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Pumpkin Breakfast Cake with Pecan Crumble

5 from 10 votes

Pumpkin Breakfast Cake with Pecan Crumble. A memorable and simple cake with a tender, moist crumb & crunchy sweet crumble top

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Pumpkin Breakfast Cake with a crunchy pecan crumble topping

A sliced pumpkin cake on a cake stand with pecans

 

The reviews are in… everybody LOVES this Pumpkin Breakfast Cake and we bet you will too!

It’s October, and that means it’s pumpkin season. I am so ready, because I love to cook and bake with pumpkin, and create recipes like this Pumpkin Breakfast Cake with Pecan Crumble.

All our “breakfast cakes” are great for breakfast, brunch, lunch, afternoon tea, as a light dessert or a midnight snack. With a wonderful soft, moist crumb and a crunchy, sweet crumble top, you and your guests will remember this cake long after it disappears.

Even the folks that don’t usually go all mushy with praise have fallen in love with this cake, and asked for more. We have several different groups of taste-testers: family members, co-workers, neighbors, and drop-in guests. We’ve received enthusiastic thumbs up from everyone across the board. Many commented about how much they love the delicious pecan crumble topping.

Our fire-fighting, obstacle race-running son, who’s usually not a pumpkin lover, even texted his approval noting “that’s pretty freaking good!” He’s often my toughest critic so I feel pretty happy about that feedback.

A round single layer pumpkin cake topped with chopped pecans

What is a breakfast cake?

If you’ve followed SRFD for very long, you’ve probably noticed that I have a thing for simple, lightly sweet seasonal cakes that are perfect with coffee in the morning, tea in the afternoon, or anytime really. Breakfast cakes are made with less sugar than most other cakes, but still have a nice hint of sweetness from fresh fruit or crumble tops. Not as sweet as doughnuts or coffee cakes, our breakfast cakes are easy to make. They can be served slightly warm or at room temperature, and keep well for several days.

This is the kind of treat you’d expect to find at a lovely Bed & Breakfast or Sunday brunch. Weekend baking is a pleasure and this is the kind of treat you’ll want to try next time the family is lingering around the house.

An overhead view of a sliced Pumpkin Breakfast Cake with pecan crumble topping on a cake plate

Pumpkin puree is a natural base for this pumpkin breakfast cake.

Pumpkin lends moisture, color and flavor – the big three! And for icing on the cake (so to speak) the toasty pecans have delicious caramel notes from the butter and brown sugar. This is simple cake perfection with autumnal flavors and plenty of spice.

A sliced Pumpkin Breakfast Cake on a cake plate topped with a sweet Pecan Crumble

Loaded with pumpkin pie spice in both the cake and crumble top, the warm flavors of fall really shine.

If you don’t have pumpkin pie spice on hand in your pantry, you can easily make your own with ground cinnamon, allspice and ginger. I’ve included the directions for homemade pumpkin pie spice in the notes section of the printable recipe card. No worries!

A slice of Pumpkin Breakfast Cake topped with a sweet Pecan Crumble

This cake is very easy to make and you don’t even need a mixer!

You probably have everything you need right in your pantry. If you don’t have a springform pan, it will bake up nicely in a square baking pan too. Well tested and perfected, this is the cake you’ll want to make throughout the season.

A closeup of a partially eaten slice of Pumpkin Breakfast Cake on a plate

The moist, well spiced, tender pumpkin cake and the crunchy, toasted pecan crumble is a match made in pumpkin heaven! Enjoy 🙂

Thanks for PINNING!

A sliced pumpkin breakfast cake on wooden cake plate with a pecan crumble topping

Pumpkin Breakfast Cake with Pecan Crumble

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Yield: 8 slices
Course: Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert
Author: Tricia
Pin RecipePrint RecipeRate Recipe
5 from 10 votes
With a wonderful soft, moist crumb and a crunchy, sweet crumble top, you and your guests will remember this cake long after it disappears.

Ingredients

For the pecan crumble:

  • ⅓ cup chopped pecans
  • 2 ½ tablespoons light brown sugar lightly packed
  • 1 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter melted
  • ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice or ground cinnamon

For the breakfast cake:

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¾ cup granulated sugar
  • 2 ½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
  • 2 large eggs lightly beaten
  • 1 cup canned pumpkin puree (not pie filling)
  • ½ cup unsalted butter melted and cooled
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ⅓ cup whole milk

Instructions

To make the pecan crumble:

  • In a small bowl stir the pecans, brown sugar, flour, butter, and pumpkin pie spice together until well combined. Refrigerate until needed.

