This Keto Pumpkin Chai Coffee Cake is going to be your new favorite way to pumpkin. Yes, I used pumpkin as a verb – doesn’t everybody? Tender pumpkin and chai flavored cake, topped with crunchy sweet cinnamon streusel and drizzled in a warm chai glaze – it’s keto coffee cake perfection.
I actually made this keto pumpkin chai coffee cake last month, and have been dying to post it ever since! Now that I’m finally getting around to it, pumpkin season is almost over – but there’s still time for you to give this beauty a try, and once you do I know you’ll be hooked like I was.
While I (and you if the comments are any indication) do love my keto pumpkin spice sheet cake with cream cheese frosting, I daresay that this pumpkin chai coffee cake has a slight edge over it in texture. And while it’s hard to beat a cream cheese frosting on any cake, this warm chai glaze is definitely a close second for me, because it just contrasts so perfectly with the crunchy cinnamon streusel.
I didn’t make the cake itself overly sweet, but you’ll find that the sweetness builds in layers with the cookie-like streusel, and then finally the chai glaze, which is quite sweet and pulls it all together.
If you opt for some reason to omit the glaze in this keto pumpkin chai coffee cake, I’d increase the sweetener in the cake itself by 1/4 cup to ensure that your cake is sweet enough.
The fluffy tenderness of this pumpkin chai coffee cake relies on a good quality superfine blanched almond flour like this one, which I order from Amazon and store in the freezer. If you are using a coarse almond flour, you will get a much more crumbly cake, without the soft texture of “real” cake.
Also important to the texture of this cake is the xanthan gum, which helps it hold, but also gives it the springiness and “chew” that you get in a cake typically made with a grain-based flour containing gluten. You can omit the xanthan gum but you will end up with a crumbly cake – not horrible, but not the same as intended by this recipe.
Finally, while I made this keto pumpkin chai coffee cake using a 2 piece angel food cake pan, if you don’t have one I recommend using an 8 inch springform pan so that you can remove the sides and then glaze it.
A regular cake pan will work in a pinch, but won’t result in a show stopper with glaze running down the sides. A regular bundt pan won’t work at all, because when you un-mold the cake all of the streusel will be on the bottom.
Big on warm fall flavors, and with a super moist and fluffy texture, this keto pumpkin chai coffee cake is one of my hand’s down favorite keto cakes that I’ve ever made. And it’s definitely my best keto coffee cake recipe here on the website.
Seriously though – all other keto coffee cakes need not apply. The end.
If you make it as directed, I know you’ll love this keto pumpkin chai coffee cake as much as we did! Be sure to let us know in the comments and tag us on IG @ibreatheimhungry with your photos so we can see your handiwork!
Oooooh and I almost forgot, I LOVE eating this cake ice cold straight out of the refrigerator even more than I do at room temperature! If you make it and try it, let me know if you prefer it that way too – or am I just weird? Totally possible, maybe even probable… cold cake tho – gotta love it! Amiright?? (please validate meeeeeeeeee…)
Keto Pumpkin Chai Coffee Cake
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 10 servings 1x
Description
This Keto Pumpkin Chai Coffee Cake boasts tender pumpkin and chai flavored cake, topped with crunchy sweet cinnamon streusel and drizzled in a warm chai glaze – it’s keto coffee cake perfection.
Ingredients
For the cake layer:
- 1 1/2 sticks (6 ounces) butter, melted
- 4 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (no sugar added)
- 3/4 cup solid pack pumpkin puree
- 1/2 cup hot water
- 2 chai tea bags
- 2 cups superfine blanched almond flour
- 1/2 cup coconut flour
- 2/3 cup granulated brown sugar substitute
- 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
- 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
For the streusel topping:
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
- 3/4 cup almond flour
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar substitute
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
For the glaze:
- 2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon of reserved tea from instructions.
- 1/2 cup powdered erythritol
Instructions
To make the cake:
-
Place the teabags in the hot water and steep for 5 minutes. Remove the teabag and reserve liquid.
-
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
-
Grease a 9.5 inch angel food cake pan or 8” spring form pan with butter.
-
Place the melted butter, eggs, vanilla extract, pumpkin, and 1/4 cup of brewed tea (the other 1/4 cup of tea is for the glaze) in a blender and blend until smooth.
-
Combine the almond flour, coconut flour, sweetener, xanthan gum, salt, baking powder, and cinnamon in a large bowl and whisk together until blended.
-
Pour the blended wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, using a rubber spatula to scrape it all out of the blender.
-
Stir until the batter is mostly smooth.
-
Transfer the batter to the greased pan and spread out evenly.
