Sugar-Crusted Pumpkin Spice Coffee Can Cakes

Oct 30

overhead close up shot of pumpkin spice coffee can cakes that taste better than Starbuck's-sliced for the perfect piece, sugar crusted and buttery delicious. — **These cake slices are proof that coffee cans were never really meant for just coffee.**

A Slice of Nostalgia from the Farm Kitchen

Some recipes just take you right back to the heart of home. These sugar-crusted pumpkin spice coffee can cakes are one of those treasures. My mother-in-law has been baking cakes in coffee cans for years—they’re her signature holiday gift to friends and neighbors. She bakes them up in big batches and wraps them up tightly in foil, ready to be gifted and sliced into those sweet round “cake circles” that make everyone smile.

This recipe follows a similar rhythm to my Alabama Blueberry Bread: buttered pans dusted with cinnamon sugar, tender crumb, and that little sparkle of sweetness on the crust. This pumpkin version is the perfect treat for Holiday parties and fall baking season!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

It’s moist, spiced, and cozy—like your favorite pumpkin loaf — but with a crisp sugar crust.
Baking in coffee cans gives each cake a beautiful tall shape and makes it easy to gift.
It’s nostalgic — an old farmhouse baking tradition that deserves a comeback!
You can easily adjust the recipe to fill your coffee cans perfectly (see below!)

empty metal coffee cans and a can of pumpkin puree on a wooden countertop. ready to be used for baking homemade sugar-crusted pumpkin spiced coffee can cakes that taste better than starbucks — ***If you know you know—these coffee cans aren’t for caffeine. They’re for the real magic: pumpkin spice cakes that smell like fall!***

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Ingredients

For the Cinnamon Sugar “Crust”

3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg (optional)
2 tablespoons softened butter (or more-for greasing cans)

For the Pumpkin Spice Batter

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
¾ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
⅔ cup brown sugar, packed
1 ¼ cups canned pumpkin puree (not pie filling)
⅔ cup vegetable oil (or melted butter)
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons buttermilk (or 2 tablespoons milk + ½ teaspoon lemon juice)

This is a 1.5x version of a standard pumpkin loaf recipe— perfect for filling three coffee cans about halfway to two-thirds full.

three sugar crusted pumpkin spice coffee can cakes sitting on a wooden board, showing their golden brown tops and crusty sugar edges fresh from the oven — ***That golden dome on top? It’s hands-down the best slice of the whole batch—sweet, crusty, and pure pure pumpkin perfection.***

Instructions

Prep the Coffee Cans: Clean and dry your coffee cans (remove any labels). Butter the insides generously, then sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar mixture around to coat. Tap out the excess.
Preheat the Oven to 350°F (175°C). Place the cans on a baking sheet for easy handling and even baking. Spread them out a few inches to ensure even airflow around the cans. They’ll bake quicker!
Mix the Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.
Mix the Wet Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk pumpkin puree, sugars, oil, eggs, vanilla, and buttermilk until smooth.
Combine: Add dry ingredients to wet and stir gently until just combined. Don’t overmix!
Fill the Cans: Spoon batter into the prepared cans, filling each about halfway to two-thirds full.
Bake for 45–55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Start checking around 45 minutes — the taller cans may take closer to an hour depending on your oven (my three cans took 45 minutes).
Cool & Slice: Let the cakes cool in the cans for about 10 minutes. Gently loosen the edges with a butter knife and tip out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Slice into round pieces and serve with coffee or wrap up as gifts!

***My back can was a little under-filled, but a little adjusting of the recipes fixes that!***

***Perfect cakes ready to come out of the pans! Just run a butter knife around the edges and they’ll slide right out.***

A Quick Note on Coffee Can Size

One funny thing about baking in coffee cans is that every brand seems to be a little bit different in height and diameter. My cans (I bought these ones from Amazon) each hold just about a pound of coffee, and when filled halfway, the batter bakes up beautifully — but if you want your cakes to rise a little higher, you can bump the recipe up slightly.

If you’re following the recipe on my recipe card below, you can easily adjust the ingredient quantities right in there! Just increase the serving size by about 1.25x to fill your cans closer to two-thirds full. That little extra batter gives you a taller, more giftable loaf — and it bakes up with the prettiest rounded top.

Gifting Tip

Once cooled, wrap each cake in parchment paper and tie it up with twine or a festive holiday ribbon. Add a little tag with a kind note or an encouraging Bible verse—something that’ll bring a smile to whoever receives it. These sweet pumpkin spice coffee can cakes make the best gifts to give to anyone you love or appreciate. They’re simple, heartfelt, and full of that old-fashioned, warm-hearted holiday feeling we all love.

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