Basic Pumpkin Muffins

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I had a friend over a few weeks back to hang out and do some fall baking. We decided to bake something pumpkin-y. It was a cold and rainy Sunday afternoon at the beginning of fall so what could be better. I found a pumpkin bread recipe from Smitten Kitchen where she uses an entire can of pumpkin which is what I like, instead of a recipe that leaves you with 1/4 or 1/2 cup of pumpkin that you don’t know what to do with.

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These muffins were super easy, as most muffins are, and baked up beautifully. I really loved the cinnamon sugar mixture sprinkled on top. Just a little something extra that makes them even more special. This is a super recipe that I would make over again and again, perfect when you need something pumpkin-y quickly, and don’t have time to browse through recipes, not that you would need to because these are perfectly simple and delicious.

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Pumpkin Bread or Muffins
From Smitten Kitchen
Bread/Muffins

  • 1 15-ounce can (1 3/4 cups) pumpkin puree

  • 1/2 cup (120 ml) vegetable or another neutral cooking oil or melted butter (115 grams)

  • 3 large eggs

  • 1 2/3 (330 grams) cups granulated sugar

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

  • 3/4 teaspoon baking soda

  • 3/4 teaspoon fine sea or table salt

  • 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

  • Heaped 1/4 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg

  • Heaped 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

  • Two pinches of ground cloves

  • 2 1/4 cups (295 grams) all-purpose flour

To Finish

  • 1 tablespoon (12 grams) granulated sugar

  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions
Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 6-cup loaf pan or coat it with nonstick spray (alternatively you may make muffins see below).

In a large bowl, whisk together pumpkin, oil, eggs and sugar until smooth. Sprinkle baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnanmon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves over batter and whisk until well-combined. Add flour and stir with a spoon, just until mixed. Scrape into prepared pan and smooth the top. In a small dish, or empty measuring cup, stir sugar and cinnamon together. Sprinkle over top of batter.

Bake bread for 65 to 75 minutes until a tester poked into all parts of cake (both the top and center will want to hide pockets of uncooked batter) come out batter-free, turning the cake once during the baking time for even coloring.

You can cool it in the pan for 10 minutes and then remove it, or cool it completely in there. The latter provides the advantage of letting more of the loose cinnamon sugar on top adhere before being knocked off.

Cake keeps at room temperature as long as you can hide it. I like to keep mine in the tin with a piece of foil or plastic just over the cut end and the top exposed to best keep the lid crisp as long as possible.

***You can also make this as muffins. It should make about 18 standard ones and you can distribute the cinnamon sugar (perhaps make 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar and 1/2 teaspoons of cinnamon worth) across the tops before you bake them. They should bake for 25 to 30 minutes.