Monday, October 22, 2012

Cinnamon Swirl Pumpkin Coffee Cake

It's no secret that I like to bake. But sometimes when I hit the net to check out recipes, I recoil in horror. 1/2 pound of butter is bad enough, but it's so often followed by 1 cup of sour cream. Yikes! That's a lot for a 9 x 9 coffee cake. Now, I admit that there are times, holidays and birthdays for instance, when I throw all good sense to the wind and cook super rich food. 1/2 a pound of butter is necessary for some cakes, but they're usually big cakes!

I couldn't find anything that was quite what I had in mind today, so I gave up and made up my own Cinnamon Swirl Pumpkin Coffee Cake recipe. Pumpkin makes for nicely moist cakes and breads, so this has a very pleasant crumb. It's not diet by any means and certainly contains a lot of sugar, but I decided to use 1/2 cup of olive oil instead of butter. And surprisingly, it's not overly sweet!

It's almost a dump cake. Simple to make and requires no frosting. If you hate pumpkin, substitute apple sauce. Pour yourself a steaming cup of coffee, enjoy a piece of Pumpkin Coffee Cake, and read a mystery! Ahhh, doesn't get much better than that.

Cinnamon Swirl Pumpkin Coffee Cake

1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup regular sugar
3/4 cup mashed pumpkin

SWIRL:
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour a 9 x 9 baking pan.

Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and 1 teaspoon cinnamon in a bowl and stir with a fork to mix. Set aside.

Beat the eggs, and add the vegetable oil, the sugar and 1/2 cup dark brown sugar, and then the pumpkin. Slowly add the flour mixture until well blended, scraping the sides of the mixer as necessary.

Combine the 1/2 cup dark brown sugar with 2 teaspoons of cinnamon.

Pour half the batter into the prepared pan. Cover with the cinnamon sugar swirl mixture.


Pour the remaining batter over top and spread. Twist a knife through the batter in a curly pattern, taking care not to over-mix.


 

Bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.




13 comments:

  1. A piece of this would go so well with my coffee right now!

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  2. Sending you a cyber-piece right now, Peg! It's a nice breakfast!

    ~ Krista

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  3. Oooh, Krista, I love pumpkin and cinnamon. Yum. This sounds like pumpkin pie without the crust - almost. Lovely. I'll make it GF and let you know how it is. :) And I'll read a good book, too. I follow orders well. :)

    ~Daryl aka Avery

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  4. It's not quite as pumpkin-y as pumpkin pie, but the flavors are definitely there. I'm sure a lot of people would appreciate a GF version. Make sure that book is a mystery!

    ~ Krista

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  5. Looks delicious-and easy! Instead of fresh mashed pumpkin-can you use it from the can...not the spiced kind, just the regular pumpkin (which I give my dog to keep him regular!).

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    1. Actually, I used canned pumpkin. And I feed it to my dogs, too! Mostly to the little one. It fills her up and helps her lose weight. I should eat more of it!

      ~ Krista

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  6. Looks delicious Krista - thanks for sharing your creation with us. And Avery/Daryl - I'd love to know a gluten-free version too!

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  7. Thanks, Betsy! I'm enjoying it a bit too much! Must take some over to my mom before it's gone!

    ~ Krista

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  8. Beautiful! Send a piece over right now...I just put the coffee on! :) ~ Cleo

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  9. Yum! I love using pumpkin as a substitute for the "fat" in baking. I used to make the "all bran" fiber muffins ... the recipe calls for applesauce, but sometimes I'd switch it up and use either mashed banana or canned pumpkin. Such a tasty and healthy solution!

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  10. Used to make? Did you grow tired of them?

    ~ Krista

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  11. Krista, I revamped your already delicious recipe for those who have a sugar/wheat free diet and posted it on Facebook. It was so delish! Thank you so much. Now I am dying to try the pumpkin cornmeal cake.

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