Ingredients:

  • 1 cup (2 sticks) Unsalted Butter, softened (room temperature)
  • 1 ½ cups Granulated Sugar
  • ½ cup Light Brown Sugar, packed
  • 4 large Eggs, room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
  • 1 cup Canned Pumpkin Puree (not pie filling)
  • ½ cup Full-Fat Buttermilk, room temperature
  • 3 cups All-Purpose Flour (spooned and leveled)
  • 1 tablespoon Baking Powder
  • 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
  • 1 ½ teaspoons Ground Cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon Ground Ginger
  • ½ teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
  • ¼ teaspoon Ground Cloves or Allspice
  • ¾ teaspoon Fine Sea Salt (for cake)
  • 2 cups Confectioner's Sugar (Icing Sugar), sifted
  • 4 tablespoons Full-Fat Buttermilk (for glaze)
  • 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract (for glaze)
  • Pinch Fine Sea Salt (for glaze)

Instructions:

  1. Prepare the Oven and Pan: Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease your 10-cup Bundt or 9x5-inch loaf pan generously with butter and dust lightly with flour, shaking out the excess.
  2. Whisk Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves/allspice, and salt. Set aside.
  3. Cream Butter and Sugars: In the bowl of your stand mixer, cream the room-temperature butter with both granulated and brown sugars on medium speed for 5–7 minutes, until the mixture is very light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides often to build structure.
  4. Incorporate Eggs: Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition until just combined. Mix in the vanilla extract.
  5. Add Wet Ingredients: Mix in the pumpkin puree until just incorporated. The mixture may look slightly curdled at this point.
  6. Alternate Dry and Wet: Reduce the mixer speed to low. Add one-third of the flour mixture, mixing until just barely combined. Follow with half of the buttermilk, mixing gently. Repeat, alternating until all flour and buttermilk are incorporated, ending with the dry ingredients. Stop mixing immediately once no streaks of flour remain to prevent a tough cake.
  7. Fill and Bake: Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Tap the pan gently on the counter to release any trapped air bubbles.
  8. Bake: Bake for 65–75 minutes for a Bundt pan, or 70–80 minutes for a deep loaf pan.
  9. Check for Doneness: The cake is done when a long wooden skewer inserted into the thickest part comes out clean (or with just a few moist crumbs). If the top browns too quickly, loosely tent it with foil after about 45 minutes.
  10. Cool: Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10–15 minutes. Invert the cake onto the rack and lift the pan. Allow the cake to cool completely (at least 30 minutes) before glazing.
  11. Prepare the Glaze: Sift the confectioner's sugar into a bowl. Whisk in the buttermilk, vanilla, and salt until smooth. The glaze should be pourable but thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
  12. Glaze the Cake: Drizzle the glaze generously over the cooled cake, allowing it to drip down the sides. Allow the glaze to set slightly before slicing.