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Pumpkin Crunch Cake

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I am soooo loving this October & November!  The weather has been gorgeous here in Bucks County, Pennsylvania and the local pumpkin crop is stellar.  That may be the reason that my family and I seem to be having a pumpkin something almost daily.  Or maybe its just because we look forward all year to Fall and the pumpkin delicacies we can enjoy!

I had been thinking about a cake or pound cake flavored with pumpkin for a couple of weeks and the word ‘crunch” was popping into my head whenever I thought about it.  So I tinkered and tinkered until I got it where I wanted it.  In my first attempt, I grabbed a bundt pan.  I’m not sure what I was thinking since the crunch was on top, so getting that cake out of the pan, then flipping it was a feat for sure…not so smart especially since this cake is so moist and heavy from all of the pumpkin. Miraculously it didn’t break apart, but I knew that was not the way to go!

This cake is SO moist and explodes with pumpkin flavor, it reminds me of something but what that something is, I just can’t figure out.  I can vaguely remember a boxed cake when I was a kid that said it had pudding in it, that might be what this reminds me of, it’s so moist and dense.  My husband and my sister especially were crazy for this cake, they begged me to stop making it (since I made it 3 days in a row to get it right) so they could stop eating it, they couldn’t control themselves!

If you are into nuts, feel free to add some chopped pecans in for extra crunch, my kids are allergic so no nuts for us. Initially, I envisioned a pumpkin-flavored drizzle over-top the cake but trust me, it doesn’t need it.

If you want a showstopper of a recipe that is not only a dessert…its a history lesson…Try my “The Original Pumpkin Pie…The Way The pilgrims Made It” This may just become a new Thanksgiving tradition in your home! You see the pilgrims did not have flour, so this is close to what they did…Check it out! 
The Original Pumpkin Pie the way the Pilgrims made it

If you’re looking for more pumpkin love, here are some of my favorites:

Pumpkin Pie Shooters
Thanksgiving  Pumpkin Parfait Dessert Bar
Pumpkin Pie Cinnamon Roll Cookies
Spiced Pumpkin Bread Pudding With Maple Glaze
Easy Baked Pumpkin Donuts

Hope you love this one as much as I do!

Print Recipe
5 from 1 vote

Pumpkin Crunch Cake

This recipe for Pumpkin Crunch Cake will wow your family and friends! It's moist and full of flavor. This recipe is a keeper!
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 456kcal
Author: Colleen Kennedy

Ingredients

  • Cake
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 4 oz butter room temp
  • 2 cups )16 oz) fresh roasted pumpkin or pumpkin puree not pie from a can
  • 1/4 cup vanilla yogurt
  • 1 TBS vanilla
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 1/2 TBS pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 TBS baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • Crunch Topping Mixture
  • 3/4 cup toffee bits
  • 3/4 cup cinnamon chips
  • 1/2 cup Quaker Oats Oatmeal
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 4 TBS butter

Instructions

  • In your mixing bowl, combine sugar, butter, pumpkin, yogurt & vanilla and mix until blended.  Add in the yolks and mix until incorporated.  In a small bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients, then pour them into your wet mixture and mix until fully incorporated.  Set aside.
  • In a small mixing bowl, combine toffee bits (made by Heath), cinnamon chips (made by Hershey's), oatmeal and brown sugar.  Work it together with your fingertips, then add in the butter and mix it in with a pastry cutter or your fingertips until its crumbly and worked in.
  • Spray/grease a springform pan and place half the batter in it, scatter 1/2 of the crunch mixture over-top.  Place the rest of the batter in and repeat with the remaining crumb mixture.
  • Bake at 350 degrees 50-65 minutes or until a tester inserted comes out clean and dry.  Cover your cake lightly with foil after 30 minutes.
  • Colleen's Notes:  My favorite way to make the topping was by using 2 packets of an organic snicker doodle oatmeal I had on-hand instead of straight up oatmeal.  Feel free to try something like that if you have packets of some sort you feel will go well in your pantry.  If not the oatmeal works just fine.
  • IF you can not find the cinnamon chips or toffee chips, don't worry just combine 1 1/2 cups plain uncooked oatmeal (I use Quaker Oats), 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp nutmeg, a pinch or 2 of salt and 6 TBS butter and mix with a pastry cutter, fork or your fingers until crumbly, coat the top of the cake mixture with that and pop it into the oven.
  • If you want a less dense cake (however I think this is what makes this cake so good), only use 8 oz of pumpkin.  If you need to make Pumpkin Pie Spice, my Little Chef shows you how to here. If you need to know how to roast a pumpkin, again my 9 year old has your back!

Nutrition

Serving: 12g | Calories: 456kcal | Carbohydrates: 63g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Cholesterol: 68mg | Sodium: 328mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 42g

 

 

 

 

Reader Interactions

Comments

  8. Kirsten/ComfortablyDomestic says

    Oh. Yeah! My family is allergic to nuts as well, so I am super excited to see a crunch cake that doesn't get the crunch from nuts! I have a ton of pumpkin puree in the freezer and a fresh batch of toffee on the counter. Hello, breakfast!

    Reply

  10. Carol at Wild Goose Tea says

    Well I am not going to try the bundt pan. I love the idea of the snickerdoodle oatmeal. I didn't even know about it. I was a believer with just the photo. Heavy and rich—-I have my coffee cup. Now I want a slice of cake, please.

    Reply

  11. Shellina says

    This cake looks amazing. I can’t wait to try it. I’m just wondering if this cake could be made in a 9×13 pan with the recipe as is or would I have to adjust it for a larger pan. Thanks so much.

    Reply

    • Colleen says

      Hi Molly, I updated the recipe so you can easily print it out. This is SO good! Just made it last weekend and took it camping. Everyone loved it. Enjoy!

      Reply

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