Pumpkin Crumb Cake – YUMMM!

Back in the old days (a whopping whole year ago) I tried not to let on when I was bringing you a recipe that I developed myself. I was afraid if y’all knew I had made it up, you wouldn’t want to try it! Now that we’ve settled in and become a big old family here, I’m coming out of my shell a bit though..
~pauses a moment for all of you to stop laughing at the thought of her being bashful about anything~
So I got to thinking about my Pumkin Muffins with Streusel topping (which my friend, Terri, has fallen madly and passionately in love with as of late ~waves at Terri~) and I got to wondering what else I could whip up with canned pumpkin. We love Banana Crumb Cake (which I came up with as a mixture of Mama’s Banana Bread with Grandmama’s Stresel Topping added) and pumpkin seemed like a great substitute for the bananas. Folks have been asking me how to keep the streusel topping crunchy the next day so for this recipe I added oats to the mix, giving us a more crumbly texture.
The result was an aromatic, delicious and filling cake, with just the right amount of sweetness that is perfect as a coffee treat or suppertime dessert. The cool thing, of course, is that there are no strange ingredients in this and I doubt you’ll have to go buy anything other than the can of pumpkin. You know I like to keep things simple. ~grins~
So lets kick November off right and whip up this beauty- I can guarantee you office buddies, church families, friends, and neighbors will be glad you did!

You’ll need: Self rising flour (See my FAQ page to learn how to make your own), sugar, milk, vanilla, eggs, canned pumpkin, margarine, brown sugar, and oats.
Imagine there is cinnamon pictured here as well.
So here’s the story….
I had everything all laid out here to do this tutorial and turned my camera on to start – my less-than-a-year-old-camera that I’ve already had to send back to the factory once due to manufacturer’s defect. I turn my camera on and …the screen is completely blank. In other words, I can’t see what the photograph is going to look like and I can’t focus at all. Traditionally you could look through the viewfinder (like we did in the old days) but this camera’s viewfinder doesn’t quite work that way. Grrr. So I wing it. I point and click and point and click and point and click and hope that I’ll get lucky.

Place all of batter ingredients into mixing bowl.
Grrr. Point and click and point and click and point and click. I’m not really happy at this point and while outwardly I am making a pumpkin crumb cake, inwardly I’m telling my camera manufacturer how the juice got in the lemon.
I’m always so much better at telling companies off in my head, aren’t you?

Mix until well blended.
Luck is still holding out, thank goodness, and I pause at this point to call my Mama, Husband, and two friends so that they, too, can feel my righteous indignation towards the manufacturer of my camera.

In a separate bowl, place all of streusal ingredients.
~takes a deep breath~ Now that I’ve called folks and have at least three or four in an uproar with me. I begin to feel a little better and start mentally weighing the pros and cons of sending the thing back, telling myself that it is only going to malfunction again and I might as well cut my losses and buy a new camera, maybe one of those Cannon or Kodak deals…

Mix those up with a long tined fork.
I’m resolved to purchase a new camera (a much cheaper one) and am on the phone with my husband nagging him for the money having an intellectually motivated discussion over the family budget but even with all of this going on, I don’t miss a chance to eat a pinch (or two) of this topping. It is just divine.

Pour half of your batter into a greased 9×13 inch pan.
At this point I’ve just about broke his will pled my case successfully and am ready to go online to read camera reviews…

Sprinkle with half of your topping.
Now is where I do my usual calculations before any major purchase, which means that I start mentally calculating how many groceries I could buy instead of making said purchase. Even with a camera on the cheap end of things that adds up to a whopping amount of pantry and fridge fillers.. ~ugh~

Pour remaining batter over the top.
I rant some more and then email manufacturer and get standard reply saying that someone will get back with you within 24 hours. Eh, it could be worse. I’m calming down a wee bit now.

Sprinkle with rest of topping. YUM
Bake at 350 for about 45 minutes.
Go sit down and fiddle with camera. Try talking sweet, but find that sweet talk works a lot better on breathing objects.

