment paper to cover the sides. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients for the cake (flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves). Whisk to combine.
In a separate medium sized bowl, combine the wet cake ingredients (pumpkin purée, applesauce, buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla).
Slowly add wet ingredients into the dry ingredients in larger mixing bowl, stirring as you go. Mix until just combined. Do not over-mix batter. Pour batter into prepared baking dish and set aside.
For the crumble: In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir to combine. Slowly add in melted butter until well mixed. Mixture should look like slightly wet sand with clumps. If you don’t see 1/2in-1in clumps, add more flour a Tbsp at a time. Mixture will feel slightly dry at this point.
Spread crumble evenly over the top of the cake in your baking dish, breaking it up as needed. Bake on middle rack for 30-35 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. You want the top just slightly golden brown. My oven runs a little hot so mine was done in 25 minutes. Always start with the lower time and add more as needed.
While cake is baking, prepare the glaze. In a small bowl combine confectioners sugar, heavy cream, maple syrup and vanilla. Glaze should be smooth and not too thin.
Once cake is done, allow to cool completely. I wait at least an hour. Once cooled, lift the cake out of the pan carefully using the parchment paper. Cut into desired slices and drizzle your glaze across the top using a fork.
Store at room temperature if serving same day. After that, store in the refrigerator up to 5 days to maintain freshness.