This chewy pumpkin crumb cake with a vanilla glaze is the ultimate treat for fall and winter. Each bite is moist and chewy, with a cozy pumpkin flavor that’s perfect for the season. The crunchy crumble topping adds a hint of sweetness, while the smooth vanilla glaze ties everything together. Picture yourself wrapped in a fluffy blanket, slicing into this comforting dessert on a chilly autumn day by the warm glow of a fireplace.
I’ve never been a big fan of pumpkin desserts, but lately, I’ve been experimenting with pumpkin-flavored sweets—and I’m officially converted.
If you also love pumpkin, you might enjoy my pumpkin scones or pumpkin overnight oats.
This pumpkin cake strikes a perfect balance, with warm cinnamon and pumpkin spice notes that don’t overpower. The inspiration came from a pumpkin coffee cake with vanilla glaze I tried at a local coffee shop, which was so delicious I knew I had to make my own version.
I created this pumpkin cake with a crumble topping, and it’s dairy-free, gluten-free, and free of refined sugars.
For the crumble, I usually use dairy-free butter or coconut oil to get those chunky, crumbly pieces. But when I ran out, I tried olive oil instead. Olive oil has a strong flavor, so if you’re looking for something more neutral, avocado oil works well too.
Surprisingly, it’s actually very easy to make a crumble with a liquid oil—no pastry cutter needed! Just pour the oil in, mix, and you’re done.
It’s quick, simple, and perfect for this delicious, comforting cake.
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Ingredients
All of the ingredients are dairy-free, gluten-free, and refined sugar free.
- pumpkin puree
- almond flour
- date sugar
- maple syrup
- vanilla extract
- salt
- baking powder
- cinnamon
- pumpkin pie spice mix
- eggs
- pecans
- olive oil
See recipe card for quantities.
How to make Pumpkin Crumb Cake
This delicious pumpkin dessert comes together quickly as there are three separate layers to the dessert.
- Step 1: To start, prepare the cake batter by preheating your oven to 350°F.
- Step 2: In a bowl, mix together all the wet ingredients.
- Step 3: In a separate bowl, mix together your dry ingredients.
- Step 4: Then add the dry ingredients and combine until smooth.
Step 5: Fold in the chopped pecans—they add a wonderful texture and a hint of crunch. Once the batter is ready, pour it into a parchment-lined bread pan.
Step 6: Next, make the crumble topping by mixing all the crumble ingredients in a bowl until it forms large chunks.
Step 7: Sprinkle the crumble evenly over the cake batter.
Step 8: Then place the pan in the oven and bake for about 30 minutes.
Step 9: While the cake bakes, prepare the vanilla glaze. Combine monk fruit powdered sugar with a splash of dairy-free creamer until smooth. This nearly zero-calorie glaze is a great alternative to traditional powdered sugar, and since it’s dairy-free, it’s also easier on the stomach.
Step 10: Once the cake is done, let it cool for about 5–10 minutes before adding the glaze. This cooling time helps the glaze set nicely on top instead of melting into the cake. Drizzle the glaze over the top using a spoon, creating lines, or feel free to coat the entire cake.
To serve, lift the cake out of the pan by the parchment paper and place it on a cutting board. Slice into eight squares.
If you like, drizzle a bit more glaze on the cut edges for extra sweetness.
Now, it’s time to enjoy as many squares as you’d like!
Pumpkin Crumb Cake Storage
In terms of storage, I kept the pumpkin crumb cake on the countertop in an airtight container (like this one) on the day that I baked the cake. That night, I put the airtight container inside of the fridge and it kept for three days in the fridge. I would recommend this strategy in order for your cake to remain fresh and delightful each time.
On day two or three if you would like to warm up the cake and serve with ice cream, that is another wonderful way to enjoy this cake. I even added a scoop of yogurt with the cake and added some berries and was in heaven because it was a perfect combination when it came to dessert.
I haven’t tried freezing this cake, but I’m sure if you have a lot of leftovers if you individually wrap each cake in parchment paper and put it into the freezer it can last for a longer time.
Top Tip
This is a wonderful sweet treat for breakfast that you can enjoy with a cup of coffee. I would recommend serving the cake with some extra protein like eggs and bacon and then you have a complete and wonderful winter-themed breakfast.
Another Top Tip
If you double this recipe you can put the cake into an 8 x 8 square dish. I always like to bake in a smaller pan as I am usually recipe testing and that way I can eat the dessert and move onto the next dessert. But if you are cooking for a larger group, then perhaps cooking in an 8×8 or 9×13 will work better for you.
FAQ
Yes! I actually experimented with olive oil instead of the traditional butter or coconut oil to make the crumble. I found great success. Of course, olive oil is quite strong, so you can also use avocado oil instead.
Other desserts to try
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
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📖 Recipe
Pumpkin Crumb Cake with Vanilla Glaze
Ingredients
Cake
- ½ cup pumpkin puree
- 2 eggs
- ¼ cup date sugar
- 1 Tb maple syrup
- 1 Tb olive oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1.25 cups almond flour
- 3 Tb arrowroot powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 Tb pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ tsp salt
- ⅓ cup chopped pecans
Crumble
- ⅓ cup almond flour
- 3 Tb olive oil
- 3 Tb date sugar
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- ½ cup chopped pecans
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Vanilla Icing
- ½ cup monkfruit powdered sugar
- 2-6 Tb almond milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Cake and crumble
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a bread pan with parchment paper.
- Mix your wet ingredients in a bowl. Then mix your wet ingredients in a separate bowl.
- Combine the wet and dry ingredients. Mix until smooth.
- Fold in the chopped pecans.
- Add the batter to the bread pan.
- Make the crumble. Add all of the crumble ingredients into a bowl and mix until crumbs form. Add the crumble on top of the batter.
- Bake for 30-40 minutes.
Vanilla Glaze
- Mix all of the icing ingredients. Glaze on top of the cake AFTER it has cooled down completely. Enjoy!
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