Pumpkin Pound Cake

5 from 15 votes

Pumpkin Pound Cake is an easy made-from-scratch breakfast treat or dessert that takes just a few minutes to make and looks as beautiful as it tastes! This Pumpkin Pound Cake Recipe with Cream Cheese Glaze will become your favorite fall staple with just one bite!

Prep Time10

Cook Time1 15

Cool10

Total Time1 45

Course: Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Author: Julie Blanner

Ingredients

1 cup butter softened
1 ½ cup white granulated sugar
15 ounce can pumpkin
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup milk

Cream Cheese Glaze (optional)

4 ounces cream cheese softened
¼ cup butter softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup powdered sugar

Instructions

Preheat oven to 300 degrees and grease loaf pan.
In a medium mixing bowl or stand mixter fitted with the whisk attachment, beat butter until light in color (about 3 minutes). Gradually incorporate sugar, pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla until fluffy and smooth.
Add eggs one at a time on low, careful not to overbeat.
Alternate adding flour and milk until smooth.
Pour into loaf pan allowing space to compensate for rise (discard or use excess batter in mini loaf pans). Bake 1 hour 15 minutes or until toothpick comes clean.
Allow to cool 10 minutes. Invert to release from loaf pan. Allow to cool before adding optional cream chee.

Cream Cheese Glaze

Allow pound cake to cool before adding glaze. In a medium mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, butter, vanilla. Gradually add powdered sugar until smooth.
Warm until pourable. Pour over pound cake generously and allow to set before serving.

Notes

Substitutions, Variations and Ingredient Notes

Sugar - You can substitute brown sugar if you prefer a rich molasses flavor.
Pumpkin Purée - You can make your own, or opt for canned pumpkin.
Cinnamon, Nutmeg - Substitute with Pumpkin Pie Spice for even more fall flavor.
Milk - Use whole or vitamin D milk for best results, but you can use any milk you have on hand, including almond milk.
Butter – Salted or unsalted, your choice.
Powdered Sugar – If you don’t have powdered sugar you can make it pulsing granulated sugar in a food processor until fine and fluffy.
Nuts - Optional: add 1/2 crushed walnuts and pecans
Glaze - Optional: add a cream cheese, classic, maple or brown butter glaze.

Tips

Bring ingredients to room temperature.
Use full-fat ingredients.
Add eggs one at a time on low just until the yellow disappears.
Use a high quality baking spray.
Bake until a toothpick comes out clean and the crust is golden brown.

Baking Alternatives

Bundt Pan - Double recipe and bake about 60 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Miniature Loaf Pans - Bake approximately 40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Muffin Tin - Bake approximately 23 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

To Store

Room Temperature – Store covered – an upside down bowl will do, for up to five days. Once you cut into this cake, moisture begins to escape. Use plastic wrap to cover the exposed slice. Sliced pound cake keeps for 3-4 days.
Refrigerate - Store covered in an airtight container for up to 1 week refrigerated.
Freeze – Simply wrap your pound cake in plastic wrap – you can add an extra layer of aluminum foil for a secondary layer of frost resistance. Add a heavy duty freezer bag and label appropriately. Freeze up to 3 months.

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