The Very Best Pumpkin Cake

I love to read cookbooks as if they were novels.  The one that I can't seem to put down is the Southern Cakes cookbook that The Cake Slice Bakers are using.

I was looking for a cake to make for my father-in-law's birthday.  I had a freezer full of pumpkin puree, so the Pumpkin-Raisin Cake caught my attention.

There were only a few adjustments that had to be made. 

The recipe calls for self-rising flour, which is nowhere to be found in Mexico.  But, the recipe also includes a suggestion on what to use in place of the self-rising flour.

The recipe in the book is Pumpkin-Raisin, but I'm the only person in my family that likes raisins.  So, I didn't include the raisins in my recipe and changed the name to Pumpkin-Pecan

The frosting was perfect.  The consistency resembled store bought frosting, but tasted much better.  

(Sigh!)  This cake was moist and delicious.  The pumpkin-pecan cake and the lemon-cream cheese frosting are the perfect combination.  My mother-in-law said that this was the best cake I've ever made.  And I agree!

Pumpkin-Pecan Cake with Lemon-Cream Cheese Frosting
(adapted from Southern Cakes by Nancie McDermott)

Pumpkin-Pecan Cake:

• 2-1/2 cups flour
• 2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1-1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 eggs
• 2 cups pumpkin puree (fresh or canned)

Lemon-Cream Cheese Frosting:

• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 2 to 3 tablespoons lemon juice

To make the cake:
Heat the oven to 325ºF.  Grease and flour one 13 x 9 inch pan.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg, stirring with a fork to mix everything well.

In a small bowl, combine the pecans with 1/4 cup of the flour mixture and 2 tablespoons of the oil; toss to mix well.

In another medium bowl, combine the sugar and the remaining 1 cup of oil and mix well with a wooden spoon or wire whisk.

Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Add the remaining flour mixture all at once and stir just until the flour disappears into the batter.

Add the pumpkin and mix thoroughly.

Stir in the floured nuts, gently mix them in well.

Quickly transfer the batter to the cake pan.  Bake at 325ºF for about 25 minutes or until the cake begins to pull away from the sides of the pan and springs back when touched lightly in the center.

Let the cake cool completely in the pan on a wire rack.

To make the frosting:
Combine the powdered sugar, cream cheese and lemon juice in a medium bowl.

Beat with an electric mixer until creamy and smooth. (If frosting is too thick, add more lemon juice until desired consistency.)

Spread frosting over cooled cake.

Enjoy!!!

With Love,