Unforgettable Pumpkin Spice Loaf
Unforgettable Pumpkin Spice Loaf
It’s October and it definitely feels like fall – well except for that week that it was 30°C outside. The pumpkins have already started showing up and the smell of spices is in the air. This pumpkin spice loaf recipe is a perfect snack to enjoy while doing your homework or with a pumpkin spice latte. This pumpkin spice loaf uses a pumpkin spice mix, a staple at this time of the year. When prepared and eaten warm with a smothering of butter and some warm drink, this loaf really makes any time of day feel special.
Pumpkin Spice Loaf Ingredients
The great thing about this loaf is that the ingredients used are so simple and you probably have them all in your house already! The only two ingredients to watch for are cake-and-pastry flour (or just cake flour), which is a flour processed with fewer proteins in the flour causing less gluten development. This allows for a fine crumb and soft texture with a melt-in-your-mouth consistency. The other ingredient to watch out for is pumpkin puree. The great thing about pumpkin puree is that it can be bought year-round, though, at this time of the year, fresh pumpkin is available! You can check out how to roast and puree your own pumpkin here, or you can also buy some pure pumpkin puree from the store (watch out, if it doesn't say "pure" it is pumpkin pie filling which is not the same).
Pumpkin Spice Loaf Methodology
This is a very easy, one bowl recipe, you can make by hand or in a stand mixer. Combine your room temperature butter, sugar, vanilla extract and pumpkin spice mix in a bowl and cream together until light and fluffy.
Slowly add your eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Don’t forget to scrape down your bowl, so that everything is well combined and mixed thoroughly. Once all your eggs are combined, add all of the pumpkin puree, or other fruit purees. Mix it well, so that it is the same colour throughout. Scrape down the bowl and then mix it all again, just to make sure that it’s all combined.
Add all of the flour and baking powder to the bowl and fold it well. Make sure you don’t mix vigorously here, because if you do, you’ll over mix it, causing large air bubbles to form in the batter as the loaf bakes.
Transfer to a greased and floured loaf baking pan. Place the pan in a 300°F preheated oven. It will bake for approximately 45 minutes to one hour until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. I love eating my pumpkin loaf slightly warmed and with butter smeared on it, but I’ve seen a trend that I just smear butter on everything.
Unforgettable Pumpkin Spice Loaf
This pumpkin spice loaf recipe is a perfect snack to enjoy while doing your homework or with a pumpkin spice latte. This pumpkin spice loaf uses a pumpkin spice mix, a staple at this time of the year.
170 g unsalted butter (room temperature)
1 cup sugar
3 ea large eggs
½ tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp pumpkin spice
2 ½ cups cake-and-pastry flour (or cake flour, sifted)
2 tsp baking powder
1 cup pumpkin puree
Preheat the oven to 300°F
In the bowl of a stand mixer, or a mixing bowl, cream together the butter, sugar, vanilla and spice mix until light in colour and fluffy.
Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. When all the eggs are added, add the pumpkin puree and mix well.
Add the flour and baking powder and gently fold the mixture together.
Transfer all the batter to a greased loaf pan and place on the middle rack in the heated oven.
Bake for 45 minutes to one hour, until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Let cool, then slice and serve!