Homemade Pumpkin Loaf

It’s pumpkin spice season and everything is coming up pumpkins! There’s pumpkin pie, pumpkin soup, pumpkin scones, pumpkin spice lattes and the almighty pumpkin loaf. I’ve been a fan of pumpkin loaves for quite some time now and my love affair with this delicious quick bread started with my very first bite of Starbucks’ Pumpkin & Pepita Loaf. It was so delicious and I knew that I had to recreate it. And, recreate I did!

I present to you my Homemade Pumpkin Loaf recipe. This sweet treat is incredibly moist, perfectly spiced and full of BIG pumpkin flavour. It’s topped with a generous drizzle of butter, a sprinkling of pumpkin seeds and a dusting of cinnamon sugar, before being popped into the oven to bake. As it bakes, the aroma of warming spices and pumpkin fill the kitchen. What could be better?!

This quick bread is made using a single bowl, a whisk and a few simple ingredients, most of which you would have in your pantry. In just over 60 minutes, you’ll have yourself a delicious treat that’s almost too good to be true. Enjoy it for breakfast, lunch, as a snack or for dessert. It’s suitable at any hour of the day - you really can’t go wrong! So, let me show you how it’s done. Grab a spoon and come and cook with me! Happy Baking!

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 60 minutes

Total Time: 70 minutes

Serves: 8 - 12

Ingredients:

Pumpkin Loaf

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (See Notes below)

• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder

• 3/4 tsp baking soda

• 1 tsp cinnamon

• 1/4 tsp ginger

• 1/4 tsp nutmeg

• 1/4 tsp kosher salt

• 1/8 tsp cardamom

• 2 eggs

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar

• 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 1 cup pumpkin puree (See Notes below)

• 1/2 cup avocado oil (See Notes below)

Pumpkin Seed Topping

• 1 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted

• 2 Tbsp pumpkin seeds, raw and shelled

• 1/2 Tbsp granulated sugar

• 1/4 tsp cinnamon

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350F and line a 8”x5” metal loaf pan with parchment paper.

2. To a large mixing bowl, add the eggs, brown and granulated sugar and vanilla. Whisk the mixture for 1 minute or until light and fluffy. Then, add the pumpkin puree, avocado oil, flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, salt and cardamom and whisk until fully incorporated.

3. Transfer the batter to the loaf pan, ensuring that it is evenly distributed. Top the pumpkin loaf with a drizzle of melted butter, a sprinkling of pumpkin seeds, followed by a dusting of sugar and cinnamon over top.

4. Transfer the loaf to the oven and bake it for 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let the pumpkin loaf cool in the loaf pan for 15 minutes.

5. Transfer the loaf to a wire rack to finish cooling. Once cool, cut into slices and serve and enjoy!

Notes:

1. Make It Gluten-Free: To make this Pumpkin Loaf gluten-free, simply substitute the all-purpose flour in this recipe on a 1:1 basis with all-purpose gluten-free flour. I like using Cup4Cup's Multipurpose Flour. It's gluten-free and works beautifully in this recipe.

2. Not All Pumpkin Purees Are Alike: At the grocery store, you will see Pumpkin Puree and Pumpkin Pie Filling on the shelves. The latter is full of spices and sugar and using it in this recipe would result in an overly spiced and sweet loaf. So, stick with 100% pure Pumpkin Puree and you won’t be disappointed.

3. Substituting the Oil: If you don’t have avocado oil on hand, you can simply substitute it with a neutral oil, such as sunflower or vegetable oil. Avoid oils with strong flavours as they will overpower or drown out the pumpkin flavour in this dish.