About two weeks after I was born, my parents decided to attempt their first bring-the-baby-to-a-restaurant experience before my grandma flew back home that weekend. Armed with the world’s largest diaper bag and my extra soft blankie, they drove to the next town over to eat breakfast at their favorite brunch place.
In the span of about 15 minutes, they dashed into the restaurant, ordered their favorite dishes, shoveled food into their mouths, and paid the check—all before I could utter a peep. They were terrified that I’d howl louder than a banshee and annoy the other diners!
But since I stayed on my best behavior, they’ve taken me back more times than I can count. Mostly because the restaurant’s famous blueberry coffee cake is just SO darn good! It’s about 3-4 inches high, incredibly moist and tender, studded with the juiciest berries, and finished with a thick cinnamon sugar crumb topping. With a little melted butter on top, it’s absolutely heavenly.
However, nearly every time we go, the servers politely inquire whether we’d like to try their seasonal flavors: peach walnut in the summer, cranberry in December, and many other choices during the rest of the year. Although sometimes Dad rebels and agrees, Mom and I (and my grandparents too!) are total purists. Their other varieties just aren’t quite as good!
But… If they offered a purely pumpkin coffee cake, without any nuts, this is exactly what it should be. Tall, moist, rich… And covered in the thickest streusel imaginable!
If you haven’t guessed, this Healthy Pumpkin Streusel Coffee Cake is Part 3 in my Slow Cooker Week series! On Sunday, we devoured sticky pecan buns (ohmygoodness please make those NOW!); on Monday, we ate gingerbread apple crumble (perfect for the holiday season); and today, we’re moving on to cake! Breakfast cake… Because birthday desserts aren’t the only occasion you should enjoy it!
HOW TO MAKE THE BEST HEALTHY PUMPKIN STREUSEL COFFEE CAKE
The cake itself is fairly straightforward: flour, spices, and lots of pumpkin. Plus one secret ingredient… Lemon juice! I know it sounds strange. Citrus in a pumpkin cake? But you only need 1 itty bitty teaspoon, and the acidity in that reacts with the baking soda to make the cake rise taller and turn out with a more tender texture. If you don’t have any lemon juice, regular vinegar will work too.
Before spreading the batter into the slow cooker, line it with foil. We need to be able to remove the cake after it finishes baking, but we can’t exactly invert the pot like with sticky buns or chocolate cake. All of the streusel would fall right off! By lining it with foil, you can life that out easily (and you don’t have to wash the slow cooker either!).
For the streusel topping, I mixed melted butter into the oats and cinnamon. I’m lazy, and it’s a lot easier (and faster) than cutting in cold butter! Because of the maple syrup, the streusel will be a little moister than your typical recipe, and it might stick to your fingers as your sprinkle it over the batter. (But that just means you can lick it off afterward, right?) Just make sure you gently press the streusel into the cake batter so it doesn’t fall off when you slice the coffee cake to serve!
Curled up with a warm mug of tea and my fuzzy slippers, a slice or two of this Healthy Slow Cooker Pumpkin Streusel Coffee Cake is pure cozy breakfast bliss! And an afternoon snack… And dessert after dinner…
No wonder it’s already gone!
And when you make your own, remember to snap a picture and share it on Instagram using #amyshealthybaking and tagging @amyshealthybaking IN the photo itself! (That guarantees I’ll see your picture! 🙂 ) I’d love to see your healthy slow cooker pumpkin streusel coffee cake!
| Healthy Slow Cooker Pumpkin Streusel Coffee Cake | | Print |
- for the crumb topping
- ¾ cup (75g) old-fashioned rolled oats (measured like this and gluten-free if necessary)
- ¼ cup (30g) whole wheat pastry flour or gluten-free* (measured like this)
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 tbsp (30mL) pure maple syrup
- 2 tbsp (28g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- for the cake
- 2 cups (240g) whole wheat pastry flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp ground ginger
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp (14g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 1 large egg white
- 1 tbsp (15mL) vanilla extract
- 1 cup (244g) pumpkin purée (NOT pumpkin pie filling)
- 1 tsp lemon juice or distilled white vinegar
- ⅓ cup (80mL) pure maple syrup
- Line the inside of a 5-quart slow cooker with foil, and lightly coat with nonstick cooking spray. If any lands on the rim where the lid rests, wipe clean with a paper towel.