Remove cake from oven..take a quick picture and then cut a piece to photograph.
End up eating that piece (whoops!). Cut another one…

There ya go!
Watch out for stampedes…
When my husband got home, after listening to a bit more of my carrying on about the camera, he decided to take a look at it. He turned it on, turned it off, and turned the dial on the settings one time -where it was supposed to be. It works perfectly.
Of course he had to brag about it…~sigh~
Pumpkin Crumb Cake
Batter
- 1- 15 ounce Can Pumpkin
- 2C sugar
- 1 C milk
- 2 C self rising flour
- 1 stick margarine
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
Crumb Topping
- 1 stick (1/2 c) Margarine
- 1 Cup brown sugar (dark or light)
- 1 cup flour (self rising or plain, whatever you have on hand)
- 1 Cup oats (quick or old fashioned)
Spray 9×13 inch pan with cooking spray. Place all batter ingredients into large mixing bowl. Mix until well blended.
In medium bowl, place all topping ingredients. Cut together with a long tined fork until well blended. Pour 1/2 of batter into pan, top with 1/2 crumb mixture. Pour remaining batter over and top with remaining crumb mixture. Bake for 45 minutes to an hour at 350.
Cake is done when toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
Did you ever see an unhappy horse? Did you ever see a bird that has the blues? One reason why birds and horses are not unhappy is because they not trying impress other birds and horses.”
~ Dale Carnegie
To submit your quote, click here.
Related posts:
- Banana Crumb Cake (and the name of my home) If you enjoy Southern Plate, please tell a friend! This...
- Lane’s Honeybun Cake We have a VERY SPECIAL guest blogger today –...
- Daddy’s Coconut Cake This is my Dad’s favorite cake at Christmas time...
- Good N Easy Cake with Homemade Whipped Cream I’ll be bringing you a new apple recipe each day...
- Lemon Meringue Pie With Cookie Crumb Crust Lemon pie is a staple in the south, especially...















