Spiced Pumpkin Loaf with Cream Cheese Icing

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Written by Sophie

This recipe was inspired by a can of pumpkin puree, the cold weather outside and the need for cake for my lovely friends’ birthdays.

It’s really easy to make, and is just as nice without the icing if you’re not a fan.  There is also a tip for a banana alternative if you’re not a fan of pumpkin but still want a winter-inspired loaf.

Ingredients

Cake

  • 2 bananas
  • 1 435g can pumpkin puree (you can make this yourself – I’ve put a recipe at the bottom*)
  • 60g coconut oil (melted)
  • 150g coconut sugar
  • 2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp ground ginger
  • 1 tsp nutmeg
  • 1/2 tsp all spice
  • 75g ground almonds (aka almond flour or almond meal)
  • 150g buckwheat flour (this is gluten-free by the way, in case you haven’t come across it before)

Icing

  • 80g butter (at room temperature)
  • 80g cream cheese
  • 1-2 tbsp agave (depending on how sweet you like it)
  • 1 tsp cinnamon

Directions

Cake

  • Preheat oven to 180°C (fan oven).
  • Mash the bananas well and then mix in pumpkin puree.
  • Add in the coconut oil and coconut sugar, making sure it is well combined in the mixture.
  • Measure out and stir in the bicarb of soda, cinnamon, ground ginger, nutmeg and allspice.
  • Add the ground almonds and buckwheat and make sure it’s evenly mixed throughout the mixture, then pour into a large loaf tin (lined with baking paper so it’s easy to remove).
  • Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, then cover with foil to ensure it doesn’t get burnt and bake for an additional 30 minutes (if you prefer dryer cakes then leave it for up to 40 minutes once covered).

Icing

Beat the butter so that it’s smooth, then bit by bit add the cream cheese and mix it in well each time.  It is really important to do this bit in order because I did it the other way around and had to throw a load away.

Then add in the agave and the cinnamon, mix really well and taste to check you’re happy with the sweetness of the icing.  Then smother it all over the top of the cake and sprinkle a bit of cinnamon for rustic-ness, so long as those you’re sharing it with area also keen!! (I’ve been told off for over cinnamon-ing things before, that’s why I’m mentioning that one..)

*Recipe for homemade pumpkin puree: http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/872635/pumpkin-puree

**If you can’t be bothered with pumpkin puree you can make a cinnamon spiced banana version.  Use 3 bananas instead of 2, leave out the nutmeg and allspice and increase the coconut oil to 75g.  Bake for the same amount of time.

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