Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

                                                  Makes 12 servings.

PUMPKIN CAKE

Ingredients

4 large eggs

2 cups sifted all-purpose flour (sift before measuring)

2 teaspoons baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cloves

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground ginger

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

2 cups granulated sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

1 can (1 lb.) pureed pumpkin

Cream Cheese Frosting (SEE RECIPE BELOW)

Pecans or Walnuts (chopped or halves)

Directions
Place eggs in the large bowl; cover and let stand 30 minutes until eggs warm to room temperature. 

Preheat oven to 350 F 

Sift flour with baking soda, salt, cloves, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg.

With electric mixer at high speed, beat eggs with granulated sugar the mixture is light and fluffy. 

Beat in oil and pumpkin and blend thoroughly.

 

With the electric mixer at low speed, beat in flour mixture, beating only until flour is moistened.
Pour into ungreased 10-inch tube pan without removable bottom.

 

Bake 45-50 minutes or until surface springs back when gently pressed with fingertips.
Remove cake from oven and cool completely in pan on wire rack.
Using a long, narrow rubber spatula, carefully loosen cake from pan; remove.
Place on cake plate.

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Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients
2 pkg (3 ounce size) cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups confectioners’ sugar

Directions
In small bowl, at medium speed, beat cream cheese with vanilla until smooth and soft.
Gradually add confectioners’ sugar, beating until light and fluffy.

Frost top and side with cream cheese frosting.
Use the tip of the spatula to swirl the frosting toward the center of the plate.

For decoration, place walnut or pecan pieces (or halves) around the top of the cake.

Serve cake immediately or store tightly covered in the refrigerator.
Remove from refrigerator about 30 minutes prior to serving.

Homemade Blueberry Muffins

This recipe is based on the basic muffin recipe from the NYS Wine & Culinary Center.

2 cups all purpose flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
2/3 cup sugar
1 cup milk
6 Tablespoons melted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups fresh blueberries
cinnamon sugar*

Preheat the oven to 425 F
Line cupcake pan with 12 cupcake papers

In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder and salt)
In a small bowl, whisk the eggs then add the sugar and whisk briskly to mix.
Add the milk, melted butter and vanilla to the egg mixture and whisk to blend.

Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture, and mix together with a few light strokes, just until the dry ingredients are almost all moistened.
Add the blueberries, then mix them in using a rubber spatula, and only mix until ingredients are all moistened. Batter will be lumpy - do not over-mix.

Spoon batter into muffin cups and sprinkle cinnamon sugar on top of each muffin.

Bake about 12 minutes - until a toothpick inserted into 1 or 2 of the muffins comes out clean.
Let cool for 2 to 3 minutes before removing from the pan.

Delicious warm!

*Cinnamon sugar: mix 1/4 cup sugar with 1 teaspoon of cinnamon.