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Pumpkin makes a terrific addition to Bundt cake. It adds rich autumn flavor, plus fiber and vitamins A and C. Start with a fresh 2- to 3-pound sugar pumpkin or winter squash, cook it in the microwave until tender (about 10 minutes), then scrape out the flesh, peel, and mash. Or even simpler,  use a 15-ounce can of pumpkin. (Make sure you pick up pumpkin puree and not premade pumpkin pie filling.) Buy the freshest nuts you can find, and the cake will have a lovely caramel color and bright, complex flavor from the marriage of squash and spices, dappled with this season’s nuts.

Ingredients

Cake

  • 4 large eggs, large
  • nonstick cooking spray with flour (such as Spectrum Canola Spray with Flour)
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1-1/4 cups canola oil
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 cups mashed pumpkin (or 15-ounce can of unsweetened pumpkin puree)
  • 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
  • 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
  • 3/4 cup chopped pecans, toasted

Glaze

  • 2 tablespoons butter, softened
  • 2 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
  • 2 tablespoons chopped pecans, toasted

Instructions

  • Place eggs in a bowl of hot tap water (to quickly bring them to room temperature, so they beat to maximum volume). Position oven rack in the middle of oven. Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 10-inch Bundt or tube pan with cooking spray.
  • To prepare cake, sift together flour and next 6 ingredients (through ground cloves) onto a sheet of wax paper.
  • Place oil and eggs in a large bowl. Beat with a mixer to combine. Add granulated sugar and vanilla, and beat well. With the mixer running, gradually add flour mixture. Beat 2 minutes at low speed. Beat in pumpkin, zest and 1 teaspoon juice. Fold in 3/4 cup nuts.
  • Scrape batter into prepared pan. (Pan will be very full.) Bake 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pan for 15 minutes. Place a wire rack on top of pan, and carefully turn pan and rack to gently remove cake from pan. Cool cake on wire rack.
  • To prepare glaze, place butter and cream cheese in a medium bowl, and beat with a mixer to combine thoroughly. Add powdered sugar, 2 teaspoons juice and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Mix thoroughly. Scrape glaze over the top of  still-warm cake, and spread over the top with an offset spatula. (Glaze will drizzle down the sides of the cake.) Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons nuts.
Servings: 16
by Linda West Eckhardt, a James Beard Award-winning author of more than 20 cookbooks, including Cakes from Scratch in Half the Time (Chronicle Books).
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