OT: yummy pumpkin cake recipe

[Guest]

Since we are coming into the time of year when fresh pumpkin is readily available, I thought I'd share this recipe again. This is called a "cake" but it is short (about 1" high when cooked), dense, and iced more like a cookie bar or tea cake, not a high, layer type cake. I have made it a few times, and thought it was very tasty, and judging by how fast it disappeared at gatherings, it seems other people think so too.

This is an easy cake to make, and kids can help, as really you are just dumping stuff together and mixing it up - it is pretty hard to mess up. Sorry for anyone not in the U.S. who may be unfamiliar with our psycho English measuring system.

Batter:
3/4 cup margarine or butter
2 cups sugar
16 oz cooked pumpkin
3 eggs
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup chopped walnuts

Cream butter & sugar.
Blend in pumpkin & eggs
Fold in dry ingredients a little at a time until thoroughly mixed (note: don't beat the batter long! It will be thick)

Stir in walnuts

Spread batter into a greased & floured 15" X 10" X 1" pan

Bake at 350 degrees F 30 - 35 min

Frosting:
8 oz. cream cheese, softened at room temp
1/3 cup butter or margarine, softened at room temp
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups sifted confectioners' sugar

Cream the butter & cheese
Add vanilla
Add powdered sugar a little at a time, mixing thoroughly until smooth

Spread frosting on cooled cake, and cut cake into squares to serve; cover and refrigerate if cake is to be stored

Notes:

I used some very good fresh pumpkin, butter instead of margarine, and left out the walnuts, and the cake received great reviews from everyone who tried it. I used an insulated jelly roll pan with a non-stick surface to bake the cake in. Keep an eye on the cake when it is baking, as time varies with ovens and altitude. It only took a bit more than 20 min. for it to get done when I made it.

Enjoy!

-Skylark

 

[Spree]

Or

You can drive to store and buy one like I do

 

[Guest]

ever since i ate a lemon with ketchup, mustard, and nutmeg covering the entire thing i havent been able to eat anything pumpkin pie cause i can taste the nutmeg and it makes me puke.

 

[Guest]

??? I don't think I want to know.

 

[Guest]

I...see. If only you had left the nutmeg off the ketchup-mustard-lemon, that would have made all the difference!

Yet another bit of compelling evidence for mom's everywhere, that they should never relinquish control of their children's diet, ever.

-Skylark

 

[Guest]

what you've never had a bad food eating contest? it goes hand and hand with a drinking game, but basically you get 20-30 ingrediants/condiments, 10 food pieces and do like a roll of the dice method to decide which combination you'll be eating. If you don't eat, then you drink. If you eat then the drinks build up till someone doesnt eat.

i'd never eat that on my own accord, only something as dumb as peer pressure could make me that stupid!

 

[Guest]

Well don't blame the nutmeg ! hehe

Nutmeg can go with lemon.

Ketchup and lemon can go together..sort of a bit of citrus bite in ye bbq or ketchup.

Ketchup and mustard can go together.

Ketchup with nutmeg can even go tog. with lemon even in a bbq sauce.

NUTMEG and MUSTARD *BARFS* yep that what did ya in !! haha

*shudders*

 

[Guest]

And do not forget this time of year is also MISSISSIPPI sweet tato harvesting time.

Be sure yall make up some Jack Daniels glazed sweet tatos. YUM

 

[Guest]

<blockquote><hr>

what you've never had a bad food eating contest?

[/ QUOTE ]

No.

Very few human beings who lack Y chromosomes do that sort of thing. Even more compelling evidence against theories of general evolution...we should have had plenty of time to naturally select that out by now.

-Skylark

 

[Spree]

I think bad food eating contest would go hand in hand with most number of beers drinking contest.

 

[Guest]

obviously you guys forget im still in college. i wont even go into the story of what happened last night lol.

 

[Guest]

*chuckles* I sort of remember college.

 

[imported_Trep]

<blockquote><hr>

what you've never had a bad food eating contest? it goes hand and hand with a drinking game, but basically you get 20-30 ingrediants/condiments, 10 food pieces and do like a roll of the dice method to decide which combination you'll be eating. If you don't eat, then you drink. If you eat then the drinks build up till someone doesnt eat.

i'd never eat that on my own accord, only something as dumb as peer pressure could make me that stupid!

