Pumpkin Crumb Cake

What does this Pumpkin Crumb Cake make you think of?
Autumn? Trips to the pumpkin patch?

It makes me think of New Jersey.
That's right, and it also makes me feel nostalgic...

because I will always associate crumb cake with visiting my grandparents in New Jersey.

When I was a child, my family made annual road trips from Florida to New Jersey.
During our visits, my grandfather would always get pastries from his favorite bakery
one morning while the rest of us were still sleeping.
He would bring home what my grandmother called "crumb buns"...
but were essentially cake.

Crumb cake for breakfast! You can see why this is a good memory.

I love to bake with pumpkin this time of year,
and combining it with a crumb topping just seemed so perfect.

Both the cake and the topping include that amazing foursome of spices:
ground cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves.

Get ready for some fantastic flavor!

Pumpkin Crumb Cake

adapted from Vanilla Sugar Blog

Ingredients

Pumpkin Cake

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cloves
3/4 cup unsalted butter (room temperature)
2 cups granulated sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (15 oz.) can pumpkin puree
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup sour cream

Crumb Topping

3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cloves
2 cups flour
1 cup unsalted butter (melted)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9X13 cake pan.

For the Crumb Topping: In a medium bowl, mix both sugars, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves and flour. Add the melted butter and stir with a fork to form large crumbs. Set aside.

For the Cake: Whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves; set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add the sugar and mix well. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Mix in the vanilla, pumpkin and vegetable oil. Alternately add the flour mixture and the sour cream, ending with the flour mixture.

Pour batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Add the crumb topping by dropping clumps of it on to the cake. Bake for 40-45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool on a rack.