Wake up to lovely autumn flavors with this Pumpkin Gingerbread Coffee Cake!
It’s beautiful to behold, and beautiful upon the tongue, too.
This isn’t a straightforward pumpkin cake. The gingerbread flavor is what comes across foremost–that molasses with a warm combination of spices–with the pumpkin flavor underlying it all.
The pumpkin, of course, also permeates the cake with a moist, tender crumb. The crumb topping has all of the spices and acts in lovely contrast (in coloration and flavor) to the cake beneath.
Oh yes, and the dried cranberries sprinkled throughout add little nuggets of tartness with a different kind of chewy texture. I bet this would be great with dried blueberries or cherries, too.
This cake would be incredible for a dessert, snack, and especially as a breakfast–especially on a special occasion like Halloween and Thanksgiving morning.
Greatly modified from original recipe in Fall Baking 2016 by Better Homes & Gardens.
Bready or Not Original: Pumpkin-Gingerbread Coffee Cake
Equipment
- 9x9 or 8x8 square pan
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup white whole wheat flour or whole wheat flour
- 1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
- 1 cup white sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter 1 1/2 sticks, softened
- 15 ounces pumpkin puree
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 1/2 cup molasses
- 1/3 cup buttermilk or sour milk
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 cup dried cranberries
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Line pan with foil and apply butter or nonstick spray.
- In a large bowl, combine both flours, cornmeal, sugar, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and pepper. Cut in the butter to form coarse crumbs. Measure out 1 cup of the mixture; set aside to use as topping.
- In another bowl, mix together the pumpkin, eggs, molasses, and baking soda. Stir together the dry and wet ingredients, then fold in the dried cranberries.
- Spread batter in prepared pan. Sprinkle reserved crumb topping over entire surface.
- Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, until the center passes the toothpick test. Completely cool at room temperature. Slice within pan, or use foil to lift onto cutting board.
