Living on a limited budget means that sometimes (ok, a lot of times) the items in my pantry are also limited. At the moment, I do not have any cereal, pancake mix, bacon, bagels, or even milk... but sleeping in on my day off of work should still include something delicious in my belly! This morning I woke up lazily, browsed all of my social feeds, including Pinterest, and BAM! ... I was inspired to make something delicious and reminiscent of this gorgeous autumn weather...

Though my pantry may be limited, one thing I do seem to always have plenty of is baking ingredients! Flour, sugar, spices, etc... I knew I didn't have milk, so I needed to find a recipe that could incorporate everything I knew I already had (because pay-day is on Friday and I can't go shopping before then!) I also just so happened to have several cans of pumpkin packed away in my pantry, so naturally that was the inspiration for this morning's baking adventures...

Spiced Pumpkin Coffee Cake

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
15 oz can pumpkin
3 large eggs
2 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt

Streusel Topping:

1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons butter, melted
**can also add 1/3 cup chopped walnuts

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray the inside of a 9x13 glass pan with nonstick spray; set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until well blended. Add the pumpkin and eggs and mix thoroughly.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves and salt. Add the flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture. Mix on medium speed until combined. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

Prepare the streusel topping: In a small bowl combine the flour, sugars, cinnamon, melted butter and walnuts. Sprinkle the streusel over the cake batter.

Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool for several minutes (this is probably the hardest part!). Cover and store at room temperature.

Mmm... boy was that good! Of course, now I know that I will need to share, but I'm pretty sure that I could easily eat the entire thing all on my own. Especially with several mugs of black coffee to harmonize with the flavor profiles!What is your favorite autumn-inspired recipe?