Today is the first of October and already the mornings and evenings are getting cooler and there is a crispness in the air. The fields of pumpkins are ripe and ready for harvest. I couldn’t resist buying one today at the fruit stand that is spilling over with fresh produce.
Pumpkins here in Italy are cooked as a savory food only, never in a sweet dessert. They haven’t yet learned the joy of pumpkin spice and everything nice. But the California girl in me definitely knows the joy of cinnamon and nutmeg wafting through my kitchen. I have started to accept that Fall is here and Summer has slipped through my fingers once again. So I embrace the joys of Autumn and there is no better way than making something with Pumpkin Spice!
Cooking pumpkin desserts in Italy takes a little more work because you cannitbfind canned pumpkin here, you must buy the pumpkin, peel it, cube it and cook it. I cook mine in a little water in a pan, bring it to a boil and cook until soft, usually just 20 minutes. Then I purée it and use it like canned.
My pumpkin dessert of choice was Pumpkin Cake, basically the same as Pumpkin Bread, it just depends on what pan you want to bake it in. I chose a simple round cake pan because it is similar to the Italian Torta.
The batter was so delicious that I couldn’t wait to “clean my bowl” right away with big spoonfuls going straight into my mouth! I know, I know, you shouldn’t eat raw dough and raw eggs and such but they just don’t see it that way in Italy. Tiramisu is based on raw eggs!
Then, when my cake finished baking I had to eat a slice right out of the hot oven! It was delicious! I hope you try this recipe and enjoy a slice of Fall in this Pumpkin Spice Cake.
Pumpkin Spice Cake
Ingredients:
- 1 cup pumpkin purée (note: if you are using canned pumpkin you can use one 15 ounce can and double the recipe, use two round cake pans or one 9×13 for a doubled recipe)
- 1 cup flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 soda
- 1/2 salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup oil (I substitute 1/4 cup plain yogurt and 1/4 cup oil to reduce the amount of ail and it come out moist and delicious!
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 cup chopped walnuts
- dust with powdered sugar
Instructions:
- Stir the dry ingredients together
- Combine wet ingredients together (pumpkin purée, eggs, oil, yogurt) stirring until smooth
- combine wet and dry ingredients together and pour into a prepared loaf pan or round cake pan. (Prepared pan means rubbing the pan with oil and then dusting it with flour, this makes the cake come out easily)
- bake a a preheated oven at 350 Fahrenheit or 170 Celsius for 20-30 minutes. It is done when a knife inserted in comes out clean.
- Allow to cool and dust with powdered sugar
