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Welcome to my Blog 'In The Kitchen With Don'! Thank you for your visit and come back soon!


Friday, October 5, 2012

Pumpkin Cake

I will start out by saying that by and large, I'm not that great a fan of pumpkin.  I much prefer sweet potatoes instead.   Be that as it may, this is a very good cake, moist and spicy, and perfectly set off by the cream cheese frosting.   It is the perfect taste of fall.  Oh, and if you are like me and don't care for the taste of pumpkin, feel free to substitute 2 cups of cooked and mashed sweet potato in place of the pumpkin.   And as always, ENJOY!

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, then butter and flour a 9x13 inch cake pan (or spray with baking spray).

In a large bowl mix together the following dry ingredients:

2 cups flour
2 1/2 tsp. of baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
1/8 tsp. dry ginger
1/8 tsp. ground coriander
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. allspice
(in place of the individual spices, you could use 2 1/2 tsp. more or less of pumpkin pie spices.  also, if there is a particular spice on the list you don't like, just leave it out)

In a large mixing bowl beat until smooth the following ingredients:

4 eggs
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 15-oz can of pumpkin puree (or two cups cooked, mashed sweet potatoes)
1 cup vegetable oil

When the mixture is smooth, continue beating on low speed and by 1/4 cup amounts add the dry ingredients, beating until smooth and well blended.   Spread batter into the cake pan and bake for around 30 minutes or until a toothpick stuck in the center comes out clean or until the cake starts pulling away from the sides of the pan and springs back when touched gently.   Allow to cool completely before frosting.

This cake is perfectly complemented by a rich cream cheese frosting.  You could also use a browned butter or spice frosting as well.

Cream Cheese frosting:

1 8-oz pkg. cream cheese or light cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup softened butter
1 tsp. vanilla
about 4 cups powdered sugar (or enough to give you the thickness you like)

Beat all together until smooth and fluffy, then spread on the cooled cake.  Refrigerate the leftovers.