Obsessed Cakes
Pumpkin Spice Old-Fashioned Donut Loaf
A warmly spiced pumpkin donut loaf layered with buttery streusel, coarse sparkling sugar, and a thick vanilla crackle glaze.
- Prep
- 30 min
- Bake
- 55-90 min
- Total
- About 2 hr, including resting and glaze setting
- Yield
- One 9x5-inch loaf
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Ingredients
Classic Streusel
- 115 g (about 3/4 cup + 3 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon) all-purpose flour
- 80 g (about 6 tablespoons + 1 1/2 teaspoons) granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 85 g (about 6 tablespoons) cold butter, cubed
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
Pumpkin Spice Donut Loaf
- 260 g (about 2 cups + 3 tablespoons) all-purpose flour
- 15 g (about 2 tablespoons + 1/2 teaspoon) cornstarch
- 1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 130 g (about 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons) dark brown sugar, packed
- 90 g (about 1/3 cup + 2 tablespoons) granulated sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
- 120 g (about 1/2 cup + 2 teaspoons) neutral oil
- 180 g (about 3/4 cup + 2 teaspoons) pumpkin puree
- 120 g (about 1/2 cup + 1 teaspoon) plain Greek yogurt, room temperature
- 105 g (about 7 tablespoons) milk, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste
- 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin spice emulsion
Before Baking
- Clear coarse sanding sugar, for sprinkling
Vanilla Crackle Glaze
- 275 g (about 2 1/4 cups) powdered sugar
- 20-30 g (about 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon to 2 tablespoons) milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- Pinch fine sea salt
Pan used
I personally prefer a light-colored aluminum pan for these loaves. Here is the one I use. Not sponsored. I don't earn a commission from this link.
Glass holds heat longer, so the edges can overbake before the center is done. If you use glass, loosely tent the loaf with foil early, as soon as the top starts to brown. The foil helps protect the top, but it does not stop the sides or bottom from baking too quickly.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and fully line a 9x5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper.
- For the streusel, whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, and salt. Add the cold cubed butter and vanilla bean paste. Work together with your fingertips until a mixture of fine crumbs and large buttery clusters forms. Refrigerate while preparing the batter.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the dark brown sugar, granulated sugar, oil, pumpkin puree, Greek yogurt, milk, vanilla bean paste, and pumpkin spice emulsion until completely smooth and emulsified.
- Add the all-purpose flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger.
- Whisk just until combined. Do not overmix. The batter should be thick and scoopable rather than loose or pourable.
- Spread just under half of the batter into the prepared loaf pan.
- Sprinkle half of the chilled classic streusel evenly over the batter.
- Carefully spread the remaining batter over the streusel until completely covered.
- Sprinkle the remaining streusel evenly over the top, leaving plenty of large buttery clusters.
- Sprinkle generously with clear coarse sanding sugar before baking. I use a lot.
- Bake for 55-70 minutes. Check the streusel around 45 minutes and tent loosely with foil if necessary. Depending on your oven, the total baking time may extend to 90 minutes. Use the listed doneness cues rather than the clock alone.
- 12
Before you take the loaf out
Baking time is a guide, not a deadline.
Check the center: Insert a skewer or toothpick into the cake in the center, avoiding the streusel layer.
Ready to come out: The tester comes out clean or with moist crumbs. No wet batter.
Keep baking: Thick, paste-like batter: bake 3-5 minutes more. Wet batter: bake 7-10 minutes more. Then test the center again.
The 205-210°F (96-99°C) range is an extra check. Batter on the tester still means keep baking, even at that temperature.
An underbaked center can collapse as the loaf cools.
- Cool in the pan for 20 minutes, then carefully lift the loaf onto a wire rack. Let it cool until warm but no longer hot.
- Whisk together the powdered sugar, vanilla bean paste, salt, and 20 g milk until completely smooth. Add additional milk 1 teaspoon at a time until the glaze is thick but pourable and ribbons off the whisk.
- Spoon or pour the glaze generously over the warm loaf once it no longer feels hot, coating the sides completely.
- Allow the glaze to set completely before slicing.