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Sourdough Pumpkin Coffee Cake

This Sourdough Pumpkin Coffee Cake is what fall morning dreams are made of. It’s tall, soft, and full of real pumpkin and warm fall spices, with a thick cinnamon sugar ripple running through the center and a buttery brown sugar crumble piled on top. A drizzle of maple icing is the perfect finishing touch.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Servings 9

Ingredients
  

Pumpkin Cake:

  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • ¼ (60g) cup sour cream or full-fat Greek yogurt
  • ½ (120g) cup sourdough discard
  • 1½ tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 (270g) cup pumpkin purée
  • ½ (120g) cup avocado oil or neutral oil
  • ¾ (150g) cup granulated white sugar
  • ⅓ (70g) cup brown sugar
  • 2¾ (345g) cups all-purpose flour
  • 2½ tsp ground cinnamon
  • ¾ tsp ground ginger (you can swap the ginger, nutmeg, and cardamom for 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice)
  • ½ tsp ground nutmeg
  • ⅛ tsp ground cardamom
  • 2½ tsp baking powder
  • ¾ tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp fine sea salt

Sourdough Discard Swap:

  • 1/4 (60g) cup whole milk
  • 1/2 (60g) cup all-purpose flour

Cinnamon Sugar Ripple:

  • ¼ (50g) cup brown sugar
  • ¼ (50g) cup granulated white sugar
  • 1½ Tbsp ground cinnamon
  • 1½ (12g) Tbsp all-purpose flour
  • ½ tsp ground ginger (you can swap the ginger and nutmeg for 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice)
  • ½ tsp ground nutmeg
  • ¼ tsp fine sea salt

Brown Sugar Crumble:

  • 1 (120g) cup all-purpose flour
  • ⅓ (65g) cup granulated white sugar
  • ½ (100g) cup brown sugar
  • 6 (85g) Tbsp salted butter melted
  • 1½ tsp ground cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp ground ginger (you can swap the ginger and nutmeg for 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice)
  • ¼ tsp ground nutmeg

Maple Icing:

  • 1¼ (150g) cups powdered sugar sifted
  • 2 (30g) Tbsp pure maple syrup
  • 1 tsp maple extract optional
  • ½ tsp vanilla extract
  • 1-2 Tbsp cream or half and half

Instructions
 

Step 1: Mix the Batter

  • In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, egg yolk, sour cream, sourdough discard, white sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, pumpkin purée, and oil until smooth.
    2 large eggs, 1 large egg yolk, ¼ (60g) cup sour cream, ½ (120g) cup sourdough discard, 1½ tsp vanilla extract, 1 (270g) cup pumpkin purée, ¾ (150g) cup granulated white sugar, ⅓ (70g) cup brown sugar, ½ (120g) cup avocado oil
  • Sourdough Discard Swap: If you want to make this cake without sourdough discard, add the milk to the wet ingredients above and the extra flour to the dry ingredients below.
    1/4 (60g) cup whole milk , 1/2 (60g) cup all-purpose flour
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cardamom, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
    2¾ (345g) cups all-purpose flour, 2½ tsp ground cinnamon, ¾ tsp ground ginger, ½ tsp ground nutmeg, ⅛ tsp ground cardamom, 2½ tsp baking powder, ¾ tsp baking soda, 1 tsp fine sea salt
  • Add the dry ingredients to the wet, and gently combine everything until no streaks of flour remain. Do not overmix or the batter will become tough.
  • Optional Overnight Fermentation: Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 8–12 hours for added fermentation benefits.

Step 2: Make the Ripple and Crumble

  • Continued Overnight Fermentation: If you fermented the batter overnight, remove from the refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature for an hour to soften the batter.
  • To make the crumble topping, add the butter to a microwave safe bowl and melt it.
    6 (85g) Tbsp salted butter
  • Add the white sugar, brown sugar, flour, ground cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt to the melted butter. Using a fork or a spoon, combine the crumble mixture until it's clumpy and crumbly. Set aside for later.
    1 (120g) cup all-purpose flour, ⅓ (65g) cup granulated white sugar, ½ (100g) cup brown sugar, 1½ tsp ground cinnamon, ¼ tsp ground ginger, ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
  • In another bowl, add the white sugar, brown sugar, ground cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and flour. Gently mix to combine all of the ingredients for the ripple and set aside for later.
    ¼ (50g) cup brown sugar, ¼ (50g) cup granulated white sugar, 1½ Tbsp ground cinnamon, 1½ (12g) Tbsp all-purpose flour, ½ tsp ground ginger, ½ tsp ground nutmeg, ¼ tsp fine sea salt

Step 3: Assemble and Bake the Cake

  • Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line your 9x9 cake pan with parchment paper and leave some overhang (this helps to remove the cake easily), and spray lightly with cooking oil.
  • Scoop half of the cake batter into the cake pan, and gently use a spatula spread the batter to the edges to make sure the bottom of the cake pan is covered with the batter.
  • Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar ripple layer evenly over the top of the cake batter. Make sure the layer meets the edges of the pan for an even cake.
  • Scoop the rest of the cake batter on top of the cinnamon sugar ripple layer, and use a spatula to spread the batter to meet the edges of the pan.
  • Sprinkle the crumble evenly over the top of the cake, making sure to cover the edges.
  • Transfer the cake to the preheated oven. You'll want to check the center with a toothpick around 40 minutes, and bake the cake until a toothpick comes out clean with just a few loose crumbs. This cake typically needs 60-70 minutes of bake time to fully cook the center as the cake is taller and more dense.
  • Remove the cake from the oven as soon as it's finished baking, and allow it to cool completely before glazing.

Step 4: Glaze the Coffee Cake

  • In a small bowl, add the sifted powdered sugar, maple syrup, maple extract if using, vanilla extract, and 1 Tablespoon of the cream or half and half.
    1¼ (150g) cups powdered sugar, 2 (30g) Tbsp pure maple syrup, ½ tsp vanilla extract, 1 tsp maple extract
  • Start to whisk the glaze and bring it together, and add the cream or half and half one teaspoon at a time while you're whisking until the glaze has reached you're desired consistency.
    1-2 Tbsp cream
  • You want the glaze to still be thick, but able to slowly run off the spoon.
  • Drizzle the glaze over the top of the cooled coffee cake. Allow the glaze to set up for about 15-20 minutes before slicing and serving!
  • Yields 1 9x9 cake

Notes

How to Store:
Room temperature: Store on the counter in an airtight container up to 4 days.
Freezer: Store in the freezer in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks. Gently thaw on the counter and reheat gently in the microwave at 15 second intervals or in the oven at 350 F until cake is warmed.

Nutrition

Serving: 1sliceCalories: 670kcalCarbohydrates: 103gProtein: 8gFat: 25g
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