Moist, soft and full of fall flavors, this Pumpkin Loaf Cake is going to be your favorite seasonal bake. If you've been on the hunt for a delicious and effortless dessert recipe that packs in all those warming fall flavors, this is the perfect one!
You'll be surprised at how much a can of pumpkin puree can do! Recently, I've been using a lot of it in my recipes and kitchen experiments, and I have to say, I'm pretty proud of everything that I've churned up!
My pumpkin shaped dinner rolls are an absolute stunner, and my pumpkin pie spice cookies are perfect for those occasions when you want a little sweet treat to satisfy your craving. And then, of course, this soft and moist loaf too!
Jump to:
What I Love About this Recipe
It's a total crowd-pleaser! Make it for a potluck or a simple get-together at home and everyone's sure to rave about it.
It's so easy to make! No complicated steps and ingredients. One bowl and a few minutes in the kitchen is all you'll need to make this pumpkin cake loaf.
It's sweet, but has a beautiful balance of warm and spice too. If you don't like overly sweet desserts, you're going to love this one!
Recipe Ingredients
Flour: Use your regular all purpose flour.
Pumpkin puree: Your regular canned pumpkin puree works perfectly here. Remember to choose pumpkin puree- not pumpkin pie filling.
Sugar: To sweeten the loaf of course! I used granulated white sugar here.
Eggs: To help the loaf get its structure, and also for that richness and moisture.
Oil: For that incredible moist and to lend the cake a nice, even crumb.
Vanilla: For its delicate sweetness and beautiful aroma.
Leavening agents: To help the cake loaf rise and get that nice, fluffy texture, I used both baking powder and baking soda.
Spices: Just a bit, for that warm, fall flavor. I used cinnamon and nutmeg. You could also add ginger and/or cloves if you want to.
See recipe card for quantities.
Variations & Substitutions
- If you don't have the individual spice powders, feel free to use pumpkin pie spice instead.
- For an extra depth of flavor, use brown sugar, specifically dark brown sugar instead of white sugar.
- You can also add some mini chocolate chips into the cake batter to lend it a chocolate-y twist.
- Chopped nuts and raisins also make for a wonderful addition to the batter, especially if you like a bit of texture.
- To make the pumpkin loaf cake healthier, swap the all-purpose for equal whole wheat flour.
- You can also make this cake gluten free by swapping the flour for your choice of gluten free flour.
How to Make Pumpkin Loaf Cake
Ready to make the pumpkin cake loaf? Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees and prepping a 9x5 inch loaf pan with cooking spray.
- In a bowl combine the flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and baking powder, whisk until thoroughly combined, set aside.
- In a separate large bowl, add the pumpkin, sugar, oil, and vanilla.
- Whisk until thoroughly combined.
- Add the eggs, whisking until thoroughly combined.
- Add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture, stir until incorporated.
- Pour batter into prepared loaf pan, bake for 50-60 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking. Bread is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or internal temperature reaches 200 degrees.
Storing Leftovers
Store your leftover pumpkin loaf cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. If you want it to last longer, wrap the entire loaf (after it has cooled down completely) in foil, pop it in a Ziploc bag or a freezer-safe container, and freeze it for 3 months.
Then, when you want to enjoy it, allow it to thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then get it out and allow it to come to room temperature.
Tips & Tricks to Make the Pumpkin Loaf Cake
- Avoid overmixing the cake batter once you add in the flour. Doing this will cause it to become dense, and not have that light and fluffy texture you're looking for.
- Remember to use room temperature eggs for this recipe. It will ensure the batter has an even consistency and cooks perfectly.
- You can slice the loaf cake and enjoy it as-is, or top it with some sugar icing or a light dusting of powdered sugar.
- To make cleanup easier, you can line the loaf pan with parchment paper and leave a bit overhang from both the sides for you to easily pull up the cake.
- The key to getting the perfect texture and flavor is to measure the ingredients accurately. Use measuring spoons and cups to get it right!
Serving Ideas & Suggestions
You can enjoy this soft and fluffy pumpkin cake loaf for breakfast along with your cup of coffee, or as an evening snack when you're hit by a hunger pang. For me, it's usually this, or my favorite orange poppy seed cake or a slice of boozy Jamaican black cake.
I love serving it as a dessert after a hearty meal of baked red snapper or oven grilled croaker fish, and a side dish like roasted garlic butter Parmesan potatoes or crispy baked potato wedges.
Recipe FAQs
Adding too much flour into the cake mix or not adding fresh leavening agents can cause the cake loaf to turn out dense.
The toothpick test always works perfectly in checking for the doneness of almost any cake! Insert a toothpick in the middle- if it comes out almost clean with just a bit of moist crumbs, get it out of the oven, allow it to rest for a while and let it cook in the residual heat.
More Fall Recipes to Try
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
If you tried these pumpkin loaf cake or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Pumpkin Loaf Cake
Discover how to make the perfect moist pumpkin loaf cake this fall! It's soft, tender, and full of warming spices and deliciousness.
- Mixing bowls
- Spatula
- 9×5 Loaf pan
- 1 ½ cups All-purpose flour
- 1 cup Sugar
- 1 cup Pumpkin puree
- ½ cup Vegetable oil
- 2 Eggs (at room temperature)
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon Cinnamon
- ¾ teaspoon Nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon Baking powder
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees, spray a 9x5-inch loaf pan with vegetable oil spray or brush with oil, set aside.
- In a bowl combine the flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and baking powder, whisk until thoroughly combined, set aside.
Whisk the pumpkin puree, sugar, oil, and vanilla in a separate large bowl until thoroughly combined.
- Add the eggs, whisking until thoroughly combined.
Add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture, stir until incorporated.
Pour batter into prepared loaf pan, bake for 50-60 minutes. Bread is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or internal temperature reaches 200 degrees.
Remove feom the oven, allow it to sit in a pan for 5 minutes. Transfer it to a coolng rack let it cool, then cut and serve.
- Avoid overmixing the cake batter once you add in the flour. Doing this will cause it to become dense, and not have that light and fluffy texture you're looking for.
- Remember to use room temperature eggs for this recipe. It will ensure the batter has an even consistency and cooks perfectly.
- You can slice the cake loaf and enjoy it as-is, or top it with some sugar icing or just a light dusting of powdered sugar.
- To make cleanup easier, you can line the loaf pan with parchment paper and leave a bit overhang from both the sides for you to easily pull up the cake.
- The key to getting the perfect texture and flavor is to measure the ingredients accurately. Use measuring spoons and cups to get it right!
Bilikis says
This recipe is nice
My family's favourite pumpkin cakes. Soft, and it just melts in your mouth. Try this and thank me later.