This brown butter pumpkin crumb cake uses a whole can of pumpkin and is topped with thick cinnamon crumbs and a bright vanilla bean glaze.
- Brown Butter: Brown the butter for the cake batter in a light colored saucepan over medium heat. Stir often as it foams, sizzles, and then quiets. Cook until golden brown specks form on the bottom and the butter smells nutty. Remove from heat and pour into a heatproof bowl to cool for 15 minutes until it's cool to touch. (**option to brown the butter for the cake batter and crumb topping at the same time) In the same pan brown the butter for the crumb topping.
- Make the Vanilla Crumb Topping: In a medium bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, vanilla bean powder, and salt. Pour in the browned butter and stir with a fork or rubber spatula until no dry flour remains. The mixture should resemble damp sand and hold together when squeezed. Use your fingers to press the mixture into large and small clumps. Refrigerate the crumb topping while preparing the pumpkin coffee cake batter.
- Prepare the Pan and Oven: While the streusel is chilling, preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line an 9-inch circle or 9X9 square pan with parchment paper, leaving overhang on two sides for easy lifting.
- Whisk the Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice. Whisk well so the leavening and warm spices are distributed evenly throughout the dry ingredients and set aside.
- Mix the Wet Ingredients: Add the granulated sugar and light brown sugar to the bowl containing the cooled brown butter. Whisk until thoroughly combined. Add the eggs one at a time, whisking well after each addition. Whisk in the vanilla extract, pumpkin puree, and sour cream until the wet ingredients are smooth and evenly combined.
- Finish the Cake Batter and Assemble: Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Use a rubber spatula to fold the mixture together just until no dry streaks of flour remain. The batter will be thick. Do not overmix, or the cake may develop a dense or rubbery texture. Spread the pumpkin coffee cake batter evenly into the prepared pan. Smooth the top of the batter with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon.
- Remove the chilled crumb topping from the refrigerator. Break it into a mixture of small and large pieces, with some crumbs approximately the size of peas and others closer to the size of almonds or small walnuts. Scatter all of the crumbs evenly over the top of the cake. Do not place half of the crumbs inside the batter. Keeping the entire crumble layer on top gives the cake better structure.
- Bake: Bake the cake on the center rack for 55 to 65 minutes. Begin checking it at approximately 52 minutes. If the crumb topping becomes too dark before the center is done, loosely tent the pan with aluminum foil. The cake is ready when the center appears set and no longer looks wet. The cake springs back lightly when touched. A toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs but no wet batter. If using an oven thermometer, the internal temperature near the center reaches approximately 200°F to 205°F.
- Cool: Place the pan on a wire rack and let the cake cool in the pan for at least 30 minutes. For cleaner individual slices, allow the cake to cool completely before lifting it from the pan using the parchment paper.
- Make the Vanilla Bean Glaze: Add the powdered sugar, vanilla bean paste, salt, and 1½ tablespoons of milk or heavy cream to a small bowl. Whisk until smooth. Add more milk or cream, 1 teaspoon at a time, until the glaze is thick but pourable. Drizzle the glaze over the cooled cake. Allow it to set for approximately 15 minutes before slicing.
Notes:
- Place the butter in a light-colored saucepan over medium heat.
- Let the butter melt completely, then continue cooking as it begins to foam and bubble.
- Swirl the pan occasionally to help the butter cook evenly and prevent the milk solids from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
- Watch closely for golden brown bits forming at the bottom. The butter will go through a loud bubbling stage while the water cooks off.
- As the bubbling sound begins to quiet down, the butter will start smelling deeply nutty and toasted while turning a rich amber color.
- Remove from the heat immediately and pour the brown butter into a mixing bowl to stop the cooking process and prevent burning.
You want a golden color, not burnt, like toasted hazelnut, not coffee ash.
**How to Brown the Butter Used for the Cake Batter and the Crumb Topping
This recipe uses brown butter in both the cake batter and the crumb topping. You can either brown the butter separately or brown it all at once.To do this, place 1 cup (226g) unsalted butter in a light-colored saucepan over medium heat. Allow the butter to melt, stirring or swirling the pan frequently as it foams and crackles. Continue cooking until the milk solids at the bottom turn deep golden brown, the foaming begins to quiet, and the butter smells rich and nutty. Immediately remove the pan from the heat and pour the browned butter, including all of the toasted milk solids, the brown bits at the bottom of the pan into a heatproof measuring cup or mixing bowl set on a kitchen scale. Divide the browned butter evenly by weight, using 50% for the cake batter and 50% for the crumb topping. Allow the portion for the cake batter to cool for about 10 to 15 minutes before mixing with the remaining wet ingredients so it doesn't scramble the eggs.
***How to Measure Flour Correctly
Measuring flour properly makes a big difference in how your baked recipes turn out. For best results, use a kitchen scale and measure in grams. This ensures consistency and prevents adding too much flour, which can make this cake dry or dense.
If you don’t have a kitchen scale:
- Do not scoop flour directly with the measuring cup.
- Use a spoon to gently fill the measuring cup.
- Level it off with the back of a knife.
- Do not pack the flour down.
Too much flour is one of the most common reasons baked recipes can become dry and cakey
