Pumpkin Olive Oil Cake Loaf
Pumpkin olive oil cake has a delicious pumpkin flavor, tender crumb, is naturally sweetened, and has only a few simple ingredients. This easy recipe is dairy free and can easily be made gluten free.
Looking for more fall desserts? Try my cinnamon roll scones, cranberry apple oat crumble, or poached pears with hibiscus and rosemary.
What You’ll Love About This Recipe
Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this pumpkin cake with olive oil:
- All purpose flour
- Baking soda
- Pumpkin pie spice – a blend of warm spices including ground cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves.
- Pinch of kosher salt
- Pumpkin puree
- Maple syrup
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Large eggs
- Vanilla extract
- Vanilla cinnamon yogurt (optional) – for the glaze on top. I used Cocojune’s vanilla cinnamon organic greek-style cultured coconut.
How to Make Pumpkin Olive Oil Cake: Step By Step
Here are some quick visual instructions. The full instructions and ingredient list will be in the printable recipe card below!
- Prep pan. Preheat your oven to 325°F/165°C and grease a 8×4-inch loaf pan. Alternatively, you can line it with a strip of parchment paper for easy removal.
- Mix dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, and a pinch of salt.
- Mix wet ingredients. In a separate bowl, combine the pumpkin puree, maple syrup, olive oil, eggs, and vanilla.
- Combine. Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients then fold them together using a silicone spatula until just combined. Make sure not to over mix the batter!
- Bake. Pour the pumpkin batter into your prepared pan and bake for 55-60 minutes in the center of your oven. It’s ready when a toothpick or the tip of a knife inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean and the top of the loaf is golden brown.
- Cool. Allow the loaf to cool in the pan for about 10-15 minutes before transferring it to a wire rack. Let cool to room temperature.
- Add topping. Use an offset spatula to spread the yogurt on top of the cooled cake. Store in the fridge until ready to enjoy!
Helpful Tips
- Choose a thick, greek-style yogurt so that it has structure to stay on top of the cake.
Quick Tip: If you’d prefer something sweeter, you can top the loaf cake with an orange pourable glaze: ½ cup powdered sugar, 2 teaspoons orange zest and 1 tablespoon orange juice. Or a cinnamon cream cheese frosting. It’s very customizable!
Storage
You can either store the loaf in the pan with plastic wrap on top or transfer it to an airtight container. Store in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Make It Your Way: Substitutions & Variations
Please remember that recipes are just a starting point.
How can you make this pumpkin olive oil cake recipe using what you already have? Here are some ideas…
- No olive oil? – you can also use avocado oil or refined coconut oil.
- Make gluten free olive oil cake – I’ve had great success using Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten Free Flour. Make sure whatever blend you use has xanthan gum for the best results.
- Add-ins – unsalted walnuts or orange simple syrup in place of half of the maple syrup.
Frequently Asked Questions
No, this pumpkin olive oil cake is delicious on its own without the topping.
This happens when an oven runs too hot. Remove your loaf from the oven and carefully cover the top with aluminum foil (use oven mitts so you don’t burn yourself) and put the loaf back in the oven for a little longer. Check it again in 3-5 minutes. The addition of foil will help your crust from browning too quickly.
More Fall Recipes
- Apple Mug Cake
- Dairy Free Miso Caramel
- Cranberry Apple Oat Crumble
- Poached Pears With Hibiscus & Rosemary
I hope you love this Pumpkin Olive Oil Cake! If you make this recipe, please leave a comment & a star rating below. Thank you!
Pumpkin Olive Oil Cake Loaf
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups all purpose flour or gluten free flour, see notes below
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice blend
- pinch of kosher salt
- 1 cup pumpkin puree not pumpkin pie filling
- ½ cup maple syrup
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Topping (Optional)
- ⅓ cup thick, greek style vanilla cinnamon yogurt I used the Cocojune brand to keep it dairy free
Instructions
- Prep pan. Preheat your oven to 325°F/165°C and grease a 8×4-inch loaf pan. Alternatively, you can line it with a strip of parchment paper for easy removal.
- Mix dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, and a pinch of salt.
- Mix wet ingredients. In a separate bowl, combine the pumpkin puree, maple syrup, olive oil, eggs, and vanilla.
- Combine. Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients then fold them together using a silicone spatula until just combined. Make sure not to over mix the batter!
- Bake. Pour the pumpkin batter into your prepared pan and bake for 55-60 minutes in the center of your oven. It's ready when a toothpick or the tip of a knife inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean and the top of the loaf is golden brown.
- Cool. Allow the loaf to cool in the pan for about 10-15 minutes before transferring it to a wire rack. Let cool to room temperature.
- Add topping. Use an offset spatula to spread the yogurt on top of the cake (if using). Alternatively you can use a citrus glaze, see recipe notes below. Store in the fridge until ready to enjoy!