Pumpkin Bread: An Easy Pumpkin Cake.

If you like American cakes like banana bread, take advantage of Halloween to try a recipe for a cake that is prepared in the same way, with pumpkin puree. Here is a simple and delicious recipe for pumpkin bread or cake.

Ingredients

Here are the necessary ingredients to prepare a pumpkin bread for 6 people:

300g of fresh or frozen pumpkin puree.
150g of flour.
75g of brown sugar.
1 packet of baking powder.
1 packet of vanilla sugar.
A pinch of salt.
A pinch of cinnamon powder.
A pinch of gingerbread spices.
5cl of sunflower oil.
2 tablespoons of almond milk.
A knob of vegetable margarine for the mold.

Note: To prepare this pumpkin cake recipe, I used frozen squash puree. If you use frozen puree discs, make sure to check the ingredient list. The puree should only contain pumpkin, without any added salt or cream.

Preparing pumpkin puree

The main ingredient of pumpkin bread is pumpkin puree.

If you are using frozen puree discs, thaw them gently over low heat in a saucepan with two tablespoons of almond milk.

If you are using fresh pumpkin flesh, steam or boil it for 25 to 30 minutes. Once your pumpkin pieces are very tender, simply mash them finely with a fork.

Preparation of dry ingredients

The fastest method to succeed in making a pumpkin bread is to weigh the dry ingredients separately.

1- In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, vanilla sugar, pinch of salt, and baking powder.

2- Add the powdered cinnamon and gingerbread spices, adjusting the amounts to your liking.

Preparation of the cake batter

To prepare the pumpkin bread dough, all you have to do is incorporate the liquid ingredients.

1- Pour the pumpkin puree into the mixing bowl and carefully mix it with a wooden spoon to incorporate it into the dry ingredients.

2- Add the sunflower oil and almond milk if you haven't used it previously to thaw the pumpkin puree.

Choice of mold

The given proportions above allow for making a medium-sized pumpkin bread. Therefore, I advise you to choose a not too large loaf pan.

Note: If you want this cake to be vegan (meaning completely free of animal products such as butter and eggs), grease the loaf pan with a dollop of vegetable margarine.

Pumpkin bread baking

Preheat your oven to 180°C.

Bake the pumpkin bread for 40 minutes.

Check the cake's doneness using a knife: the blade inserted into the center of the cake should come out clean and dry.

Variations of the pumpkin bread recipe

The first variation consists of flavoring the pumpkin bread with a typically American blend of spices.

Here are the proportions to know in order to prepare this spice blend like in the United States:
• 2 teaspoons of cinnamon powder.
• 1 teaspoon of ground cloves.
• 1 teaspoon of ginger powder.
• 1 teaspoon of nutmeg powder.
• 1 teaspoon of allspice.

You can also enhance this pumpkin cake with a glaze made from powdered sugar and lemon juice.

If you add a glaze, I recommend reducing the amount of sugar in the cake to 50g as the glaze adds a good amount of sugar. However, this white glaze will allow you to decorate this Halloween cake.

Once the cake is glazed, sprinkle it with pumpkin seeds and other dried fruits such as pecans or dried cranberries, then let the glaze dry.