Shaker Gourmet: Pumpkin Pie Cake

You know what I love? Pumpkin--in baked goods: pumpkin spice bread, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin cheesecake, pumpkin chocolate-chip cookies... My experiment taste-testers gave me some excellent feedback when I came up with this a few weeks ago and this is the final tweaked recipe. It tastes like hand-held slices of pumpkin pie (without the mess of holding pie!).

Pumpkin Pie Cake

2.5 cups all-purpose, unbleached flour
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1.5 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 + 1/8 tsp ground cloves
3/4 cup buttermilk
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, slightly firm
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup lightly packed brown sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
3 large eggs
Just under 1 3/4 cups pumpkin (about 90% of a 15 oz can of Libby's pumpkin [NOT pumpkin pie filling!])


1. Heat oven to 325. Generously butter and then flour a Bundt pan. Tip the pan upside down over the sink and tap the bottom and all the excess flour will come right out. Set aside.

2. In med bowl, whisk together flour, allspice, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg and cloves. Set aside.

3. In small bowl, mix together the buttermilk and baking soda. Set aside.

4. Cut the butter up into 1 inch or so pieces and put in the bowl of a stand mixer w/paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed for about 2 minutes, until smooth. Add granulated sugar, 1 - 2 tablespoons at a time (taking about 3 minutes). Then add the brown sugar, a tablespoon at a time. Scrape down the side of the bowl.

5. Add eggs, one at a time, beating for one minute after each addition. Then blend in the pumpkin and vanilla. (It'll look strange...almost curdled but it's fine!)

6. Reduce mixing speed to low and add the flour mix alternating with the buttermilk mix. Mix until just blended after each addition.

7. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and smooth top before putting in oven. Bake for 1 hour, 15 - 20 minutes. When done baking, move to cooling rack--in the pan!--for 20 minutes.

8. While cake is standing, make the glaze (recipe below!). When ready to glaze, invert the cake onto a cooling rack and gently lift off the bundt pan. Stick a paper towel or foil under the cake & rack.

9. Glaze the warm cake by drizzling it back and forth over the cake with a fork. Once glaze is hard, remove the cake to a plate.


GLAZE

3/4 cup powdered sugar
2 tsp very hot water
1.5 tsp light corn syrup
1/8 tsp pure vanilla extract
couple drops lemon juice
tiny pinch salt

Mix it all together in a bowl. Work quickly with it, as it hardens quickly.

Although I did it with my stand mixer (and thus it's written with one in mind), it shouldn't be difficult to make it with a hand mixer.