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This Pumpkin Coffee Cake will get you in the mood for pumpkin season! Filled with pumpkin flavor, topped with a cinnamon pecan streusel, this is Fall in a bite. Plus – it’s made SKINNY using yogurt in place of oil!
Yep. I’m going there. I’m starting pumpkin. In August.
You’re welcome.
On Friday, I asked on Facebook what sort of recipe I should post today: Pumpkin or Apple. Pumpkin won by a landslide – but don’t fret apple lovers. The apple recipe is coming later this week!
Remember the movie Field of Dreams?
{One of the best movies ever. Plus, James Earl Jones: I want his voice for my ringtone.}
If you build it, he will come.
If I make Pumpkin Coffee Cake…Fall will come. Summer can kind of suck it. It’s been in the 90s or higher since the beginning of May and I know, from past experience, we will not have relief for a very long time.
I want cooler weather. Not cold, mind you. Cooler. $200 PG&E bill weather would be awesome.
So…if I make Pumpkin Coffee Cake…Fall will come. Eventually. In the meantime, I can pretend it’s fall while I have coffee and coffee cake flavored like my favorite season.
You may be thinking…hmmmm. This coffee cake looks familiar. It might, because it’s a re-do. I posted a version of this a looooong time ago.
Maybe it’s better you don’t remember. It tasted good back then but man-I thought those photos were GOOD. Prime photos, right there.
#whatadifference2yearsmakes
How do you make a skinny pumpkin coffee cake?
Instead of posting that same recipe, I decided to make it SKINNY! I reduced the butter in the topping and I subbed greek yogurt for vegetable oil.
Let’s talk about greek yogurt vs. oil. In a perfect world where calories are free and I am a size 2, I’d use oil. Until someone invents a teletransporter to take me to that place, I’ll use greek yogurt.
I am really loving using yogurt in place of oil, but it does change the texture of the cake. It’s a little chewier and has less crumb. I like that just fine, especially because I’m not hitting myself over the head with my fat pants as I eat my second slice.
If you don’t have yogurt on hand, or prefer to use oil, you can substitute vegetable oil. I’ve even mixed yogurt and oil in recipes where I want to…mix it up. Get ambitious in the kitchen. If there’s one thing I want to teach you from reading this blog besides “pie is perfect” and “sugar is life” it would be to try new things in the kitchen. Try a substitution…you never know what will work.
Kind of like I’m trying to rain dance Fall into Sacramento.
Skinny Pumpkin Coffee Cake is an easy way to bake with greek yogurt and make your fall breakfast a little healthier – including streusel!
Chances are, you’ll have more luck than me!
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Pumpkin Coffee Cake
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 2 cups flour divided
- ¾ cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
- 3/4 cup pure pumpkin puree
- ¼ cup non-fat vanilla or plain greek yogurt or you can sub vegetable oil, see note
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ cup milk
For the Streusel
- 2 tablespoons butter melted
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 tablespoon cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans optional (or use walnuts)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°. Line a 9x9” pan with foil and spray with cooking spray.
- Whisk in pumpkin, greek yogurt, vanilla and milk in a large bowl until no lumps remain. Whisk in sugar, then baking powder, salt, and pumpkin pie spice. Stir in flour with a spatula or wooden spoon. Batter will be thick. Pour into prepared pan.
- In a small bowl, stir butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and 2 tablespoons of flour with a fork. Stir in pecans. Spread on top of pumpkin cake layer.
- Bake about 20 minutes until a toothpick inserted 2” from the side of the pan comes out clean. Cool until you can’t stand it anymore, then cut into squares and serve. It can take up to 30 minutes to bake, depending on your oven. Take it out as soon as a toothpick comes out clean along the edges. Remember, the yogurt will change the texture of the cake. It will be chewier.
Recipe Video
Recipe Nutrition
Click here for more Brunch Recipes!
Other recipes you’ll love:
Sugar-Free Pumpkin Snack Cake (can be made with sugar)
Sweets from friends:
Caramel Apple Cinnamon Roll Coffee Cake by Shugary Sweets
Skinny Pumpkin Pie for One by Back for Seconds
Pecan Pie Bread Pudding by Something Swanky
Thanks for reading!
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Last Updated on February 2, 2023
Pumpkin in August! Well if the fashion world can be a season ahead of schedule then why not a food blogger! Love it because it inspires me to get my list going for what I’ll be making soon. 🙂 Love love love coffee cake and I can’t wait to try a pumpkin one! Pinned to make.
Thanks Tina! I know, I thought it was strange last year, but I felt so behind by September, ha!
Thanks for sharing! This looks so yummy. Have you made this without pecans? I am allergic and was wondering if it was still yummy without the nuts, some recipes aren’t!
Yes! You can make with or without nuts. As a matter of fact, I should put the optional in the recipe. You might want to add some more crumble to make it go farther, maybe 1.5 times or double it!
There’s leftover pumpkin in the freezer from last fall… sounds like I’ll be making a treat for the people at work asap!
Enjoy!! Thank you!
This looks like one HEAVENLY coffee cake! As luck would have it, I have actually just made a batch of pumpkin puree!
Perfect! I cannot wait to make MORE pumpkin!
Love love LOVING the early intro to pumpkin Dorothy! Pumpkin for breakfast – there is quite nothing like it. This coffee cake look wonderful!
Thanks Sally!
Thank you for the pumpkin recipe! I love all things pumpkin!!! Like the idea of yogurt instead of oil, I use that quite a bit in some recipes and you would never know the difference. Love your name, my mother-in-law’s name is Dorothy and she is such a sweet lady, much like you. Do you have a mug coffee cake recipe with pumpkin? My husband doesn’t like pumpkin anything and then I eat it all!!!
Oooooh. That sounds like a great idea Nancy. It’s going on the idea white board right now!! And, so true. My husband is the same way! I sliced this into 9 squares and froze them. I reheat when I want a treat, and the only difference is that the topping melts in the microwave, but I don’t mind it a bit. 🙂
I developed a major pumpkin addiction when I was in the States last fall. I even brought some tins of pumpkin home with me so I can make some of my favourite dishes for myself. This is definitely going on the list!
Enjoy Rachel! Thanks!
Yessssss pumpkin!!!! That is all 😉
I know, right???
Eeeee! I am soooooooo ready for pumpkin recipes! Bring on fall!!
I’m beyond ready. For baggy clothes too, ha.
Is the cooking time correct? It took almost an hour for it to bake through this says only 20 minutes…
I’m sorry it took so long! That’s so strange. Mine took about 20, although some coffee cakes I’ve made (from the same base; different ingredients) have taken up to 30-35 minutes to bake. What altitude are you at?
The exact same thing happened to my Pumpkin Coffee Cake–I had to bake 30 minutes. The additional cooking time left the cake rubbery on the sides. Will try again using oil added to yogurt. Possibly add an egg? I am 8 ft above sea level so I don’t think it’s the altitude.
Hmm, I’m sorry Elizabeth! The yogurt does change the texture. Try the combo and find the ratio that works for you!
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