October 16th/19th: pumpkin cake

In our last trip to the farm, we picked up a blemish free, perfectly round pie pumpkin. Olivia requested pumpkin pie; I suggested pumpkin cake. She wasn't sure at first, but came around to the idea eventually. We ended up making pumpkin cake, roasted pumpkin seeds, pumpkin orzo, pumpkin gnocchi and still had pumpkin left over. That little pumpkin had some bang for its buck.


First up: cake from epicurious: Spiced Pumpkin Layer* Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting. (*Layer cake too much bother. I made two 8" square cakes and froze one.) I altered this recipe ever so slightly, reducing the sugar from 2 cups to 1 1/2 cups and replacing 1 cup oil with 1/2 cup oil and 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce. Everyone who had this cake raved about it. I thought it was good too. The icing doesn't have a tonne of sugar, and tastes more cream cheesy than sweet. It's good though.


But just so we're clear. Nothing is as good as Shannon G's carrot cake.


Day 1

First, one must start with a pumpkin.

Scrub pumpkin. Slice in half. Remove seeds; save if wanted. Discard pulp.

Bake. Water 1/2 " up the sides of pumpkin. Oven at 450°F. 45-60 minutes. 
(Please don't judge my oven. I'm a cook, not a cleaner.)

Cool. Scoop out flesh. Purée.

Strain. You are now ready to cook.

Day 2

Gather supplies.

Bake cakes (see link above for recipe, plus modifications).

Set child to work making icing.

Completed product: note flecks of orange (pumpkin) in icing.

Ratio of icing:cake not too shabby.

Eat for days on end. Reap the praise.