Almond Pumpkin Cake

My family and I love almond flavored desserts. For years I have been baking this super moist pumpkin cake in the Fall but with the usual Fall spices. This year, after watching how fast a batch of my chewy Italian almond cookies disappeared, I decided to add some of that delicious almond flavor to my pumpkin cake.

It was the best decision I have made in a while in terms of baking. The cinnamon and vanilla are still used but that almond extract really takes ordinary pumpkin cake and makes it taste so elegant and special.

It is super easy to and it goes so well as a dessert (maybe with some Italian hot chocolate) or as an Italian breakfast cake.

What You Need To Make This Cake

• Pumpkin puree: Not pumpkin pie filling which has pumpkin pie spice in it. We use plain canned pumpkin for this recipe.
• Whole milk
• Granulated sugar
• All-purpose flour
• Ground cinnamon
• Unsalted butter
• Baking powder
• Kosher salt: If you only have regular table salt, use ½ the amount the recipe calls for.
• Vanilla extract
• Almond extract: Try to make sure the extract is fresh and not old. The fresher extract will have the most pronounced almond flavor.
• Large eggs

How To Make Almond Flavored Pumpkin Cake

• Prepare the cake pan: The first thing I do is butter the entire inside of the pan (sides and bottom). This is the glue that will hold your parchment paper. Now line with parchment paper.
• Mix dry ingredients: In a large bowl add your dry ingredients and mix.
• Mix wet ingredients: Grab a separate bowl and add your wet ingredients (except the milk).
• Combine: Now combine the wet and dry ingredients with a mixer. When that is done, add the warm milk and whisk in your warm milk and mix until combined.
• Bake: Pour batter into a prepared baking pan and bake.
• Cool: You want to make sure to completely cool the cake before slicing into it so it retains its mositure.

Recipe Tips

• Use the freshest almond extract: Almond extract that has been sitting in your pantry for a long time will not have a strong almond flavor. If this is all you have, I recommend doubling the amount in the recipe.
• Add more almond flavor: The almond flavor in this cake is perfectly balanced for me. You can taste the almond flavor but it is not over powering either. If you are an even bigger fan of almond flavor, add a little more to the recipe.
• Start checking the doneness early: All oven temps vary so please check that cake at the early part of the baking time I mention below. You do not want to over bake the cake and dry it out.

Storing

Refrigerating: I leave this out on the counter on the day I baked it and a couple days after if it lasts that long. One suggestion is to not place it under a cake dome since the cake is so moist.

I like to place the cake on a plate and cover the top with plastic wrap but make sure the wrap is open on the sides to allow a little ventilation.

Freezing: This almond pumpkin cake is wonderful for the freezer. To do this, allow it to cool then wrap it in parchment paper then in plastic wrap to cover all of the sides. Place the wrapped cake in a freezer-proof plastic freezer bag and freeze for up to 2 months.