Pumpkin Pound Cake with Bourbon Cream Cheese Frosting (Gluten-Free Option!)
With warming aromas of cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and pumpkin, this moist and tender Pumpkin Pound Cake will make your house smell amazing. The cake is made from a simple batter using mostly pantry staples, and a few secret ingredients give it an incredible flavor and texture. It can also easily be made gluten-free!
Servings: 1 9x5-inch cake
Ingredients
Dry ingredients
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour or gluten-free all-purpose flour blend
- ½ cup (55 g) almond flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
Wet ingredients
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 ¼ cups (260 g) organic cane sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup (236 g) canned pumpkin puree
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¼ cup water
For serving
- Bourbon Cream Cheese Glaze (optional) click for recipe
- ¼ cup finely chopped toasted walnuts or pecans (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350˚Coat a 9x5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray, then line it crosswise with parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang (this will make a sling, allowing you to easily pull the cake out of the pan after it’s cooked).
Mix the dry ingredients
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, almond flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, allspice and cloves. Make sure to break up any lumps of almond flour (I use my fingers for this).
Mix the wet ingredients and finish the batter
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Add the eggs, one at a time. Scrape down the sides, and add the pumpkin puree, vanilla and water. Beat on low until smooth (the batter will look curdled). Scrape the sides. Beating on low, gradually add the flour mixture. Beat until just combined. Using a rubber spatula, give the batter a stir to make sure there are no streaks of flour.
Bake
- Transfer the batter to the prepared pan, smoothing the top in an even layer. Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (the top will crack), about 55-60 minutes. Transfer to a rack and let cool 10 minutes in the pan. Remove the cake from the pan and let it cool completely on a rack (it’s important to let the cake cool completely before glazing or slicing).
- To glaze the cake, line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil, and place a wire rack on top. Set the cake on the rack. Generously spoon the Bourbon Cream Cheese Glaze over the cake, spreading it evenly and letting the excess drip down the sides (check out the video above to see how this is done!). Sprinkle the top with chopped nuts, if you’d like. Refrigerate the cake for at least 30 minutes before serving.
Notes
Do Ahead: The cake tastes even better the next day! The unglazed cake can be wrapped in plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 4 days or frozen for up to 3 months. Once glazed, the cake can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.
Tips:
- You can bake this cake in one 9x5-inch loaf pan or four 3x5.75-inch mini loaf pans (which make for great gifts!). If you make four mini loafs, adjust the cooking time to 30-35 minutes.
- If you’re making a gluten-free cake, I recommend using either this or this gluten-free all-purpose flour blend.
- The almond flour gives this cake extra moisture, creating a deliciously tender crumb.
- For a dairy-free version, use coconut oil in place of the butter.
- If you don’t have a stand mixer, you can use hand beaters instead.
- Feel free to stir ¾ cup of chopped toasted pecans or walnuts into the batter in addition to sprinkling them over the top!
Loved this recipe? Check out @nickisizemore for more!