Pumpkin Spice Mini Cake

Since I made the Pumpkin Oat Muffins, I've been trying to figure out what I could do with the leftover pumpkin puree. Then I came across a recipe in one of my cookbooks, Small Batch Baking by Debby Maugans Nakos. I really like this book because each recipe only makes enough to serve 2 or 3 people which is perfect for just my husband and I. It has everything from cakes and cookies to all kinds of breads, muffins, and special occasion desserts. The original recipe that inspired me to make this little cake was the one for Spiced Sweet Potato Bundt Cakes. I made the cake recipe exactly as listed in the book, but I substituted the pumpkin instead of the sweet potato.

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons pumpkin puree (again, Libby's pure canned pumpkin)
1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
Yolk of 1 large egg
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Enough butter and flour to grease and flour two molds in a mini Bundt pan, or whatever pan you use (I used a miniature 3 pan set by Wilton you can get at Michaels or just about anywhere that sells cake decorating supplies).

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare pans by greasing with butter and flouring lightly.
• Mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and salt in a small bowl. Set aside. Add the sugar, oil, egg yolk, and vanilla to the pumpkin puree and whisk until smooth. Add the flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture and mix just until the dry ingredients are moistened.
• Spoon batter into pans, dividing it evenly between them. If you are using a mini Bundt pan, fill remaining molds halfway with water to preven scorching. Bake the cakes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 15-20 minutes (about 14 minutes for me).
• Allow cakes to cool in pans for 15 minutes, then carefully remove them and transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

I did not make the icing recipe recommended in the book because I didn't have any heavy cream. My icing was a spur of the moment concoction I threw together that probably won't be anything to write home about! So here is the icing recipe in the book.

1/2 cup confectioners sugar

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar

1/4 cup heavy whipping cream

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Sift the confectioners sugar into a medium sized bowl. Place brown sugar, cream, and butter in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly until the butter melts and the sugar dissolves. Let the mixture boil for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.

• Remove saucepan from heat and pour the mixture over the confectioner's sugar. Whisk in the vanilla, and continue whisking until the icing is smooth and light in color. Let icing cool, whisking often, until luke warm and thick enough to fall from a spoon in ribbons, about 20 minutes. Spoon icing over cake, allowing to drip down the sides. Let cake rest until icing is firm, about 1 hour.

Afterthoughts

I think this cake would also be good with a cream cheese frosting, maybe with a little cinnamon in it. It was very delicious and the icing I made actually tasted pretty good (This was after it spent the day in the refrigerator, which helped it set up and the flavors to mix better). It contained fat free sour cream, a couple tablespoons of maple syrup and some sugar. I probably wouldn't make it that way again, but it complemented the cake well.