Happy Pumpkin Spice Latte Day!

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Break out your flannel shirts and prepare yourself for an overwhelming number of pumpkin patch photos in your Instagram feed – the internet’s favorite time of the year is here. Allow us to be one of the first, but certainly not the last, to wish you a Happy Pumpkin Spice Latte Day, err, First Day of Fall!

In celebration, here’s four ways you know that you’re a pumpkin spice person:

  1. The thought of crisp, autumn leaves crunching under your boots brings joy to your pumpkin-shaped soul. Some folks are all about sand in their toes or the crunch of snow, but for you, the pumpkin spice person, changing leaves are the number one sign that FALL IS COMING.
  2. You hoard pumpkin spice flavored treats to enjoy year-round. You name it, it has a pumpkin spice-inspired variety. While some may browse past these hit-or-miss fall treats, somehow they manage to find their way into your shopping bag.
  3. You have posted something to social media about your love for fall. Throw a Valencia filter on that pic of you and the kids gleefully tossing leaves in the air or snap an artsy photo of your #PSL, a true pumpkin spice person knows that fall joy is something that should be shared… with all of your social media followers.
  4. And, lastly, you have internal debates over when it is socially appropriate to welcome fall. You’ve probably had this day marked on your calendar for months. How soon is too soon to welcome fall? Well, set your debates aside because today’s your day—it’s pumpkin spice season at last!

If you answered yes to any of the above statements, you’re totally a pumpkin spice person! Better news – we here at Royal Cup fully support your pumpkin spice obsession and here to provide some coffee-fueled recipes that are perfect to welcome fall with the warm, hearty welcome that it deserves.

Pumpkin Spice Coffee Cake

(pair with a perfectly pumpkin-y cup of joe for the full fall experience)

Crumb Topping

  • 1/3 cup brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons unsalted butter melted and cooled

Cake Batter

  • 2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 cup pumpkin puree
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil
  • 3/4 cup buttermilk

Instructions

Crumb Topping

  1. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together sugar, cinnamon, salt, flour and graham cracker crumbs.
  2. Add cooled, melted butter and stir with a fork until coarse crumbs form. Set aside.

Cake

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease and flour a 13" x 9" baking pan.
  2. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, brown sugar, granulated sugar, salt and pumpkin spice.
  3. In another bowl, whisk together pumpkin puree, eggs, vanilla, oil and buttermilk.
  4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and whisk together until smooth.
  5. Pour the batter into prepared pan. Tap the pan against your counter to release any air bubbles.
  6. Sprinkle the crumb topping all over the surface of the cake batter, spreading it evenly.
  7. Bake the cake for 32 to 35 minutes OR until a toothpick inserted in few places near the center comes out clean. Cool to room temperature and slice.