[/ QUOTE ]

well [censored]! i always just said no way i drank the free booze anytime someone tried that on me

drunk &gt; nasty food

although my friend drank a 1/4 cup of wasabi mustard mixed with ginger powder and chili powder once..... he wasnt too happy after that

 

[imported_Trep]

mmm...i wanna try that but is there a good alternative to cooking your own pumpkin? like forgoing the nutmeg and just using canned pumkpin pie mix?


kind of a mess and i dont really wanna do that part....

 

[Guest]

I noticed you used butter in the cake. Did you use margarine in the frosting? If so, why?

 

[Spree]

Spring was never waiting for us, girl
It ran one step ahead
As we followed in the dance
Between the parted pages and were pressed
In love's hot, fevered iron
Like a striped pair of pants

MacArthur's Park is melting in the dark
All the sweet, green icing flowing down
Someone left the cake out in the rain
I don't think that I can take it
'Cause it took so long to bake it
And I'll never have that recipe again
Oh, no!

I recall the yellow cotton dress
Foaming like a wave
On the ground around your knees
The birds, like tender babies in your hands
And the old men playing checkers by the trees

MacArthur's Park is melting in the dark
All the sweet, green icing flowing down
Someone left the cake out in the rain
I don't think that I can take it
'Cause it took so long to bake it
And I'll never have that recipe again
Oh, no!

[break]

There will be another song for me
For I will sing it
There will be another dream for me
Someone will bring it
I will drink the wine while it is warm
And never let you catch me looking at the sun
And after all the loves of my life
After all the loves of my life
You'll still be the one

I will take my life into my hands and I will use it
I will win the worship in their eyes and I will lose it
I will have the things that I desire
And my passion flow like rivers through the sky
And after all the loves of my life
After all the loves of my life
I'll be thinking of you
And wondering why

[extended break]

MacArthur's Park is melting in the dark
All the sweet, green icing flowing down
Someone left the cake out in the rain
I don't think that I can take it
'Cause it took so long to bake it
And I'll never have that recipe again
Oh, no!
Oh, no
No, no
Oh no!!

 

[Guest]

I used butter in the frosting too; margarine...me no likey.

In FL, with the heat &amp; humidity (even inside with the A/C running), it is hard to make cream cheese frosting for a layer cake, and have it look pretty, without being tempted to use too much confectioners sugar, and using real butter makes it even softer at room temp, but for this cake it is fine since you are just slathering it as icing on top of a sheet cake that will be cut into bars, so if it is a bit soft, who cares!

-Skylark

P.S. LOL @ Spree...I told Castor about the cake in the rain song a while back, and he seemed sorry I told him about it.

 

[Guest]

Yeah, I am not fond of the margarine after taste vs butter. Margarine does have a better resistance to temperature. If fact, most bakerys use strait lard for their frostings. (ewww!)

While deserts are not my specialty, I do know my way around a kitchen.

 

[Guest]

Sure you can use canned pumpkin, but get the plain cooked, canned pumpkin, not the pie filling, as not only will that be too sweet, but the freshly added spices taste much better. It is really nice that many supermarkets are starting to carry very small containers of ground spices - this means you can have freshly opened ones for most of your cooking needs and not waste it buying big, expensive containers of spices that will lose their flavor before you are even close to using them up.

-Skylark

 

[Guest]

<blockquote><hr>

If fact, most bakerys use strait lard for their frostings. (ewww!)

[/ QUOTE ]

Oh yeah, I hate the "buttercream" decorator's frosting most bakeries use, it is straight shortening and sugar. Sure it is pretty, and holds up well to humidity and such, but it is gross. Usually when facing such a bakery cake, the first thing I do is scrape that stuff off.

-Skylark

 

[Guest]

While we are seriously OT here and I am not a desert specialist, do you have any thoughts on a hot peanut butter sauce? Served over a chocolate brownie, with vanilla ice cream. Oh yeah! With whipped cream on top.

 

[Guest]

Yes, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top of that brownie before the sauce, I'd say that would be a winner!

