Pumpkin Loaf Cake Is the Halloween Treat You Didn’t Know You Needed

With no decorating or frosting required, this cake proves as easy to make as banana bread.

This deeply pumpkin-y, not-too-sweet loaf cake has a medley of fall flavors. JeanMarie Brownson/TCA

Fall, Halloween, pumpkin—three of my favorite things. The dining room centerpiece features miniature pumpkins and colorful leaves. The kitchen is now stocked with canned pumpkin, pumpkin-shaped candy, pumpkin spice coffee creamer, and jars of pumpkin butter. I’m forever grateful to the inventors of the pumpkin latte and pumpkin pie spice, even though I know they do not contain real pumpkin. They still give off a lovely fall vibe.

For Halloween celebrations, I make vats of pumpkin soup or pumpkin chili to serve to our trick-or-treating family and friends. I also bake a deeply pumpkin-y, not-too-sweet pumpkin loaf cake. This baking tradition started with a recipe for Harvest Loaf published in the Chicago Tribune food section in the early 1980s. (The recipe is also included in the 1989 edition of the Chicago Tribune Cookbook, which credits the Young Women’s Auxiliary of the Women’s Club of Evanston for the recipe.)

What is a loaf cake? The Great British Baking Show tells us that “a loaf cake is just a cake baked in a loaf pan.” True. With no decorating or frosting required, this cake proves as easy to make as banana bread. Canned pumpkin adds flavor and moisture to the loaf. Not too sweet, we serve the cake for breakfast, snacking, or with an afternoon coffee.

This fall, my version features chunks of dark chocolate, toasted pumpkin seeds, and a pumpkin spice glaze. I make two loaves, so I always have one to give away; plus, the two loaves use a whole can of pumpkin. The cakes freeze well. Be sure the icing is set and dry before wrapping tightly in plastic wrap. Let thaw at room temperature before serving.

For dessert, serve thick slices of the cake with pumpkin ice cream or a scoop of pumpkin whipped cream. Sweetened with pumpkin butter, the whipped cream also tastes great over a cup of hot or iced black coffee, making it a homemade, indulgent treat on a crisp fall day.

Pumpkin Loaf Cake With Dark Chocolate and Pumpkin Seeds

Makes 2 loaves

Note: Resist the temptation to slice the loaves before they are completely cool so the slices don’t crumble.

For the cake:

• 1 cup (4 ounces) chopped pecans
• 2/3 cup (3 ounces) salted sprouted pumpkin seeds
• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons pumpkin pie spice blend
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 can (15 ounces) pure pumpkin
• 1 1/2 cups (8 ounces) roughly chopped semisweet or dark chocolate

For the pumpkin glaze:

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice blend
• 2 tablespoons half-and-half or milk

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease or spray two 9-by-5-by-3-inch loaf pans on all sides. Line the bottom of the pan with a strip of parchment paper, letting it overhang on the sides. (This will help you lift the loaf out of the pan when it’s cool.)

Put pecans and pumpkin seeds onto a baking sheet and place in the oven. Bake until aromatic, about 8 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

Whisk together flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, and salt in a medium-size bowl.

Put butter into a large mixing bowl. Beat with electric mixer until light. Gradually beat in granulated sugar until fluffy. One at a time, beat in eggs. Beat in vanilla. Alternately beat flour mixture and pumpkin into the butter mixture, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Gently fold in chocolate chunks and 1/2 of the pecans and pumpkin seeds. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans and smooth the tops. Sprinkle the remaining pecans over the tops.

Bake, rotating pans once, until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 1 hour and 10 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Use the parchment paper to lift the loaves from the pans. Cool completely on a wire rack.

For the pumpkin glaze, whisk powdered sugar and pumpkin pie spice in a small bowl until there are no lumps. Stir in half-and-half to make a glaze with the consistency of heavy cream. Drizzle over the cooled loaves. Let stand until glaze is set, usually at least 1 hour. Serve with a dollop of pumpkin spice whipped cream.

Pumpkin Spice Whipped Cream

Makes 2 cups

Note: Look for pumpkin butter at Trader Joe’s, local farmers markets, and in the jam aisle of large supermarkets. Apple butter makes a delicious substitute.

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice blend
• Pinch salt
• 2 to 3 tablespoons pumpkin butter

Whip cream in a medium-sized bowl until quite foamy. Beat in pumpkin pie spice and salt until soft peaks form. Add pumpkin butter and beat just until incorporated.