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Pumpkin Loaf with Maple-Glazed Pumpkin Seeds

Prep Time:  10 minutes

     Cook Time:  55-65 minutes

     Serves:  1 loaf

Pumpkin loaf
Photo by Sunny Frantz

While this spiced pumpkin loaf is everything you’d want on a chilly winter day, the glazed pumpkin seed topping is truly the showstopper, adding a satisfying crunch along with some maple sweetness. Excellent alongside a morning cup of coffee, add in the optional chocolate chips plus an extra handful in the topping mix (a must at Christy McKenzie’s house) and suddenly it becomes your favorite seasonal dessert.

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup pepitas (dry roasted pumpkin seeds)
  • 1 large egg, room temperature
  • 1 cup mashed, roasted sugar pumpkin, squash or canned pumpkin puree
  • 1/4 cup plain yogurt, sour cream or buttermilk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
  • ½ cup maple syrup, room temperature
  • 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
  • ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 cup chocolate chips or cranberries, optional
  • ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
  • 1/4 cup pepitas (dry roasted pumpkin seeds)
  • ¼ cup maple sugar or brown sugar

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8 x 4-inch loaf pan and scatter ¼ cup pepitas across the bottom of the pan.
  2. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, yogurt, and roasted or canned pumpkin with the vanilla extract.
  3. In the bowl of a mixer, cream the butter for 3 minutes with the paddle attachment on medium speed. With the mixer running, slowly drizzle in the maple syrup and continue to whip until the butter and syrup mixture is creamy, and a light brown. The mixture may look curdled to start, just keep going, scraping down the sides of the bowl and paddle a few times.
  4. Mix the egg, pumpkin and vanilla mixture into the whipped butter. Again, the mixture may look curdled to start, just keep mixing until it begins to come back together.
  5. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour with the cinnamon, nutmeg, soda and salt. Then in two additions, quickly pulse the flour mixture into the butter mixture. You do not want to overbeat at this phase, to keep your crumb tender. Remove the paddle from your mixer and finish folding the mixture together by hand until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chips or cranberries, if adding.
  6. Scoop the batter evenly into the prepared loaf pan.
  7. To make the topping, stir together the melted butter, pepitas and maple or brown sugar. Spoon the mixture over the top of the batter.
  8. Bake in the preheated oven until the loaf is a deep golden color and a toothpick or knife inserted into the center comes out clean, about 55 to 65 minutes. Remove the loaf from the oven and let it cool for 10 minutes before loosening the edges and turning it out onto a cooling rack. Flip the bread right side up and let it cool before slicing.

Notes