Pumpkin Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

Hello! As you may have noticed it's taking me some time to get back into my regular blogging mode. After traveling to New York my blogging clock must have been turned off and I've missed the past couple of weekends. For shame! With that excuse in hand, I'm going to pretend that my internal clock is so off kilter that I have no choice but to go back to Fall mode with today's pumpkin based recipe. Yes, pumpkin. But I promise that this delicious pumpkin coffee cake can be enjoyed anytime of the year, no falling leaves required. Just think of a wonderful spiced batter dotted generously with hidden chunks of cream cheese, then topped with a perfectly sweet and crumbly oat topping. In general I'm stymied as to why pumpkin is relegated to November and Thanksgiving. Canned pumpkin is available year round, and in this case, it's exactly what makes this coffee cake moist and delicious.

This recipe comes from I Talk To Food, the blog of our family friend Aubrey. When she originally posted this recipe, Aubrey was living in New York City and attending culinary school. Today, she and her husband Tyler have an amazing catering business in the Lake Tahoe area called Butter + Salt. If you ever need a food event catered in Tahoe, I highly recommend you check them out! So without further ado, here is Aubrey's fabulous pumpkin coffee cake recipe. Despite the time of year, it was just too good to keep to myself.

Cake Ingredients:
1 cup pumpkin puree
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup white sugar
2 eggs
½ cup butter, melted
1 ½ cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg
¼ tsp allspice or pumpkin pie spice (if you have it)
8 ounces original cream cheese

Oat Topping Ingredients:
½ cup rolled oats
¼ cup brown sugar
¼ cup butter, cold and cubed
pinch of cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice
pinch of salt

Directions:
1.    Preheat oven to 350 degrees Farenheit
2.    ombine eggs, pumpkin, sugars, butter, spices, and salt in a medium bowl
3.    Stir in flour and baking soda until just blended
4.    Pour batter into a buttered coffe cake, pie, or bundt pan
5.    Push small chunks of cream cheese into the batter until all used
6.    In another small bowl, combine the topping ingredients. Sprinkle over the top of the batter.
7.    Bake for 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean