Yes, yes, I’m hopping on the pumpkin pie train, but it’s for good reason, with hopefully fairly original output: pumpkin pie coffee cake. This coffee cake is grain-free, super moist, and delicately sweet with a little lively bite from all of the delicious cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger of the pumpkin pie spice.
I love eating this for breakfast lightly toasted with a smear of butter or almond butter—because of the almond flour base, it contains enough protein and fiber to help you avoid a blood sugar crash before lunch.
I’m a little wary of fall this year, to be honest. It’s normally my favorite season (as someone who grew up in California, it’s still a bit of a novelty to me) but last winter was so long and cold and hard on my anxiety that every sign of fall reminds me of the impending short, dark, freezing days. I’m telling myself to embrace the moment—winter isn’t here yet!—and to get excited about the things I have to look forward to this winter (like my book coming out!), but it’s not that easy. If you have any SAD (pre-SAD?) fighting tips, let me know in the comments!!
Pumpkin Pie Coffee Cake (Gluten Free, Grain Free, Refined Sugar Free)
Ingredients
Crumble!
- 1 cup pecans, finely chopped
- ½ cup almond flour
- 1/3 cup coconut sugar
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice (store-bought or homemade, recipe here)
- 1/8 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
- 3 tablespoons avocado oil
Cake!
- 2 cups almond flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 4 eggs
- 2/3 cup coconut sugar
- 2/3 cup canned pumpkin puree
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest (from 1 lemon)
Instructions
- Line a 10 x 5 inch loaf pan with parchment paper, leaving it to hang over the edges a bit.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Mix together all crumble ingredients until a shaggy sand forms.
- Mix together all of the cake ingredients until a smooth batter forms. In a parchment lined loaf pan (definitely line it with parchment—it helps the final outcome a LOT!), add in half the batter. Layer in 1/4 of the crumble topping, then top with remaining half of batter. Top with remaining crumble. Bake for one hour, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
I love it! I forgot to put sugar in the cake batter but that’s no problem at all. It’s a wonderful autumn cake with an amazing smell and taste, and enough sweetness in the topping.
★★★★★
Hi Elske,
So happy you love it!
Xo Liz
Deliciousness!!! Such a fun difference from the pumpkin bread this and that all fall. My daughter helped me and we are in love with the results! Your recipes are always my fave 🙂
Hi Kat,
So happy you were able to enjoy this recipe together!
Xo Liz
This recipe was as easy as it is delicious and pretty! My whole family ate it including my grandpa and not one person even noticed the fact that it sneakily leaves out dairy, grain, and refined sugar! This recipe made my fall ❤️
This recipe came out perfect! thank you Liz
I want to try this recipe. Can anyone tell me how sweet it came out? I adore pumpkin all year round!
★★★★★
I don’t think you’ll find it overly sweet – let me know what you think!
I did these with walnuts and they worked out really well. Thanks =)
★★★★★
Glad you liked! There’s a great base coffee cake recipe in Healthier Together that uses walnuts. Great call.
Yesss this looks amazing Liz! That crumble center! I can only imagine how good this is smothered in almond butter for breakfast:)
This looks delish! The instructions mention maple syrup, but I don’t see it listed in the ingredients. How much maple syrup is used? Thanks!
gah—that was leftover from an older (less delicious) version of the recipe, thank you for bringing it to my attention! There’s no maple syrup—I’ve updated it here to reflect! <3
Thanks for the quick reply! Excited to try this more delicious recipe!