Pumpkin Bread

Something about the cooler weather says baking and Fall says make something with pumpkin. There are lots of recipes out there so I just picked one and made a couple changes. This bread is really good, very moist and flavourful. It gets better if it sits a day or two. I like making mini loaves, They bake better and you can give them away and people enjoy just having a small taste and not having to eat an entire loaf.This recipe made 6 mini loaves.

Pumpkin Bread
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
4 eggs
2 cups of pumpkin puree (almost one large can)

Mix moist ingredients. Mix dry ingredients.
Mix the 2 together. Pour into 6 prepared mini loaf pans or 2 large loaf pans.
Bake at 350F for 40 to 45 minutes or until pick comes out clean

UFO's

I really need to get working on that Light Box goal. My photos are so over-exposed when the light is not good. I am so lucky to have a group of friends that get together twice a year at a gorgeous cottage to scrap the days away. We eat great food and have such a wonderful time together.

While I was packing, at the last minute I thought I would throw in some UFO's (unfinished projects). You know the cards that you coloured and never put together or were making multiples and miscounted. Well, I had quite a stack and needed to get them done or throw them out!

Believe it or not, this is the AFTER bin!

The good news is I was able to complete 58 cards, some new but mostly I just wrapped up some of the unfinished ones. Feels so good to get them DONE!

And while it's totally out of season, I had these pumpkins coloured and finally put them into cards.
Aren't they sweet?

Now, I have a large stack of cards to organize and maybe I'll even sit down and send out one or two.

Pumpkin Spice Cake

I've been meaning to post this cake for awhile. It starts with a box mix and once its doctored up it's delicious! Especially the cinnamon frosting.

Pumpkin Spice Cake
1 box spice cake
2 small boxes vanilla instant pudding
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 1/4 cups water
4 eggs
I cup pumpkin

Frosting
4 cups icing sugar
1/2 cup butter
3-4 splashes milk or cream
2 Tbsp cinnamon

Mix all the first ingredients and pour into a prepared 10 inch bundt pan. Bake at 350 F for about 50 minutes or until cake is set. Cool and turn out.

Prepare frosting by creaming butter, then alternating wet and dry ingredients.
The frosting recipe makes quite a bit if you like it thick.
Enjoy.

Pumpkin Muffins

I have the strongest feeling that I have posted this recipe before but I can't find it on the blog and I made them again last night and they were yummy so I am going to share. They are also pretty lowfat which is a bonus. The recipe usually calls to make 12 but I usually go with 9 or 10 cuz I like a good-sized muffin, if you know what I mean!

Pumpkin Spice Muffins

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)
2 eggs
3/4 cup canned pumpkin puree
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla

Stir together dry ingredients, stir together moist ingredients. Pour moist over dry and stir unti
just barely mixed. Spoon into prepared cups and sprinkle with pumpkin seeds.
Bake at 375F for18 to 20 minutes.

Pumpkin Pie

So the Thanksgiving festivities are over for another year, but there is still the clean-up to contend with. Shouldn't be too bad and its another beautiful Fall day so I don't want to waste it all indoors.

I tried to get a photo of the pies before I put them out and I want to post the recipe, mostly for myself and I'll tell you why. I like to use the recipe off the back of the E.D. Smith  Pure Pumpkin but sometimes I like to buy the no name pumpkin because I'm cheap like that and they don't have a recipe. Sure I could look one up, but I'm a bit of a traditionalist and have been making this same recipe for years and its delicious. Creamy and just the right amount of spices. In fact, I could use a piece right now (but maybe I'll wait for lunchtime)
So this recipe is for me for next Thanksgiving.

Pumpkin Pie
(makes one pie)

2 eggs
1/2 can of 796 mL Pure Pumpkin
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground ginger
3/4 cup (175 mL) evaporated milk
1 unbaked pie shell

Beat eggs in bowl. Add other ingredients and then add evaporated milk.
Pour filling into pie shell. Bake at 425F for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350F and continue baking
for 30 to 35 minutes until knife inserted in centre comes out clean. (see above photo with knife mark visible)

I usually use the whole can and double the rest of the ingredients to make 2 pies or freeze the leftover pumpkin in spoonfuls for the dogs for when their tummies are upset.

Pumpkin Cake

I quite often get asked to bring my carrot cake to various functions but I was getting a little tired of making the same thing so I did a bit of browsing around the Internet and came up with this recipe for Pumpkin cake. They called it Cinderella cake. I was a little gun shy after making a few duds from Pinterest but I figured you can't go wrong with cream cheese frosting and I was right. This cake is delish, so moist and stays fresh for several days.
I had a little fight with my Bundt pan getting it out but nothing a little frosting wouldn't hide.
Hard to get a decent photo in these gloomy Fall Winter days but you get the idea.

Pumpkin Cake
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 15 oz can pumpkin puree (just over a half of the large can)
1 tsp vanilla

Blend sugar and eggs, add oil. Combine dry ingredients and add to wet. Pour into greased 9 in  Bundt pan. Bake at 350F for 55 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes, then turn out onto platter.

Coachman's Icing ( Cream Cheese)
4 oz cream cheese (1/2 a brick)
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 cups icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup nuts (optional)

Blend butter, cream cheese and vanilla. add sugar until desired consistency. Frost completely cooled cake and sprinkle with nuts if desired. This amount of frosting will not completely cover cake but is more then adequate for an excellent ratio of icing to cake.

Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

Just in time for Canadian Thanksgiving. Just discovered this recipe in Blogville and I've already made it twice. These are a soft, pillow-like cookie with just the right amount of pumpkin and spice.
I slightly underbaked them the first time, I made them and they turned out great.

Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened pumpkin puree
1 large egg
3 1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Mix together first 6 ingredients. Mix dry ingredients and add to wet and mix well. Chill dough about 30 minutes. Roll into balls the size of small walnuts. In a separate bowl, mix 1/2 cup white sugar with 1 Tbsp. cinnamon and 1/2 tsp ground ginger. Roll ball in sugar mixture and bake at 375 F for 7-8 minutes until lightly browned but still soft.