Hello, angels! As promised in my October newsletter (did you miss her? Read her here, and make sure you get the next one by signing up!), here is a cozy little recipe using the homemade pumpkin purée technique I shared last week! This bundt cake is essentially a pumpkin spice cake, or pain d’épices en français, and has all the cozy spices (nutmeg, clove, cinnamon) you want in the fall. It also has orange zest to brighten the flavor and the queen of spices, cardamom, to add elegance. The cake is robed in a cardamom orange glaze that envelopes the beauty-bundt in a citrusy sweet embrace. Don’t have a bundt pan? No worries, I’ve also included a loaf cake recipe with a crackly sugar crust so you don’t have to miss out.
Recipe Type: Cake
Time: 1
Ingredients
Bundt Cake Ingredients
320 grams fresh homemade pumpkin purée or ¾ of a 15-oz can of Pumpkin Puree
3 large eggs at room temperature
100 grams water or ½ cup
160 grams neutral oil or ¾ cup + 1 tablespoon (sunflower, canola, grapeseed) plus extra oiling pan
150 grams or ¾ cup white sugar
150 grams or ¾ cup brown sugar
320 grams or 2½ cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
5 grams or 1 teaspoon of kosher salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon orange zest grated on a microplane
⅛ teaspoon ground cardamom
Orange Cardamom Glaze
1 cup of confectioner’s sugar
⅛ teaspoon ground cardamom
1 teaspoon orange zest grated on a micro-plane
3-5 tablespoons juice from the zested orange
5 grams or 1 teaspoon of kosher salt
Loaf Cake Ingredients
212 grams fresh homemade pumpkin purée or ½ of a 15-oz can of Pumpkin Puree
2 large eggs at room temperature
75 grams water or ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons
120 grams neutral oil or ½ cup(sunflower, canola, grape seed) plus one teaspoon for oiling pan
100 grams white sugar or ½ cup
100 grams brown sugar or ½ cup
2 tablespoons raw turbinado sugar or 1.5 tablespoons of white sugar
245 grams all purpose flour or 1 ¾ cup + 1 tablespoon
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon orange zest grated on a micro-plane
¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
Equipment
Mixing Bowls
Whisk
Silicone spatula
Loaf Pan 8x4 or 9x5 or 10 or 12 cup bundt cake pan
Pastry Brush
Baking paper
Microplane
Recipe Tips
Here is a tutorial for how to make homemade pumpkin purée. Trust and believe, it’s so fabulous and not at all difficult.
A measuring tip: When weighing ingredients, make sure to scale them in smaller bowls before transferring them into the larger mixing bowls with the rest of the ingredients. That way if you make an error, like adding too much flour, it’s self-contained. If possible, invest in a scale and measure ingredients by weight. It’s the most accurate way to measure.
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 180℃ 350℉. If you are baking with a dark baking pan, then lower the temperature by 5℃ 25℉.
In a medium mixing bowl, add the dry ingredients (flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda) and whisk to combine thoroughly.
In another larger mixing bowl, add the eggs, oil, pumpkin purée, one teaspoon of orange zest, water, brown and white sugar and whisk together. Then, add the spices and vanilla and whisk once more.
Add the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt) into the large bowl with the wet ingredients and whisk together until just combined.
For the bundt pan, brush the pan with oil and sprinkle 1-2 teaspoons of flour in the pan and shake the flour in the pan (over the sink) to lightly coat the inside of the bundt pan.
For the loaf pan, brush the pan with oil and line with parchment paper. Brush the parchment paper with oil.
Place the bundt or loaf pan on a parchment lined baking sheet and pour the batter into the pan.
For the loaf cake, sprinkle turbinado sugar evenly on top (it’ll form a nice crackly crust). If you don’t have turbinado sugar, sprinkle white granulated sugar. Then, using a small knife, draw a line down the center of the loaf lengthwise leaving 1-2 inches on each side. Then pour a little bit of oil using a spoon or squirt bottle down that line. This will enable the bread to crack down that line of oil and puff up beautifully. If you want to glaze the cake, omit the sprinkle of sugar on the cake.
For the Bundt cake, make sure you fill the pan ¾ of the way so that it doesn’t overflow. I tested this recipe in a 10 cup Bundt and had just enough batter. In the event you have extra, save it and make muffins.
Bake the cake (both pans) for 50-70 minutes depending on your oven. Make sure to rotate the pans 25 minutes into baking to ensure even cooking. Check the loaf and cake starting at 45 minutes for doneness. The loaf is ready when a sharp knife, cake tester, or toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf or the center of the cake comes out clean.
Prepare the glaze: while the cakes are baking, add one cup of confectioners sugar into a small mixing bowl with the ground cardamom, salt, and orange zest. Slowly whisk in the orange juice 1 tablespoon at a time until the glaze has the consistency of runny honey.
When ready, remove the cake from the oven, and let cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Then remove from the pans and let cool on a wire rack.
For the loaf cake run a sharp knife along the edges of the cake to release it from the pan. With some clean kitchen towels, remove the loaf from the pan and let cool on a wire rack. Let cool for one hour and enjoy! If you want to glaze the loaf cake, then pour the glaze on top of the loaf after one hour.
For the bundt cake place a wire rack on top of the cake, and gently invert the cake. It should come out easily. Let cool for one hour, then pour the orange cardamom glaze on the cake on the wire rack set on top of a baking sheet (to catch the drippings).
The cakes benefit from sitting for a day, but if you’re impatient like I am, then feel free to dig in!