Pumpkin German Crumb Cake | Krümelkuchen

With a buttery shortbread base, spiced pumpkin butter filling, and pecan streusel topping, this German Crumb cake is the perfect fall version of a coffee cake!

What pumpkin should I use?

This recipe uses canned pumpkin puree; however, they can also be made with homemade pumpkin puree. It is important to use just pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie filling as it already has sweetness added to it.

Can this Krümelkuchen be made in advance?

Yes! It doesn’t take too long to make so you could definitely make it the morning of. But, it you would rather sleep in and have breakfast ready, then make it the day before, leave it in the springform pan, cover it with plastic, and place it in the fridge overnight.

Do I have to use pecans?

No! if you are allergic to nuts or just don’t like pecans you can either leave nuts out all together or substitute almonds or hazelnuts in their place.

What if I don’t have a springform pan?

You can also use a metal cake pan for this recipe; however, you may have to slice it and and serve it from the pan as it will be harder to remove. For this recipe, I used a 9″ springform pan – a 10″ pan would also work!

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Tips for making Pumpkin Crumb Cake

1. Stir the pumpkin butter continuously while cooking so that none of the sugars start to burn.
2. The dough for the base and the streusel is the same. Be sure to only run the mixer until all ingredients are just combined – you don’t want to over mix it or it will become tough.
3. To get a nice, even base, first add 400 grams of the crumbly dough to the base of the pan. Spread it out evenly and then start to gently pack it down.
4. When crumbling the streusel over the pumpkin layer, try to make sure there aren’t any huge chunks, the streusel bits should be about equal in size.
5. If the top of the streusel begins to get to dark, cover it with foil and then continue baking.

Ingredients

• Pumpkin Puree: As mentioned before, this can be homemade or store bought but it needs to be pure pumpkin and not pumpkin pie filling.
• Pumpkin Pie Spice: You can use store bought pumpkin pie spice or make your own. I like this recipe from Lala’s Kitchen Table!
• Brown sugar: I like to use brown sugar in the pumpkin butter filling because it gives it a warmer flavor. I also like to sprinkle a little extra on top just before baking!
• Vanilla extract: This enhances all of the pumpkin and spice flavors.
• Butter: The butter in the dough/streusel of this recipe helps keep the melt in your mouth texture of the streusel. Just make sure the butter is soft before adding it in.
• Sugar: This recipe uses granulated sugar in the dough/streusel.
• Egg: I use standard large eggs from the store. This recipe uses one egg in the dough.
• All Purpose Flour: Any all purpose flour will work for this! I have not yet tried any other flours with this recipe.
• Baking Powder: Baking powder helps keep the dough a little lighter and more crumbly.

How to make German Crumb Cake

• Preheat the oven to 350 F or 325 F if baking convection. Place one rack in the center of the oven.

Pumpkin Butter Filling

• In a large pan, combine the pumpkin, brown sugar, vanilla extract, and pumpkin pie spice. Place over medium heat and stir constantly. Cook for about 5-6 minutes until it has become a dark orange/brown color and the sugar has dissolved.
• Then pour it into a bowl and set aside.

Make the dough/streusel

• Finely chop the pecans and set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer add in the butter and sugar. Use the paddle attachment to cream them together until light and airy – about 3-4 minutes on medium/high speed.
• Scrape down the sides of the bowl and then add in the egg. Mix again on medium speed until fully combined.
• In a medium bowl, whisk the flour and baking powder together. Add the dry ingredients in with the wet ingredients all at once and mix until just combined. It should be a crumbly mixture.

Assemble & Bake

• Lightly grease a 9″ springform pan.
• Pour about 400 grams of the dough mixture in the springform pan. Gently press it down into an even layer.
• Mix the chopped pecans in with the remaining dough.
• Pour the pumpkin butter over the base and then crumble the streusel on top. To get larger chunks of streusel, squish some of it together in your hands and then crumble it over the pumpkin.
• Bake on the middle rack of the preheated oven for 40-45 minutes. Rotate the pan after 25 minutes if not baking on convection.
• Once baked, remove from the oven and leave to cool on a wire cooling rack for 10 minutes before releasing the spring form and serving.

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