The fluffy pumpkin cake is an autumn dessert that will conquer you for its ease and goodness. To prepare this pumpkin dessert, in fact, you will not need to boil or steam the pumpkin before using it. You just need to cut it into pieces and blend it raw, saving you a lot of time.
To prepare it, any mixer or blender will do. For those who have the Thermomix, you will find the method to prepare the Thermomix pumpkin cake with step-by-step photos at the end of the recipe.
Moreover, this cake with raw pumpkin is also very quick to prepare. Once you have blended the pumpkin, you just need to add all the other ingredients, and it will be ready to bake. This is one of those recipes that you should always keep handy because you won’t find another quick pumpkin cake that is this soft and delicious so easily!
Usually, pumpkin is paired with chocolate. I love the combination of pumpkin and chocolate! I have made, in fact, the soft pumpkin and chocolate cookies, the pumpkin and chocolate chunk plumcake, and the pumpkin and chocolate muffins. Another pairing with pumpkin is with dried or fresh fruit, as in the pumpkin and almond bundt cake or the apple and pumpkin cake. This time, however, I wanted to make a simple pumpkin cake that enhanced the flavor and sweetness of the pumpkin. Additionally, I was looking for a quick recipe to prepare using few ingredients and steps.
The result truly amazed me: once out of the oven, I obtained a soft pumpkin cake, fluffy, with a moist texture, and a crumb that is not too dense. It’s really good as it is, but if you want to make it even better and more delicious, you can also fill it with custard with two eggs, chocolate custard, or no-cook yogurt cream.
Moreover, this is a lactose-free pumpkin cake: I made it, in fact, without using any dairy products, making it suitable not only for those who are lactose intolerant but also for those who are allergic to milk.
Well, now let’s prepare this fluffy pumpkin cake ready to bake in 5 minutes.
Here are some links to other pumpkin recipes that might interest you since pumpkins are in season at the moment!
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Very Affordable
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 10 People
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Fall, Winter, Fall
- Energy 366.31 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 65.74 (g) of which sugars 34.58 (g)
- Proteins 5.74 (g)
- Fat 10.95 (g) of which saturated 1.73 (g)of which unsaturated 8.63 (g)
- Fibers 0.74 (g)
- Sodium 28.75 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 5 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients to Prepare the Fluffy Pumpkin Cake
- 9.17 oz pumpkin (raw, cleaned)
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup potato starch
- 1.17 cups sugar
- 4 eggs
- 6 tbsps sunflower oil
- 6 tbsps fruit juice (Orange or Ace flavor)
- to taste lemon zest (grated)
- 1 packet vanillin
- 1 packet baking powder
- to taste powdered sugar
Necessary Tools for the Fluffy Pumpkin Cake
- Mixer
- Knife
- Cake Pan 10 inch
Steps to Prepare the Fluffy Pumpkin Cake
Let’s see together how to prepare this easy and super delicious soft and fragrant raw pumpkin cake.
First of all, clean the pumpkin and cut it into small pieces. Put it in a mixer or food processor and blend it until you get a puree.
Add the grated lemon zest, eggs, oil, and juice. Blend again for a few seconds to mix the ingredients.
Also add the dry ingredients: flour, potato starch, vanillin, and baking powder. For an even softer result, you can also sift them before using.
Blend again until you get a smooth, homogeneous, and slightly liquid mixture. If you scroll through the recipe, in the Thermomix procedure you will find a small video of what the consistency of the batter should be.
Butter and flour a 10-inch diameter cake pan and pour the batter into it.
Bake in a preheated oven at 340°F for about 45 minutes, switching to a fan mode in the last 15-20 minutes of baking. This step in the baking process is very important because, being the batter quite liquid, it needs to “dry” before the cake is taken out of the oven.
In any case, do the toothpick test after the first 40 minutes of baking and if the batter is still wet, cover the surface of the cake with a sheet of aluminum foil and continue baking for a few more minutes.
Once ready, turn off the oven and let the cake cool in the oven with the door slightly open.
When it has completely cooled, remove it from the pan, place it on a serving plate, and sprinkle it with powdered sugar.
Your soft pumpkin cake is ready to be enjoyed in all its goodness!
Now let’s see how to prepare the Thermomix pumpkin cake.
In the bowl, put the lemon zest and sugar. Blend 10 sec. at speed 10.
Add the pumpkin cut into pieces.
Blend 1 min at speed 8.
Add the eggs, oil, and fruit juice. Blend 10 sec. at speed 5 to mix the ingredients.
Also add the dry ingredients: vanillin, flour, potato starch, and baking powder. Blend 1 min at speed 5.
The consistency should be like this. As you can see, the batter is not very dense.
Put the batter into a buttered and floured cake pan.
Bake in a preheated oven at 340°F for about 45 minutes. For the first 25-30 minutes, keep the oven in static mode, and for the remaining 15-20 minutes, let the cake bake in fan mode.
Before turning off the oven, do the toothpick test, and if the batter is still wet, cover the surface of the Thermomix pumpkin cake with a sheet of aluminum foil and continue baking for a few more minutes.
Once ready, let the cake cool in the oven with the door slightly open.
When it’s cold, put it on a serving plate and sprinkle it with powdered sugar.
Your soft and fragrant pumpkin cake is ready to be enjoyed at breakfast, as a snack, or at any other moment when you crave something sweet. Look at that fluffiness!
Storage and Variations
– The fluffy pumpkin cake keeps for 2-3 days covered with aluminum foil or in a well-sealed container.
– If you want, you can portion it, store it in freezer bags, and freeze it. When you need it, just take it out of the freezer a few hours before or you can defrost it in the microwave using the defrost function.
– You can also prepare a cocoa variant, replacing 1.41 oz of flour with 1.41 oz of unsweetened cocoa powder.
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
What type of pumpkin can be used to make the pumpkin dessert?
Any variety of pumpkin is fine, although ideally, it should be a pumpkin with firm flesh and low water content, such as the Delica or Butternut squash.
Can I add chocolate chips or fresh or dried fruit to this cake?
No, the batter of this cake, being not very dense, is not suitable for adding dried fruit or chocolate chips (they would end up at the bottom) or fresh fruit: the latter, in particular, would add additional moisture and liquids to the cake, and it might not bake properly.
Can I substitute the fruit juice?
Sure, you can also use freshly squeezed orange or mandarin juice or, if you want to use milk (dairy or plant-based), you can use it in the same amount as the juice.
Can you use either raw or cooked pumpkin in pumpkin desserts?
No. Each dessert has its own balance of solid and liquid ingredients. Generally, pumpkin is used cooked in the oven or steamed in desserts, as this type of cooking ensures a soft but dry pumpkin. This cake is an exception, but its ingredients are already balanced to use raw pumpkin. My advice, therefore, is always to follow the cooking methods suggested by the recipes and not to change them by making modifications.
Can I replace potato starch?
Potato starch ensures the softness of the pumpkin cake. If you don’t have it, you can replace it with cornstarch or with the same amount of all-purpose flour.
