This pumpkin bread has a great texture: moist on the inside with a great crust. It slices well and isn't overly delicate. This recipe works with canola oil or melted butter. You can also add dried cranberries (tossed in a spoonful of flour to coat them) for a fantastic pumpkin bread with cranberries.
Preheat the oven to 350ºF (175 °C). Butter and flour a 1-pound loaf pan, either a 9x5-inch (23x12.5 cm) loaf pan (like this Nordic Ware pan on Amazon) or for a taller loaf, use an 8.5x4.5-inch (21.5x11.5 cm) loaf pan (like this Oxo pan on Amazon). Line the bottom with a rectangle of parchment. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin purée, brown sugar, granulated sugar, canola oil, eggs, and vanilla.
Pour the dry mixture over the wet ingredients. Fold the ingredients with about 16-20 stirs just to combine them.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth it out. Bang the pan on the counter to help remove any air pockets.
Bake the pumpkin cake until a cake tester inserted into the centre comes out clean. This takes about 1 hour 15 minutes. Keep checking it every so often.
Place the pan of baked pumpkin bread on a cooling rack and let it cool for 15 minutes before unmolding it on the rack to cool completely.
Notes
Most canned pumpkin purées are pretty dry, but some are watery. To be sure you aren't adding excess liquid to this pumpkin cake recipe, strain the pumpkin before measuring it. To do so:
Set a strainer over a deep bowl and line it with a couple layers of cheesecloth.
Place the pumpkin in the lined strainer and let drain for at least 30 minutes.
Occasionally, give the pumpkin a stir, a press, or a squeeze to help remove any excess liquid.
Once the pumpkin is thicker and less watery, you are ready to measure out the cup for this recipe.
If you are using defrosted pumpkin purée, you may notice the water will separate upon defrosting. Again, this is a good reason to strain it before using.
The baking times suggested are for a cake baked in the OXO loaf pan from Amazon with similar results, yielding a taller loaf cake.