I do love peanut butter, but personally I'd rather have a hot caramel sauce on the ice cream topped chocolate brownie, and some fresh, roasted salted peanuts sprinkled on top with the whipped cream.

I used to cook and bake a great deal, but I don't much these days. I have always liked experimenting with recipes, and sometimes the experiments are much better forgotten, and sometimes they turn out great...and yet I can't remember how I did it. I wanted to make caramel popcorn balls for the holidays one year, and I made up a batch of caramel without following a recipe, just kind of messing around. It was so good, but I have never been able to exactly reproduce it since then. Same thing with a chicken salad I made for a superbowl party one year. I just threw stuff together that I had on hand, and it turned out amazingly good. People kept asking me for the recipe after the party, and I couldn't reproduce it to save my life.

-Skylark

 

[Guest]

Heh. I am a master at creating some pretty good food with what is on hand. That is what I call a good cook.

 

[imported_Trep]

thats how my dad taught me how to cook...with just whatevers layin around

hands down its the best skill any college student can ever learn...unless mac and cheese and ramen evety night sounds good

 

[Guest]

*chuckles* Creating good food is not rocket science. I will tell you it is a useful skill.

 

[LizzyT]

Hi =)
This looks yummy so I am going to borrow it for the GPG forums

 

[Guest]

Just remember, butter is better. Margarine is one step away from plastic!

 

[LizzyT]

always butter

 

[imported_Daan Mor]

Could you repeat that? I missed it the first time round...

 

[Guest]

I am thinking you have 2 ways to go with the peanut butter hot sauce over a brownie.

Thin or thick consistancy would make for the 2 different ways to try to go with it in experimentation.

Ya know that one hersheys *shell* choc. coating. It is thin, one can heat it up if one wishes yet as ya pour it over ice cream, yet that hersheys shell choc. kinda forms that shell coating, but remains thin etc. I bet it could be done with peanut butter too.

With peanut butter one could probably do the same thing with some experimentation..using the caramel like Sky suggested or a light thin karo into the peanut butter or disguise the peanut butter somewhat but not fully so it still shows as peanutbutter using a hershy shell mixed into the peanut butter, to get a more thin *shell* coating over ice cream over a brownie.

If ya want a thicker hot fudge kinda consistancy of peanut butter, one can use straight warmed peanut butter, crunchy or reg peanut btr., and just before it is fully melted break into it, broken pieces of a Reeses Peanut Butter cup candy.

Then top the cool whip off with one elegantly made shaved choc. or peanut butter curl..or a reeses peanut butter cup *curl*. I think that would create it's own magic right there.

Good luck on ye experimentations of hot peanut butter over icecream and choc. brownie.

 

[Guest]

Also go thru the cooking channel on the web. Search all the recipes for asian or thai peanut butter SPICY hot sauces. Now for a brownie with ice cream ya would leave out all that spices but their recipes are like zillions of uses for peanutbutter over chicken and pork etc. My husband tried some of these on chicken wings for hot wings YUMMMMMMMMMMMMM. Those same recipes that make peanut butter into a zillion uses albeit flaming hot spicey could also give you ideas of things one could mix with peanut butter to create a *desert* sauce minus all their spices ..cuz a brownie isnt a chicken wing ! HAHA

But man, what a combo meal that could be...some spicey hot peanutbutter sauced wings ..for meal with rice or whatever...followed by a brownie with choc peanutbutter ice cream cool whip grand finale'

 

[Guest]

<blockquote><hr>


Oh yeah, I hate the "buttercream" decorator's frosting most bakeries use, it is straight shortening and sugar. Sure it is pretty, and holds up well to humidity and such, but it is gross. Usually when facing such a bakery cake, the first thing I do is scrape that stuff off.

[/ QUOTE ]

LMAO ! I thought I was the only one who hated that buttercream crap.

 

[Guest]

<blockquote><hr>

ever since i ate a lemon with ketchup, mustard, and nutmeg covering the entire thing i havent been able to eat anything pumpkin pie cause i can taste the nutmeg and it makes me puke.

[/ QUOTE ]

Why would you eat that?

 

[Guest]

<blockquote><hr>

LMAO ! I thought I was the only one who hated that buttercream crap.

[/ QUOTE ]

BLEUGH rendered pig on cake? No thank you.