Pumpkin Coffee Cake with Brown Sugar Oat and Pecan Crumble

TGIF and Happy November to you!  Can you believe it is already November and that there are only two months left in 2013?  The older I get, the faster the years fly by.  It seems like just yesterday we were partying like it was 1999 in my parent's basement while my mother was frantically stocking our storage room (aka what my friends called "The Bomb Shelter") with bottled water, canned vegetables and powdered milk in preparation for Y2K. That is not a joke either. She really thought the world was going to shut down.  

I realize Halloween has since passed, but November is really the perfect month to make a pumpkin cake.  Forget about a pumpkin pie... this cake is incredibly moist and the crumble topping is to die for.  Even my husband, who hates everything pumpkin and normally only eats chocolate desserts, was going back for seconds.  It is somewhat like a coffee cake so this would be perfect for Thanksgiving morning before the big feast. You could make it a day or two before then simply warm it up in the oven prior to serving.     

No worries if you don't have homemade pumpkin puree.  I realize I am probably 1 out of 10 people in America right now who have homemade pumpkin puree on hand.  Canned will do just fine.  I served it with some vanilla bean ice cream and homemade salted caramel sauce but top it with a little whipped cream and you are good to go. It is crazy good! 

Pumpkin Coffee Cake with Brown Sugar Oat and Pecan Crumble
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup pumpkin puree or canned pumpkin (homemade version here)
1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil
1 tablespoon molasses
2 teaspoons vanilla

Crumble
7 tablespoons cold butter
1/3 cup pecans
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup oats
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease and flour a pan.  I used a cast iron skillet but a 9 inch cake pan will work as well.

In a bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and pumpkin pie spice.  Set aside.

In a mixing bowl, add both sugars, eggs, buttermilk, pumpkin, oil, molasses and vanilla.  Mix on low until combined.  Don't over mix.  Gradually add the dry ingredients into the wet and mix on low until completely  combined.

Pour batter into prepared pan and dot the top with crumble topping (instructions below).  Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.

Crumble Topping

Add butter, pecans, brown sugar, flour, oats, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice and salt to the bowl of a food processor.  Pulse until pecans are broken down and ingredients begin to form a crumbled mixture.

This can be done without a food processor as well.  Simply add brown sugar, flour, oats, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice and salt in a mixing bowl.  Whisk until incorporated.  Chop butter into pieces, add and cut into the dry ingredients with a pastry cutter or fork.  Finally, chop pecans and mix into crumble.