Pumpkin cake is an autumn favourite bake with my family. Sweet pumpkin, blended with a mix of warming spices, a real afternoon treat with a cup of tea.
Pumpkin cake is one of my favourite autumn bakes. There is no better way to scent your kitchen than baking this fabulous spiced cake. Pumpkin cake is something I bake regularly when pumpkin is in season. As soon as pumpkins appear on our supermarket shelves I put this cake top of my bake list! A position it holds for weeks!
As soon as the weather starts to change, so too does my taste as far as food is concerned. There’s a definite nip in the air and that has me hankering after the warm spices I often associate with the changing seasons. Autumn for us both means spice!
Ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, three of my favourite spices, that are blended together in this pumpkin cake with just a touch of clove and allspice berry. These warm spices blended together really are the perfect pairing for sweet pumpkin.
This cake is a real favourite with my two girls, the day I baked this they came in from school looking for a slice. Sadly they had to wait a day as I couldn’t get it photographed until the following day. Restraint was required by us all!
How to serve pumpkin cake?
This perfectly spicy, moist cake is delicious served on it’s own with a cup of tea, a perfect afternoon tea treat. However, you can also warm it up and serve as a pudding, it would be delicious with a side of warm custard or vanilla ice cream.
Recipe steps:
Do I need to use a bundt tin?
I have used a bundt tin for this pumpkin cake as I have one. I use this cake tin all the time but please don’t go out and buy a bundt tin. You can use a 22cm/9″ circular cake tin with a loose base and that will do the same job.
However, if you are using a bundt tin, I would recommend using a cake release spray or a liberal amount of butter, dusted with flour to grease the tin. Ensure you get into any ridges in the tin to stop the cooked cake from sticking to the tin. There is no point using a shaped tin if the cake gets stuck when you try to turn it out!
Do you need to use a stand mixer?
As with most recipes on our blog you don’t need to use a stand mixer, I use one simply because I have one! However, this recipe is really simple, you start by whisking together the sunflower oil and the sugar, before whisking in the eggs one at a time.
This job is easily done with either an electric whisk or by hand using a balloon whisk and a bit of elbow grease. Once the eggs have been whisked in, the mixer has done it’s job. The remaining ingredients require to be folded in gently by hand.
How to make your own pumpkin puree?
Pumpkin puree can be bought in a tin, however it can be tricky to get your hands on depending where you live (I have to order online). It can also be quite expensive to buy. For these reasons I prefer to make my own!
When the pumpkins start hitting the shops I buy a decent sized pumpkin for pureeing. It is very simple to make your own pumpkin puree!
Cut a pumpkin in half, remove the seeds and then cut it into wedges. Place each wedge skin side down on a baking sheet and pop in a pre-heated oven at 200C/180CFan for 30-40 minutes until softened. Allow to cool a little before handling.
Next use a spoon to remove the flesh from the pumpkin skin and place into a blender or food processor. Blitz the pumpkin flesh to a smooth puree. If you don’t have a blender or food processor, use a stick blender or simply pass the pumpkin through a sieve using the back of a spoon.
Next measure out 250g of pumpkin puree for the cake. Place the remaining pumpkin puree into measured bags in the freezer, ready to use another day. I like to bag pumpkin puree by weight, 250g for making this pumpkin cake and also 150g, 100g and 50g bags for other cooks. This keeps me going through the winter months.
Pumpkin spice blend:
You can buy a blend of spices called “pumpkin spice blend” and if you would prefer to use that in the cake, then by all means do so. However, this is not a spice blend that I can easily get my hands on so instead I have made this cake using the blend of ground spices that I like to use.
The predominant spices in “pumpkin spice blend” are ginger; cinnamon and nutmeg with a small amount of clove and allspice. Take care when using clove or allspice, they are deliciously fragrant but can be a bit medicinal if too much is added.
How to make this cake gluten free?
This cake is really easy to make gluten free. My Mum is coeliac and I have baked this cake for her many times. In place of self raising flour, I recommend using the same weight of Doves Farm Gluten Free Self Raising Flour. I always use this flour and it turns out reliable gluten free cakes every time.
How long can you store this cake?
Due to the additional of pumpkin to the batter, pumpkin cake is a naturally moist cake. For this reason it will keep for 4-5 days in a sealed contained at room temperature.
Can you freeze pumpkin cake?
This is a great cake to pop in the freezer, allowing you to enjoy half and freeze the other half for another day. Simply bake the pumpkin cake and allow it to cool on a wire tray. Place it into a container suitable for the freezer and when ready to enjoy take out and allow to defrost at room temperature.
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Additional recipe suggestions:
If you enjoyed this pumpkin bake, then try some of other seasonal bakes from ourselves and some of our food blogging friends:
- Spiced Apple Cake
- Eve’s Pudding
- Apple & Cinnamon Scones
- Plum & Almond Galette
- Pumpkin & Chocolate Muffins
- Pumpkin Spiced Scones
- Spiced Apple & Ginger Cake by Farmersgirl Kitchen
- Fig Upside-down Cake by Feast Glorious Feast
- Blackberry Cake by Curly’s Cooking
Pumpkin Cake
Equipment
- 22cm/9" bundt cake tin or 22cm/9" round cake tin with a loose base
Ingredients
- 250 ml sunflower oil
- 275 g light muscovado sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 225 g self raising flour
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 3 tsp ground ginger
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 1/4 tsp ground allspice
- 250 g pumpkin puree
Instructions
- Add the sunflower oil and muscovado sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer and beat together for 2 minutes. An electric hand whisk will do the same job.
- Next whisk in the eggs, one at a time, ensuring each egg is well combined before adding the next one.
- Sift in the flour, bicarbonate of soda and all the spices to the wet mixture. Gently fold the flour and spices through.
- Now add in the pumpkin puree, stir it in gently to combine.
- Pour into a prepared cake tin and place in the middle of the oven at 180C/160CFan. Bake for 45 minutes and check it is cooked using a cocktail stick which should come out of the cake clean.
- Remove the cake from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes before turning it out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
• Please note that the nutrition information provided above is approximate and meant as a guideline only •
Paula Jones
This is one of the best cakes ever; it’s like autumn on a plate! I get excited when Starbucks brings out their spiced pumpkin latte as I love the autumn season and all the flavours it brings. This cake will let me have that feeling that little bit earlier.
It’s a lovely moist cake with an in depth flavour of spice & pumpkin, just the right balance. Highly recommend!!
Lesley
Thank you very much Paula, I’m really glad you all enjoyed this bake. I have to admit this is a favourite in my house too. I love Autumn baking, lots of proper cakes using seasonal fruits and spices – perfection! Lesley x