Costco Pumpkin Spice Loaf Review
Not a wussy spice cake.
I’m tempted to crack some jokes about pumpkin spice obsession, but it’s late, and I’m tired. So instead, I’ll point out that this isn’t simply a “pumpkin spice” cake. It’s definitely a “pumpkin cake” that also includes spices. There’s a surprisingly “tang” to the cake itself, which I can’t quite identify, but is enjoyable. I would describe the texture as tender and moist. The pumpkin puree in batter provides satisfying fudgy density. If you love pumpkin, you will probably love this.
This isn’t wussy spice cake. The spices are surprisingly “zesty.” According to the label, the strong “pumpkin spice” taste is a mixture of cloves, ginger and cinnamon. I was pleased that cloves are featured so prominently — if you love clove flavor, you will probably be delighted. It’s a powerful taste. A slight misfortune is that the spices are not completely mixed into batter, especially around center of cake. The spiciness gets stronger around the unmixed spices — almost offensively so. If you’ve ever gotten a mouthful of cloves, you have an inkling what I mean. Unfortunately, artificial flavors are also included, although it might be in the icing and not the cake batter.
The cake itself has a dark, gingery-bronze orange color. Some of that might be from the brown sugar in the batter, as well as the orange pumpkin puree. I like this cake best at room temperature — the crumb is softer, and I can taste the flavors better. I stored mine in the refrigerator to extend shelf life and to make it easier to slice and serve. The cake slices are more durable when cold; they tend to fall apart or crack otherwise.
I was surprised how thick the top layer of icing is. Mine was mounded on top of my cake loaf. A white snowy mountain of icing. A truly generous amount. Fortunately, the icing is buttery, slightly tangy cream cheese icing. Although my first impression was “too sweet,” it grew on me. It has an excellent flavor for a supermarket frosting. The creaminess complements the brash zest of the spice cake beautifully.
The white chocolate garnish on top was unexpected. I don’t generally think of spice cake and cream cheese icing as pairing with white chocolate. Happily, I love white chocolate, so it was a welcome addition. But at least one of my friends described the white chocolate as a turn-off. There’s a LOT of white chocolate here! The chocolate curls are delicate, but get slightly dry after refrigeration. Since they fall off and scatter, it makes serving the cake a bit messier.
Like the other Costco loaf cakes, this one comes in an aluminum pan inside a cardboard box. The cake is easy to slice inside the pan. With other Costco loaf cake varieties, I’ve had good luck carefully removing the whole loaf from the pan before serving — the loaves look much better without the pan. With this one, I decided not to risk it — the mound of icing and chocolate curls was too precarious to attempt.
Ingredients in Costco Kirkland Pumpkin Spice Loaf
I hate that soybean oil is the primary fat in this cake. I’m also disappointed by the artificial flavors. I am glad to see brown sugar, butter, cream cheese, and pumpkin on the list.
Here are the full ingredients:
- Bleached enriched flour (Wheat flour, Malted barley flour, Niacin, Iron, Thiamin Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic acid)
- Sugar
- Eggs
- Soybean oil and/or canola oil
- Pumpkin
- Brown sugar
- Cream cheese (Pasteurized milk and cream, Salt, Carob bean gum, Cheese culture)
- Butter (Cream and/or milk, salt)
- White chocolate curls (Sugar, Cocoa butter, Whole milk powder, Skim milk powder, Whey powder, Lactose, Soy lecithin, Vanilla)
- Water
- Contains 2% or less of: Pumpkin pie spice (Cinnamon, Ginger, Cloves), Modified corn starch, Palm oil, Whey, Emulsifiers ( Propylene glycol esters of fatty acids, Distilled monoglycerides, Mono & diglycerides, Sodium stearoyl lactylate, Soy lecithin, Citric acid), Wheat gluten, Salt, Leavening (Sodium bicarbonate, Sodium acid pyrophosphate, Monocalcium phosphate), Corn starch, Nonfat milk, Sodium caseinate, Natural & Artificial flavors, Xanthan gum, Locust bean gum, Guar gum, Egg whites, Soy flour
Servings and Size of Kirkland Pumpkin Spice Loaf
This dessert costs $9.99, which is rather spendy for a loaf cake — that’s more than other, similar Costco loaf cakes I’ve tried thus far. BUT, you do get more cake per weight (2 pounds, 5 ounces), and the thick icing and chocolate garnish makes this a teensie-weensie bit “fancier.” Maybe.
I would estimate there are 8-10 servings per loaf. That means each serving costs between $1.00-$1.25 per slice. Although the cake dries out where the slices are exposed, it stayed reasonably fresh in my refrigerator for approximately a week.
The Costco item # is 1474182. This is a “Kirkland Signature” (store brand) bakery item. At my store, this item is offered seasonally — I found it in stock around October.
Bonus Serving Suggestion
If you’re looking for a way to serve this at a brunch or party, the slices can be cut thickly and then divided into four long strips. This makes them easier to serve as finger food; they look better and don’t fall apart/crack like the whole slices.
More Reviews of Costco Desserts You Might Like (or Hate)
Check out these other reviews of Costco bakery desserts I’ve recently written:
- Costco Plain Cheesecake
- Costco Lemon Meringue Cheesecake
- Costco Strawberries & Cream Bar Cake
- Costco Peanut Butter Chocolate Pie
- Costco Pumpkin Pie
Author’s note: I was not paid or compensated to review this pie, and I have no affiliation with Costco.
