Spiced Orange Pumpkin Cake

 

5 from 8 votes

Spiced Orange Pumpkin Cake

This delicious, lightly spiced pumpkin cake flavoured with orange is special. It's dairy-free, made with wholemeal flour and also contains less sugar than many other equivalent bakes. Perfect for autumnal festivities, especially Bonfire Night and Halloween.

Prep Time20minutes mins

Cook Time40minutes mins

Total Time1hour hr

Course: Afternoon Tea, Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: 16 slices

Calories: 211kcal

Author: Choclette @ Tin and Thyme

Equipment

• power blender

Ingredients

Pumpkin Cake

• 180 g coconut sugar or soft brown sugar (I used muscovado)
• 3 large eggs
• 150 ml neutral cooking oil (I used sunflower oil)
• 1 organic orange zest and juice
• pinch fine sea or rock salt
• 400 g pumpkin purée (I used homemade)
• 225 g wholemeal flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
• 2 tsp mixed spice or pumpkin spice

Blood Icing

• 50 g icing sugar
• 1 tsp beetroot powder (optional)

Instructions

Pumpkin Cake

• Set the oven to 180℃ (350℉, Gas 4).
• In a large bowl, whisk the sugar and eggs together until any sugar lumps have disappeared.
• Add the oil, salt, orange zest and all but 1 tbsp of the juice (keep this for the icing). Whisk again.
• Add the pumpkin puree and whisk until everything is well incorporated.
• Sieve in the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and the spices. Discard any particularly large bits of bran that are left in the sieve. Ours goes onto the compost heap.
• Fold the dry ingredients in with your whisk or a large metal spoon until everything is just about blended.
• Pour into an oiled bundt-type silicone mould or tin. Alternatively, use a 23cm (9") deep round cake tin or mould. For a traybake, use a 23cm (9") square cake tin or mould.
• Bake in the centre of the oven for 40-45 minutes for a bundt or ring mould and 35-40 minutes for a square tin. The top should be firm to the touch, and an inserted skewer needs to come out more or less clean.
• Leave to cool in the mould for ten minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Blood Icing

• Sieve the icing sugar and beetroot powder into a bowl. Then add enough of the reserved orange juice to make a slightly runny icing. Stir well.
• Drizzle the icing over the top of the cooled cake.

Notes

If making a traybake, cover with a cream cheese frosting flavoured with orange. Slice into squares.

Don't just save this cake for Halloween; it's a fabulous autumn bake for any occasion. Just omit the beetroot powder from the icing, unless you like the bloody look.

Please note that calories and other nutritional information are provided per serving. They’re approximate and will depend on the exact ingredients used.

Nutrition

Calories: 211kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 31mg | Sodium: 56mg | Potassium: 207mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin A: 3954IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 57mg | Iron: 1mg

Recipe from Choclette @Tin and Thyme