[My posts on our October 2025 Canadian trip resume after this cake intermission]
The original title of this cake, from NY Times Cooking, is Pumpkin Bundt Cake with Maple Brown-Butter Glaze. Long name and an equally long list of ingredients. I have simplified the recipe by giving the metric measurements, and downsized it to a 6-cup bundt. You need a lot of nerve to go all-in and make a 12-cup bundt!
I made the cake three times in order to make sure it works. In the end, I reduced the sugar by 50% and used sunflower instead of olive oil. The cake is really delicious and moist, and will keep for a few days stored in a tin. It would be a good cake to make ahead and bring along to any gathering.
Two key ingredients here are tinned unsweetened pumpkin puree and maple syrup. The latter was a gift from a distant relation when we visited Montreal. The pumpkin puree was from our local supermarket here in London as I could not carry back any Canadian pumpkin puree.
For the Cake:
190 g plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
¼ teaspoons fine sea salt
1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
pinch each of: ground cloves, ground ginger, ground allspice
110 g light brown soft sugar
60 g unsalted butter, softened
50 g sunflower oil
1 large egg, at room temperature
210 g pumpkin purée (half a can)
60 g sour cream
10 g each softened butter and plain flour to line the Bundt
Toasted pumpkin seeds or pecan/ walnuts for decorating the top (optional)
For the maple brown-butter glaze:
15 g unsalted butter
35 g maple syrup
40 g icing sugar
pinch of salt
You will also need a 6 Cup Anniversary Bundt Pan as the shape is attractive and it makes cutting/ sharing easier.
How to Make:
In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, salt, ground cinnamon and spices. Leave aside.
In a separate mixing bowl, combine the wet ingredients: egg, pumpkin purée and sour cream.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the sugar, butter and oil. Beat on a medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
Remove the bowl from the mixer, and add the egg mixture all in one go.
Return the bowl to the mixer and continue beating on a medium speed until everything is mixed in.
Using a large spoon, add the flour in gradually and continue beating on a medium speed until everything is well combined.
Scoop the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.
Bake in the oven for 50 minutes (60 minutes for the 12-cup bundt). The cake doesn’t bounce back much when touched, but a metal skewer inserted in the centre should come out clean. The top of the cake may turn quite brown but rest assured, it is not burnt.
Leave the cake to cool in the pan for 15 minutes (20 minutes if making the larger cake). Turn the pan over to release the cake onto a cooling rack, ready for glazing.
To make the glaze:
Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook the butter, occasionally scraping the bottom and sides of the pan with a silicon spatula until it turns a deep golden brown and smells nutty. Watch the pan carefully as the butter can go from brown and nutty to acrid and burnt in mere moments.
Transfer the butter and all the brown bits from the pan to a heat-safe bowl, and let it cool slightly. Sift in the icing sugar, then add the maple syrup and salt. Using a small whisk, beat everything until smooth. The glaze should be thick but pourable. If it feels slightly thick, add 1 teaspoon of boiling water to loosen it.
Hint: the maple glaze is also very good on top of walnut scones.
The cake before and after baking
The cake before and after glazing
