I seem to have quite the obsession with pumpkin at the moment. Maybe it's the start of autumn and all the lovely burnt oranges and reds that are all around me on every walk to school or potter to the shops. The weather has turned decidedly chilly in London but we still have bright beautiful days full of sunshine and this is one of my favourite times of the year.
I've made no secret of the fact that pumpkin is one of my favourite cooking ingredients and so today I have another pumpkin recipe for you and I'm afraid it probably won't be the last! But I really wanted to make a bundt cake and it seemed fitting that at this time of year, pumpkin should be the starring flavour of one of these beautiful cakes.
I love my bundt tin. I only own one and I spent a lot of time in the shop deciding upon which one I wanted. And I think I chose one of the trickiest tins for success because it has such a detailed pattern around the sides. I have had success and failure with this tin but I am so thrilled that I seem to have found a knack to winning with it! The secret is all in the greasing (instructions below) and I also place the tin on a hot wet tea towel for 10 seconds when it comes out of the oven and since I've been doing this, I seem to have a winning streak :)
The cake is a lot like making a carrot cake but you just exchange the carrots for pumpkin puree. You can buy pumpkin puree ready-made in a tin or make it yourself - the tin route is definitely quicker and easier! I tend to use tinned if I can find it and it can also be tricky to find pumpkins all year around.
I decorated my bundt cake with a pumpkin sugar glaze, a simple glaze made from icing sugar and pumpkin added to milk, vanilla and melted butter. I love the slightly golden sheen it gives the cake too. You should add this glaze close to serving for the best effect.
I think this would make a marvellous centrepiece for any gathering with family and friends. My boys loved it (even though they were quite firm that they didn't approve of pumpkin as a vegetable!) and I've had to promise to make them a pumpkin pie very soon as they've decided they quite like the flavour. Boys after my own heart :)
pumpkin bundt cake + pumpkin sugar glaze
Ingredients
Bundt Cake
- 300G SOFT BROWN SUGAR
- 250ML VEGETABLE OIL
- 2 TBSP ORANGE JUICE
- 3 EGGS
- 400G PLAIN FLOUR
- 2 TSP BICARB OF SODA
- 1 TSP CINNAMON
- 1 TSP PUMPKIN SPICE
- 300G PUMPKIN PUREE
Pumpkin Sugar Glaze
- 80G ICING SUGAR
- 15ML MELTED BUTTER
- 1/2 TBSP MILK
- 1/2 TSP VANILLA EXTRACT
- 1 TBSP PUMPKIN PUREE
You will also need a bundt tin -- you can buy any brand but if you're thinking about making an investment, then the tins from Nordic Ware are excellent
Method
- Preheat the oven to 160 degrees (fan)
- Spray your bundt tin liberally with cake release spray (or you can use melted butter if you don't have this) using a pastry brush to ensure you've greased all the details and then coat this in a layer of plain flour
- Sieve the flour, bicarb and spices into a bowl and mix together to ensure they're well combined
- In a stand mixer, beat the sugar, oil and orange juice until well combined - this will take around 3-5 minutes
- Add the eggs one at a time, beating the mixture after each addition
- Add the pumpkin puree and beat until you have a smooth mixture
- Then add the flour and mix through gently until combined
- Fill the bundt tin a cupful of mixture at a time and then smooth the surface with a spatula
- Bake your cake for 40 minutes and then keep checking it after that until a skewer comes out clean - mine took just less than 50 mins but you don't want to over-bake it
- Soak a tea towel with boiling hot water and place it in your sink
- Remove your bundt tin from the oven and place it on the tea towel (tin side touching the towel) for 10 seconds and then turn it out onto a cooling rack
- Let it cool for 20 minutes
- Just before serving, place all of the ingredients for the glaze in a small bowl and whisk them together
- Drizzle the glaze over the top of the cake, allowing the drizzle to run down the sides
- And enjoy :)