Ooh now I don’t know if I should make this or the muffins for tomorrow’s baking day. I have everything for both just not enough freezer space for ‘em.
Get another freezer! lol
Kidding, wouldn’t it be great if we just had money sitting around waiting for a desire to spend it?
lol
Thank you, Micha! I do hope you get to try it soon!
Gratefully,
Christy
I am a huge fan of pumpkin bread, but also a huge fan of streusel (you really can put it on just about anything baked!) This seems like a lovely combination. Think I might try it this week. Thanks, Christy!
And again I find myself wishing you lived close enough to bake for, Michelle!
Holler if you get to try it and let me know what you think!
Love y’all!
Christy
I loved the banana crumb cake so I will definitely try this one! My husband loves pumpkin pie, so he should really love this one. Thanks Christy!!
Thank YOU Alisha!!! Thank your husband for me, too! I sure do appreciate y’all reading and being so good to me!
Gratefully,
Christy
Girl, you have such a way with words! I loved the rant almost more than the recipe
~HUGS~
I swear, y’all are too good to me! I was wondering if any of y’all would be able to follow my little camera rant the way I wrote it, glad to hear you did!
I tell ya though, when my husband was able to “fix” it by simply turning the dial back where it was supposed to be..I coulda kilt him.
~snickers~
Thank you so much!
Christy
Right you are, Kim. I also just looooved the Dale Carnegie quote.
Oh my WORD! This sounds absolutely wonderful….and its something I can bake ahead of time and freeze!!!!!!!!!
Thanks so much!
sharon in alabama
I’m allllll about the freezing!
Thank YOU, Sharon!!
Gratefully,
Christy
If I was going to freeze baked goods in my house, I would have to do the baking and freezing at about 3 in the morning when they were all sleeping. Nothing ever makes it to the freezer. I guess I shouldn’t complain about it because when Lisa bakes, I’m no better than the rest of them. he he he he
WOW~~ this looks SCRUMPTIOUS!!! thanks!!!
I think I will have to try this tonight. I had just set down yesterday and looked for a recipe to make with the can of pumpkin in my pantry…(didn’t find any that really caught my attention so I made an apple pie instead. lol)
This sounds yummy. I am wondering if I could substitute sweet potato for the pumpkin? My husband has decided he like sweet potato better in pies so maybe….
Will try this and do the substitute and let you know
Nan,
You are a brilliant woman! I think sweet potato (cooked and mashed well) would be a grand substitute!
If you get to try it, please do holler at me and let me know. I’ll be trying it soon, too, I’m sure!!!
Gratefully,
Christy
Hello Christy,
I love ALL your recipes. However, I would even be more inclined to try one knowing it’s your own special creation. Planned and stirred with love, thoughtfulness, and a tremendous dose of your cooking mastery. This one is at the top of my list for my next baking day!
All my best,
Maralee
My almost 12 year old son wants to be a chef. I am going to have him make this tonight as a desert to go with our supper! YUMO! BTW, last year I had a very yummy pumkin cobbler at a homeschool thanksgiving lunch. You should try one of those sometime it also had a crumb topping, but I believe it was made with a cake mix.
Oh, this looks good. I love anything pumpkin. We have to tailgate for our Thanksgiving Dinner this year (our beloved Texas Aggies play the University of Texas on Thanksgiving night – also my youngest’s birthday – quite a day for our family!) and this looks like it would be easily portable, too.
Oh yum Christy, that looks so good! Oh and I loooooooove ur plate!
Christy,
Man alive, you have me in stitches this afternoon!! I almost lost two good swallows of coffee to the computer screen!! Where, on Earth, did you come across that ‘how the juice got in the lemon’ saying? That is just dang funny! And, your little lines through what you thought/said absolutely crack me up! I always enjoy reading what you write, but today you have topped yourself with more than your usual amount of humor! (I have enjoyed your malfunctioning -operator error- camera!)
Now, onto the decadent pumpkin crumb cake….Holy cow! I cannot wait to make this…and share it with all!!! Mmmmm!!!
~J.
Post Script, when I have a piece of technology that must be replaced, I look at my local second hand store/pawn shop. Saves alot of grocery money that way!!
Christy you just crack me up girl!!!!! I know the frustration you felt! Does it ever fail that the blasted(whatever thing) works just fine for your hubby? And there you stand like a dummy. LOL. Thanks for the laugh and the yummy recipe! Cheer up-at least you didn’t drop this one in the batter.LOL
Off to take Katy to her music class, be back soon!
Oh Christy…Thank you! That cake looks sooo good! Definitely making it tomorrow afternoon. I’ve already planned to make the Pumpkin Spice muffins today…ingredients are ready to go! HEY Terri…I’m wearing pearls (standard uniform, right?) !!!!
Bountiful Blessings!!
Now, what the heck am I supposed to do with my allegiance to the Streusel Topped Pumpkin Spice Muffins?!?! They are counting on me to be there for them! I cannot just turn my back on them, switch over to some pumpkin crumb cake, a newbee by any standard, now can I? Tina, you have seen the proof, as I got all dolled up with my apron and pearls on just to showcase those little muffins. What I caaaaan doooo, IF I were to….say….be INVITED to eat Pumpkin crumb cake at someone ELSE’S house….then I wouldn’t have the guilt. (currently taking invitations)
Now, Christy, I so appreciate your making something else delicious and new for all us SP folks, and going on a rare and unheard of ~giggles~ tangent about something like a little ole website camera….not to mention you had to see “gloat” in Ricky’s eyes when he turned the dial to the proper setting. ~Sigh~ Tina, send us a picture of you, your pearls and this new on-the-scene cake of Christy’s. Maybe I can make it to your house by mid-morning….I’m jes sayin’ ;}
