Some call it a dessert, some call it a breakfast dish, but we call it simply delicious. We’re talking about coffee cake, and we’ve got a unique seasonal version you may not have had yet that you’ll definitely want to try! Our Pumpkin Spice Coffee Cake is the perfect way to welcome in October, and it’s a great coffee cake recipe you can bake up for any get-togethers or events you have from now through the holiday season.
Our Pumpkin Spice Coffee Cake takes the classic flavors of pumpkin spice recipes, including real pumpkin, and bakes them into a cake with Lifeway Kefir for the ultimate tender, moist piece of cake. For something extra special, a creamy filling made with protein-packed Lifeway Farmer Cheese acts as a decadent spread in between both cake layers. Our soft, cultured cheese is a beautiful replacement to cream cheese because it spreads as smooth as silk, but is higher in protein and made without any additives. We blend it with some powdered sugar to make the filling, then stack each cake on top of one another for an extra layer of decadence.
Using ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen, this recipe requires a few extra steps, but it comes together easily and is well-worth the effort. So grab some baking pans, gather the ingredients, and discover a new way to use and love Lifeway Farmer Cheese in all your favorite seasonal breakfast-like desserts!
The Benefits of Cultured Dairy for Better Health:
Research continues to show the importance of eating healthy foods, including cultured dairy such as kefir, for optimal digestion and gut health, a strong immune system, and to support the microbiome. Fermented foods like kefir hold important value in this line of research due to the link between the gut-brain axis and overall health. Specifically, kefir has been shown to help diversify the microbiome, improve digestion, reduce inflammation, support healthier blood sugar levels, and improve satiety since the bioavailable protein it contains triggers the release of GLP-1.
Lifeway Kefir is packed with variety of vital nutrients important for overall health, including bone and muscle health; these include vitamin D3, K, calcium, and vitamin B12. Along with our probiotic-rich kefir, Lifeway also offers artisan-made Farmer Cheese, a creamy high-protein cheese made with live and active cultures to support healthy muscles and healthy microbiome. Lifeway Farmer Cheese is easy to spread, free of gums and thickeners, and contains no added salt or sugar for optimal health benefits.
Prep Time: 1 hour Servings: 10-12Ingredients
For the Cake
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
- 1 cup pure pumpkin purée (not pumpkin pie filling)
- 1 cup Lowfat Plain Kefir
- 1/4 cup melted coconut oil
- 3/4 cup brown sugar or coconut sugar, packed
- 2 eggs
- 1-2 tsp. vanilla
For the Filling:
- 1 cup Farmer Cheese
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
For the Streusel Topping:
- 1/2 cup oats, processed into a fine meal/flour
- 1 tsp. cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice
- 1/4 cup additional brown sugar or coconut sugar
- 4 tbsp. cold butter
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and line a 9x9-inch square baking pan with parchment paper.
- Mix the dry ingredients; in a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, pumpkin pie spice, and cinnamon.
- Mix the wet ingredients; in a large bowl, whisk pumpkin purée, kefir, coconut oil, brown sugar/coconut sugar, eggs, and vanilla until smooth.
- Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined—do not over-mix.
- Make the streusel topping in a separate small bowl; cut butter into ground oats/flour, sugar, and cinnamon with a fork until crumbly. Set aside.
- Place the batter of the cake in two separate pans. Add the streusel topping over the top of each cake before baking. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until a fork comes out clean
- While the cake is baking, make the cream cheese filling. Whip the farmer cheese, vanilla, and powdered sugar together in a hand mixer in a bowl or use a food processor.
- Once the cake is done baking, let it cool at least 30 minutes on the counter. Remove from the pans, add it to a cake plate, and frost one layer of cake with the filling, then top with the other baked cake on top. Slice and serve to enjoy!
- Store leftovers in the fridge to maintain freshness, up to one week.
