elisabeth prueitt's pumpkin tea cake
This simple loaf is a standout, not only compared to its (arguably prettier) pastry siblings at Tartine, but all pumpkin loaves everywhere. The recipe was first published in the San Francisco bakery’s seminal 2006 cookbook; it’s become a cult classic and for good reason. Compared to most pumpkin bread recipes, it has far more cinnamon (almost two tablespoons versus one teaspoon) and nutmeg (two teaspoons, freshly grated, versus a pinch). The flavor is rounded out by a bit of cloves, but that’s it. No ginger. No allspice. The cinnamon and nutmeg do the heavy lifting. Of course, the pumpkin does its part too, and that flavor depends on the brand of pumpkin puree used (I’m partial to Libby’s). If you’re feeling ambitious, you can roast and puree from scratch, in which case red kuri, kabocha, or butternut squash work best. The recipe also calls for more oil than most. Fear not. The oil is what makes the crumb meltingly good. Lastly, just before baking, the top gets sprinkled with sugar and pepitas, forming a crunchy, shattery, sugary crust.
Elisabeth Prueitt’s Pumpkin Tea Cake
Barely adapted from Tartine (2006) and Tartine: A Classic Revisited (2019) by Elisabeth Prueitt and Chad Robertson.
The original recipe was recently reprinted in the bakery’s updated cookbook released earlier this month. The imperial (U.S.) measurements were slightly adjusted for the flour and pumpkin puree, but their metric equivalents remained essentially unchanged. The volume of the oil is also a bit less than the original. Below is a hybrid of those very tiny changes that makes the best sense to me, on paper and in practice. As always, I suggest using a scale when possible.
Makes 1 9x5-inch loaf.
INGREDIENTS
1 3/4 cups (228 grams) all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons nutmeg, freshly grated
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup + 2 tablespoons (255 grams) pumpkin puree
1 cup vegetable oil, such as safflower or sunflower
1 1/3 cup (265 grams) granulated sugar, plus more for topping
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
2 tablespoons raw pepitas (optional)
METHOD
Preheat oven to 325°F. Lightly butter a 9x5 inch loaf pan. Line with parchment paper (optional) and grease with more butter if using.
Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Set aside.
Use a stand mixer with a whisk attachment or a hand-held whisk to beat together the pumpkin puree, oil, sugar, and salt. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the flour mixture all at once. Beat on low speed, until just combined. Re-scrape the sides of the bowl and beat on medium speed for 5 to 10 seconds to make a smooth batter. Do not overmix!
Transfer batter to the loaf pan and smooth the surface with an offset spatula. Sprinkle evenly with 2 tablespoons sugar and the pepitas, if using. Bake for 1 hour, until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool in the loaf pan on a wire rack for 20 minutes then remove from pan and let cool completely. The cake will keep, well-wrapped, at room temperature for 4 days or in the refrigerator for about 1 week.