Pumpkin Cake
I am honestly SO PROUD of this Pumpkin Cake. It’s spicy and pumpkin-y and really tastes like fall. Top the whole thing off with a Brown Sugar Glaze, and you have the perfect autumnal snacking cake.
Basic
Listen, I am super basic. Wait, actually, I think the kids maybe say “cheugy” now? Or is “cheugy” already over? Regardless, that’s me. I love crisp mornings, chunky sweaters, scented candles, Taylor Swift, and all things PUMPKIN. Which means, of course, as it’s October, I had to make something with pumpkin. And I love cake. So obviously, this led to Pumpkin Cake.
Recipe Development
I knew already in, like, May that I wanted to make this cake. I started looking at different recipes but was not happy about the prospect of testing the recipe a million times. Pumpkin puree is expensive in Sweden, and I don’t like wasting food. So I started thinking about what cake recipes I already had that I could just adjust. Then it hit me. Carrot Cake! I made a GREAT Brown Butter Carrot Cake for my birthday this year. Could I just sub out the carrot for pumpkin? Throw in a bit more spice? Maybe replace some regular sugar with brown sugar? That’s what I did, and that’s the recipe you’re looking at today!
Snack Cake
This is what I like to call a snack cake. I’m pretty sure I first heard that term used by Smitten Kitchen, but ever since the term has stuck with me. This isn’t your regular, tall, elaborate American-style cake. This is just a single layer, a bit of glaze on top to zhuzh it up, easy to make, and easy to eat.
Serving
I would serve this either in the afternoon with coffee and tea or as the dessert for a simple dinner party. Even though it’s just one layer, it can still easily feed 8 people.
Pumpkin Cake
Ingredients
Pumpkin Cake
- 225 g pumpkin purée
- 100 g egg
- 50 g yogurt
- 175 g sugar
- 25 g brown sugar
- 1 tsp ish vanilla extract
- 180 g AP flour
- 175 unsalted butter
- 2 g baking soda
- 4 g baking powder
- 4 g salt
- 4 g ground cinnamon
- 2 g ground clove
- 2 g nutmeg
- 4 g ginger
Brown Sugar Glaze
- 100 g water
- 75 g brown sugar
- 210 g powdered sugar approximate
Decoration
- Toasted pumpkin seeds
Instructions
Pumpkin Cake:
- Oil your cake pan (23 cm springform pan or similar). Cut a parchment paper circle to line the bottom of the pan. Reattach the sides, then generously oil the parchment and sides. Sprinkle with a bit of flour and tap to coat the pan evenly. Set aside.
- In a small saucepan, melt 175g of butter over medium-high heat, whisking continuously until it turns a medium brown color. Set aside to cool.
- In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg. Whisk to mix. Set aside.
- In a larger bowl, combine pumpkin purée, yogurt, sugar, and brown sugar. Stir well. Pour in the browned butter, ensuring you scrape all the brown bits from the pan, and whisk to incorporate. Crack two eggs into the mixture and whisk again.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and stir thoroughly, making sure to eliminate any lumps or streaks of flour.
- Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan, smoothing the top. Bake in a 160°C oven for approximately 30 minutes.
Brown Sugar Glaze:
- While the cake is cooling make the glaze.
- Boil water and brown sugar together.
- Once cool, whisk in the powdered sugar.
Assembly
- Pour the glaze over the cooled cake.
- Decorate with pumpkin seeds.
- Enjoy your pumpkin cake!