Pumpkin Pound Cake

Pumpkin Cake: Rich, moist, dense but in the best possible way, this pumpkin pound cake recipe is the perfect combination of sweetness, pumpkin, and spices.

You do not have to wait until October to enjoy some of the moist, rich, tasty goodness of pumpkin. These pumpkin spice muffins are great for breakfast, and who doesn’t love pumpkin pie? We sure do, but our favorite: Pumpkin Cake. This pumpkin pound cake is the perfect combination of yummy goodness. And, like all my recipes, I try to make it as easy as possible.

Pumpkin as an ingredient is so much fun. It lends itself to a rich, moist goodness that has bold flavor, and can go sweet or savory. If you have been wanting a great pumpkin cake recipe, stop searching, you have found it. This cake can be paired with a cream cheese glaze, a maple glaze, or you can leave it like I did and only add a little powdered sugar to make it pretty! This is one of those cake recipes you will be making all season long. It is quick, easy, and the perfect combination of pumpkin flavor and sweetness.

This is the kind of recipe you can rely on. It is nicely spiced, difficult to screw up, and a fall go-to because it just tastes great. The second I see canned pumpkin popping up in the grocery store end caps, and being featured on the shelves, this recipe ends up on my to-bake list. One thing to note about this recipe is it is great as a pumpkin loaf, or pumpkin bundt cake, and can be frozen. This is one of those recipes that are great even after being frozen, so feel free to make it ahead for holiday parties and festivities.

Making Your Own Pumpkin Puree

I have to be honest, I don’t make my own pumpkin puree, usually. I like the convenience of simply opening a can, and dumping it into a bowl. But I know some of you probably grew some delightful little sugar pumpkins in your garden, and are excited to try using them in recipes like this pumpkin cake. And so I wanted to share a few tips for how to make your own pumpkin puree.

• Use a small to medium sized pumpkin. Look for about 4 pound.
• Know your yield. A medium-sized (4-pound) sugar pumpkin will yield around 1½ cups of mashed or pureed pumpkin.
• Substitution should be done 1:1

There are three ways to take an uncooked pumpkin and transform it into the puree used in baking:

Baking Method

Baking your uncooked pumpkin is my favorite method. Here is how it works:

• Cut the pumpkin in half. Cut out the stem, and scrape out all the pulp and seeds.
• Tip: Save the seeds to dry and roast for a yummy snack later.
• Place your two pumpkin halves in a baking dish, face down.
• Cover the dish with foil.
• Bake in a preheated 375 degrees F oven for about 1½ hours, or until tender.
•  Remove from oven, and let cool completely.
• Once cooled, purée in a food processor, mash, or blend.
• Tip: For silky smooth custards or soups, you want a very fine puree, so press the pumpkin puree through a sieve to achieve the right consistency.

Boiling Method

This is a great method, just be careful to not over-boil or it will take in water, and be soggy, and the consistency will impact the liquid needed in your baking.

• Cut the pumpkin in half. Cut out the stem, and scrape out all the pulp and seeds.
• Tip: Save the seeds to dry and roast for a yummy snack later.
• Peel the pumpkin and cut it into chunks. This is the hardest part. Use a sharp pairing knife and be careful.
• Place in a medium sized saucepan and cover with water.
• Bring to a boil and cook until the pumpkin chunks are tender.
• Strain the water, and let the chunks cool.
• Purée in a food processor, mash, or blend.

Microwave Method

This quick method for making pumpkin puree for your pumpkin cakes and pies is the easiest method.

• Cut the pumpkin in half. Cut out the stem, and scrape out all the pulp and seeds.
• Microwave on high power for seven minutes per pound.
• Turning the pumpkin pieces over and around every few minutes to promote even cooking.
• Let cool.
• Purée in a food processor, mash, or blend.

You can refrigerate your fresh pumpkin purée for up to three days, or store it in the freezer up to six months.

Tips for Making Pumpkin Pound Cake

This cake is so easy to make, you basically mix the wet ingredients, then the dry, then mix them together. But if you want perfect results every time, consider the following tips for making pumpkin cake:

1. Whisk dry ingredients together. Whisking will add air the ingredients which will make your cake lighter.
2. Mix wet ingredients well.
3. Don’t over-mix when combining the two. This will make the cake tougher and chewier.
4. Pay attention to the consistency of the batter, especially if you use homemade pumpkin puree. If it is too liquid-y, add a little extra flour.
5. Bake until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
6. Rest in pan for a few minutes, but turn it out of the pan at the expressed time so it doesn’t stick to the bundt cake pan.

Don’t wait until the holidays to enjoy this delicious goodness. Go make it now! My kids gobble this stuff up, so I always double the batch!

Pumpkin Pound Cake

Easy to make Pumpkin Pound Cake, rich and pumpkin-y dense pound cake that is sweet and buttery and oh so tasty.

5 from 7 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Pumpkin Pound Cake

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes

Servings: 12 slices

Author: Rachael Yerkes

Ingredients

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup canola oil
• 3 eggs
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 14 ounces pumpkin puree

Garnish

• Confectioners sugar

Instructions

• In a large bowl, combine sugar and oil and cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice until blended.
• Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition (this makes the bread fluffier).
• Add in sour cream and mix well.
• In a separate bowl, combine flours, baking soda, and salt.
• Combine the two a little at a time, beating well after each addition.
• Transfer to a greased bundt pan
• Bake at 350 degrees for 60-65 minutes or until toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
• Cool for 10 minutes in pan.
• Invert onto a wire rack. Remove from pan and cool completely.
• Sprinkle powdered sugar or confectioners sugar on top, slice and serve.

Our recipe card software calculates these nutrition facts based on averages for the above ingredients, different brands, and quality of produce/meats may have different nutritional information, always calculate your own based on the specific products you use in order to achieve accurate macros for this recipe.

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