Skip to main content

Pumpkin Pound Cake

For those who love the flavors and aromas of autumn's best treats, this cake is for you.  Packed with delicious pumpkin puree, freshly grated orange zest, crystallized ginger and spices, my Pumpkin Pound Cake is certainly going to entice your palate in the coming weeks.  I don't know about you, but the moment I begin to feel change in the air as Fall approaches I must turn on my oven and get baking.  There's something so comforting this time of year about having a toasty kitchen redolent of sugar and spice.


I recently had the opportunity to recreate this delicious cake for a small event and I can assure you that it was a hit with guests.  Aside from the scrumptious attributes found in every slice, the pound cake is very easy to make as long as you have the ingredients in your kitchen.  I think the most difficult thing to do is choose which bundt pan will best suit your event.  In actuality, one doesn't need an event or special occasion to create this magnificent cake because it's the type of dessert that can get served with a cup of tea on any given afternoon.


A pound cake like this will keep for several days if it doesn't disappear after you've divvied up the first few slices.  It's perfect for the busy host or hostess who wants to get the baking done a day in advance of a special dinner.

Pumpkin Pound Cake is one of my favorite holiday treats.

Bake one now!   



Pumpkin Pound Cake Ingredients
  • 2 3/4 cups {365 gm} all purpose flour
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons {12.5 ml} baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon {1.25 ml} fine sea salt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons {7.5 ml} ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon {5 ml} ground ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon {1.25 ml} ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon {1.25 ml} ground cloves
  • 2 sticks or 16 tablespoons {226 gm} unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 3/4 cups packed {420 gm} light brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon {15 ml} freshly grated orange zest, from one whole navel orange
  • 4 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1 1/2 cups {365 gm) pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie mix)
  • 4 tablespoons {40 gm} finely chopped crystallized ginger
  • 1 cup {105 gm} coarsely chopped, toasted pecans or walnuts
  • 3/4 cup{225 gm} orange marmalade, for glaze

Equipment: 10-12 cup bundt pan or other tube pan.
Servings: 12-16 slices

  1. Center an oven rack and preheat the oven to 350° F (177°C).  Spray your bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray or butter and flour the pan; set it aside. 
  2. In a bowl, whisk to combine the all-purpose flour, baking powder, fine sea salt, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, nutmeg and cloves.  Keep this ready.
  3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter, brown sugar and orange zest on medium speed until the mixture is very light and fluffy, about 4-5 minutes. Stop the machine and scrape down the bowl and paddle at least once.
  4. On medium speed, add the eggs one at a time and beat until fully emulsified.
  5. On low speed add the pumpkin puree; mix well.
  6. Add the reserved dry ingredients, along with the chopped crystallized ginger and chopped nuts.  Mix until combined and no flour is visible.
  7. Pour the batter into your prepared bundt pan.  Smooth the top with a spatula.
  8. Bake approximately 50 minutes to 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. 
  9. Remove cake from oven and let cool in the pan for 15 minutes.  Gently turn out onto a rack and cool completely.
  10. Heat marmalade until liquefied, strain through a fine mesh sieve and brush liberally onto the cooled cake with a clean pastry brush.
Choose a nice cake pedestal and center the beautiful cake.  It can sit on your sideboard until dessert is served, and any leftovers will keep for up to 4 days at room temperature.

Pumpkin Pound Cake.  Perfect for Autumn.



Bake my pound cake in the coming weeks when you feel like bringing the best of Fall into your home. Serve it at your Thanksgiving dinner as part of a dessert assortment and let each guest determine how big of a slice they get.  Better yet, don't wait for Thanksgiving.  Bake one now just because you feel like it. 

Cheers!

Comments

  1. Tomorrow is going to be a rainy day.. guess what I'll be doing? Baking this cake! Oh, how I love fall!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Kenn,

    I think you're going to love it. Have fun baking!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks Jayne! Bake one soon and find out how good it really is.

