Pumpkin Pie Spiced Coffee Cake

It’s October and that means pumpkin spice everything month. Everyone these days seems to have acquired a love-hate relationship with this dubious fall flavour, and rightfully so. It has become so infused into everything that it has lost some of its cache. I can’t deny the spicy, cinnamon-y sweet taste is pretty great, however I always find myself proceeding with caution with anything that incorporates it into it’s flavour base.

So, when I was looking for something to bake for one of my dearest friends, I was a bit hesitant to go the pumpkin spice route. However, she, like my son, is an October baby, and what I have noticed is that October babies love everything fall… and that includes pumpkin. Therefore, I decided to throw caution to the wind and go for it. I searched around quite a bit before I came across and adapted this recipe from one I found on A Taste of Home. I was skeptical at first, but the results were amazing. It had the perfect creamy texture of pumpkin pie floating between two layers of moist, no-nonsense coffee cake. It was neither too sweet nor too pumpkin-y. It was so good, I have now made it my new fall go-to dessert.

Ingredients

Streusel

1 cup coconut palm sugar (or brown sugar)

1/4 cup flour

2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1/3 cup cold butter

Cake batter

1/2 cup butter

3/4 cup white sugar

3 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 cup sour cream

Pumpkin Filling

1 can pumpkin puree

1 egg

1/3 cup coconut palm sugar (or brown sugar)

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

Preheat oven to 325F. Grease a 13x9 inch pan.

In a bowl make the streusel by combining the coconut palm (or brown) sugar, flour and pumpkin pie spice. Cut in the butter and mix until crumbly. Set aside.

In another bowl make the pumpkin filling by combining the pumpkin puree, egg, sugar and pumpkin pie spice. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl cream the butter and sugar. Beat in eggs, vanilla and sour cream. Combine flour, baking powder and baking soda and add to the creamed mixture. Spread half of the cake batter into the baking pan. Spread half of the streusel mixture on top. Spread all of the pumpkin filling on top of the streusel layer. Add the rest of the cake batter and top with the remaining streusel mixture.

Bake for approximately 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.