Classic Pumpkin Loaf with Cream Cheese Frosting

First things first: this is a one-bowl cake that comes together in under 30 minutes. Which makes it a perfect weekend baking project to do with kids or when you just want to get in your baking flow without having to think too hard. These are the ingredients you’ll need for the cake itself:

• all-purpose flour (you can also sub half whole-wheat)
• baking powder
• baking soda
• salt
• cinnamon
• ground ginger
• melted unsalted butter (I find it so much more delicious than most recipes that call for vegetable oil)
• eggs
• brown sugar
• sugar
• canned pumpkin
• vanilla extract

The method follows a typical process of mixing the wet ingredients, then stirring in the dry ingredients before pouring the batter into the pan to bake it in the oven. Simple!

• Room temperature ingredients. This will ensure that everything combines smoothly and reaches the consistency we want.
• Use high-quality, canned 100% pure pumpkin. Organic, if you can find it. Do not use a can of “pumpkin pie filling” here.
• Prep your loaf pan. Lightly spray the inside of your loaf pan to ensure the cake can be removed easily. You’ll want to let it cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing into the cake.

• Swap out your spices. Most pumpkin bread recipes call for pumpkin pie spice, but since I’m not a huge fan of nutmeg or ground cloves, I decided to use just cinnamon, ginger, and vanilla to flavor this one. However, you can absolutely swap the cinnamon and ginger for a tablespoon of pumpkin pie spice, instead.
• Make these into pumpkin cupcakes or pumpkin muffins! Just fill a muffin tin with the batter about two-thirds full (I like to use muffin tin liners to make it easy), then bake for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
• Pump up the protein.  To add more protein to this pumpkin bread/cake, you can add two scoops of vanilla protein powder with the dry ingredients, and reduce the flour by two tablespoons.
• Add more whole grains. Substitute half of the all-purpose flour with white whole-wheat flour.
• Change up the texture. Feel free to add a scoop of toasted walnuts or pecans to the batter if you like a crunch!

• 3/4 cup (1.5 sticks) melted butter

• 3/4 cup brown sugar

• 1/4 cup sugar

• 3 eggs

• 15-ounce can of pumpkin

• 2 teaspoons vanilla

• 1 1/2 cups flour

• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 2 teaspoons cinnamon

• 1 teaspoon ground ginger

For the cream cheese frosting:

• 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup heavy cream

Optional garnish: toasted pecans, walnuts, star anise

1. Preheat oven to 325 F with the oven rack in the middle. Spray an 8×4-inch loaf pan with nonstick or olive oil spray (or grease with a little softened butter).
2. In the bowl of a standing mixer, beat together melted butter and both sugars on medium-high for 3 minutes. Add eggs, beating in one at a time, then add pumpkin and vanilla. Mix to combine.
3. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and ginger, and use a fork to combine the dry ingredients lightly together. Turn mixer on lowest “stir” setting and beat just until you no longer see any of the flour.
4. Scrape down with a spatula, stir together a few times, then transfer the batter to your prepared pan.
5. Place the cake in the oven and bake for 60 minutes. Test for readiness by inserting a toothpick in the center of the cake. If it comes out clean or with a few dry crumbs, it’s ready. If wet batter is still visible on the toothpick, bake for 10 more minutes.
6. When the cake is ready, remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes before inserting onto a wire rack. Let the cake cool completely before frosting.
7. Meanwhile, make the frosting. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat cream cheese, powdered sugar, maple, and vanilla until smooth. With the mixer running, stream in the whipping cream and beat on high for about a minute until light and fluffy.
8. Spread the frosting in a fairly thick layer on top of the cake. Sprinkle with toasted pecans or walnuts if desired. Slice and eat!

1. Store the cake in a covered container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
2. Or, freeze for up to a month without the frosting in a gallon-sized freezer bag or wrapped well in foil. When ready to eat, thaw in fridge then frost.