10/07/2026
🎃 Pumpkin Spice Crumb Cake 🍰
What Goes Into It
For the Streusel
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled, plus softened butter for the pan
2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt or 1/2 teaspoon Morton kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
For the Pumpkin Cake
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt or 1/2 teaspoon Morton kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 large eggs
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons pumpkin purée
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger or 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Powdered sugar, for serving
Making the Cake
Prepare the oven and pan. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter an 8×8-inch baking pan, then line it with parchment paper, leaving enough overhang on the sides to lift the cake out later. Lightly butter the parchment as well.
Start the streusel. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, light brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, and cloves. Break apart any compact pieces of brown sugar as you mix.
Add the melted butter. Pour the slightly cooled melted butter into the dry streusel mixture.
Bring the crumbs together. Stir with a spoon until most of the dry flour streaks disappear. The mixture doesn't need to become perfectly smooth; it should remain crumbly enough to form clusters later.
Set the streusel aside. Leave the mixture at room temperature while you prepare the pumpkin batter. This gives the crumbs a little time to settle and hold together.
Mix the cake's dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon until evenly distributed.
Prepare the pumpkin mixture. In a separate medium bowl, combine the eggs, pumpkin purée, granulated sugar, light brown sugar, vegetable oil, ginger, and vanilla.
Whisk until creamy. Continue whisking until the pumpkin mixture looks smooth and the eggs, sugars, and oil are fully incorporated.
Combine wet and dry. Pour the pumpkin mixture into the bowl of dry ingredients.
Mix gently. Stir just until the batter comes together. A few small lumps are fine, so don't keep mixing in an attempt to make it perfectly smooth.
Fill the pan. Scrape the batter into the prepared baking pan and spread it all the way into the corners. Smooth the surface so the cake bakes evenly underneath the heavy crumb layer.
Form the crumb topping. Take handfuls of the reserved streusel and gently squeeze the mixture together to create large clusters.
Cover the cake. Scatter those streusel clusters evenly over the pumpkin batter. Don't press them down—the crumbs will settle naturally as the cake bakes.
Bake. Place the pan in the oven and bake for 35–40 minutes.
Check the center carefully. Insert a thin knife into the middle of the cake. A few streusel crumbs on the knife are fine, but there shouldn't be any wet pumpkin batter. If you see raw batter, give the cake a little more time.
Cool in the pan. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let the cake cool until the pan itself is no longer hot to the touch.
Lift out the cake. Use the parchment overhang to carefully remove the cake from the pan and place it directly on the wire rack.
Cool completely. Give the cake enough time to reach room temperature before slicing. This helps the soft pumpkin layer settle and makes the thick crumb topping easier to cut cleanly.
Add the finishing touch. Just before serving, lightly dust the top with powdered sugar.
Slice and serve. Cut the cake into 9 larger squares or 12 smaller pieces.
Notes
Fresh or ground ginger both work: Use 1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger for a brighter, sharper ginger flavor or 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger for an easy pantry alternative.
Make it ahead: The cake can be baked 1 day in advance without the powdered sugar. Once completely cool, wrap it tightly and keep it at room temperature, then dust with powdered sugar shortly before serving.