To make the breakfast cake:

  • Preheat oven to 325°F. Turn the base of an 8-inch springform pan upside down so you can easily slide the cake off. Lightly spray the pan with vegetable cooking spray. Line the bottom with a round piece of parchment paper. Set aside.
  • In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, granulated sugar and pumpkin pie spice. Make a well in the center and set aside.
  • In a small mixing bowl lightly whisk the eggs. Add the pumpkin puree, melted cooled butter, vanilla and milk. Fold together with a rubber spatula until blended.
  • Pour the pumpkin mixture into the flour mixture and fold together with a spatula until the flour is incorporated. The batter will be thick.
  • Gently scoop the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with an off-set spatula or back of a spoon. Set the cake aside and allow it to rest for 10-15 minutes before baking. This step helps give it some loft and puffiness. When ready to bake, top with pecan crumble.
  • Bake at 325°F until a wooden skewer comes out with clean, about 55-60 minutes. Tent with foil after 30-minutes to prevent over-browning of the pecan topping.
  • Allow the cake to cool on a rack for 30 minutes before removing the sides of the pan. Slide onto a serving plate, cut into wedges and enjoy slightly warm or cooled. Store leftovers in a sealed container at room temperature for a day or two, or refrigerate for longer storage.

Recipe Notes

  • To make your own pumpkin pie spice combine 2 teaspoons cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon allspice and 1/4 teaspoon ginger.
  • If you don’t have a springform pan, you can bake this cake in a 9-inch square pan or a 9-inch springform pan. Reduce the baking time to 40-50 minutes and increase the temperature to 350F. You can also use a high-sided 9-inch layer cake pan but for easy removal I recommend the springform pan. I use a dark, non-stick springform pan for this recipe.
  • Freeze leftover canned pumpkin in an airtight container for up to a month.
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. When multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.

Nutrition

Calories: 387kcal | Carbohydrates: 52g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 76mg | Sodium: 338mg | Potassium: 160mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 24g | Vitamin A: 5245IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 119mg | Iron: 3mg

For another easy pumpkin inspired recipe, try this Pumpkin Dump Cake, made with just 3 ingredients!

Here’s a few more of our breakfast cake recipes you might like:

A slice of blueberry breakfast cake with a cup of coffee

Blueberry Breakfast Cake – This luscious cake is a deliciously moist, lightly sweet “coffee” cake bursting with juicy ripe blueberries and a hint of lemon.

A slice of raspberry ricotta breakfast cake

Raspberry Ricotta Breakfast Cake – A deliciously moist and fluffy, berry-streaked breakfast cake perfect anytime! Made with frozen raspberries so it’s easy to make all year long.

The addition of ricotta adds a creamy tanginess to this cake along with incredible texture. A must try for raspberry lovers.

Cranberry Almond Breakfast Cake with sugared cranberries on tp

Cranberry Almond Breakfast Cake – Are you having out-of-town company for the holidays?  Do you have every bedroom, nook and cranny filled with your favorite relatives?  Sounds like fun!

But I think you’re going to need this recipe because it’s perfect as a breakfast (coffee) cake, snack cake, light dessert after lunch or even a midnight nibble.

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32 Comments

    • Tricia Buice

      Hi Catherine. I checked the recipe again and it seems to be correct. There is pumpkin spice in both the topping and the cake batter, so I listed each amount under the heading for those components. I also checked the directions and it seems to be correct there too. Please let me know if I misunderstood!

      Reply

    • Tricia Buice

      Hi Ronda. Yes you can double it and make it in a 9×13-inch pan but I have not tried it in a Bundt Pan. I think it would be fine. Let us know if you give it a try! Thanks for the great question 🙂

      Reply

      • May Tie

        Just made this cake and it turned out quite dense. Is it supposed to be like that ? Not sure whether it was bcos I didnt have enough baking powder (only had half theamout)

      • Tricia Buice

        Hi May. Sorry you had trouble. The baking powder is the only thing I can think of unless there was too much flour added. This cake really is light as you can see from the video. Maybe over-baked as well or a combination of all those thing?

  7. John / Kitchen Riffs

    Pecan crumble?!! Sign me up! I’d put it on everything, but it’s particularly nice with this wonderful looking pumpkin cake. I’m all for cake in the morning, and this is perfect — not at all over-the-top. Sophisticated, you might say. Good stuff — thanks.

    Reply

  9. mimi rippee

    This looks wonderful – I’m printing it! It would be perfect for munching around Thanksgiving. My daughter is coming home with her new boyfriend. we’re so excited!

    Reply

    • Tricia Buice

      Thanks so much Mimi! I know you must be over the moon excited about your daughter coming home – and with a new guy too – very special indeed! You’re going to love this cake – it is fantastic! Thanks again and have a wonderful holiday.

      Reply