Layered pumpkin coffee cake

Anne Willhoit Special to Kitsap Sun

Published 8:03 PM EDT Nov 1, 2018

I have a young friend who loves to bake. For a party, she worked up a new type of cupcake, with a layer of brownie on the bottom, yellow cake on top and brightly colored frosting topping it all off. Sprinkles, of course, were in abundance, belying her preteen zest for all things that sparkle.

I couldn't get those layers out of my mind. I was eager to see if I could create a cake with those inspiring stripes and, this being pumpkin season, I knew one of those stripes had to be orange. I fiddled until I got a nice light cake that wasn't overly sweet. Even without sprinkles, it has a certain "wow" factor when you slice it, revealing three distinct stripes. Enjoy with a mug of something to make your fall morning special.

Layered Pumpkin Coffee Cake

INGREDIENTS

For the vanilla cake batter:

1 cup sugar
8 tablespoons butter
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup sour cream

For the pumpkin layer:

Vanilla cake batter
1 c. pumpkin
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons flour

For the chocolate layer:

Vanilla cake batter
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 tablespoon water

Topping:
4 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 cup whole pecans
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon fresh nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

DIRECTIONS

1. Set your butter out to soften and come to room temperature. Prepare a tube pan for baking. (See notes)

2. Make the vanilla batter. With an electric mixer on medium-low, cream together the butter and the sugar until light.

3. Add eggs, one at a time. Add the vanilla extract.

5. In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add this dry mixture to the creamed mixture, alternating with the sour cream.

7. You have now made your vanilla batter. Divide it equally between three bowls, with about 1 1/4 cup in each. Set one bowl aside for your vanilla layer.

8. In one bowl of divided batter, add the cocoa and water. Mix well.

9. In the other bowl, mix the pumpkin, cinnamon, and 2 tablespoons additional flour.

10. In your prepared pan, dollop the chocolate batter around the ring. Spread carefully to the sides and middle with the tip of a butter knife or spoon.

11. Next, gently spread the pumpkin layer over the chocolate layer. Take care to spread it flatly and evenly. Repeat lastly with the vanilla batter.

12. Make the topping. Pulse the nuts, flour, sugar, and spice in a food processor until coarse but even. Pulse in the melted butter. (Or, if you can, chop your nuts finely and mix it all together.)

13. Squeeze the topping into clumps and then sprinkle on with your fingers. Press gently down.

14. Bake at 350F for 50 minutes. Let cool and then remove from pan.

Notes:

To make your own pumpkin puree, slice your pumpkin in half, piercing the skin with your knife and working from the top to bottom. Scoop out the seeds and set aside. (Feel with your fingers to be sure that you’ve got them all.) Place pumpkin halves, cut side down, on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Roast at 400F for one hour. When cool, remove the flesh from the skin with a large spoon. If desired, pulse for a few times in a food processor to create a smoother puree. Store in refrigerator, freeze in one-cup portions, or use right away for your recipe. One 3 pound pumpkin yields about 4 cups of puree. In most recipes that call for pumpkin puree, canned can be substituted, if needed.
Tips for dealing with a tube pan: Cut a circle from parchment paper to line the bottom. (You can trace the inner circle with a long pencil.) Butter this and the rest of the pan. Don’t forget the tube! After the cake has cooled for about 45 minutes, slide a knife around the edges and under the parchment. Push from the bottom to remove outer ring. Then, to invert onto your plate or rack, place the bottom of the outer ring pan onto the top of the cake, invert, and remove tube. Cake acrobatics!

Anne Willhoit is an educator, community volunteer and parent. She blogs about seasonal eating and from scratch techniques at www.eatingsmallpotatoes.com.