I do have a favorite pumpkin loaf but I can’t resist trying another recipe- especially if it involves cinnamon-sugar. 🙂 This one incorporated lovely spices as well.
This recipe was adapted from Smitten Kitchen.com. I increased the amount of cinnamon-sugar topping and baked the batter as muffins rather than a loaf. I love the portion control of a muffin.
Makes: 18 standard muffins or 1 large 9×5-inch loaf
For the Batter:
- 1 15-ounce can (1 3/4 cups) pumpkin puree
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) vegetable or another neutral cooking oil or melted butter (115 grams)
- 3 large eggs
- 1 2/3 (330 grams) cups granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon fine sea or table salt
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- heaped 1/4 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg
- heaped 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- two pinches of ground cloves
- 2 1/4 cups (295 grams) all-purpose flour
For the Cinnamon-Sugar Topping:
- 2 tablespoons (24 grams) granulated sugar (use 1 T for a loaf)
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon (use 1 tsp for a loaf)
- Heat oven to 350 degrees F, preferably on convection.
- Butter 18 muffins wells or a 6-cup loaf pan or coat it with nonstick spray. (I used 8 outer wells in one pan and 10 in another.)
- In a large bowl, whisk together pumpkin, butter or oil, eggs and sugar until smooth.
- Sprinkle baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinanmon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves over batter and whisk until well-combined.
- Add flour and stir with a spoon or rubber spatula, just until mixed.
- Using a 3 tablespoon scoop, ration the batter into prepared muffin wells, or scrape into a loaf pan, and smooth the top(s).
- In a small dish, whisk or stir sugar and cinnamon together. Sprinkle over top of batter. (I sprinkled 1/2 teaspoon over each muffin top.)
- Bake muffins for 15 to 17 minutes, and a loaf for 55 to 75 minutes, or until a tester poked into all parts of cake (both the top and center will want to hide pockets of uncooked batter) come out batter-free, rotating the pans once during the baking time for even coloring. (I rotated the oven racks between the two muffin pans as well.
- Cool in the pan(s) for 10 minutes and then remove, or cool completely in the pan(s). The latter provides the advantage of letting more of the loose cinnamon sugar on top adhere before being knocked off.
Note: The muffins (or loaf) keep well at room temperature. The original recipe recommends covering the cut edge of the loaf with a piece of foil or plastic and leaving the top exposed to best keep the lid crisp as long as possible.
