Pumpkin Chiffon Cake

It's the time of year for pumpkin. We were having friends over and I wanted to make a pumpkin cake, but with a twist. Chiffon cakes are always delicious, light and airy, and I decided a pumpkin-flavoured cake would be a good thing. I found a recipe on-line, very similar to my usual chiffon cake recipe, with the addition of pumpkin and spice. I tweaked it and then added a simple chocolate glaze and cinnamon toasted pecans for a cake that everyone enjoyed. 

A few days after I made the cake, a small section was left, sitting on the counter under the glass cake dome. Our son came over for something, saw the cake, went to the cupboard for a plate and helped himself, asked if I minded. Not at all. I was very tickled that he felt so at home, and that he still enjoys his mother's cooking.

Pumpkin Chiffon Cake

2 scant cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups white sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
dash of ground cloves
7 eggs, separated, at room temperature
3/4 cup pumpkin puree (not pie filling)
1/2 cup vegetable oil (I used grapeseed oil)
1/2 cup room temperature water
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 

2. In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. 

3. In a smaller bowl, mix together the egg yolks, pumpkin puree, water, and oil. Stir until smooth.

4. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture. Pour in the wet ingredients and whisk until smooth. 

5. In a large, grease-free bowl (glass or metal), beat the egg whites and cream of tartar until stiff.

6. Stir a large spoonful of the whites into the yolk/flour mixture to lighten, then fold in the remaining egg whites, lifting and folding until no streaks remain.

7. Pour the batter into an ungreased 10-inch tube pan. Bake for 55-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the cake comes clean. 

8. Turn the pan over and suspend to cool. 

Chocolate Glaze

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 Tablespoon butter
1 Tablespoon light corn syrup
2 Tablespoons cream

Heat gently together and stir until creamy. Pour over the cake.

Toasted Pecans

1/3 cup pecan pieces
1 teaspoon cinnamon sugar

Use a small cast iron skillet and toast over medium heat, stirring frequently. The sugar will caramelize and coat the nuts with a very light coating for a hint of sweetness.  

Pumpkin Chiffon Cake

For my birthday recently, my husband gave me a copper beating bowl. He knew how much I admired Monet's kitchen in Giverny and all the copper pots and bowls hanging on the wall there. 
In an odd bit of coincidence, my youngest daughter gave me a set of copper measuring spoons. The two had not discussed the copper focus at all. 
Fun!

To try out my new bowl, I made this chiffon cake. It's based on an online recipe by Rachael Ray, but slightly altered. Mine turned out a wee bit underbaked at the recommended 55 minutes, so I've upped the recommended time to 60 minutes. It's a wonderfully light and airy cake and one I'll be making again. 

Pumpkin Chiffon Cake

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
4 eggs yolks
1 cup pumpkin puree
9 egg whites, at room temperature

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Have a two-part tube pan ready for baking. No grease needed.

2. In a large bowl, combine the flour, 1/2 cup sugar, baking powder, salt, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. 

3. In another, smaller bowl, whisk the egg yolks until well blended and slightly paler. Whisk in the pumpkin puree. Add this mixture to the dry ingredients. 

4. In a clean, grease-free bowl (I used my copper beating bowl), beat the egg whites until foamy. Add the remaining 1/2 cup of white sugar and continue beating until stiff but not dry. 

5. Add 1/4 of the egg white mixture to the pumpkin mixture. Gently fold until almost no streaks remain. 

6. Add the remainder of the egg whites to the bowl. Again, gently fold until no streaks remain. Pour carefully into the tube pan. 

7. Bake for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick or piece of uncooked spaghetti inserted into the cake comes out clean.

8. Turn the cake pan upside down and suspend over a funnel or propped between two cans or glasses until completely cool.

9. Carefully run a knife or off-set spatula between the outside of the cake pan and the cake to loosen. Separate the cake pan, then run a knife around the bottom of the cake to loosen and turn out cake onto serving plate. 

10. Make a runny glaze with icing sugar, soft butter, vanilla flavouring, and milk or cream. Drizzle over the cake top and sides. 

Yogurt Cake

This recipe has become a regular around here. It comes together quickly with ingredients I usually have on hand, tastes wonderful warm or cool, and is a great background for a variety of sauces and toppings. Oh, and it keeps well, too, covered, on the counter. Credit for the recipe goes to Chocolate and Zucchini, a cookbook written by a French author. (She also writes a blog by the same name.) I've altered it slightly.

Yogurt Cake

1/3 cup vegetable oil (I use grapeseed), plus what's needed to oil the pan
1 cup plain yogurt (unsweetened), full fat or 2%
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 Tablespoon rum (optional)
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 to 1/2  teaspoon salt 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line the bottom of a 10-inch round cake pan with parchment paper, and oil the sides of the pan. OR, use a 10-inch springform pan and just oil the sides. I use a springform pan.

Whisk together the yogurt and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Add the eggs, one at a time, whisking well after each addition. Add the vanilla extract, the rum and the oil. Whisk again. 

In another bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add to yogurt mixture and whisk or stir lightly just until combined.

Pour the batter into the cake pan. Bake 35-40 minutes or until golden brown. A toothpick inserted into the cake should come out clean. Cool on a rack for 10-15 minutes, then loosen from pan and turn out onto the rack to cool. 

In the above photo I served the cake with a raspberry sauce made with frozen berries from last summer. It's equally good with any fruit sauce, or fresh fruit and whipped cream, or chocolate sauce.  

Pumpkin Cranberry Bundt Cake

Here we are in rainy November. A good time for a moist, flavorful cake, I think. This one fits the bill perfectly. I've made it for a number of years and have never been disappointed. Full of the season's flavours, it could even be considered "healthy" with the use of whole wheat flour.

Pumpkin Cranberry Bundt Cake

2 cups whole wheat flour (or use 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg (fresh is best)
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup canned pureed pumpkin (not pie filling)
1 cup fresh cranberries (or frozen and thawed), coarsely chopped

Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Butter and flour an 8 cup Bundt pan. 

In a large bowl, combine the flour, spices, baking soda and salt. Stir to combine and set aside.

In a smaller bowl, whisk the eggs until foamy (you could certainly use a mixer for this.) Add the sugar, then the oil and pumpkin and mix until well blended. 

Add the pumpkin mixture to the flour mixture and stir just until combined. Gently stir in the cranberries. Pour batter into the prepared Bundt pan. Bake for 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 15 minutes, then turn out onto a rack.

Dust with icing sugar to serve, or make a glaze with maple syrup, a little soft butter, and icing sugar. (I made a glaze.)