Vegan pumpkin coffee cake with a thick cinnamon swirl, generous pecan crumble and optional maple icing. This cozy cake is full of pumpkin puree and warm spices. It’s perfect for breakfast or dessert, served with a hot cup of coffee or tea, just like my vegan coffee cake!

Vegan pumpkin coffee cake with two slices taken out revealing the cinnamon sugar layer in the middle of the cake.

Ingredients to make pumpkin coffee cake

Flatlay of ingredients for the pumpkin cake.

The full list of ingredient quantities and instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Notes about the ingredients

Light brown sugar and granulated sugar. Light brown sugar provides a cozy depth of flavor whereas granulated sugar ensures the cake isn’t too dense. If you want a refined sugar-free cake, you can use just coconut sugar, however your cake will be darker in color.

Pure pumpkin puree. I’ve tested this recipe with Libby’s canned pumpkin puree and homemade pumpkin puree and they both work wonderfully!

Dairy-free milk. I always prefer using unsweetened soy milk in baking as it provides depth of flavor and tenderness. But any milk will work for example oat milk and almond milk.

Baking powder AND soda to make sure the pumpkin cake is fluffy!

Pumpkin pie spice aka the epitome of Fall flavors! Or, you can use a homemade blend of cinnamon, nutmeg and other warm spices (see the notes of in the recipe card).

Even though this cake is eggless, you don’t need to use a special egg replacer to make it moist, fluffy and intact!

Close up of a slice of vegan pumpkin coffee cake showing thick cinnamon sugar swirl.

Preparing the crumb topping and cinnamon layer

To make the crumble, add all ingredients to a bowl and mix until it is flakey. We’re using softened butter which is soft enough to mix without a fancy pastry cutter, but not melted butter which will make the topping a paste. The final mixture shouldn’t have any chunks of butter or flour.

And the cinnamon sugar mixture is made by mixing brown sugar with cinnamon!

Two image collage of cinnamon sugar mixture and pecan crumb mixture.

Preparing the cake batter

One of the best things about the pumpkin spice cake batter is that it comes together in one large bowl without an electric mixer.

First, mix all the wet ingredients until combined. Then, add the dry ingredients and mix through. The batter is thick but will bake beautifully! Please avoid overmixing the batter as this will result in a denser cake. It’s okay for your batter to be a little lumpy, as long as they aren’t lumps of flour.

Tip: If your flour is slightly lumpy, sift it into your bowl. This will allow the ingredients to mix better.

Four image collage showing how to prepare batter for the pumpkin cake.

Assembling the vegan pumpkin coffee cake

I used an 8-inch round cake pan for this cake, but a classic 8-inch or 9-inch square pan will also work.

Pour half the cake batter into your pan, then smooth the surface. Then, sprinkle the cinnamon sugar on top. It will feel like a lot of cinnamon sugar and this is what we want for a thick gooey swirl!

Next, spoon over the rest of the cake batter. When you smooth the top of the batter, it will stick more to your spoon/spatula than the cinnamon sugar layer. Don’t worry! The trick is to avoid lifting your spoon as much as you can (I usually try to smooth the surface in 2-3 long motions).

Finally, sprinkle your streusel topping on top! Again, it may feel like A LOT, but it adds so much texture to the cake and you won’t regret it.

Four image collage of how to layer the pumpkin cake in the cake pan.

Top baking tip

The crumb topping has a lot of nuts and sugar, so it may brown quickly in your oven. At the 30-minute mark, if your crumb topping is starting to look too golden brown, tent your cake pan with aluminum foil

This traps in the heat and forces the middle of the cake to cook, rather than the outside.

Overhead image of the pumpkin coffee cake, focusing on the maple icing.

Customizing this coffee cake recipe

Can I bake this cake in another cake pan?

This cake will bake well in an 8-inch square cake pan or 9-inch round cake pan. Your cake will be thinner and will bake in less time. I suggest checking your cake at 40-50 minutes.

