Pumpkin moist pound cake with white chocolate and raisins
Simply the best pumpkin pound cake for winter
Thoughts on pumpkin cake
First, let's talk about the ingredients here. I chose a different flour mix in order to add some fiber and nutritional value compared to regular white flour.I used a combination of whole wheat flour and semolina flour. I want to get a slightly grainier texture that absorbs less liquid — so this cake is more like a semolina sandy texture and less of a sponge cake. The taste of whole wheat and semolina together is a winner.
What makes a good moist pound cake, then? I'd say it's the ratio between the dry and wet ingredients, followed by proper baking (I'll get into that shortly). In this recipe, there's a wide variety of wet ingredients: an oil-butter mix, eggs, and most importantly a cooked pumpkin that's absorbed a big amount of water by the time it's pureed. A good pumpkin cake calls for strong spices — dominant oriental ones like ground cinnamon and ground ginger. There's something about pumpkin that supports those flavors, and when it all comes together it makes them milder and refreshing rather than overpowering.So, what's the story on baking a pumpkin cake?
On one hand, we want the cake to be moist and tender, so we don't want to overbake it — but on the other hand we don't want it undercooked. Anyone who's ever baked a pound cake knows you have one shot at getting it right. Taking the cake out too early and then putting it back in the oven won't work — the texture will be ruined, and so will the taste.So, I recommend starting to check with a toothpick at around 45–50 minutes and then every 5 minutes after that to see if it comes out dry — the window of opportunity for a great pumpkin cake is narrow.
Method
- 1
preparing the pumpkin· 20 minutes
Cut the pumpkin into fairly big bites and place in a small saucepan. Bring the pan into a gentle simmer and continue cooking on medium temperature for about 20 minutes until soft. Puree the pumpkin and place in a strainer to cool down and lose liquids for 30 minutes.
- 2
making the pumpkin cake mixture· 10 minutes
Preheat the oven to 170°c/ 340°F. In a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, place the butter, oil and sugar. whisk for 2 minutes until the mixture is nice and smooth, add the water and mix for another minute. Scrape the sides of the bowl, turn mixer to medium speed, add the eggs one by one and mix for another 2 minutes. Add the whole-wheat flour, semolina flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, salt and mix for 3 more minutes. Add the date honey and the pumpkin puree and mix for another minute. Throw in the white chocolate and raisins and gently mix only until incorporated, about 15 seconds.
- 3
baking the pumpkin cake· 1 hour
Pour the mixture into a big 9 x 5 x 3-inch loaf pan (23 x 13 x 7cm) loaf pan. Place the pan in the oven and bake for 1 hour. After 45-50 minutes poke the cake with a toothpick every 5 minutes to check if the cake is ready. When ready take out of the oven and cool down for 3 minutes. the pumpkin cake can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days. Serve in room temperature.
Jaron Kimhi
Jaron Kimhi — self-taught home cook from Tel Aviv, writing and cooking every recipe on this site himself. 20+ years of tinkering in the kitchen, leaning toward slow cooking, classic technique, and honest ingredients.
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