Friday, February 22, 2008

Pumpkin Ginger Lenten Cake



(and yes, that slice of cake IS on a Mary Poppins plate. I still have the matching cup too!)

This cake may be the winner from all of this year's and last's Lenten (eggless, milkless, butterless) cakes. The two cups of mashed pumpkin help it retain moisture, and it's hard not to love a recipe with ¼ cup of chopped, crystalised ginger. I'm a little sorry I didn't try it with butternut squash as I have some and that might also have been interesting.

This cake is flexible so long as the general proportions are kept. The recipe I adapted called for chocolate chips and nuts (with pumpkin? Oh, ick) but currants and ginger managed quite well in exchange. If you use raisins, I wouldn't soak them, as that will alter the moisture content of the cake, which is already pretty dense with the pumpkin and oil.

You Will Need:

3 cups all purpose flour
2 cups sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 cups tinned pumpkin
1-cup oil
1-¼ cups dried currants
¼ cup dried, crystalised ginger, finely chopped

Grease and flour a large bundt pan or two large loaf pans. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, sift together the dry ingredients. Add the oil and pumpkin and mix very well (the batter is pretty stiff so you may prefer to use an electric mixer). Fold in the currants and ginger.

Spoon evenly into pan and bake in the centre rack of the oven for an hour. Check for doneness-the cake may take up to an hour and fifteen minutes, so keep checking it.

Cool 10 minutes in pan, then unmould onto a rack and cool completely before glazing or dusting with powdered sugar.

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