Autumn Pumpkin Cake Recipe

[dropcap]W[/dropcap]hen you think of autumn, what comes to mind? Most people think of Halloween, turkey and the gloomy mornings that make it hard to wake up. But when I think of autumn, I think of my mom’s heavenly pumpkin cake baking in the oven, drawing me to the kitchen like a zombie. My only job from that point on is to feast on this intoxicating cake.

Fortunately for you, I am willing to share this recipe, and it is also easy to make. Be warned, for this cake allures hungry trick-or-treaters, so if you want to avoid a zombie invasion, I advise that you keep your cake far away from them. Unless, of course, you, yourself are a zombie. In any case, all you need to make this concoction are these everyday household ingredients.

Ingredients

4 eggs

⅔ cup vegetable oil

1 cup water

1 16 ounce can of pumpkin

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

½ teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking soda

3 cups flour

2 cups sugar

Optional ingredients

½ cup chopped walnuts

½ cup raisins or cranberries

Before you begin mixing ingredients like a mad scientist, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Then prepare two loaf pans or a bundt cake pan. Coat the pan’s interior with a thin layer of butter and lightly sprinkle with flour to prevent your cake from sticking. Shake off any extra flour from the pan. Instead of butter, you can use cooking spray as an easy alternative.

Now you are ready to get down and dirty with your cake batter. Mix all of the wet ingredients, eggs, vegetable oil, water and pumpkin, in a large mixing bowl. In another bowl, combine the dry ingredients, flour, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and baking soda. After both mixtures are even, add the dry ingredients into the large mixing bowl with a sifter.

Upon combining, lumps of flour and baking soda will appear. You don’t want these lumps in your cake, so use a spatula or rice cooker spoon to crush them against the side of the bowl. Do this for about five minutes until the batter is smooth and lump-free.

Now add any extra ingredients like chopped walnuts paired with raisins or cranberries for a crunchy texture that contrasts the moist cake.

Pour the batter into the previously prepared pan. Bake for 60-70 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Use the toothpick test to see if your cake is finished. Insert a toothpick into your cake, and if it is relatively clean when you remove it, you know that your creation is done.

How you decorate your cake is really up to you, but I recommend sprinkling powdered sugar on top or using a store-bought brand of frosting unless you have your own secret family recipe. By this time, the trick-or-treaters have surely entered your house, sniffing for the source of that mouth-watering smell. Don’t fret, treats like this are meant to be shared.

So there it is, the easy way to bake a delicious seasonal taste that will surely satisfy any monster, ghost, vampire, princess or pirate you have enchanted.