-
Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes, then remove from the oven.
To make the streusel layer:
-
Combine the streusel ingredients in a small bowl and mix well.
-
Crumble with your fingers into pea sized pieces and scatter evenly over the partially baked cake, pressing in lightly.
-
Return to the oven for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean.
-
Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack for at least one hour before unfolding.
To make the glaze:
-
Combine the chai and powdered erythritol in a small bowl and whisk until smooth.
-
Remove the cooled cake carefully from the pan and place on a serving plate.
-
Drizzle the icing over the cake and serve.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to one week in the refrigerator, or up to 3 months in the freezer.
Notes
Approximate net carbs per slice = 5g.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: keto desserts
- Method: baking
Nutrition
- Serving Size: One 10th cake
- Calories: 367
- Fat: 33g
- Carbohydrates: 10g
- Fiber: 5g
- Protein: 9g
Keywords: keto coffee cake, keto pumpkin cake, keto dessert recipes
Susan says
Made this yesterday and it was delish. I used my 9 inch springform pan with a parchment-wrapped ramekin in the center to create the hole. Worked perfectly. Followed instructions exactly, and used Swerve Brown and Swerve Confectioners. I love all of your recipes, thank you so much! :)
Emily says
Having a small issue re: baking time, in the instructions it says to bake the cake for 25 minutes, is that including the streusel layer? Do I bake for 5 and then add the streusel? Do I do the full bake or add it at the 20 minutes mark? This instruction leaves me wanting some clarity! Smells good but I fear I may have overbaked it. Time will tell.
Mori says
i think the topping is only intended to bake for half the time. I made and baked just the cake for 25 minutes, removed from the oven, sprinkled over the struesel topping and then put it back in for 20 more minutes and it looked perfect! the struesel topping might brown far too much if put on top in the beginning
Karen Conway says
Hi Melissa, just made this cake for the first time and am excited to taste it! Just wanted to check if it can be frozen? thank you! x
Mellissa Sevigny says
Yes!
Angela Strembitsky says
Made this for American Thanksgiving. It was a hit! Just the right amount of sweetness!
★★★★★
Jana Anderson says
Love this recipe.
★★★★★
Charlene says
This sounds incredible. However, I can’t do black tea:( Is there a substitute, perhaps an herbal tea that might work. Thanks.
Emily says
Try Celestial Seasonings ‘Bengal Spice’ tea available in North America, it has no caffeine but is a deeply spiced herbal tea with mainly ginger cinnamon and clove notes, I think it’s perfect for this recipe.
Julia DeGrant says
This cake is amazing. 10/10 highly recommend.
★★★★★
Mellissa Sevigny says
Thanks so much Julia! We love this coffee cake – so happy to hear it was a hit for you also!
Karen says
Can you please recommend your favorite brand of granulated brown sugar substitute? Thank you.
Mellissa Sevigny says
I’m preferring Lakanto Golden at the moment because I think it has the best flavor and texture for baking especially!
Carrie says
I had this cake for the first time a couple of weeks ago when a friend brought it over and I couldn’t get over the amazing smell…I didn’t realize it was a coffee cake! I have made a couple of your recipes (Green Chicken Enchilada Soup – soooo delicious and simple), but this cake? OH MY GOODNESS! It is beautifully made in the springform pan and it was scrumptious! Thanks for the wonderful recipes! Have a super Thanksgiving (I will be making this TG morning for certain)!
★★★★★
Sandra Duke says
Can I skip using xantan gum?
Mello says
Mellissa I can’t remember if I have already left a comment on how good this cake is. I made it for the third time yesterday for a small family gathering for my son in law’s birthday. The only thing I was asked was not to make a keto cake…🤣🤣🤣 Everyone loved it! Nobody realized it was keto…I may or may not tell them sometime in the future. 🥰
Mellissa Sevigny says
That’s high praise if nobody noticed it was keto – thanks for letting me know it was a hit! I love this recipe, can’t wait to get some pumpkin so I can make it again too!
Marilyn says
Oh, my gosh! This cake is delicious! I thought it was good last night while it was warm, but it’s even better cold! I sent a piece to my brother in law and he texted me later to say it was excellent. This is definitely a “keeper” and will be made often. Thank you for the wonderful recipe!
★★★★★
Jen says
This is such a great cake! The flavor is the best!
Do you think it could it be made into muffins?
★★★★★
Mellissa Sevigny says
yes!
Mello says
Jen, I make this recipe and other cake recipes in a mini loaf pan that makes 6 mini loaves. Each loaf give us 4 slices. It’s perfect for hubby and I. I can choose to freeze the rest or give some away. Another perk is that we are not stuck eating the same cake all week long.
