The Best Ever!

A couple of years ago we were at our friends Justin and Danelle's for dinner, and I found Matt in the kitchen, devouring slices of fresh pumpkin bread off of the counter. Our friend Jennifer had brought a homemade loaf of Tartine Bakery's recipe, and I think Matt ate almost the entire thing. It was delicious! Even though we have the Tartine cookbook we'd never made the Pumpkin Tea Cake. (The lemon bars are also incredible and my go to recipe!) After stealing a few slices to eat on our drive home, Matt decided to conquer this recipe at home sometime. Since then he's made this for special occasions, as well as for regular mornings as a treat.

This morning I woke up to the smell of two loaves baking, and I couldn't have been happier. (It tastes even more yummy when someone else does all the work and you get to roll out of bed and eat a slice)

Pumpkin Tea Cake from Tartine

1 2/3 cups (225 g) all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp (7 ml) baking powder
1/2 tsp (2 ml) baking soda
1 tbsp + 2 tsps (25 ml) ground cinnamon
2 tsps (10 ml) nutmeg, freshly grated
1/4 tsp (1 ml) ground cloves
1 cup + 2 tbsps (255 g) pumpkin purée
1 cup (250 ml) vegetable oil (like safflower or sunflower)
1 1/3 cups (270 g) sugar
3/4 tsp (4 ml) salt
3 large eggs
2 tbsps sugar for topping
*** 3 tbsps pepitas for topping  (optional: we don't top it with these, but I'm sure it would be good)

Preheat oven to 325°F. Butter the bottom and sides of a 9×5-inch loaf pan. (You can do this recipe with a stand mixer or by hand.) 

Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves into a mixing bowl. In a large mixing bowl, beat the pumpkin purée, oil, sugar, and salt together until well blended. Beat the eggs in one at a time, making sure each egg is completely incorporated before adding the next one. Scrape the sides of the bowl as necessary. Add the flour and mix until just combined. You don’t want to overbeat the batter as it will result in a tougher crumb. Then beat for 5 to 10 seconds until smooth. Pour the batter into the loaf pan and tap the pan on the counter to help flatten the batter out. Sprinkle the sugar (and, if using, pepitas) on top and bake for about an hour or until a toothpick comes out clean. 

Remove the cake from the oven and let sit for 20 minutes. Invert the pan onto a cooling rack and flip the cake out. Turn the cake back right-side up and let cool completely. Serve at room temperature. Lasts about 4 days (well-wrapped) on your counter or up to a week in the refrigerator. Serves 6-8.