Terri…oh my!! The muffins will be ready in about 6 minutes and I know FOR SURE that I am not waiting until after dinner to try one! Life’s uncertain…eat dessert first, right?! Come on by!! Pumpkin Crumb Cake will be ready in the afternoon…so will the coffee (or tea if y’all prefer):)Of course, the pearls are a must!! THE OVEN BUZZED!! Got to grab those muffins!
Blessings!
Why, I doooo believe I can smell those muffins all the way to Pennsylvania, Tina! What state do you live in and I will start programming my TomTom gps system right now. ;} BTW, I often use that dessert quote you said. weeee
I just finished a muffin warm from the oven! Goodness, was it delicious!! Made sure I did not drop any of the yummy streusal! I’m in CT… not far at all! Wow…I will be visiting your lovely state of PA, weekend after next!!
Tina, Can you smell pumpkin crumb cake in the CT air tonight? I’ve got it in the oven right now! lol
Terri, you might be able to smell it to since CT is so small it wafts right over to PA.
ooooh..is that what smells so good? Come on Terri…let’s head to April’s. We can have Pumpkin crumb cake tonight AND tomorrow!! Come on Christy! I’ll bring muffins!! ~smiles~
I just had a piece and y’all will seriously be LUCKY if there is any left by the time you get here! BYOM!! (Bring Your Own Milk!)
Christy, I know you said this freezes well…so maybe Tina can let me “test” the Pumpkin Crumb cake when she heads my way soon (wearing her June Cleaver pearls, of course ha ha).
April, I think that I CAN smell that cake from my house…..surrrre wish I was I was in your kitchen right now and I would bring 2 gallons of milk as a hostess gift as I arrive. ;}
Yummy! You must have known I was getting tired of plain pumpkin pies (which my DH requests at least once a month). I am so sick of them I was wondering what to make for Thanksgiving. NOw I know – of course you have to make it at least once before Thanksgiving, just to “test taste”.
Thanks, again you have saved the day and my stomach.
Gosh-that looks really good, I am thinking of a Sunday morning breakfast using that as a coffee cake. A little drizzle of maple flavored icing might be good on top.
Here I was fretting over what dessert to take to lunch at my pastor’s house this coming Sunday and then I open this email! You’ve solved my dilemma, but also have made me regret (a tiny bit) using my last can of pumpkin Saturday for pumpkin bread! Oh well, what’s another small trip to the grocery store? THANK YOU!
Can’t wait to try this one, will first thing in the morning. Hey glad your camera got fixed..haha…it takes beautiful pictures girl…makes you want to run out and buy all the fixings! Love the lemon thing and conversation with Ricky,just tell him you knew what the problem was all along (make sure your fingers are crossed) you just didn’t want him to feel left out!! Your something else! Keep the recipes coming! What’’s with the pearls..did I miss something?
Hello SP friend Sandy, So, how did your Pumpkin Crumb cake turn out?
The reference to the wearing pearls was from the Southern Plate facebook page. Christy asks SP fans to post a picture of their SP dishes. Recently, I posted a pic of Christy’s delicious Streusel Topped Pumpkin Spice Muffin recipe and thought it would be funny to put on a pink apron and some pearls….channeling “Leave it to Beaver’s June Cleaver”. Now Tina laughs and says on fb that it is part of the SP standard uniform. I hope that you will get onto facebook’s Southern Plate page and join in the fun! See ya there.
Christy, I am really ready to try a lot of this baking, but we never finish anything… What freezes well and how do you freeze it….
I am so buying a can a pumpkin this week though
Mmmmm mmmmm mmmmm I so cant wait to try this out! It looks so good and I love everything pumpkin, this is so my favorite time of the year! Thanks for another great recipe Christy!
Goodness gracious ..I swear we are soul sisters! I can totally relate to the whole cant figure it out but hubby gets it fixed just by looking at it thing! This cake is going to get the girls brunch Saturday test and I know they are gonna love it! Dont you just love my run on sentences??? Sorry bout that! Keep those great experiment type recipes coming..they are the best!
This looks yummy. I just made some pumpkin cheesecake brownies on Saturday. (I thought the kids would eat chocolate-laced pumpkin … and they did!) I was trying to think of what I could make with the rest of the can of pumpkin. I think I’ll try a half batch of this. YUM!
And the pictures look great for shooting blindly.
Christy-this looks too irresistable not to try! Wow-total yum! My kids will love you for sharing this recipe-they are all about anything pumpkin right now.
I love how this recipe sounds and how awesome the cake looks too. I am definitely making this in the near future…our son and his wife and little boy are coming “home” this week for a visit. He is in the Navy and they are in the process of transferring to a new duty station. He loves pumpkin so I know this will be a huge treat for him. He also just loves about anything that Mama cooks (HUGE SMILE). I was wondering though…can fresh pumpkin be substituted? I have a ton if it here that I cooked and put in freezer when we were doing Jack-O-Lanterns. I have really got to figure out how to use that stuff. I have had luck substituting it for Squash in Squash Dressing. I am definitely an experimenter in the kitchen but its usually good. Thanks in advance for any and all suggestions.
Carla, I’ve substituted fresh cooked pumpkin a lot and it works just fine for me. One can of pumpkin is about 1 3/4 C fresh. Sometimes the fresh cooked is a little runny after it’s mashed so you may need to strain it some or it can be too dry and you may need to add a smidge of water. I just try to get it about the same consistency as canned. Good luck!
Thank you so much!!!!
Christy,
I also love the “how the juice got in the lemon” comment. I had never heard that one before, but way up here in the Pacific Northwest, we must be behind times in the colloquialisms…And the crumb cake looks just marvy.
Looks pretty dang tasty to me!
