One thing I love about October is having pumpkins all around... And they're not only useful for lanterns –although this is probably their coolest use!
Last weekend, I decided to bake a pumpkin coffee cake to celebrate the beauty of October! I must tell you that he almost fainted when he heard I wanted to bake a coffee cake, since he doesn't like coffee at all... But coffee cakes don't have coffee. I mean, they could, but they don't have to. I might be lying to you here, but I think what makes a coffee cake a coffee cake is the delicious crumb-topping on top of the actual cake. And that goes perfectly with a cup of coffee. Or tea. Or anything, really!
I honestly recommend you this recipe. It is absolutely delicious, and super easy to prepare! And it's a great meal for these October days, trust me!
What you'll need
For the cake:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 cup pure pumpkin puree*
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 1/4 milk (I actually used soymilk)
For the crumble-topping:
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup cold unsalted butter (you can use dairy-free butter, if you prefer)
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
You'll also need at least three bowls for the cake, a baking pan (of about 25 cm x 25 cm).
What you should do
Generously spread some butter on the baking pan, and sprinkle some flour on top of it. Set aside, and preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC).
To make the crumb topping, you should mix the flour, sugar, salt and cinnamon in a small bowl. Then add the cold butter, and start breaking it into pieces with a fork. Continue mixing until it looks like bread crumbles.
To make the cake, mix on a large bowl the "dry" ingredients: flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Then, in a separate bowl, mix the sugar with the "wet" ingredients: pumpkin, oil, maple syrup and milk. Make sure you combine them well. Now pour the wet ingredients into the dry ones, and mix. Try not to overmix them, since the batter might become too thick and hard to handle.
Pour the cake mixture on the baking pan, and spread to make an even surface. Then pour the crumble topping on top, and press it lightly with your fingers, to "stick" it to the cake. Now bake for 30-35 minutes, until you can insert a toothpick and it comes out clean (with only a couple wet crumbles, maybe).
And now you're ready to enjoy! You can eat it just-baked, or wait until it cools down... You can have it with some coffee, some tea or, if you really love pumpkin, maybe even with some pumpkin-spice latte. You choose!
Happy eating,
Photography: Laura Beltran-Rubio
