There's always that one can of pumpkin left over after the fall baking season is over. You don't want to waste it, but you also don't want to make another pumpkin pie. So what do you do with it? Make this delicious pumpkin cinnamon roll skillet cake, of course!
This easy recipe is made in a cast iron skillet on the stovetop. It's a great way to use up leftover canned pumpkin OR fresh pumpkin. Plus, it's easily adaptable to be gluten-free.
Baking in a Cast Iron Skillet
Estimated reading time: 6 minutes
Have you ever baked in cast-iron cookware? If not, you are in for a treat. There's something special about the flavor of breads, cakes, and desserts made in a cast iron dutch oven or skillet.
This delicious skillet pumpkin cinnamon roll coffee cake makes a great fall brunch or breakfast treat to serve a friend with a coffee. And if you really love pumpkin spice, add a splash of homemade Starbucks Pumpkin Sauce to your coffee.
And if you love old-fashioned cooking and homestead recipes, try baking in a cast iron skillet. Just remember to protect your hands. A cast iron handle gets VERY hot when it is in the oven.
We love pumpkin recipes at our house, and I'm always looking for new ways to use pumpkin puree. One new recipe we tried recently was this delicious pumpkin cream cheese dip. It was perfect served with my molasses cookies, a decadent fall dessert.
We especially love vintage pumpkin baked goods like this pumpkin roll recipe. And my son raved about this pumpkin cheesecake recipe - so good.
Ingredients for Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Skillet Cake Recipe
Use these ingredients to make the dough for the skillet cake.
Ingredients for Skillet Cake Dough
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour (you can use any gluten-free flour such as almond flour or rice flour if you prefer)
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup milk (I've made this with 2% milk, almond milk, and oat milk)
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
- ½ cup pumpkin puree - leftover canned pumpkin OR homemade pumpkin puree
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon organic vanilla extract
Ingredients for Sugar and Spice Glaze
This is what you'll need to make the glaze for the pumpkin skillet cake. This is what makes this recipe really unique. It's the ingredient that turns a plain skillet coffee cake into a cinnamon roll-style recipe!
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
Ingredients for Pumpkin Spice Icing
And here's what you need to make the spiced icing for the pumpkin cast iron cake!
- 1 cup of powdered sugar
- 1-2 tablespoons milk
- 1 teaspoon organic vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
Now I should mention that sometimes I add another ¼ teaspoon of cinnamon. Our family loves cinnamon so I tend to add it here and there when I think it might suit a recipe.
And by the way, if you're looking for a fast breakfast or brunch treat with a cinnamon flavor, try this recipe for King's Hawaiian Cheesecake Danish. It calls for a 12-pack of King's Hawaiian sweet rolls - so good.
How to make Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Skillet Cake
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9” cast iron skillet with butter and set aside.
- Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl.
- In a medium bowl, combine milk, ½ cup melted butter, pumpkin puree, the egg, and vanilla extract.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix well.
- Pour cake batter into the prepared skillet, and use a spatula to smooth the top.
- In a small bowl, mix ½ cup of melted butter, brown sugar, and pumpkin pie spice. Pour sugar and spice topping over the cake. Use a butter knife to swirl the mixture into the cake batter in circles.
- Bake in preheated oven for 27-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool for 10 minutes.
- For the pumpkin spice icing, add powdered sugar, milk, vanilla extract and ¼ teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice to a small bowl. Stir to combine. Spoon on the icing, slice, serve & enjoy!
Tips and Tricks
This is a great cake to make ahead up to 24 hours in advance. Simply follow the steps through baking. Then cover with tin foil and store the skillet in the fridge for up to 3 days. Or slice it and store it in an airtight container.
Store the icing separately. Warm the cake and drizzle the icing on just before serving.
If you don't have a cast iron skillet, try making this in a dutch oven or a 9-inch baking dish.
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Print the recipe here!
Recipe
Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Skillet Cake with Spice Icing
Equipment
Ingredients
- FOR DOUGH:
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour see notes above
- ⅓ cup sugar your choice - I've made it with white and brown
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup milk of choice
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted
- ½ cup pumpkin puree
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- FOR SPICE GLAZE:
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1.5 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- FOR PUMPKIN SPICE ICING:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1-2 tablespoons milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9” cast iron skillet with butter and set aside.
- Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl.
- In a medium bowl, combine milk, ½ cup melted butter, pumpkin puree, the egg, and vanilla extract.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix well.
- Pour cake batter into the prepared skillet, and use a spatula to smooth the top.
- In a small bowl, mix ½ cup of melted butter, brown sugar, and pumpkin pie spice. Pour sugar and spice topping over the cake. Use a butter knife to swirl the mixture into the cake batter in circles.
- Bake in preheated oven for 27-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool for 10 minutes.
- For the pumpkin spice icing, add powdered sugar, milk, vanilla extract and ¼ teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice to a small bowl. Stir to combine. Spoon on the icing, slice, serve warm & enjoy!