Equipment
* optional
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 190 g all-purpose flour, sifted
- 2 g baking powder
- 2 g baking soda
- 3 g fine sea salt
- 4 g ground cinnamon
- 2 g ground ginger
- 1 g ground nutmeg
- 1 g ground cloves
Wet Ingredients
- 170 g unsalted butter, room temperature
- 150 g granulated sugar
- 100 g light brown sugar, packed
- 3 egg, room temperature
- 10 ml vanilla extract
- 225 g pumpkin puree
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 322 kcal
- Protein
- 4 g
- Carbohydrates
- 42 g
- Fat
- 16 g
- Fiber
- 1 g
- Sugar
- 26 g
- Sodium
- 199 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 9 g
- Trans Fat
- 0 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 5 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 1 g
- Cholesterol
- 92 mg
- Potassium
- 133 mg
- Calcium
- 44 mg
- Iron
- 1.0 mg
- Magnesium
- 14 mg
- Phosphorus
- 77 mg
- Zinc
- 0.4 mg
- Vitamin A
- 315 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 1 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0.3 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 0.8 mg
- Vitamin K
- 5 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.1 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.2 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.04 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.10 mg
- Niacin
- 0.4 mg
- Folate
- 15 mcg
- Water
- 37 g
- Alcohol
- 0 g
Sources: USDA FoodData Central
Method
Preheat oven to 160°C/320°F. Lightly grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan and line it with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the long sides for easy removal.
In a mixing bowl, use a whisk to thoroughly combine the sifted all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, fine sea salt, ground cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the room temperature unsalted butter, granulated sugar, and light brown sugar on medium-high speed until light, airy, and visibly paler in color.
Reduce the mixer speed to medium-low. Add the room temperature eggs one at a time, allowing each to fully incorporate before adding the next. Stop the mixer to scrape down the sides and bottom of the mixing bowl with a spatula as needed.
Add the vanilla extract and pumpkin puree to the wet ingredients. Mix on low speed until combined. The batter may look slightly curdled or split at this stage, which is completely normal.
Add the dry ingredient mixture to the wet mixture in two separate batches. Use a spatula to gently fold the mixture together just until no dry pockets of flour remain. Be careful not to overmix, which will yield a tough crumb.
Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top into an even layer. Bake for 60 to 70 minutes. The cake is done when the top is a deep golden brown, a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean, and the internal temperature reaches 93°C/200°F.
Remove the loaf pan from the oven and let the cake rest in the pan for 15 minutes. Use the parchment paper overhang to gently lift the cake out. Transfer it to a wire cooling rack and allow it to cool completely before slicing.
Chef's Notes
- Using homemade pumpkin puree can introduce unpredictable amounts of excess moisture. If making your own, drain it through a cheesecloth for an hour to match the thick, dense consistency of commercial canned puree.
- Room temperature eggs and butter are absolutely crucial for a successful pound cake. Cold ingredients will cause the batter to irreversibly break, resulting in a greasy texture rather than a tender, tight crumb.
- Like most spiced baked goods, this pound cake tastes significantly better on the second day. Wrap the completely cooled cake tightly in plastic wrap and let it sit at room temperature overnight to allow the spices to bloom and the moisture to distribute evenly.
Storage
Refrigerator: 1 week — Wrap tightly in plastic wrap to prevent drying out.
Freezer: 3 months — Wrap individual slices in plastic wrap, then place in an airtight container or freezer bag.
Reheating: Thaw at room temperature. Microwave a slice for 10-15 seconds for a warm, freshly baked texture.
Troubleshooting
Cake sinks in the center during or after baking
Cause: Underbaking, or opening the oven door too early which disrupts the rising process
Fix: Cannot be fixed once cooled. Serve slices from the sunken center slightly warm with ice cream to disguise the texture.
Prevention: Do not open the oven door for the first 45 minutes of baking. Always verify doneness with a skewer and internal temperature rather than just time.
Cake is extremely dense, heavy, or rubbery
Cause: Overmixing the batter after adding the dry ingredients
Fix: Cannot be fixed.
Prevention: Fold the dry ingredients in gently by hand rather than using the mixer, stopping as soon as the last streak of flour disappears.
Cultural Context
Pound cakes have been a staple in American and European baking since the 1700s, originally formulated with exactly one pound each of butter, sugar, eggs, and flour to make recipe memorization easier for an often illiterate populace. Adapting this sturdy, dense base to include seasonal produce like pumpkin became popular in rural America, combining the comforting heft of a traditional pound cake with the earthy, spiced flavor profile associated with autumn harvests.
