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Posted on Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 8 a.m.

Orange-glazed pumpkin loaf cake tastes so good nobody will ever know it's made with whole wheat

By Mary Bilyeu

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Mary Bilyeu | Contributor

Winter has arrived in Ann Arbor, both officially and weather-wise. That means it's prime season for cocoa or tea, something to help us all stay warm. And who wouldn't want a piece of cake to go along with that?

This pumpkin loaf cake is so easy to make, and offers a great way to disguise the health benefits of whole wheat flour. A sweet treat with some redeeming nutritional value — how fabulous is that? And the orange glaze is so vividly flavorful — a perfect complement to the cake.

You could easily add some dates and/or some walnuts to the batter, if you'd like. Sometimes I want a bread or a cookie or ice cream with lots of goodies stirred in, but sometimes simplicity rules the day. The day I baked this cake, I was in more of a minimalist mood.

No matter how you serve it, or what you serve it with, just be sure to try this. It's really lovely!

Orange-Glazed Pumpkin Loaf Cake

Cake:
1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 cup light-flavored oil
1 cup pumpkin puree
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1-1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1-1/3 cups whole wheat flour

Glaze:
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons orange marmalade
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice

Preheat oven to 350. Grease an 8x4-inch glass loaf pan.

In a large bowl, combine butter, oil, pumpkin, brown sugar, eggs, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda and salt.  Stir in the flour, and pour batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 45-50 minutes until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the cake rest for 10 minutes, then remove from pan and let cool completely on a rack.

In a small bowl, combine the glaze ingredients; pour over the cake and spread glaze to the edges, letting it drip down the sides. Let glaze set before cutting.

Makes 1 cake.


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Mary Bilyeu writes about her adventures in the kitchen - making dinner, celebrating holidays, entering cooking contests ... whatever strikes her fancy. She is also on a mission to find great deals for her Frugal Floozie Friday posts, seeking fabulous food at restaurants on the limited budget of only $5 per person. Feel free to email her with questions or comments or suggestions: yentamary@gmail.com.


You should also visit Mary's blog — Food Floozie — on which she enthuses and effuses over all things food-related.

The phrase "You Should Only Be Happy" (written in Hebrew on the stone pictured in this post) comes from Deuteronomy 16:15 and is a wish for all her readers - when you come to visit here, may you always be happy.