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 vegan coffee cake!
Ingredients to make pumpkin coffee 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!
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!
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.
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.
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.
Customizing this coffee cake recipe
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.
Sweet potato has more starch than pumpkin so the cake will have a different texture. Instead, check out my vegan sweet potato cake recipe.
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
Ingredients
Pecan Crumble
- ½ cup (50g) pecans, or walnuts, chopped (or use an extra or an extra 2 tablespoons / 15g of flour to make nut-free)
- ½ cup (65g) all-purpose plain flour
- ¼ cup (55g) vegan butter, or coconut oil, softened
- 3 tablespoons (40g) packed light brown sugar, or coconut sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Cinnamon sugar layer
- ¼ cup (50g) packed light brown sugar, dark brown sugar or coconut sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
Pumpkin Cake
- 1 cup (200g) pumpkin puree, canned or homemade (not pumpkin pie filling)
- ¾ cup (190g) dairy-free milk
- ⅓ cup (85g) neutral flavored oil
- ⅓ cup (65g) packed light brown sugar
- ⅓ cup (65g) granulated sugar, or more light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar, white vinegar or lemon juice (optional)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, optional
- 2 cups (250g) all-purpose plain flour, spoon and leveled (note 1)
- 3 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice, (note 2 for homemade blend)
- 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ⅛ teapsoon salt, optional
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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
This recipe was originally published in 2020 and updated a few times since then with more helpful images.
This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I may earn a small commission from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you.
Just did this, it was amazing! Thanks 🙂
Hi Karine, aw that’s amazing! Thanks so much 🙂
Hi (:
I made this cake yesterday and I love it. It was the first recipe for a pumpkin cake I have ever made. Though I do have one question. When I made the cake the cinnamon swirl in the middle kind of vanished or was at the bottom of the cake when I cut it. Do you have any idea what I might have done wrong? Or how I could prevent it from happening again?
Thanks though for this recipe, I’ll definitely will do it again <3
Hi Paula, I’m so glad that you enjoyed this cake, especially as it was the first time you baked a pumpkin cake! With the swirl, sometimes it can sink when you pour the second batter in just one spot. The uneven weight of the batter makes the swirl sink in areas. Instead, I like to dollop the batter on top of the cinnamon sugar then spread it. The swirl can disappear for a few reasons, but it can happen if you accidentally mix some of it into the top layer when you smooth it out. Hope that helps!
I made this today again. I used spelt flour, added 10 gms extra milk and baked for 54 minutes. The cake came out perfect. It was sooo good. I did use a kitchen scale for measuring ingredients which makes everything so much easier. Thank you for this wonderful recipe Anthea. I can’t believe I can make these delicious cakes at home.
Hi Amy, aw that’s wonderful! Thanks so much for letting me know how the recipe worked for you. I agree that scales are definitely easier! I hope you enjoy any other cakes that you get to bake, and thanks so much for your lovely feedback 🙂
How come I discovered this cake so late!
Its so quick to make, and is delicious <3
Thank you Anthea for another brilliant recipe that I’ll be using regularly.
Hi Agata, I’m so happy that you loved this cake and that the recipe will be a keeper for you!! Thanks so much for your lovely review 🙂
Lovely recipe! Would it work with gluten free all purpose flour?
Hi Rebecca! I haven’t tested it with gluten-free all-purpose flour so I’m not 100% sure. However, many readers have success using King Arthur’s measure for measure flour with my recipes. Hope that helps!
Hello! I made this today and everyone loved it! its so moist an delicious that is incredible that is vegan! Just one question, how can I replace it to make it Gluten Free?
Hi Barbara, I’m so happy that you and everyone else loved this cake! I haven’t tested it with gluten-free flour, but I’ve had a few readers successfully make my other pumpkin cake recipes with King Arthur’s measure for measure flour. I hope that helps!
Hi Anthea
We have anaphylactic allergy in our house. I would love to try & make this cake as this would work for us. I’m in Australia (in a small country town) & can’t buy canned pumpkin. Should I steam pumpkin & let excess moisture drain away or bake pumpkin? How much weight is in a can? Appreciate your help!
Hi Donna! No worries at all! A can of pumpkin is 425g. I love the flavour of baked pumpkin but honestly, steaming works just as well. Whichever method you use, definitely strain or cook away the excess moisture, as you mentioned! I’ve tested this with steamed pumpkin puree and it works well, as long as the puree is relatively thick. I hope that helps :).
I made this cake using the grams and it was the best pumpkin cake I’ve ever eaten! I used canned pumpkin puree. The cake was fluffy, not too sweet and I loved the crumb topping. Thanks so much!
Oh I’m so happy that you loved this cake! Thanks for your comment 🙂
I made this (using coconut oil & homemade purée) and it came out really heavy and dense. Thought it maybe wasn’t cooked so put it in for longer than the time… ended up with hard outside & still not ‘cake’ textured inside. No idea what I did wrong! Loved the idea, enjoyed making it & house smells nice though!
Hi Kate, oh no! I find that a dense cake is often due to pumpkin puree that’s too runny, older baking powder or if the flour was under or overmeasured. It can even be the result of overmixing! I’m sorry it didn’t work out for you this time but thanks for your feedback!
Made this recipe as soon as I saw it! It comes together quickly and easily and the results are delicious. I made the recipe into muffins so I could share with friends and family- everyone loved them (even the non-vegans!) keep this recipe in your arsenal for breakfast, a baked gift or just a cozy morning at home!
Aw I’m so happy that you all loved this recipe Jessica. It’s music to my ears when non-vegans enjoy vegan cakes! Thanks so much for your support and wonderful feedback! x
Amazing cake, tried only one time but it’s going to reach definitely the top of the list of our favourite cakes. Just will try with a smaller pot to make it come taller. It makes me wanna always keep a pumpkin in my food storage!
What a compliment, I’m so happy this is one of your favourite cakes! And I agree about the pumpkin hahaha. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment!
Excellent cake. We made this wonderful dessert tonight and enjoyed it very much. We made it with the coconut oil and it turned out perfect. Thank you for the recipe.
Aw that’s so wonderful to hear Kathleen and glad you enjoyed it with coconut oil! Thanks so much for your review!!
My two year old and I made this recipe and turned it into mid size muffins! They are soft and fluffy. Not dense. Such an easy recipe to follow – it’s basically easier than any box mix. We baked them for 15 minutes and left them in the greased muffin tin to cool for 10 minutes or so. The crumble topping was delectable and (obviously) my kid’s favorite part. These make my house smell like Fall. Definitely adding these to my regular rotation! ps: read the notes and details, super helpful pointers!
I’m so glad that you enjoyed this as muffins and they were easy enough to bake with a 2 year old! The crumble topping is my favorite part as well :). It’s good to know they only take 15 minutes to bake. Thanks so much for your positive feedback!
Hi,
I really want to try this cake but I am going sugar less these days. Please can you let me know how I can make this a healthy sugar free cake, please?
thank!
Hi! It depends what you mean by sugarless. This cake will work with unrefined coconut sugar and maybe granulated monk fruit sweetener or a granulated stevia blend, though the texture and colour of the final cake will be different. I hope that helps!
Can I use a 9” spring form pan for this cake?
Yes that’s fine! The cake will just bake in less time (check it at maybe 40 minutes).