Happy Halloween!

Loads of treats around here, including Whoppers - possibly the best candy around, no?!? Last night I quickly improvised some baking for a potluck that Jerry had at work today. I had all the ingredients to make some yummy pumpkin bread, and I happen to have a fantastic 2-part bundt pan that makes each half of a pumpkin. Put the two halves together and it makes a gorgeous 3D pumpkin cake - stem and all! Luckily, I had to do some leveling to the halves before stacking them, so we actually got to taste those discards before it was taken to work. So yummy! Here's the finished cake, surrounded by some candy corn and candy pumpkins:

and here's the recipe (adapted from a recipe that appeared in Bon Appetit in 1995):

Spiced Pumpkin Bread

• 1.5 cups sugar
• 1.5 cups brown sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 3 large eggs
• 1 15-ounce can pumpkin (or fresh pumpkin, if available)
• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 6 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup toasted, chopped pecans (optional)
• 1 cup golden raisins (optional)

Preheat oven to 350F. Butter and flour two 9x5x3" loaf pans. Beat sugars and oil in large bowl to blend. Mix in eggs and pumpkin. Sift flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, salt and baking powder into another large bowl. Stir into pumpkin mixture in 2 additions. Mix in pecans and raisins, if desired.

Divide batter equally between prepared pans. Bake for 1 hour 10 minutes, or until tested inserted into center comes out clean. Transfer to racks and cool for 10 minutes. Turn loaves out on racks and cool completely. Makes 2 loaves.

Comments

[aj]

What a cute and yummy looking cake!

[Nancy]

That cake is AMAZING! Looks lovely and sounds like it tasted great too. My husband's birthday is on Halloween so I'm going to have to look out for a Bundt pan like that for next year...

[Margot]

Great looking loaves. Would love to get a bundt pan like that.

[Ashley Schrage]

I'm making the same lion pattern for my son this year. I'm trying to get all of the materials online because I live in a small town with no craft supplys. My question is, what width of ribbon is used on the mane. I looked at McCalls website and ribbon isn't even mentioned on the material list. Thank you for your post, it saved me alot of hassel by knowing it is ribbon and not fleece.
Thank You