Brown Butter Pumpkin Coffee Cake (Using Yellow Cake Mix!)

It's pumpkin season! Get ready for the coziest and easiest pumpkin coffee cake recipe. I love making recipes from scratch, but sometimes a simple shortcut can make it more effortless and approachable. For this recipe, it's yellow box cake mix.

We're going to make it a little fancier by using brown butter and a crumbly streusel. Enjoy this brown butter pumpkin coffee cake with your favorite latté, as a brunch treat, or even for dessert!

Layers of pumpkin, sour cream, brown butter streusel, and powdered sugar glaze are moist, light, and full of fall spice. What’s better, you likely already have a box of yellow or vanilla cake mix in your pantry!

So, grab your favorite fall spice drink and start baking this cozy pumpkin coffee cake.

Why You’ll Love this Pumpkin Coffee Cake

Many of us wait all year for fall to arrive, so it only makes sense to welcome it with a warm pumpkin spice coffee cake. Not only does this coffee cake combine the hygge-inducing tastes of clove, cinnamon, and nutmeg (to name a few), but the brown butter makes it feel luxurious.

I love a slice of brown butter pumpkin coffee cake with a lightly-sweetened cappuccino as a midday treat, but my family enjoys it alongside breakfast on fall weekends.

If you’re serving brunch or attending an autumn potluck, a brown butter pumpkin coffee cake makes an excellent addition or even a star dish. You can make it a day ahead and drizzle it in powdered sugar glaze a few hours before serving!

Ingredients for Brown Butter Pumpkin Coffee Cake

Ready to start baking? Here’s what you’ll need to make the perfect brown butter pumpkin coffee cake using a ready-to-make yellow box cake mix! This list also includes ingredients for coffee cake streusel and powdered sugar glaze.

• Yellow box cake mix (I prefer Bob’s Red Mill Classic Yellow Cake Mix)
• Pumpkin pie spice
• Butter (salted or unsalted)
• Pumpkin puree
• Half & half
• Sour cream
• Eggs
• Vanilla (optional)
• Brown sugar
• Flour
• Powdered sugar

How to Make Brown Butter Pumpkin Coffee Cake with Box Cake Mix

Making this pumpkin coffee cake recipe is fairly simple, but you’ll want to ensure that you follow the correct order. Because the streusel uses melted brown butter, it’s important to make the streusel first so that it has time to cool.

1. Brown the butter

In a small or medium saucepan, heat one stick of butter over medium heat. Butter will begin to sizzle and foam up; this is a sign that you’re close to browning. Be careful not to step away from the stove, as the browning process happens very quickly after this.

Continue to stir or whisk the butter, watching for the milk solids to turn a medium brown color. You’ll smell the nuttiness of the brown butter once it’s ready; immediately remove the pan from heat and set aside to cool slightly.

2. Make the streusel

In a shallow bowl, mix together ¼ cup of brown butter (or half of your brown butter), ⅓ cup brown sugar, and ⅔ cup flour. Using a fork, stir everything together until very small clumps form. You can add a dash of pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon for added flavor. Set the bowl in the fridge to cool while you make the pumpkin coffee cake batter.

3. Mix the dry coffee cake ingredients

Start by preheating the oven to 375º. In a large bowl, whisk together one package of yellow cake mix with 2 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice. Set aside and prepare your wet ingredients.

4. Blend the wet coffee cake ingredients

In a medium bowl, mix together 1 cup pumpkin puree, ¾ cup half & half, 1 cup sour cream, remaining (4 tbsp) brown butter, 2 eggs, and optional 2 teaspoon vanilla extract or paste. Whisk until completely smooth or use a hand mixer and beat for one minute.

5. Combine wet and dry ingredients

Use a spatula to create a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. Ideally, use a hand mixer on medium speed for two minutes to ensure a fluffy coffee cake.

6. Layer the coffee cake

Grease a 9x13 cake pan with cooking spray or butter. Pour half of the pumpkin coffee cake batter into the pan and spread evenly with a spatula or rubber scraper. Take the streusel from the fridge and gently break it up using a fork. Sprinkle half of the streusel evenly over the coffee cake batter. Repeat with the remaining half of the pumpkin coffee cake batter and streusel.

7. Ready to bake

Bake the pumpkin coffee cake for 29-32 minutes or until the center is no longer gooey. Insert a toothpick and check to see if wet batter or crumbs stick to the sides of the toothpick; there should be very moist crumbs, but not wet batter.

8. Let cool and make powdered sugar glaze

The hardest part is the final step—allowing the pumpkin coffee cake to cool! You’ll get a better crumb, a better glaze, and better taste if you let it come to room temperature. Once cooled, make the powdered sugar glaze by whisking the powdered sugar and half & half together. Use a spoon to drizzle the coffee cake with the glaze and serve.

Tips for Baking Brown Butter Pumpkin Coffee Cake

Before you start baking, here are a few tips to help ensure the best brown butter pumpkin coffee cake outcome.

Don’t overbrown the butter

It’s easy to go from nutty brown butter to… burnt butter. Start by using a light-colored pan so you can easily observe the milk solids as they change color. Then, cut butter into smaller pieces (1-2 tablespoon each) so that it melts and cooks more evenly.

Keep the heat set to medium; otherwise, you risk the butter going from cold to burnt. While it’s cooking, keep the pan (or butter) moving. Whisking or stirring the pot regularly helps prevent the milk solids from sticking or burning. Once you smell the nutty scent that brown butter so eloquently emits, remove the pan from heat immediately to stop the cooking.

Use pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling

This is a common mistake that happens with pumpkin baked goods. However, pumpkin pie filling is different than pumpkin puree! Pumpkin pie filling is a ready-to-bake can of pumpkin, condensed milk, spices, and everything else you need for pumpkin pie.

Pumpkin puree is nothing but pumpkin—just what you need to bake the perfect pumpkin baked goods! You can buy canned pumpkin from any grocery store, or make your own pumpkin puree by roasting a pie pumpkin.

Make pumpkin coffee cake cupcakes

Want to make a different version of this same recipe? Easily turn this recipe into pumpkin coffee cake cupcakes! Follow the directions up until step 6; here, you’ll replace the cake pan with a cupcake tin. Layer the cake batter and streusel according to the recipe directions, and bake for 25 minutes.

Pumpkin Coffee Cake FAQs

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