    :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. David, it is midnight here, I cannot be thinking about cake as I am supposed to be going to bed!! I can dream of cake though....

    ReplyDelete
  5. Amy, if you only knew how many times I dream of pastries, cakes and cookies!! Probably on a weekly basis! No joke.

    :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Again,... Perfection, David!

    Because of your amazing gingersnaps, I always keep crystalized ginger in the freezer - Therefore, I'm ready to re-create this pound cake of yours! THANK YOU!

    xo

    ReplyDelete
  7. Crystallized ginger is amazing! I just made a large batch of granola with some and it's so delicious.

    mmmmmm. :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. David do you know if I can make that batter into muffins or into a bread instead?

    What would be the baking times for either of those?

    thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  9. This batter can be turned into loaves or muffins very easily. Loaves (8x4) will generally bake for the same amount of time @350F as the bundt cake (50min to 1hr). Standard size muffins will take anywhere from 15-20 minutes at 400F.

    I would still glaze these with heated, strained marmalade. Delicious!

    David

    ReplyDelete
  10. FALL, my favorite time of year! I am baking this cake on Sunday. I can hardly wait. HAPPY THANKSGIVING to you and your family.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Fall is my favorite time of year as well, Teresa! I'm so happy that you're going to be baking this cake, because it's one of my favorites. Enjoy it and Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!

      Delete

Post a Comment

Thank You for Posting!

Popular posts from this blog

Antique Salt Cellars

There was a time when salt cellars played an important role on the dining table for the host or hostess.  As a result of it being such an expensive commodity several hundred years ago, salt was seen as a luxury and it was the well to do that made salt cellars quite fashionable & a status symbol for the home.  A single salt cellar usually sat at the head of the table and was passed around throughout the meal.  The closer one sat to the salt cellar, the more important one was deemed by the head of the household.  Smaller cellars that were more accessible and with an open top became a part of Victorian table settings.  Fast forward to the 20th century when salt was no longer a luxury and when anti caking agents were added to make salt free-flowing, and one begins to see salt cellars fall out of fashion.  Luckily for the collector and for those of us who like to set a table with Good Things , this can prove to be a boon. Salt cellars for the table come in silver, porcelain, cut glass

Collecting Jadeite

With its origins dating back to the 1930s, jadeite glassware began its mass production through the McKee Glass Co. in Pennsylvania. Their introduction of the Skokie green & Jade kitchenware lines ushered in our fascination with this jade color.  Glassmakers catered jadeite to the American public as an inexpensive alternative to earthenware soon after the Depression, both for the home and for its use in restaurants.  The Jeanette Glass Company and Anchor Hocking introduced their own patterns and styles, which for many collectors, produced some of the most sought after pieces.  Companies marketed this beautiful glass under the monikers of jadite , jadeite , jade glass , jad-ite , jade-ite , so however you want to spell it, let it draw you in for a closer look.  If you want a thorough history of the origins of jadeite, collectors’ pricing, patterns & shapes (don’t forget the reproductions in 2000), I highly suggest picking up the book by Joe Keller & David Ross called, Jadei

How to Paint a Chair

If you have ever felt the need to spruce up a set of chairs or give them a new look, why not try a little bit of paint?  Our tastes in decor and color will probably alter throughout our lives, and at some point, we may find ourselves wanting to change the look of our furniture without having to spend a lot of money.  That's where a few handy tips, some tools from the hardware store, and good-quality paint come in handy.   I know I'm not alone in paying visits to local antique shops, antique fairs and flea markets, and falling in love with pieces of furniture that would be perfect if they were just a different color.  You don't have to walk away from a good purchase simply because it's the wrong color.   My dear friend, Jeffrey, is forever enhancing his home with collectibles from flea markets and tag sales.  However, certain items aren't always up to Jeffrey's tastes when he brings them home.  He is the type of person who won't hesitate to chang