Pumpkin Spice Coffee Cake

*Drumroll please*

I (finally) present you with my very first Austin, Texas bake!

As a family tradition during my school days, my brother, Scott and I would go out to breakfast with my parents when one of us had a birthday to celebrate. We’d wake up a little earlier than usual and have that special time together before we went off to work and school. One year we went to Hobee’s, which at the time, was conveniently located right across the street from the high school Scott and I went to. Hobee’s is a traditional breakfast spot famous for their coffee cake.

As a die-hard pancake fanatic, I obviously ordered those. HOWEVER, my Dad ordered a piece of coffee cake (in this instance it was blueberry) to go along with his breakfast. Seeing that giant square of streusel-topped cake with a blob of butter on top, made me second guess my pancake order for the first time. I’m pretty sure I ate more of his coffee cake that day than he did, if I’m being honest.

That was also the first time I’d (knowingly) had coffee cake. I was hooked. Coffee cake should be moist, not dry. Soft, not dense. Muffin-level sweet, not cupcake-level sweet. And it can be made better with a streusel topping, butter topping, or in this case a streusel and glaze topping. It’s best served as a breakfast or snacking cake along side a cup of hot coffee or tea, as opposed to an after-dinner dessert.

Before I forget, one of the most popular recipes on ABeeBakes Pinterest is Sour Cream Coffee Cake, which is actually a yeast based coffee cake that’s sort of like an upside-down streusel cake. But I digress.

Today’s recipe is your classic coffee cake, made better with the addition of pumpkin, fall spices like ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg, and scattered with chopped pecans. It has the streusel component (which actually is the only part with butter added), soft cake (of course), and am optional simple glaze.

Funny thing. When I took the picture of this, I didn’t plan on making a glaze. It was after I took those initial pictures that I took a taste and realized I wanted it sweeter. So if you err on the side of “not so sweet” then you can skip it. Otherwise, if you take a taste and think it needs an extra element of sweet, then by on means, go for it. Plus, I personally prefer the looks of a dessert drizzled with a glaze.

Enjoy!