If you want to make a layer cake, check out my vegan pumpkin cake. Or for a pumpkin loaf, I recommend following my vegan pumpkin bread recipe. You can still use the cinnamon swirl layer and pecan streusel from this recipe! Or for muffins, check out my vegan pumpkin muffins recipe.

Can I use sweet potato instead of pumpkin?

Sweet potato has more starch than pumpkin so the cake will have a different texture. Instead, check out my vegan sweet potato cake recipe.

Can I make this coffee cake gluten-free?

I haven’t tested this recipe with gluten-free flour. However, it may work with a high-quality gluten-free flour such as King Arthur’s measure for measure.

More easy vegan pumpkin recipes

Or check out my apple coffee cake!

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Vegan pumpkin coffee cake with two slices taken out revealing the cinnamon sugar layer in the middle of the cake.
5 from 20 reviews

Vegan Pumpkin Coffee Cake

Vegan pumpkin coffee cake with a thick cinnamon swirl, generous pecan crumble and optional maple icing. This cozy cake is full of pumpkin puree and warm spices. It's perfect for breakfast or dessert, served with a hot cup of coffee or tea, just like my classic vegan coffee cake!

Ingredients

Pecan Crumble

Cinnamon sugar layer

Pumpkin Cake

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 355°F (180°C). Line an 8-inch (20 cm) round springform pan or loose-bottom cake pan with parchment paper.

Crumb topping:

  • Add all the ingredients to a small bowl. Mix with a spoon or your fingertips until all the ingredients are well combined. There shouldn't be any pockets of butter or flour. Set aside.

Cinnamon sugar layer:

  • In a separate bowl, mix the brown sugar and cinnamon until well combined. Set aside.

Prepare the cake:

  • Add the wet ingredients (pumpkin purée, dairy-free milk, oil, sugars, vinegar and vanilla) to a large mixing bowl. Whisk until combined.
  • Add the rest of the ingredients and mix until just combined. It's okay for the batter to have some lumps, as long as they aren't lumps of dry ingredients.

Assemble the pumpkin coffee cake:

  • Pour or scoop half of the pumpkin cake batter into your prepared pan and smooth the surface with a spoon or spatula. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar on top. Pour the remaining batter into the cake pan and smooth the surface. When you smooth the final layer of cake batter, it will refuse to stick to the cinnamon sugar layer. Try to avoid lifting your spoon/spatula as much as possible, and just do what you can.
  • Sprinkle the crumble on top of the cake (there'll be a lot of crumble).
  • Bake the cake for 52-57 minutes. At the 30-minute mark, if the crumble is browning too quickly, tent your cake pan with aluminum foil. The cake is ready when you can insert a toothpick in the center of the cake and it comes out clean.
  • Let the cake rest in the cake pan for 15 minutes then transfer it to a wire rack to cool completely. To serve, dust the top with powdered sugar or drizzle with a simple glaze (see note 3 to make a maple glaze).
  • The cake can be kept at room temperature for 2 days or in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Alternatively, you can freeze the cake for up to 1 month (cut up the cake and store in individual slices for the perfect quick snack). Note that the crumble topping will soften over time.

Notes

  1. To spoon and level your flour, fluff up the flour in its container, use a spoon to add flour to your measuring cup, and level it off with a knife. Using your measuring cup to scoop flour out of the container will pack in too much flour and result in a dense cake. Alternatively, use the gram measurements and an electric kitchen scale for the best results.
  2. To make your own pumpkin spice blend, use 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg, 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger and 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves.
  3. To make a maple icing, mix 1/2 cup (50g) of powdered sugar and 2 tablespoons of maple syrup until smooth. For a vanilla icing, replace the maple syrup with with 1-2 tablespoons of milk. Mix in more sugar for a thicker glaze, or more liquid for a runnier glaze.
Calories: 325kcal, Carbohydrates: 42g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 16g, Sodium: 241mg, Potassium: 106mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 13g, Vitamin A: 3330IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 109mg, Iron: 2mg
Did you Make this Recipe?Rate it & leave your feedback in the comments section below, or tag @rainbownourishments on Instagram and hashtag #rainbownourishments!

This recipe was originally published in 2020 and updated a few times since then with more helpful images.

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