Hojicha pumpkin cake

Hi!

In the heart of pumpkin season, I thought I would join the party with something simple and delicious. A loaf. Im not sure what it is, but November to me is such a loafy month. Banana bread, pumpkin, cranberry orange, zucchini bread - I want them all. I think it’s the indulgence of eating thick slices of cake for breakfast long before the sun is up.

I have been making pumpkin loaves for years, varying the spices or adding bits and bops - chopped chocolate, cranberries, toasted nuts, different herbs or zests - but this year, I have kept coming back to this version with Hojicha in the spice mix. Hojicha is a Japanese roasted green tea with a rich, warm smokey and cocoa like flavour that pairs beautifully with the traditional pumpkin spices. To me it tastes like distilled fall - a little caramelly, warm and smoky, nutty and woody.

Sprinkling the Demerara sugar in the pan as well as on the top of the loaf adds a welcome bit of crunch to the otherwise squishy texture of the loaf. You can also sprinkle the top with roasted cacao nibs or fold 150-175g of chopped dark chocolate through the batter.

Hojicha pumpkin cake

Makes 1 9x5 / 23cm loaf

1 small pumpkin or winter squash, such as pie pumpkin, kabocha squash or Hokkaido (can be substituted for 250 g canned pumpkin purée)
125ml neutral oil
200 g brown sugar
2 large eggs
200 g all purpose flour
1 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon finely ground hojicha
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon vanilla powder (or extract)
1/2 teaspoon ground grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

2+2 tablespoons Demerara sugar

Preheat the oven to 175C.

Split the pumpkin and scrape out the seeds. Place cut-side down in a large roasting pan and roast for about 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes, until a knife easily pierces the flesh. Remove the pumpkin from the oven and allow to cool, cut-side down on a wire rack. Scoop out the flesh and process in a food processor to a very smooth purée.

Measure off 250 g of the pumpkin purée.

Butter a 9x5 inch / 23x12 cm loaf pan and sprinkle 2 tablespoons demerara sugar over the bottom and sides of the pan.

Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, ground tea, spices and salt into a large bowl and set aside.

Combine the pumpkin purée, oil, brown sugar and eggs in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium speed until combined. Whisk in the dry ingredients until just combined.

Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and sprinkle Demerara sugar all over the surface.

Bake for 50-60 minutes, until a knife inserted in the centre comes out clean. Let the cake to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Remove the cake from the pan and cool to room temperature on a wire rack.