Pumpkin Spiced Cake

This is the time of the year where one will find a preponderance of pumpkin-based recipes online. I like searching online for well-reviewed tried and tested recipes, and do occasionally log onto Youtube for additional materials. One will be surprised how magnanimous the baking world is (tongue-in-cheek, haha). Any way, during one of my routine website flipping, I came across some very tempting pictures on www.joyofbaking.com about pumpkin recipes. Beside the mouth-watering pictures, I have most of the ingredients required by the recipe and this helped to set my mind on trying it out. The recipe does say that one can make one's own pumpkin puree from fresh pumpkins, but this would be far too tedious for someone like me who doesn't appreciate fastidious/challenging recipes. So I set out to the Paragon Market Place to look for canned pumpkin puree, and lo, there were a few cans of Libby's 100% pure pumpkin puree sitting at the bottom shelf. That sealed the deal!  The canned pumpkin puree tasted just like freshly made puree.

Other Key Ingredients

Pumpkin Spiced Cake

1/2 cup (110 gm) butter

1 1/4 cup brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 cup umpkin puree

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cup cake flour

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground spices

1/2 cup buttermilk

1. Line two 8-inch round cake pans with parchment paper. Pre-heat oven at 177 deg C.

2. Cream butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer on high speed (2-3 minutes) until light and fluffy

3. Add eggs one at a time. Mix well.

4. Add vanilla extract. Mix well.

5. In another bowl, whisk together cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and spices.

6. Add the cake mixture and buttermilk into the butter mixture. Begin and end with the cake mixture. Mix sufficient to combine the ingredients, taking care not to over-mix.

7. Bake the cakes for approx. 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.

8. Remove cakes from oven, and let cool on wire rack.

9. Once cooled, put one cake layer face down. Spread cream cheese frosting. Add another cake over the frosting top, again facing down.  Spread frosting over the top and around the cake.

10. Garnish with toasted and coarsely chopped walnut.

Frosting 

228gm cream cheese

1/4 cup (56gm) butter

2 tablespoon Maple Syrup

2 cups icing sugar

1. Cream butter and cheese together until light and soft

2. Add maple syrup to the mixture. Combine.

3. Add icing sugar to the mixture. Mix on medium speed until thoroughly combined.  Frosting is ready.