Moist Pumpkin Coffee Cake

I cannot tell you how gloriously moist this Pumpkin Coffee Cake is. For those who find normal cakes a bit dry, this is the cake for you. And because it is so moist, it keeps beautifully so you needn't be baking on the day that guests drop by, instead doing much more productive work like watching reruns of Desperate Housewives or Seinfeld.

I know I eschewed Jessica Seinfeld's suggestion of chopped pecans as I had some to put on the top after it had cooked (I was a little worried about them over-baking for the 60 min cooking time) but once it came out of the oven, the pink marshmallows had burst through the topping so I thought the only thing I could do is celebrate the pinkness of the cake with marshmallow flowers. I had most of the 500g bag of marshmallows left so I needed to do something with them.

Pumpkin Coffee Cake

Batter:

• 1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

• 4 tablespoons butter

• 1 1/4 cups low fat buttermilk or skim milk

• 1 cup reduced fat sour cream

• 1 large egg

• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

• 2 cups wholemeal flour

• 2 teaspoons baking power

• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1 cup butternut pumpkin puree

• 1/2 cup mini marshmallows (I used regular sized ones cut up with scissors)

Topping

• 1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

• 1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar

• 2 teaspoons cinnamon

Step 1 - Preheat the oven to 350F/180C. Line a 9 inch cake pan or 8x8 inch baking pan with baking parchment.

Step 2 - In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the sugar and margarine until creamy. Beat in 1 cup of the buttermilk or milk, the sour cream egg and vanilla. Add the flour, baking power, cinnamon and salt and mix until completely incorporated.

Step 3 - Pour half of the batter into the pan and smooth the top. Spread the pumpkin puree over the batter and sprinkle with marshmallows. Stir the remaining 1/4 cup milk into the rest of the batter and spread evenly over the pumpkin filling.

Step 4 - Mix together the topping ingredients and sprinkle evenly over the batter. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the centre of the cake, 55-60 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes on a rack before cutting into wedges or squares.

Recipe by Jessica Seinfeld from Deceptively Delicious