Passionate for Pumpkin

Well, I have to come clean - I LOVE pumpkin!!  There are so many ways to use it and I haven't had something that I didn't like yet.  (check out my post here for another autumn meal using pumpkin in a neat way)  So, I have decided to put myself out there for all of you.  No need to thank me, I am just doing my small part to make the world a better place. ;-]

Just for you (not me, really...) - (ok, maybe a little!) - I have decided to try many new pumpkin recipes over the next few weeks and then post about them here with my comments.  Then it will be your turn - for your family, of course - to get in on the action!  Today, I tried a recipe that was just amazing.  So, we will kick it off with this one.  (I put in parenthesis the actual ingredients that I used instead of the original recipe.)

Pumpkin Crumb Coffee Cake
adapted from All You magazine

Topping:

*1 c. all purpose flour (fresh ground soft wheat)
*1/2 c. packed brown sugar (sucanat)
*pinch of salt
*1 1/2 tsp cinnamon (2 tsp.)
*6 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cold, cut into pieces

Cake:

*2 c. all purpose flour (2 1/2 cup fresh ground soft wheat)
*1 1/2 tsp. baking powder (almost 2 tsp.)
*1/2 tsp. baking soda (more like 3/4 tsp.)
*1/2 tsp. salt
*1 Tbsp. cinnamon (well rounded)
*2 tsp. ground ginger (1 tsp. ground and 1 tsp+ fresh)
*1/2 tsp. nutmeg (+ a little)
*1/3 c. vegetable oil
*3/4 c. unsweetened applesauce (3/4 c. kefir)
*1 15 oz. can pumpkin
*1 tsp. vanilla (+ a little more)
*1 1/2 c. sugar (1 c. sugar and 1/2 c. honey)
*1/2 c. packed brown sugar (1/2 c. sucanat)
*2 large eggs, at room temp, lightly beaten
(I forgot to put flax in - don't know what was wrong with me!  Normally (and from now on) I would add at least 1/2 c. of ground flax as well.)

Make the topping: In a bowl, stir together flour, brown sugar, salt and cinnamon.  Add butter and combine with fingertips until the mixture is crumbly.  Refrigerate while making the batter.

Preheat oven to 350*.  Grease a 9x13 cake pan.  In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices.  In a large bowl, whisk together oil, applesauce, pumpkin, vanilla and both sugars until well mixed.  Whisk in eggs.  Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture and stir just until combined; do not overmix.  Pour batter into cake pan and spread evenly.  Sprinkle the reserved topping evenly over the top.

Bake the cake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes.  Allow to cool on a wire rack about 20 minutes. (I never read that part and we ate it pretty much as soon as it came out of the oven! Ooppsss!!!) I had mine with some of my {free} pumpkin spice coffee, creamed with {almost free} caramel vanilla latte creamer - ohhh, boy, what a treat!