Ingredients
Cake Batter
- 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 cup (225 g) pumpkin puree
- ½ cup (100 g) packed brown sugar
- ½ cup (120 ml) vegetable or canola oil
- ¼ cup (80 g) pure maple syrup
- ¼ cup (60 ml) milk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Crumb Topping
- 1 cup (125 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (200 g) packed brown sugar
- 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, cold and cubed
Vanilla Glaze
- 1 cup (120 g) confectioners’ sugar
- 2 tablespoons milk
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Preheat and prepare pan: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a 9-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, allowing some overhang on the sides for easy cake removal.
- Make crumb topping: In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Add cold cubed butter and work it in with a pastry cutter or fork until the mixture forms large, irregular crumbs. Set aside.
- Mix dry cake ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves to create the dry base for the cake batter.
- Combine wet cake ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk pumpkin puree, brown sugar, vegetable oil, maple syrup, milk, and vanilla extract until smooth and well blended.
- Combine wet and dry: Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and gently fold together with a rubber spatula just until no dry streaks remain. Be careful not to overmix; the batter should be thick.
- Fill pan with batter: Transfer the batter to the prepared pan, spreading it into an even layer.
- Add crumb topping: Evenly scatter the crumb topping over the surface of the batter, pressing some of the larger crumbs lightly into the batter to help them stick during baking.
- Bake the cake: Bake for 30–35 minutes, checking at 30 minutes. The cake is done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Avoid overbaking to prevent dryness.
- Cool the cake: Remove from oven and cool in the pan for 15–20 minutes. For complete cooling, transfer the cake to a wire rack.
- Prepare vanilla glaze: Whisk confectioners’ sugar, milk, vanilla extract, and salt together until smooth. Adjust thickness by adding a little milk if too thick, or more sugar if too thin.
- Glaze and serve: Drizzle the vanilla glaze over the warm or completely cooled cake. Slice into 9 squares and enjoy.
Notes
- Use cold butter for the crumb topping to achieve a nice texture.
- Do not overmix the batter to keep the cake tender and moist.
- Adjust spices to taste if you prefer a stronger or more subtle flavor.
- The glaze can be adjusted for thickness depending on your preference for drizzling or spreading.
- Leftover cake can be stored covered at room temperature for up to 2 days or refrigerated for up to 5 days.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
