Friday, November 9, 2018

Rustic Apple Pumpkin Bundt Cake





Our family is definitely into Fall cakes, muffins, and breads. I roast our own homegrown pumpkins, puree the squash(yes, pumpkin is a squash) and freeze in 2 or 3 cup bags. Thaw out the pumpkin in a strainer and you have delicious fresh pumpkin for your recipes.  

Roasting pumpkins can be found in this post: Delicious Homemade Pumpkin Puree


Makings for your cake.


I use bagged apples for baking, these are Galas.




Rustic Apple Pumpkin Bundt Cake                         Oven 350 degrees
Serves 8-10                                                                45-50 min

Ingredients:

2 cups of Flour (I use 1 cup of unbleached and 1 cup of whole wheat pastry flour)
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg
½ tsp cardamom (optional)
½ tsp cloves
¼ tsp of ginger
10 Tbsp. of salted butter softened (1 ¼ sticks)
1 cup of sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup of pumpkin puree (canned or I use fresh baked pumpkin drained and pureed
2 tsp of vanilla extract
2 cups of diced apples (approximately 2 large or 3 medium) with peels.
1 cup of chopped pecans
1 cup of raisins

Preheat oven to 350 degrees



Measure dry ingredients into a sifter. (I sift twice since I use heavier flours.) Sift and put in a bowl. The green handled sifter is an antique---very useful. It has two lids so you can sift, flip and then sift again...VERY convenient and throughly mixes spices into the flour! It was my grandmother's. 

In mixer, cream softened butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in 1 egg at a time, combining completely.

 Add the pumpkin and vanilla and blend well. Add flour 1/3 at a time until totally combined. 

Dough will be stiff, add chopped apples.


The apples will loosen up the dough. 





Dust your raisins with some of the sifted dry ingredients.



 Fold in raisins and chopped nuts.

Generously spray or grease your Bundt pan. Spread batter evenly and bake for 45-50 min or until cake turns golden brown and tester comes clean. Remove and wait 5 mins. Run a knife carefully along the edge to make the cake easier to remove after the waiting time. 



Invert on a plate and sift powder sugar over---OR----


I make a simple syrup of 2 Tbsp of butter, 1/2 cup of chopped pecans, 1/4 tsp of cinnamon, 1/2 cup brown sugar.  Lightly brown nuts in butter in sauce pan, add brown sugar and stir until smooth. Add 2 Tbsp of water, cook on low to make a thick syrup. (I cook this until the syrup doesn't roll off the spoon quickly but in slow drops, and then pour over the warm cake slowly.)  


Enjoy! I’ve taken this cake to so many parties/meetings and it always disappears. No leftovers, sigh!

All the opinions and photographs in this blog are my own, unless otherwise designated. I have not been paid or reimbursed in anyway for my opinions, posts or any products shown or anywhere I shop.


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Wednesday, November 7, 2018

Delicious Homemade Pumpkin Puree.


We've always learned in school, the Pilgrims had pumpkin on the first Thanksgiving.
Pumpkins have assumed to have been from the Americas. When the Pilgrims landed the local Indians already had pumpkins and squash under cultivation. Early pumpkins or 'pompion' were hollowed out raw, filled with milk and spices and then roasted whole in the fire into a sort of pudding. No bakery pie pastry shells were involved as there were no ovens for controlled baking.

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Nutritionally pumpkins were a welcome addition to the Pilgrims' meals. Rich in all kinds of minerals and vitamins, pumpkins had vitamin C which helped to prevent scurvy. Over half the pilgrims died the first year for lack of proper nutrition and resulting disease.

We have been taught--Pumpkins are a traditional food for Thanksgiving.



Today we use our homegrown pumpkins outside as decorations. After a heavy frost---I bring them in and they become a source of garden produce and then food.



This is one of last year's pumpkins, growing on our antique cultivator.


Another large one hid in the vines.



Roasting Pumpkin Puree is easy, and ecologically sound. 

 Scrub your pumpkin off, even if it is store-bought. Slice it open. You don't have to remove the seeds, just layer the pieces skin side up in a roaster as high as you like. Add 1 cup of water to the pan, cover tightly with foil. Roast at 350 degrees for 1 1/2 hours or more---test by piercing the thickest part of a piece and if it's tender, it's done or I just push down on the humps of pumpkin and if they are soft, they are done...and I leave it covered until cooled to finish roasting for sure.

Let cool, scrape the seeds and slime off first, discard.  Then scrape the flesh and with the skin removed, process in your food processor until smooth. If it is too thick, add a bit of water from the roasting pan to process. Measure, bag, label and freeze for recipes. 
It is delicious and I think far superior to canned pumpkin.
When thawing I drain excess water out by putting paper towel in a strainer, the resulting puree is more the consistency of canned pumpkin.



Even the decorative pumpkins get roasted for eating.


Fall Pumpkin Spice Apple Muffins  Post: HERE.

Pumpkin pies, breads, soups are all delicious and high in nutrition.

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So ---remember, there were no pies at the first Thanksgiving. Sigh!

Hope your preparations are going well and that you have
wonderful PUMPKIN PIE and all the trimmings.


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All the opinions and photographs in this blog are my own, unless otherwise designated. I have not been paid or reimbursed in anyway for my opinions, posts or any products shown or anywhere I shop.


Thanks  ALWAYS  for visiting!

I will try and respond to every comment and answer every question.
Thank you for your cooperation,

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