The Ultimate Pumpkin Spice Tea Cake *made with Meringue Topping!
Chewy. Crisp. Pumpkin spiced! This soft, moist and perfectly pumpkin spiced tea cake is paired with a beautiful crispy meringue topping!
An elevation of your traditional pumpkin loaf, this Pumpkin Spice Tea Cake with meringue topping is the ultimate fall indulgence to share with friends and family! Inspired by my favourite Sweet Potato Tea Cake with Meringue recipe from, Tartine: A Classic Revisited, this recipe brings another pumpkin pie inspired dessert to your Thanksgiving table!
You know fall is in the air when pumpkin spice lattes appear on the menu of your favourite cafe! For anyone interested in creating an extra special, simple, and beautiful Autumn treat to share with your loved ones – this recipe is for you!
To make this Pumpkin Spice Tea Cake, you will need:
- Pumpkin Puree (pure, unsweetened)
- Eggs (3 eggs – divided into yolks and whites + 1 full egg)
- Sugar
- Flour
- Oil
- Pumpkin Spice (cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, all-spice, cloves)
- Cake essentials: salt, baking soda, baking powder, vanilla extract
Let’s make some Pumpkin Spice Tea Cake with Meringue Topping!
Pumpkin Spice Tea Cake
Start by preheating your oven to 325F (300F if using a convection oven). Lightly oil (with vegetable oil) all the surfaces of your 9″x 5″ loaf pan.
In a small bowl, mix together flour, pumpkin pie spices (cinnamon, ginger, all-spice, nutmeg, cloves), salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Whisk to combine and aerate flour mixture. Set aside.
In a large bowl, using a whisk, combine pumpkin puree, sugar, and oil. Beat until well combined ~1 min.
Add eggs (egg yolks + 1 full egg) and vanilla. Whisk until combined. Scrape down bowl.
**NOTE: The remaining egg whites will be used for the meringue! There are no forgotten egg whites in the Mindful Meringue kitchen :)**
Add flour mixture to the wet (pumpkin) mixture. Mix until just combined. Scrape down sides of bowl. (Note: mixture will be a “thick puree” consistency).
Pour pumpkin batter into prepared loaf pan. Start on meringue topping (below).
Meringue Topping
In the bowl of an electric mixer, create a double boiler (aka a bowl over a pot with ~ 2″ simmering water inside – creating steam to heat overlying bowl), and combine egg white and sugar. Whisk until candy thermometer reads 120F (50C). This step should take ~5 min. Remove from heat and return to stand mixer.
Whisk on high speed until the mixture forms stiff peaks (a thick paste that holds its shape without falling). This step often takes 5-10 minutes to achieve. Add vanilla extract and whisk together one final time.
Spoon meringue over pumpkin batter in loaf pan. Using a knife/spatula, swirl knife through meringue mixture to achieve a marbled pattern.
Bake at 325F (160C) for ~90 minutes, or until a toothpick/skewer inserted into centre of the loaf comes out clean. Let Pumpkin Spice Tea Cake cool in loaf pan for ~ 20 minutes, then loosen the edges (either with knife or your hands if using a silicone loaf pan) and invert to remove from pan. Allow to cool completely, on baking rack.
Cut and enjoy!
If you liked this recipe you may also like: Pumpkin Cake, Pumpkin Cookies, or Pumpkin Brownies
Pumpkin Spice Tea Cake *with Meringue Topping!
Ingredients
Pumpkin Spice Tea Cake
- 1 3/4 cups (210g) All-purpose Flour
- 1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
- 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
- 2 tbsp Cinnamon ground
- 2 tsp Ginger ground
- 2 tsp Nutmeg ground
- 1/2 tsp All-spice ground
- 1/4 tsp Cloves ground
- 1 cup (225g) Pumpkin Puree
- 1 1/3 cup (267) Granulated Sugar
- 3/4 cups (177ml) Vegetable Oil
- 3 Egg yolks + 1 egg large (note: you can save the 3 egg whites for your meringue!)
- 1 tsp Salt fine, Kosher or fine sea salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Meringue Topping
- 3 Egg whites large (note: leftover from pumpkin spice tea cake batter – above)
- 2/3 cup (134g) Granulated Sugar
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
Instructions
Pumpkin Spice Tea Cake
- Preheat oven to 325F (300F if using a convection oven). Lightly oil all surfaces of a 9"x 5" loaf pan.
- In a medium-sized bowl, mix together flour, pumpkin pie spices (cinnamon, ginger, all-spice, nutmeg, cloves), salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Whisk to combine and aerate flour mixture. Set aside.
- In a large bowl using a whisk, combine pumpkin puree, sugar, and oil. Beat until well combined ~1 min. Add eggs (yolks + full egg) and vanilla. Whisk until combined. Scrape down bowl.
- Add flour mixture to the wet (pumpkin) mixture. Mix until just combined. Scrape down sides of bowl. (Note: mixture will be a "thick puree" consistency).
- Pour pumpkin batter into prepared loaf pan. Start on meringue topping (below).
Meringue Topping
- In the bowl of an electric mixer create a Double Boiler (aka a bowl over a pot with ~ 2"simmering water inside – creating steam to heat overlying bowl), combine egg white and sugar.
- Whisk until candy thermometer reads 120F (50C). This step should take ~5 min. Remove from heat and return to stand mixer.
- Whisk on high speed until the mixture forms stiff peaks (a thick paste that holds its shape without falling). This step often takes 5-10min to achieve. Add vanilla extract and whisk together one final time.
- Spoon meringue over pumpkin batter in loaf pan. Using a knife/spatula, swirl knife through meringue mixture to achieve a marbled pattern.
- Bake at 325F (160C) for ~90 minutes, or until a toothpick/skewer inserted into centre of the loaf comes out clean. Let Pumpkin Spiced Tea Cake cool in loaf pan for ~ 20 minutes, then loosen the edges (either with knife or your hands if using a silicone loaf pan) and invert to remove from pan. Allow to cool completely, on baking rack.
Video
Notes
- Canola oil can be substituted with any other, light vegetable oil
- Looking to use an unprocessed sugar? Coconut and Maple sugar are great substitutions and work well in this recipe
- This pumpkin spice tea loaf will remain fresh at room temperature, in an air tight container, for up to 4 days, refrigerated for 1 week, or frozen for 1 month.
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