Pumpkin Cream Cheese Crumb Cake
Pumpkin crumb cake with a cream cheese filling in the center. This Pumpkin Cream Cheese Crumb Cake is perfect for breakfast or dessert!
Ever since I made these pumpkin cupcakes with cream cheese frosting, I’ve been thinking of new ways to combine pumpkin and cream cheese again. This past weekend, I had plans to make a pumpkin crumb cake, but I felt like it needed something else. I remembered a few readers mentioning how much they loved the cream cheese filling in these zucchini muffins and then it struck me.
Add a cream cheese filling to the crumb cake.
Done!
The ingredient list may seem long, but some of the ingredients repeat themselves so don’t be alarmed. I start by making the crumb topping and then refrigerating it until I’m ready to top the cake. Then comes the filling, a simple mixture of cream cheese, sugar, one egg, and a bit of vanilla. Lastly, you’ll mix up the cake batter which comes together pretty quickly.
Then comes the layering, you’ll start with half of the pumpkin cake batter, then the cream cheese filling, the rest of the pumpkin cake batter, then the crumb topping. Phew. Sounds like a lot, right? I promise it’s not.
Once it’s done baking I let it cool for about 15-20 minutes before removing it from the pan. I suggest using a springform pan for this recipe as well, since it makes it much easier to remove it without a huge mess.
The best part about this crumb cake? It’s totally acceptable for breakfast. Pumpkin crumb cake with a cream cheese filling for breakfast? Oh yes.
Pumpkin Cream Cheese Crumb Cake
Ingredients
Crumb Topping:
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter cold
Cream Cheese Filling:
- 1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pumpkin Cake:
- 1 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie filling)
- 1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9" springform pan well with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
To make the crumb topping:
- In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon until well combined. Cut the cold butter into small pieces and using your hands or a pastry blender (a fork will work too), work it into the mixture until you have large clumps or crumbs.
- Transfer to the refrigerator until ready to use.
To make the cream cheese filling:
- In a medium sized bowl using a hand-held mixer, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add in the sugar and mix until fully combined. Add in the egg and vanilla and mix until just combined. Set aside.
To make the cake:
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, ground cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, mix together the pumpkin puree, oil, brown sugar, granulated sugar, eggs, and vanilla until fully combined.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined.
- Pour half of the cake batter into the prepared springform pan and spread it around until the bottom of the pan is fully covered. Add all of the cheesecake filling on top and evenly spread it around. Then add the remaining cake batter on top and spread it around to cover the cheesecake filling.
- Remove the crumb topping from the refrigerator and evenly distribute it on top.
- Bake at 350°F for 45-55 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven and place the pan on a wire rack to cool for about 15-20 minutes. Remove from the pan and transfer to the wire rack to finish cooling.
Notes
Q: I’m also planning to start putting together posts with tips and tricks for baking. If you have any questions or things you would like to see, please feel free to shoot them my way! I’d love to hear from you and get an idea of what to share with all of you!
The crumb cake looks so good, Danielle! I firmly believe that cream cheese and pumpkin were meant to be together. Sounds like a great dessert!
They definitely were meant to be together! Thanks, Gayle!
Oh, MAN. This cake is speaking straight to my pumpkin + cheesecake + CRUMB topping-‘lovin soul! There’s just so much to love. And your photos are BEYOND stunning, Danielle! Love how extra-sharp they are!
Thank you, Sarah! You’re so kind! That means a lot 🙂
Love that cream cheese center! This crumb cake looks like it would be just perfect with a cup of coffee 🙂
This cake is gorgeous! It almost looks like it is smiling at me, haha! Just begging to be eaten. Love the crumb topping too!
Haha it does, doesn’t it? Thanks, Natalie!
Those crumbs! That looks amazing. And pumpkin and cheesecake is always a good idea!
Sounds very good . Will try it when I get my pumpkin cut up and cooked.
What a beautiful cake! That thick layer of cream cheese filling looks so good!
