Cake For A Change

 

I was too busy preparing and hosting on Thanksgiving to remember to photograph our table, our guests, and even what we cooked and baked.  

I wanted to finish in the kitchen, go out for a walk with Harry and Charlie, and their out-of-town visitor, Dolly, and then sit down for a while by the fire before gathering for our dinner. 

In addition to my apple pie, this year I thought a cake might be a nice addition.  Most everyone made the traditional selection of pie, so we ate pumpkin gingerbread cake all weekend.  I finished the last piece this morning.  I've shared other recipes from Gingerbread here before, and this one was as wonderful as the others.  The pumpkin cuts the intensity of the spice a bit, yet the overall flavor is definitely of gingerbread.

Pumpkin-Gingerbread Cake

adapted from Gingerbread

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon ground ginger

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup dark molasses

4 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 1/4 cups pumpkin puree (1 can of puree is 2 cups, so I added 1/4 cup of homemade rhubarb butter, or you could use apple butter or apple sauce)

Confectioner's sugar for dusting

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Butter and flour a 10-inch tube pan.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves in a large bowl.

Put the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium-high speed until smooth.  Add the granulated and brown sugars and beat until light and fluffy.  Pour in molasses and beat until smooth.  Drop in eggs, one at a time, and beat for about 2 minutes, stopping at least once to scrape the sides of the bowl.  Add the vanilla extract, pumpkin puree, mixing until combined.  Reduce the mixing speed to medium-low and gradually add the flour mixture, beating just until incorporated.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 1 hour, or until the cake is dark chestnut brown in color, the top is cracked, and a wooden skewer inserted near the center comes out clean.  Set the cake on a wire rack to cool in the pan for about 15 minutes before turning out to cool completely.

Dust with confectioner's sugar.

Bring the Garden in Friday with Pumpkin Cupcakes

These cupcakes are a nod to the one, very green pumpkin growing in my garden. If it ever turns orange, I'll probably put in on our porch so we can ogle proudly.

In honor of our green pumpkin, I bring your attention to these not-too-sweet, nicely spiced cupcakes. The cake is light, which complements the cream-cheese icing. I omitted the black pepper because I hoped O. would like these, but I imagine it would just add a little more spice.

Originally, this recipe was intended as a layer cake, so you could give that a try if cupcakes aren't right for you. I did get 18 and enjoyed taking a few to A.'s teachers today.

Happy Halloween! My grim reaper and penguin are excited for their school parades. Everyone asks if O. is going to be a princess, and then I give a little awkward laugh and tell them she is going to be the grim reaper. Her costume is a really good, creepy one, too.

Gratitude

Part One

For mid-October in Philadelphia, it has been cold. The temperatures have been in the forties, and there has been a lot of rain. Cold rain.

This cold, rainy morning in the shower, at 5:40, I was going through my ritual of mentally and emotionally preparing myself for the day. I asked myself to name something I am grateful for. I struggled.

All I could come up with was being grateful that A. had a better day yesterday than the day before. He had had a happy day, all excited about losing another tooth.

I tried something else.

I was grateful that the only problem found at my dentist appointment was the need to be flossing better.

I was just going through the motions.

When I pulled into A.'s school, the security guard waved me in as usual. He was standing out there with his hood up, his face almost disappearing within it. I suddenly realized that it has been warm and sunny since school started. I thought about how he will be out here in January, too.

In A.'s class, his teacher was out sick for the second day. Other than missing her, everything was as usual. When I asked if they needed help getting A. settled, there was no need. They were covered. Greetings, smiles, energy in abundance. J., an assistant, told me she has been working there 10 years, since she was 20. She wants to be there forever.

On my way out, I thanked the security guard, and asked him how he was holding up on such a nasty day. He simply replied smiling, "this is what we do."

Yes, I thought. You keep a whole school of blind and visually-impaired students safe.

On the drive home, on winding, wet Lincoln Drive, the traffic suddenly slowed, and the car ahead of me came to a quick, skidding stop. Just coming around a curve, drivers were confronted with an overturned car. Someone had stopped to help, and was talking on a cell phone. I followed other cars, carefully making my way around the scene, muttering and gasping as I went. Emergency vehicles were on their way.

I kept thinking about the security guard and the good cheer of the school staff. I wanted to spend the morning baking cookies to show them my appreciation.

It was tempting, but there was the list of chores waiting for me on the kitchen counter. I promised myself that even if it had to wait until Christmas, I would do it.

Part Two

Today I baked these pumpkin scones. Two dozen of them.

Some are for O.'s school snacks. I ate two at lunchtime, sitting on the patio steps in the sunshine.

They are perfect. Not too sweet or dry. The dough was easy to work with.

I brought some in for A.'s classroom staff at pick-up. I put them on the table, saying only that I had been baking that morning. No one but me will remember that rainy day 10 days ago.

Cookies still seem right for the security guard. Another morning I will bake them.