I live on a rather peaceful, quiet street. The kind where, as the days are become shorter, the evenings are drawn out and silent, punctuated with a hollow whistle of the wind against the window pane and the dark night illuminated in that dusky amber glow of the street lamps. Oh these autumn months, wrapping thick knit scarves around my neck, placing bourbon hot toddies in my hands and the silent threat of the office cold. I love them so much.
It’s the leaves, perhaps predictably, that I like the best though. Every morning I walk underneath a canopy of them, the street lined with equally proportioned trees standing to attention. One minute those leaves are forest green, the next a gentle flutter of crimson and burnt orange and – with any luck – a touch of frost to dust the edges for that satisfying underfoot crunch. It’s a pretty time of year and one that is synonymous with dark nights, warm hues and pumpkin pie spice. It’s predictable and slightly annoying but I wouldn’t have it any other way. Only, can I have just half cream on my PSL please?
I actually made this loaf nearly four weeks ago, when autumn was just beginning to appear but it has only now made it onto the blog, partly due to another bout of blogging burnout. But it would be a shame not to share, since its simplicity just adds to its attractiveness. There is no stand mixer or hard labour involved – the most challenging part is making pumpkin puree from scratch, which is not even difficult but a little time consuming. But for the little effort it takes to bake, you are rewarded with the sweet smell of pumpkin spice filling your kitchen with that ubiquitous autumnal smell. With a simple drizzle of bourbon glaze and the season’s favourite toasted pecans, each slice is as comforting as those scarves and hot toddies. Welcome back autumn, I have to say I’ve missed you.
- For the Pumpkin Pie Loaf
- 400g plain flour
- 250g light brown sugar
- 2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 ½ tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1 tsp salt
- 400g fresh pumpkin puree
- 250ml vegetable oil
- 100g pure maple syrup
- 1 tbsp bourbon (optional)
- 70g pecans, chopped
- To finish
- 30g pecans
- 70g icing sugar
- 1 tbsp bourbon
- 2 tbsp + 1 tsp water
- To make pumpkin puree, peel and dice a culinary pumpkin or butternut squash then cook in boiling water for around 15 minutes until tender. Drain then blend with an immersion blender in a jug until smooth. Store wrapped in clingfilm for up to a week.
- Preheat the oven to 180oc/160oc fan and grease and line a 2 lb loaf tin. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder, spices and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree, oil, maple syrup, bourbon (or water if you prefer). Pour the wet mix into the dry and fold together, making sure to scoop up from the bottom of the bowl and stirring in any escaped flour. Once smooth, fold in the pecans and pour into the prepared tin.
- Bake for around 1 hour and cover with foil to stop it catching, then bake for a further 30-40 minutes. Check a skewer comes out clean when inserted into the middle of the cake before removing from the oven and leaving to cool in the tin for 10 minutes on a wire rack. Turn out and leave to cool completely.
- Place the pecans in a small saucepan over a medium heat and toast for 2 to 3 minutes until fragrant. Pour onto a chopping board and roughly chop. Whisk the bourbon and water into the icing sugar then drizzle over the cooled cake, allowing it to drip down the sides. Scatter with the toasted pecans and serve once the glaze has hardened slightly.
trixpin says
Lovely looking loaf! I’ve made pumpkin loaves before but never quite like this one – the bourbon’s a first for me to start with! Can’t wait to try it 🙂