Pumpkin and cream cheese are a match made in heaven! This cake looks so beautiful, it would be perfect to share with friends.
This crumb cake is gorgeous! Pumpkin and cream cheese is one of the best combos! Love the swirl of cream cheese in the cake, looks super pretty and I bet it tastes amazing!
Thank you, Jess!
This crumb cake looks so delicious with that cream cheese layer! I would love waking up to this for breakfast with my morning coffee!
Thanks, Marcie!
Pumpkin and cream cheese really are a fantastic combination! this look soooo yummy! And perfectly pretty, too. 🙂
I love the combination of pumpkin and cheesecake! And that crumb topping just puts it over the top! Delicious!
They’re really a wonderful combination! Thanks, Annie 🙂
This crumb cake looks AMAZING! I love all of the crumb you put on top. (That is my favorite part!)
This cake looks gorgeous. And I love it
Thank you so much!
Which pumpkin do you use for your recipe? 🙂 looks damn good! 🙂
Best wishes T.
Hi, Teresa! I use Libby’s pumpkin puree, I usually find it in the baking isle at the grocery store 🙂
I made this cake today. My layer of cream cheese seemed stingy. Next time i make this, I’m going to double the cream cheese filling. Otherwise, yum. My family raved about this cake!
More cream cheese is always a good idea ;). So glad your family enjoyed the cake, Patty!
My favorite things all in one! Pumpkin, cream cheese, and streusel topping. Delicious! Made it this evening and couldn’t wait to share, had to have a piece, sharing was going to have to wait until the morning! I added to the streusel topping some oats and chopped pecans and made it in a bundt pan. Presentation was gorgeous… too bad I had a piece 😉 Promise to share and I’m sure everyone will love it as much as I do. Thanks for wonderful recipe!!
So glad you liked the cake, Jenn! The pecans and oats in the streusel sound fantastic too! 🙂
What if you forgot to put the crumble topping on it??put it in the fridge and totally forgot about it.
That will be fine, just be sure to keep an eye on the cake in case it doesn’t need to bake quite as long. I imagine the baking time should be pretty similar though.
If I bake this in a bundt pan, should I spread the strusel layer at the base of the pan, so that it’s at the top when I invert it?
Yes, but I’m not sure how well the topping would hold up if you make it in a bundt pan. Also, this wouldn’t be quite enough batter for a full bundt cake, you could use this recipe and leave out the cream cheese swirl: https://www.livewellbakeoften.com/pumpkin-cream-cheese-bundt-cake/.
This looks & sounds so yummy. Could you make this in a 9×13 pan? Would you double everything? What would you recommend for baking time? I think k I would try putting all the cake batter in the 9×13 and swirl the cream cheese into the batter and the lots of the topping! I’m wanting to make this to take to work for a treat.
I think you could double it and bake it in a 9×13 pan! You may not need to double the topping though since it does make quite a bit. If you have any leftover batter, you can always make some cupcakes/muffins with that too.
Amazing dish! Made this the other day for family. Everyone loved it! Personally, found the cream cheese filling to taste better cold the next day. We also used only one egg in the pumpkin cake instead of two to avoid an overly strong egg flavor. Really love your recipes so far of the ones we’ve tried.
So happy you enjoyed the recipe, Rudy!
Our oven had to retire ? and all thats left is a toaster and a microwave oven in our kitchen… will i still be able to bake this on the m.oven or it has to be the traditional big ones?
Hi, Maria! I would recommend using a traditional oven to ensure that it turns out right.
I made this tonight and unfortunately my cream cheese filling was too runny and half of cake batter on top didn’t cover it at all. Cake batter is too little. Just sunk into the runny cheese filling ? the crumble on top is way too much but I still put it all to cover the cheese fillings. It’s in the oven now. I don’t know what it will be like at all?
Hi, Jade! Did you make sure to use a 9-inch springform pan? The filling is a bit thinner, similar to cheesecake batter, but it should bake up just fine. I hope it turned out okay for you!