Pumpkin Spice and Maple Loaf with Walnut Crumble
A soft pumpkin loaf made with maple syrup and warm spices, finished with a crisp walnut crumble. Straightforward to bake and keeps well for several days.
Ingredients
Loaf
- 250 g plain flour
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp fine salt
- 200 g pumpkin purée see note in Method for using fresh pumpkin
- 120 g maple syrup
- 100 g light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs or 2 flax eggs for vegan: 2 tbsp ground flax + 6 tbsp water
- 80 ml neutral oil sunflower or rapeseed
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp 1–2 milk or plant milk only if needed to loosen batter
Walnut crumble
- 30 g plain flour
- 25 g brown sugar
- 25 g cold butter or vegan butter
- 50 g walnuts chopped
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
Optional finish
- 1 tbsp 1–2 maple syrup or pumpkin spice syrup, for brushing
Instructions
- If starting with fresh pumpkin (to make 200 g purée): Heat oven to 190°C (170°C fan). Peel, deseed, and chop about 400 g pumpkin; roast on a lined tray for 25–30 minutes until tender. Cool slightly, then mash or blend until smooth; measure 200 g for the recipe.
- Keep the oven at 190°C (170°C fan). Line a 22 × 12 cm loaf tin with baking paper.
- Rub the butter into 30 g of the flour until crumbly. Stir in 25 g of the sugar along with the walnuts and half a teaspoon of cinnamon, then chill until needed.
- In a large bowl, whisk the remaining flour, baking powder, bicarb, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt.
- In another bowl, whisk the pumpkin purée, maple syrup, brown sugar, eggs, oil, and vanilla until smooth.
- Fold the wet mixture into the dry ingredients until no dry patches remain. The batter should be thick but scoopable; add 1–2 tbsp milk only if very stiff.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared tin and level the top. Scatter the walnut crumble evenly over the surface.
- Bake for 55–65 minutes, until deep golden and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
- Brush the top lightly with maple syrup or pumpkin spice syrup (optional). Cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then lift out to a rack to cool completely.
Notes
Vegan version
To make the loaf vegan, replace each egg with a flax egg: mix 1 tbsp ground flaxseed with 3 tbsp water, stir well, and let it sit for 5–10 minutes until thickened. Use plant milk and vegan butter for the crumble. The texture stays moist and the flavour unchanged.
Spice variations
Try adding a pinch of clove or allspice for a stronger pumpkin spice flavour, or swap the nutmeg for cardamom for a lighter, aromatic twist.
Storage and freezing
Keeps for about 4 days at room temperature or a week in the fridge. Freeze slices individually and thaw at room temperature or rewarm gently in the oven for a just-baked texture.