Saturday, November 6, 2010

Pumpkin-Apple Gingerbread

Pumpkin Apple Gingerbread Cake

It's Fall, y'all. Have you recovered from Halloween yet? I love this time of the year for pumpkin isn't over and done with as soon as Halloween is gone. It's one of those dual holiday foods. When I was poking around the Pillsbury site I found this recipe that combines the pumpkin and gingerbread....the apple was definitely a bonus but shredded into it into of obnoxious chunks to tear up the cake.

Pumpkin-Apple Gingerbread
adapted from Pillsbury.com

4 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
2 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
4 eggs
1 can (15 oz) pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)
1 large green apple, peeled, shredded (1 cup)
1/2 cup molasses
Powdered sugar, if desired

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease 12-cup fluted tube cake pan with shortening (do not use cooking spray); coat with flour. In medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder, ground ginger, baking soda, salt and pumpkin pie spice; set aside.
2 In large bowl, beat butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar with electric mixer on medium speed until creamy. Add eggs 2 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in pumpkin, apple and molasses. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Spoon into pan.
3 Bake 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Cool in pan on cooling rack 15 minutes. Place cooling rack upside down on pan; turn rack and pan over. Remove pan. Cool completely, about 2 hours. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve each slice on serving plate topped with about 2 tablespoons whipped cream if desired.

Cook's Notes:
1. I did not have use the whole can of pumpkin puree. I had some left in a bag in the freezer. It was slightly under. I know that the pumpkin and apple were all about giving this cake the moisture it needed. I added a few tablespoons of apple butter to the puree to make up the 15 oz. to ensure I did not upset the moisture balance. Since there is cinnamon and apple in the cake...I knew it would not change it flavor-wise.
2. My oven temperature gauge did say 350 degrees. Yet I try to always check cakes before the called time (I have a pizza stone and it tends to make the oven hotter). My cake rose GREAT yet was ready shortly after 1 hour. Test your earlier too.
3. This was an awesome cake. Kirk was sad I didn't add raisins...but I am not a fan of raisins like he is and I didn't want it to tear up the cake when I cut it.


Enjoy!

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