Pumpkin Skillet Coffee Cake
with Pecan Streusel
cast iron | holiday favorite
I don’t know what it is about fall, but suddenly I want pumpkin in everything. And this gluten-free pumpkin coffee cake might be my favorite excuse to have cake for breakfast.
It’s soft, full of warm spices, and baked in a cast-iron skillet with a buttery pecan-oat streusel that gets golden and crispy around the edges. The kind of thing you make on a slow weekend morning, then somehow find yourself cutting another little piece every time you walk through the kitchen.
Why Bake This Pumpkin Coffee Cake in a Skillet?
Because crispy edges are a very good thing.
The cast iron gives this cake those slightly golden edges while keeping the center soft and tender. Plus, there’s something about serving a warm coffee cake straight from the skillet that makes it feel a little more special without doing anything extra.
The Pecan-Oat Streusel Is the Best Part
I’m a firm believer that coffee cake needs a generous amount of streusel. Otherwise, what’s the point?
This one has buttery pecans, gluten-free oats, brown sugar, and cinnamon. It bakes into crunchy little clusters that are ridiculously good against the soft pumpkin cake.
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Gluten-Free Cake Without the Dry Crumbs
Nobody wants a dry gluten-free coffee cake, especially when there’s a perfectly good cup of coffee sitting next to it.
Pumpkin purée, sour cream, and melted butter keep the cake moist and tender. I also let the batter rest for 10 minutes before baking, giving the gluten-free flour time to hydrate.
It’s a small step worth keeping
Chef's Note
Don’t rush cutting into this one. Cast iron holds heat, so the cake continues setting after it comes out of the oven. Give it at least 30 minutes to cool before slicing.
And don’t press the streusel into the batter. Those loose, buttery clusters are what make the topping so good.
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Gluten-Free Pumpkin Coffee Cake with Pecan Streusel
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 12 1x
- Diet: Gluten-Free
Description
This gluten-free pumpkin coffee cake is baked in a skillet with a buttery pecan-oat streusel, soft pumpkin center, and crisp golden edges.
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups gluten-free 1:1 baking flour containing xanthan gum, spooned and leveled
- 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled, plus more for the skillet
- 1 cup canned pumpkin purée, not pumpkin pie filling
- 1/4 cup full-fat sour cream, room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup gluten-free 1:1 baking flour
- 1/2 cup certified gluten-free old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- Pinch of fine sea salt
- 4 tbsp salted butter, melted
- 1/2 cup pecans, roughly chopped
Get Recipe Ingredients
Instructions
- Prepare the skillet. Preheat the oven to 350°F with a rack in the center. Generously butter a 10-inch cast-iron skillet.
- Mix the batter. Whisk together the flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs and brown sugar until smooth. Add the melted butter, pumpkin, sour cream, and vanilla. Stir in the dry ingredients until combined. Let the batter rest for 10 minutes.
- Make the streusel. Combine the flour, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Stir in the melted butter and pecans, squeezing some of the mixture together to form small clumps.
- Bake. Spread the batter into the prepared skillet and scatter the streusel evenly over the top without pressing it down. Bake for 40–50 minutes, until the center is set and a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs but no wet batter. Tent loosely with foil if the topping browns too quickly.
- Cool. Let the cake rest in the skillet on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes before slicing. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.
- Prep Time: 20
- Cook Time: 40
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Hi, I'm Kat.
Thanks for being here.
Hi, I’m Kat, a Colorado-based personal chef, soccer mom, and the heart behind White Sparrow Food Company. I share easy, wholesome, gluten-free recipes inspired by the meals I cook for my clients and made simple for real life at home.
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