Maple Glazed Pumpkin Ring

This pumpkin cake gets a double dose of maple syrup: once in the batter and again in the glaze. Combined with brown sugar, cinnamon, and allspice, the flavor is pure autumn without being heavy.

The batter is built on creamed butter and brown sugar with canned pumpkin stirred in. Folding the dry ingredients by hand with a spatula instead of beating them in keeps the crumb tender. Overmixing activates the gluten and turns your soft, moist cake into something chewy.

The glaze is worth every second. Confectioners’ sugar, sour cream, maple syrup, and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. The sour cream and lemon prevent it from being cloyingly sweet, and spooning it over the warm cake lets it drip down the sides in thick, glossy ribbons.

Kitchen Tips

• Grease the ring mold thoroughly. Get into every crevice. Pumpkin cakes stick more than most because of the moisture in the batter.
• Cool only 5 minutes in the pan. Too long and the cake sweats and sticks. Too short and it crumbles when flipped.
• Glaze while still warm. The heat from the cake thins the glaze slightly so it flows and sets into a smooth coating as it cools.
• Use canned pure pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling. Pie filling has added sugar and spices that throw off the balance.

Variations

• Cream cheese glaze: Swap the sour cream for softened cream cheese beaten into the powdered sugar for a tangier, thicker topping.
• Pecan crunch: Press chopped toasted pecans into the wet glaze before it sets for a nutty, crunchy contrast.
• Gingerbread pumpkin: Add ground ginger and a pinch of cloves to the batter for a spicier, more warming cake.