Karyl says
OMG! This was absolutely delish. Husband could not tell it was Keto. This is a keeper. Thank you so much for your recipes. We have started our Keto journey a month ago and your site is a go to !!
★★★★★
Mellissa Sevigny says
Thanks Karyl, so happy you’re enjoying the recipes!!!
Sharon says
I made a spatchcocked za’atar roast chicken with roasted brussel sprouts tonight for my non-keto family. It was delicious, but the real star of the night was the pumpkin chai coffee cake. Rave reviews and sorry to say, no coffee cake leftovers. Seriously, that was one of the best I’ve ever made. Thank you for the all the recipes,Mellissa! Another winner!
Beata says
OMG – perfection indeed. THANK YOU for this amazing recipe!
I’ve been reading your blog for a while now (BTW, thank you for shedding the light on the reasons behind the wordy posts and story of everyone’s life before you get to the actual recipe! However, I actually enjoy YOUR life stories, so no worries there. :)I appreciate the no-nonsense attitude and your sense of humor too!) but never commented on any story or recipe because I don’t know, lazy? Lol.
Anyway, I just felt that this time I just had to let you know that I’ve really enjoyed your blog and all the hard work that you put into creating the content for your website! I realize that making a recipe is actually a smallish part in the grand scheme of things – the pictures, lighting, the writing of the story (and counting how many times you used the name of the recipe in the post, so that almighty Google will put it through!) surely take up a lot of precious time that you spend to keep us entertained while hopefully making some money in the process. My hat goes off to you! But I digress. :)
Just wanted to let you know that my non-keto coworkers and even my dear boyfriend (who is not a fan of keto at all), absolutely devoured this cake and kept telling me how delicious it is while the crumbs were falling out of their mouths, lolol.
★★★★★
Beata says
And I also wanted to add that I totally dig a cold cake! :)
I have tried several of your recipes (sheet pan salmon with asparagus, for example) and oh my, were they delicious! I actually find that I do better while eating more Atkins style than keto ( I totally overeat on fats and end up eating probably thousands of extra calories…), but so many of your recipes are totally in line with Atkins that I have no issues incorporating your recipes into my eating style. I also like that you often actually provide tips on replacement ingredients right in the post, so I don’t have to wonder if I can use lime juice instead of lemon juice, lol.
Thank you for sharing your creativity and passion with me. Even the post comments tend to be entertaining too! Thank you so much for your hard work – I really appreciate what you do!
★★★★★
Mellissa Sevigny says
Thank you so much Beata! I appreciate you taking the time to say hello and comment, and I’m always psyched to hear that even keto “haters” are enjoying my recipes! 🙌🏻 😂 And thanks for the feed back on my blah-de-blah, it’s good to know that I’m not boring everyone to tears out there ha ha!
Beata says
When it comes to the recipe, I did make a few modifications because I did not have what the recipe called for – for example, I used powdered erythritol for all layers and I did use the simple glass brownie pan. I also decreased the amount of sugar in the cake slightly (just slightly over 1/2 cup instead of 2/3 cup), because I actually don’t enjoy overly sweet cake and the topping and the glaze sounded like there would plenty of sweetness there (and I was correct on that). I also increased the baking time by about 10 minutes due to the thickness of the cake in the brownie pan. Came out with a fantastic texture and a spectacular taste, even though it didn’t look nearly as spectacular as yours! And BTW, I couldn’t stop “trying” the Streusel topping before even putting it on the cake; I must have used all the spoons in my silverware drawer, haha.
Lisa says
This cake looks amazing! And I totally relate to cold cake from the fridge ;~)
★★★★★
Mellissa Sevigny says
Right? Cold cake forever!!!! 🙌🏻
Jennifer Howse says
i just started reading all of your recipes in the past couple of days. i cook and bake a lot, so i’m pretty knowledgable on what can and can’t be subsituted. and i’ve done keto on and off for about 5 years. i don’t get hugely overweight, (worst at 20lbs) but started a keto diet when i was 30lbs overweight one year, and NONE of my motorcycle leathers fit me anymore!! i did not want to buy more, (they are quite expensive) so started keto and in 3 months i had lost 30lbs!!! now if i gain 10-15 over the winter i will go on keto for a few months before summer and lose it again. i ‘eat well’ most of the time, i’m not a junk food person, but i do like baking! lol anyhow all of this to say i’m getting the ingredients to make your HOP bread and this cake. and i LOVE cold cake!!! especially if its a little ‘moist’ in the middle. like a fudgy type cake, then it’s YUMMY cold. i will write back after i make it and let you know. all of your recipes look great by the way!