This cake fast became a family favorite!
Pumpkin Spice Crumb Cake is delicious and easy to make as it uses 1 cake mix to make the cake and the streusel topping. With 7 simple ingredients you’ll bake up this fall favorite in no time!
We use pumpkin and some pumpkin pie spice in the cake – which gives it that delicious taste of fall! This cake can be made a day ahead – it actually becomes more moist as time goes on! It freezes very well too!
The recipe uses 1 cup of pumpkin puree in the recipe instead of the usual oil and water – due to this I use a different mixing method to help create some lightness to the cake. (Sometimes pumpkin can make cakes too dense.)
I also highly recommend sifting your cake mix to remove any lumps. See the “Recipe Notes” below for more thoughts on this.
Pumpkin Spice Crumb Cake
Delicious moist pumpkin spice cake with a crumb streusel topping! This cake uses 1 cake mix to make both the crumb topping and the cake – making it super quick and easy to make!
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Servings: 12
Ingredients
- 1 (15.25) ounce yellow cake mix
- 2/3 cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup pumpkin puree, from can (not pumpkin pie filling)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- non-stick spray
Instructions
- I use my KitchenAid stand mixer with the wire whip beater to mix this cake. For sifting you can use the Sifter+Scale attachment, a hand sifter or sift by tapping through a mesh strainer.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray or grease a 9-inch cake pan.
- Sift* cake mix and measure out 2/3 cup.
- In mixer bowl, combine 2/3 cup cake mix and brown sugar.
- Stir until the cake mix and brown sugar are well combined.
- Drizzle in the melted butter and mix until a crumb texture forms. Remove crumb mixture to a separate bowl.
- Add eggs to mixing bowl (no need to wash) and use wire whip (whisk) to whip eggs for 2 mintues or until lighter in color, slightly thickened and foamy.
- Add vanilla and pumpkin to whipped eggs. Stir gently to combine, stopping to scrape the bowl part-way.
- Stir pumpkin pie spice into the remaining cake mix.
- Gradually add cake mix to egg mixture and gently mix until just combined, stopping to scrape the bowl part-way.
- Pour cake batter into prepared baking pan, spread evenly in pan. Top with crumb mixture. (Sometimes I'll squeeze the crumb mixture in my hands to make some larger crumbs.)
- Bake for 20-25 minutes (depending upon oven and baking pan) or until the center is set. You can check with a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake, it should come out clean.
- Let cake cool and serve.
Notes
Why Sift the Cake Mix?
We are replacing the water and the oil typically used to mix a cake mix with much thicker pumpkin – which makes a thicker batter. I found when I don’t sift the cake mix there are some unmixed little lumps of cake mix that remain in the finished cake. Also, we are using a different method to mix this cake (than your typical cake mix). We’re using a whisk to whip the eggs to create some volume in them. This is to help create some lightness to the cake since we’re using heavier pumpkin instead of oil and water. When we add the cake mix to the whipped eggs, we only want to mix enough to combine the mixture, so there won’t be a chance to “beat” out any of the cake mix lumps.Make Ahead:
This cake can be made a day ahead – it actually becomes more moist as time goes on! It freezes very well too!Nutrition (approx. data estimated via online nutritional calculator.)
Calories: 242kcal (12%) | Carbohydrates: 49g (16%) | Protein: 3g (6%) | Fat: 4g (6%) | Saturated Fat: 2g (13%) | Cholesterol: 36mg (12%) | Sodium: 347mg (15%) | Potassium: 90mg (3%) | Fiber: 1g (4%) | Sugar: 31g (34%) | Vitamin A: 3281IU (66%) | Vitamin C: 1mg (1%) | Calcium: 113mg (11%) | Iron: 1mg (6%)
Tried this recipe?Share it! Tag @epicuricloud – Please Leave A Comment & Rating Below! TY!
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Cake was delicious and very moist. But the crumb top did not adhere to the cake at all. It fell off as I removed it from the pan and even when I sliced it in the pan. I followed the recipe to a T.
Hi Dee! Thanks for the message – glad the cake was delicious and moist! I’m not sure what happened with your crumbs? You used 2 tablespoons butter with the crumbs? What did they look like after you mixed them? moist crumbs about the size of green peas? I’m sure you did this but you added them before baking the cake correct? Trying to help troubleshoot as I have even turned out the cooled cake upside down on parchment to freeze it. A few crumbs come off, but most are stuck right on.
Hi Tina, yes I followed all those steps. I used the wire whisk attachment to mix it but maybe too much mixing, they came out very fine. Had better luck with cake #2. Everyone loved the cake. Thanks.
Thanks so much Dee, I appreciate the feedback – so helpful to see where I need to clarify something! I added to the recipe, that sometimes I’ll squeeze the crumb mixture in my hands while sprinkling on the cake to get some larger crumb pieces. Thank you!
I recently made your recipe for Ciabatta bread. I’m still new at maneuvering yeast dough. I learned one thing for sure, if I want the dough to get on the baking sheet I need a bench scraper or something. I assumed I wasn’t supposed to add flour though it was so sticky and difficult. But the 2 loaves ended up looking a lot like your picture. I don’t think I had as big holes as yours, it wasn’t a very warm day, I may have needed a warmer place to rise or should have left it rising longer. The good news is the taste was wonderful. We ate it with some goulash and it was really good dabbed into our bowls. My next plan is your empanadas for a patio evening with “the girls”. I have one of those hinged gizmo for making turnovers, I’m going to try that. Even when something doesn’t look like my prettiest effort, the taste is just as good. My first Ciabatta bread effort put the second one in the freezer. When it’s gone I’ll try again. I will watch for your cookbook.
Hi Janet – Thanks so much for reaching out! Yes, the Ciabatta dough is a lot more wet and loose than some other bread doughs – definitely made me a little anxious the first time I made it – but it’s oh so tasty!! You can use rectangular pieces of parchment paper to help maneuver the soft, sticky loaves. Yes, a bench knife is super helpful as well! I just saw a giant spatula/bench scraper in the King Arthur flour catalog – may put that on my holiday wish list! Enjoy the empanadas! Take Care!!
Love the homemade taste, but simple ingredients!!
Was so moist and delicious with crunch on the top!
I made cupcakes and the were a hit!
Made about 15 cupcakes baked for 18min.
Thanks so much for letting us know about the cupcake option Diane!!
I have made this recipe twice now! My family absolutely LOVES it! It’s become our new favorite for breakfast. Thank you for such a fast, easy and delicious recipe!
So glad they love it!! YAY!
I just returned from a Pumpkin Fest at church in which I entered this recipe into the recipe contest and won first place! I made it in a springform pan and added 10 extra minutes to the cook time. I also found adding the nuts to the crumb mixture made them set very well into the cake! I saved one piece for myself and now look forward to enjoying it with a cold glass of milk on this beautiful fall evening!
That’s great news – Congratulations!! Enjoy!
I am wanting to try the Pumpkin Spice Crumb Cake but I have a question. What do you mean by Pour cake batter into prepared baking pan?, Is the pan greased and flour or just greased or flour?
Hi Mary – My pan is non-stick, so I just greased it. If your pan is not non stick, you may want to grease and flour or use the baking spray.