I always get a feeling that I want to bake at this time of year. It's partly to warm the kitchen up and partly because the Great British Bake Off is back on TV. The Bake Off always makes me want to get in the kitchen and whip up something tasty and this is where this pumpkin spice cake comes in.
This pumpkin spice cake is soft and full of spices with the pumpkin adding a lovely texture without making the cake taste too much of pumpkin. If you've never baked with pumpkin before don't let it put you off, It really doesn't make your cake taste like a vegetable patch! If you like carrot cake you will probably like this! This cake looks like you've spent hours baking and really pushed the boat out but it is really simple to make!
Ingredients!
For the cake:
225g plain flour.
2 teaspoons baking powder.
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon.
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger.
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg.
1/4 teaspoon salt.
175g brown sugar.
2 large eggs.
120ml vegetable oil.
200g pumpkin puree.
1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
2 tablespoons milk.
For the optional icing:
100g cream cheese.
50g icing sugar.
1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
1 to 2 tablespoons milk if needed.
How to make!
Pop your oven on to preheat to 180°C / 160°C fan / Gas Mark 4 and grab a round cake tin or a loaf tin. I used to grease mine but after having too many stubborn cakes refusing to leave the tin I use some baking paper to line it!
In a large bowl mix together all the dry ingredients. The flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt. Give everything a good stir so the spices are well mixed through the flour. This is where it should start to smell like Autumn. The pumpkin spice smell is one of my favourite smells at this time of year.
For your wet mixture, in a separate bowl add the brown sugar, eggs and vegetable oil. Mix them together until everything looks smooth. It doesn't need to be perfect so don't worry about getting the electric mixer out, you don't want to over mix it! Next you add the pumpkin puree and vanilla extract and give it another good mix. Add the milk and give it another quick stir.
Now slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture. I usually do this with a couple of additions rather than tipping the whole bowl of flour in at once as it just seems too hard to give it a good mix. Stir until everything is mixed so you don't see any rouge bits of flour. I love this part because the mixture starts to look a lot like a proper cake batter!
Pour the batter straight into the tin you have already prepared and give the top a quick smooth over with the back of a spoon or spatula. Pop it into the oven and let it bake for around 30 to 35 minutes. Keep a close eye on it towards the end since every oven acts a bit differently. You will know it's done when it looks darker and has risen! Poke a skewer into the centre of the cake and if it is done it should come out nice and clean. As long as there isn't any wet batter you're good to get it out of the oven!
When you have got it out of the oven let it sit in the tin for about 10 minutes. After that, move it to a wire rack so it can cool all the way through. It's very tempting to sneak a slice when it's still warm but if you're planning on adding the icing you will have to wait!
Making the optional icing!
If you fancy making the cream cheese icing it couldn't be easier and it's worth it! Chuck your cream cheese, icing sugar and a splash of vanilla into a bowl and beat it together until it's nice and smooth. If it's a bit thick loosen it up with a splash of milk. You're aiming for it to be soft enough to spread without dragging the cake but not so runny that it just slides right off the edges!
Make sure your cake is fully cooled before you put the icing on. Dollop it on top and spread it about and don't stress about making it look perfect. I think homemade cakes are not meant to look perfect Then all that's left to do is cut yourself a slice and enjoy it with a cup of tea!
A few quick tips before you get baking!
Make sure you grab plain pumpkin puree not pumpkin pie filling! They look very similar on the supermarket shelf but he pie filling has extra sugar and spices that we don't want.
If you're stuck and can't find any pumpkin puree, it can be hard to find here in England, you can easily make your own. Roast or boil some chunks of pumpkin until they're soft and blitz them in the blender until completely smooth. Just remember to let it cool down before it goes anywhere near your batter!
Don't panic about the colour. This cake is going to look a lot darker than a normal sponge thanks to the brown sugar and the pumpkin. So if it looks a bit golden brown don't worry it isn't burnt, it's meant to look like that!
If you fancy making individual cupcakes, just spoon your batter into some cupcake cases and check on them after about 18 to 22 minutes. They'll cook a lot faster than one big whole cake.
Don't stress too much if you're missing a spice. Cinnamon is the important one here that gives it that proper cosy autumn smell and taste so as long as you've got that covered, you're good to go!
What cakes do you like to bake at this time of year?