Dear Christy, I would love to make the Pumpkin Struesal cake. Do you think Splenda would work just as well as regular sugar in the cake mixture? I enjoy the recipes and the ramblings so much, it just seems like visiting with a friend. Jane.
Christy can’t wait to try this. Believe this will solve a problem of what to take to a Thanksgiving Dinner at Church. I was wondering though could nuts be added to this topping? Love your website!!!
This cake has my house smellin’ right wonderful right now!!! I took it out and waited 10 minutes to the T and cut myself a piece. BOYYYYY is it good. The gals at work are going to have a nice breakfast treat to go with their coffee in the morning.
Thanks again for another HIT recipe.
Christy, I LOVE streusel, so love that it is both IN the cake and ON TOP of the cake. This is definitely going to school with me! Teachers love anything you bring them, but this sounds like it will be a real treat for sure!
Aunt Charley
Just had a piece of this and it’s fabulous! I cut the white sugar back to 1.5C and it was plenty sweet so I might even try 1C next time. Oh yes, there will definitely be a next time!
Christy,
My sister-in-law made something just yesterday very simular to this. Instead of the crumb topping you use, she used a yellow cake mix. Then she used Cool Whip as a topping. OMG!! It was delcious!! I just copied yours and I’m going to make it tomorrow. First, I got to go to Wally-World and get my groceries,then I’m spending the rest of the day in the kitchen baking!! Keep the recipes coming!! I love your website, and so does my hubby, he keeps asking me where I’m geeting all of these great recipes. I’m keeping quiet for right now, if you don’t mind, letting him think I’m just a great cook!! LOL
Veronica
All I can really say is this looks YUMMY and is a must for the weekend. I honestly think that I have all the ingredients on hand…YIPPY! I may even share the leftovers with some friends too.
I could not help but laugh as I was reading this post. Love your sense of humor. Glad that the camera is working now! Thanks for sharing this recipe…looks very simple and I know it is going to be GOOD GOOD!
Well I already posted that I LOVE YOU on FB but I am now going to post on your website just to show how much I truly do love you Christy Jordan. Thanks for keeping the inspiration coming in my kitchen! xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox :0)
This looks great, but can it be adapted at all for us diabetics? Thanks for considering this!
Wow! That looks amazing and yet it’s such simple ingredients! I can’t wait to try this and look forward to any other canned pumpkin recipes you’ll throw our way.
It’s still hot on my plate-we just couldn’t wait until it cooled to cut it. It’s wonderful. Thanks for the recipe.
I made this & it was absolutely DELICIOUS!!!!!!!
Made this last night and loved it!
I had some leftover little sweet pumpkins from Halloween, so I used those in place of the canned. Just scoop it out, slice it up, roast it at 350 degrees for about an hour, and smash it! I also strained out some of the water through some paper towels.
It worked great. Thanks for all of your recipes Christy!
It was wonderful! I sprinkled some chopped pecans over the top before I baked it to give it a little crunch. Very good and will make again!
Making it right now!
This sounds great! And loved the camera story. My husband and I have a mutual “I can fix it when you think it’s broke”. He is an IT guy so he is suppose to be able to fix any computer and electronic device, he will sit there for hours “trouble shooting” the dern thing and then I will come up and plug it in or turn on the power. Works everytime!
Yeah! I made the pumpkin crumb cake again and it turned out GREAT!I knew it was a good cake by all the good comments it got so I decided to try again.Since I did put the milk back in, and I added a little bit more sugar, since my husband has such a sweeth tooth,and the recipe said quick cook oats or old fashioned oats, the first time I used old fashioned this time I used quick oats and for some reason I liked that better. This is a GOOD cake!
I can smell it before it is baked. What a great recipe. Thank you again for sharing. I like the idea of sprinkling pecans on top. Will do that.
Absolutely DELICIOUS! I followed your recipe and made it but with mine I added warm custard and it was fabulous, you just can’t buy that kind of quality.
I made this cake Tuesday and all I can say is YUM! My husband who is not much of a fan of pumpkin even likes it so Thank You!!
I am so excited to find this website. Your Mother-in-Law
told me about it this morning and I couldn’t wait to get on-line & see all of the delicious recipes. I will be making the Pumpkin Crumb Cake this week-end! Thank you!!!
Hi Christy,
I made the pumpkin crumb cake, I changed a few things, like I made it from fresh pumpkin, a first for me and I also substituted the oatmeal..I forgot I was out of oatmeal so I searched my cupboards and found some packaged instant oatmeal I found 3 pkg. two peach and one spice(it takes three bags to make a cup). I removed the raisins from the spice and left the peaches, it still turned out perfect! My sister in law is visiting and I needed to bring something to my other sister in law’s where she is staying and they loved it. Thanks a Million for this recipe.
Teri
PS I made a second one and was able to follow directions :} it was just as delicious as the first.
Christy, I borrowed your topping for the pumpkin crumb cake and used a plain white cake mix. YUMMMMMO. It tasted just like the little thingys you get from vending machines in the South. My house was smelling so good. My brother came by and could smell it out on the front porch. Of course he had to give it “the old lip test” just to make sure I had not left anything out. I honestly think that poor boy must be half bloodhound because he always shows up when I am cooking and is more than willing to test things out. Just keep the things coming–they are all just super.
[...] headline » Pumpkin Crumb Cake – YUMMM! Mon, 11/2/09 – 9:37 AM | 70 Comments [...]