- To prepare the crumble, whisk together the oats, flour, and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Add in the maple syrup and butter, mixing until completely incorporated and no dry bits remain.
- To prepare the cake, whisk together the flour and next 6 ingredients (through salt) in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the butter, egg white, and vanilla. Mix in the pumpkin purée. Add in the lemon juice and maple syrup, stirring until fully incorporated. Gradually mix in the flour mixture, stirring just until incorporated.
- Spread the cake batter into the prepared slow cooker, and sprinkle the crumb topping over the top. Gently press the crumb topping into the cake batter. Cover and bake on “Low” for 2 hours 15 minutes. Turn off the slow cooker, and let the coffee cake cool in the pot for 10 minutes before pulling it out by gripping the edges of the foil. Place on a wire rack, slide the foil out from underneath, and let the coffee cake cool completely to room temperature before serving.
Instant oats (also called quick cooking or one-minute oats, and gluten-free if necessary) may be substituted for the old-fashioned oats.
Honey or agave may be substituted for the pure maple syrup.
Coconut oil may be substituted for the unsalted butter.
The coffee cake batter isn’t too sweet because it’s meant as a breakfast cake. If you prefer a sweeter taste, increase the maple syrup to ½ cup instead.
GLUTEN-FREE VERSION: For the streusel topping, use certified gluten-free oats, and any gluten-free flour will work except for coconut flour. Do not substitute coconut flour; it makes the topping much too dry. For the cake, use the following gluten-free flour blend: 1 cup (120g) millet flour, ½ cup (60g) tapioca flour, ½ cup (60g) brown rice flour, and 1 ½ teaspoons xanthan gum. Most store-bought gluten-free flour blends (like this one!) will also work, if measured like this.
DAIRY-FREE, EGG-FREE + VEGAN VERSION: Substitute stick-style vegan butter (this is my favorite!) or coconut oil in place of the unsalted butter, and add an additional 3 tablespoons of pumpkin purée to the cake in place of the egg white.
REGULAR OVEN METHOD: Preheat the oven to 350°F, and line a 9″-square baking pan with foil. Coat the foil with nonstick cooking spray. Bake at 350°F for 35-45 minutes. The cake may need more time to finish baking, but it's done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few crumbs attached and the center feels barely firm to the touch. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes; then lift the cake out by the foil and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
{gluten-free, dairy-free option, egg-free option, vegan option, clean eating, low fat}
View Nutrition Information + Weight Watchers Points
Amy! I made this in a crockpot slow cooker and it came out dry. Measured all ingredients on the scale. Love the flavor and would like to make it again. I would like your thoughts on why it is drying .
We’re honored that you would try this coffee cake, Pete! Im so happy to hear that you love the flavor and I definitely want to help find out what we can do so that it’s even better next time you make it! In order to do that I have a few questions for you!
Were both the topping and cake dry, or was it just the cake?
Did you make any modifications or substitutions, including those listed in the Notes section?
Did you use a kitchen scale for measuring the pure maple syrup as well? If so, what unit did you use and what was the numerical amount? (For example, 1 ounce in the topping and 2.5 ounces for the cake, 30g in the topping and 80g in the cake, etc!)
What brands of pure maple syrup and pumpkin purée did you use?
Which flour option did you use for the cake batter: whole wheat pastry flour or the gluten-free blend in the Notes section?
What was the consistency of the cake batter like? For example, was it loose and runny, wet yet fairly thick, as stiff as cookie dough, or something else?
What brand and size of slow cooker did you use?
How long did you bake it on low?
I know I just asked a lot of questions, but hopefully the answers will help us find the culprit!