Pumpkin Loaf Cake

sliced pumpkin cake topped with chopped pecans on a white tray.

This Pumpkin Loaf Cake is so soft, it will melt in your mouth! It is easy, mildly sweet with cozy Fall spices. Baked in a loaf pan, it's just as easy as pumpkin bread but with a finer, more tender crumb that makes it perfect for pumpkin dessert - So good!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword pumpkin cake, pumpkin loaf cake

Prep Time 25

Cook Time 1 45

Total Time 2 10

Servings Servings

Calories 342kcal

Author Maria Doss

Equipment

Ingredients

For the cake

1 ¼ cups all purpose flour
1 ¼ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon all spice
¼ teaspoon ground clove
1 stick unsalted butter at room temperature
½ cup sugar
¼ cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup pumpkin puree
¼ cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the frosting

4 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
4 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups confectioners sugar
chopped toasted pecans, optional

Instructions

Make the cake

Prep. Preheat oven to 350F (175C) and spray a standard loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray and line the bottom with parchment paper. Set aside.
Mix dry ingredients. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, all spice and clove into a medium bowl and whisk to combine.
Mix wet batter. Combine butter and both sugars in a large bowl and using an electric mixer, beat until light and fluffy (2 to 3 minutes). Add pumpkin puree and vegetable oil and beat until well combined.
Add eggs one at a time, stirring well after each addition. Beat in vanilla extract. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure the ingredients are evenly combined.
Finish and bake. Add the dry ingredients and beat until it just comes together. Don't overmix. Transfer batter into the prepared loaf pan, smooth top and bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cool. Place the pan on a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.

Make the frosting

Make frosting. Combine cream cheese, butter, vanilla extract and salt in a medium bowl and beat until smooth and creamy. Gradually add the confectioners sugar and beat until smooth, and light.
👉 Use full-fat cream cheese and not the spreadable type from a tub. The full-fat will give the frosting a perfectly creamy consistency.
Frost the cake. Spread the frosting on top of the cake using a rubber spatula and sprinkle chopped pecans on top. Slice and enjoy!

Video

Notes

I like to use Libby’s brand of pumpkin puree as it is thick with rich color and taste. Different brands may be lighter in color or more watery in consistency.

Use room temperature eggs for fluffier pumpkin cake.

Use 2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice instead of the spices.

Layer cake - Double the recipe and bake in two 9-inch round baking pans and double the frosting too!

Nutrition