{"id":208,"date":"2023-10-23T00:27:49","date_gmt":"2023-10-23T00:27:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/squarespace.joannawhiteart.com\/wp\/2023\/10\/23\/costco-kirkland-bakery-pumpkin-spice-loaf-review\/"},"modified":"2025-03-29T12:29:38","modified_gmt":"2025-03-29T16:29:38","slug":"costco-kirkland-bakery-pumpkin-spice-loaf-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/snarklesauce.com\/blog\/2023\/10\/23\/costco-kirkland-bakery-pumpkin-spice-loaf-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Costco Pumpkin Spice Loaf Review"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"A<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Author\u2019s note: I was not paid or compensated to review this pie, and I have no affiliation with <\/em>Costco<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not a wussy spice cake.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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\u2019t simply a \u201cpumpkin spice\u201d cake. It\u2019s definitely a \u201cpumpkin cake\u201d that also includes<\/em> spices. There\u2019s a surprisingly \u201ctang\u201d to the cake itself, which I can\u2019t 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<\/em>, you will probably love this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

This isn\u2019t wussy spice cake. The spices are surprisingly \u201czesty.\u201d According to the label, the strong \u201cpumpkin spice<\/a>\u201d taste is a mixture of cloves, ginger and cinnamon. I was pleased that cloves are featured so<\/em> prominently \u2014 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 \u2014 almost offensively so. If you\u2019ve 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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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 \u2014 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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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.<\/a> Although my first impression was \u201ctoo sweet,\u201d it grew on me. It has an excellent flavor for a supermarket frosting. The creaminess complements the brash zest of the spice cake beautifully.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"White<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The white chocolate garnish on top was unexpected. I don\u2019t generally think of spice cake and cream cheese icing as pairing with white chocolate<\/a>. Happily, I love<\/em> white chocolate, so it was a welcome addition. But at least one of my friends described the white chocolate as a turn-off. There\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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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\u2019ve had good luck carefully removing the whole loaf from the pan before serving \u2014 the loaves look much better without the pan. With this one, I decided not to risk it \u2014 the mound of icing and chocolate curls was too precarious to attempt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Ingredients in Costco Pumpkin Spice Loaf<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I hate that soybean oil is the primary fat in this cake. I\u2019m also disappointed by the artificial flavors. I am glad to see brown sugar, butter, cream cheese, and pumpkin on the list.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are the full ingredients:<\/p>\n\n\n\n