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Skillet Pumpkin Cream Cheese Snack Cake with Brown Sugar Crumble, Pumpkin cream cheese muffin recipes
Brittany Stage

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Snack Cake with Brown Sugar Crumble

A single-layer pumpkin cake with a swirled cream cheese filling bakes in one 8x8 pan and gets topped with a buttery brown sugar crumble instead of frosting. It slices cleanly, travels well, and comes together with pantry staples.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 38 minutes
Total Time 58 minutes
Servings: 9 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 380
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup canned pumpkin puree not pumpkin pie filling
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar for batter
  • 2 large eggs room temperature
  • 1/3 cup neutral oil vegetable or canola
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour spooned and leveled
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp fine salt
  • 8 oz cream cheese full-fat, softened to room temperature
  • 1/4 cup powdered sugar for cream cheese layer
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract for cream cheese layer
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour for crumble
  • 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar for crumble
  • 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon for crumble
  • 3 tbsp unsalted butter cold, cut into small cubes

Equipment

  • 8x8 inch baking pan
  • hand mixer or stand mixer
  • two mixing bowls
  • small bowl for crumble
  • rubber spatula

Method
 

  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8x8 inch baking pan with butter or cooking spray, then line it with parchment paper, leaving a little overhang on two sides so you can lift the cake out later.
  2. Make the cream cheese layer first. Beat the softened cream cheese with the powdered sugar and 1 teaspoon of vanilla in a medium bowl until it is smooth and spreadable, with no lumps. Set it aside.
  3. Make the crumble. In a small bowl, stir together the 1/2 cup flour, 1/3 cup brown sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon. Drop in the cold butter cubes and use your fingertips to rub them into the flour mixture until it looks like coarse, damp sand with a few pea-sized clumps. Put the bowl in the freezer while you make the batter.
  4. Make the pumpkin batter. In a large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree, granulated sugar, 1/4 cup brown sugar, eggs, oil, and 1 teaspoon vanilla until smooth. In a separate bowl, whisk together the 1 cup flour, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and salt. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined. Stop mixing as soon as you no longer see dry flour streaks.
  5. Pour the pumpkin batter evenly into the prepared pan. Drop spoonfuls of the cream cheese mixture across the top, spacing them out. Use a butter knife or skewer to gently swirl the cream cheese into the batter. Do not overmix, you want visible swirls, not a blended mess.
  6. Pull the crumble from the freezer and scatter it evenly over the top of the swirled batter in a generous, even layer.
  7. Bake for 34 to 38 minutes. The cake is done when the edges pull slightly from the pan, the center no longer jiggles when you give the pan a gentle shake, and a toothpick inserted into the pumpkin portion (not the cream cheese) comes out with moist crumbs, not wet batter.
  8. Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes. Then refrigerate it for 20 minutes before slicing. This rest time helps the cream cheese layer firm up so your slices come out clean. Lift out using the parchment overhang, cut into 9 squares, and serve.

Notes

Chilling before slicing is not optional if you want clean cuts. The cream cheese layer needs time to set or it will smear. Leftovers keep in the fridge, covered, for up to 4 days.