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Wednesday 8 October 2014

Pumpkin Spice Cake





It's that time of year again. Everybody has started screaming about #PSLs being available at that coffee chain that we keep supporting even though they don't pay their corporation taxes. I'm so over it.


Don't get me wrong: I love pumpkin more than you could ever understand. When I first found out about pumpkin spice latte, my heart skipped a beat (though I did think the idea of pumpkin and coffee sounded rather on the not delicious side of delicious). But here's the thing…

THERE'S NO PUMPKIN IN THE DAMN THINGS! It's pumpkin spice in the sense of 'spices that you might put into a pumpkin pie', not actual pumpkin-infused coffee drink.

I thought it was awful. Misleading. Wrong. And then it dawned on me last week that I could use the widely accepted deceit to my advantage, since I didn't actually have any pumpkin in the house and I wanted to bust out the Nordic Ware pumpkin loaf pan. (And why wouldn't I? Have you seen how beautiful this cake is?)

So there we go: pumpkin spice cake, without an ounce of pumpkin in it. Well, if Starbucks can do it with their lattes…

Try it. I'm not saying don't cook with pumpkin at all, but if you have this tin, it's a shame not to use it at this time of year. (I actually also use it for lemon drizzle year-round, but don't tell anyone.)

By the way, the almond extract is optional, but I have been tinkering about with my bottle of it ever since Fuss Free Helen turned me onto the stuff made by Steenberg's. I love the extra marzipanny depth it gives everything, but I know that not everyone is an almond lover, so you might just want the vanilla. Your choice.


Pumpkin Spice Cake

You will need:

200g plain flour
200g caster sugar
1 tsp baking powder
a pinch of salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp nutmeg
225g soft butter
4 egg whites (or 2 whole eggs, I just had whites to use!)
75ml milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract

  1. Pre-heat the oven to 180°C and grease a standard sized loaf pan.
  2. In a large bowl, or a stand mixer (which is what I used), mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and spices. Add the butter and milk and mix until well combined. Beat for two minutes.
  3. Add the egg whites and extracts and beat until smooth (about another minute).
  4. Scrape into the prepared tin and bake for about 45 minutes. Rest for ten minutes in the pan and then turn out onto a wire rack to finish cooling.
Delicious Delicious Delicious received three samples of extracts from Steenberg's Organic. No money changed hands, and my opinions are, as always, my own.

20 comments:

  1. Yes, pumpkin spice is misleading! Recently made a pumpkin and pecan loaf over at cakeyboi with actual pumpkin. Worth adding to recipes for the moistness it adds - if you can get hold of it that is!!

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    1. My cupboard is full! I always buy three cans when I am in the US, so it lasts me all year. :)

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  2. Fabulous autumnal cake! This name thing is like Coffee Cake in Denmark which has no coffee in it but meant to be eaten with a cup of coffee! I love the Steenbergs Almond essence as anything that makes my cakes taste a bit like marzipan is a massive bonus for me. Love the pumpkin tin - I don't have any fun tins like that!

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    Replies
    1. It's time to go shopping then, Camilla. Maybe to Miami? :)

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  3. I love the Steenberg's essences - wish I could get them in Dubai. I now have severe pumpkin pan envy :)

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    1. I have it on good authority that you can get almost anything in Dubai. Maybe my friends are telling porkies!

      Love Steenberg's though. Great stuff.

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  4. Pumpkin is such a lovely ingredient... as is it's close relative the butternut squash which I use all the time at this time of year. I made a spiced pumpkin cake last week and it was like carrot cake, but better! Get the pumpkins involved people...

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    Replies
    1. That is because pumpkins are better than carrots. Am I right or am I right?

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  5. I am obsessed with everything pumpkin at the moment. This sound delicious!

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    Replies
    1. You need to go shopping with Camilla then and get a pumpkin pan. Feed the obsession!

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  6. love your cake mould... so very pretty x

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  7. Haha I'm confused about the pumpkin spice latte thing too. This cake looks great - love the mould!

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    Replies
    1. Percy actually drinks them btw. I think they're yucky!

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  8. How sneaky, but it looks amazing. That's one fancy pan you have there!

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    1. I know, I did think twice before buying it, but then I thought the regret would be too much to bear if I didn't!

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  9. Mr P, it's gorgeous. And I love your reasoning on the no-pumpkin thing! I just posted my Steamed Pumpkin Pudding, something you might like (or else I wouldn't have mentioned it!). What's not to love about pumpkin, and yet I actually know a few people who don't like it.

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  10. I love this tin, but still find it funny (even though I should be used to it) that everyone is posting about pumpkin while we’re getting stuck into asparagus and strawberries...I’ll bookmark it for next Autumn :)

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  11. Peter, just wanted to pop back in and tell you I'm doing a kitchen tools giveaway this week and, for once, the giveaway is open to readers everywhere, not just the US.

    ReplyDelete

That's what he said.

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