Tuesday

Spiced Pumpkin Cake with Maple Frosting



There are still some tomatoes on the vine, but our first frost is
just around the corner . . . might as well face it,
we're feeling the nip of Fall in the air.
We've already been lighting up the wood stove
to take the chill off of the mornings and evenings.

And as much as I detest the shorter days and less
sunlight, there are some things I do love about Fall.
Baking is one of them.




It is a welcome excuse to crank up the oven and bake at this time 
of year and the payoffs are plentiful:

Warm kitchen... 
delightful aromas... 
comforting, cozy atmosphere...
good food to look forward to...
satisfied tummies...
Happy memories...

All of the above make for warm fuzzies
and a happy family. :)


In summer we have all kinds of fresh fruit
to keep a sweet tooth satisfied, in the
cooler months we must become a little
more creative.  Apples, pumpkins, pears
and preserved fruit to the rescue, and soon
the citrus will become more abundant.  I've
been baking some apple sweets which I'll
share soon, but in the meantime . . . 





This is a simple little sheet cake, you can use
canned pumpkin (plain, not pie filling), or cook your own pumpkin
or squash. Since I had a can of pumpkin open
for another recipe, I decided to make this little
cake. It doesn't take many ingredients and
it goes together quickly.




The original recipe yields a 9x13-inch cake pan,
but we don't need that much cake at once so
I made a half recipe and baked it in a 9x9-inch pan.
If a 9x9-inch cake is still too much for you,
you can bake it, then divide it in half, wrap well and freeze the half
and enjoy the other half immediately.
When you want to serve the remainder, thaw and spread the frosting on 
when it's completely thawed, or just sprinkle with powdered sugar.





The frosting is made with pure maple syrup, cream cheese
butter and powdered sugar and a little vanilla extract.  
The maple flavor is very mild, if you like it more pronounced 
you could add some maple flavor extract . . . but I try to avoid
the artificially flavored stuff, so I don't. 

I reduce the sugar amount by a bit, because I don't care for overly 
sweet things, and if you reduce the cream cheese by a tablespoon or so, 
the maple will be a bit more prominent.


I serve the toasted chopped pecans in a little dish with a spoon,
on the side since many people have trouble digesting them.
This way it makes everybody happy.

Perfect with a cup of tea or coffee, and it makes
a fine little dessert.
  
If you would like a printable copy of the recipe,
it's over on my recipe blog . . .

Click here.

Thank you for stopping by ~ I would love if you
would leave a comment so I know you've visited!

Blessings!

~mari  :)
 

10 comments:

  1. Mari, Your photos and recipes give me the warm fuzzies! I'm SO ready for the nip of fall in the air! Our leaves are still green with just the barest minimum of fall color on the tippy ends of the maples. Love your board with your wee acorns! Miss playing with you this week ♥

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Mary, Thank you! It's difficult to believe you're still having warm weather (no wonder everything looks so pretty and green at your house!) Oh you ladies are doing fun things with apples this week, it's fun to see all of your creativity. I loved your picnic on Monday and I can't wait to see what you have for us tomorrow. Happy Apple Week! xo

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  2. I wish the nip would last 2 months max then tuck:-)
    We enjoy the maple syrup cream cheese frosting..I just know it must be perfect on this cake..love the little bottle:-)
    It's funny I have a few cute straws..could never get it all in..bottles too tall:-)
    You're so good at this:-)

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    Replies
    1. I'm with you Monique, it would be great to have a much shorter winter! Can we put it to a vote?!
      I have a problem getting tall bottles into the shot too ~ it's always awkward to figure out where to 'cut' them off, so I usually avoid. That little Borden's Dairy bottle is from an antique store here in town (I don't think it's quite an antique, but it IS older than me... so maybe that makes it so!) I think they used to bottle cream in that size.
      Thank you for your sweet comments! xoxo

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  3. oh i love love love your pics and details... i just checked the weather we are sunny and mid 80s for10 days out, i too would love a chill and time to head indoors for the delicious smells of fall...

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    Replies
    1. Hi Jain, I heard about your heatwave ~ I think Palo Alto is supposed to be 80º today... yikes. Well, enjoy it hopefully it will make up for all those overcast/foggy/windy days you had this summer! Wait a minute... I presumed you were @ sea dream, if you're in v-town then that is a nice reprieve from the 100+ºs you had this summer!! You win both ways. :)

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  4. Hi Mari, haven't been over to comment lately (such difficult weeks)...your pumpkin spice cake is so perfect, moist, and just the right cake for Thanksgiving...among others that we will have ...pies, of course. Love the recipe, and the superb photos, as well! Hugs,

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  5. Hi Elisabeth, Thank you! I hope things are quieting down for you, so good to have you come visit. ((hugs))

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  6. Hi Mari, Love the idea of making a smaller version, and freezing the extra. It is nice to have dessert in the freezer for company. Love your food styling and photos as usual.

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  7. Hi Madonna, I love the smaller size desserts too (so fond of individual sizes!) Whenever I see a cake or desserts calling for a 9"x13" pan I usually run the other way but most, thankfully, can be successfully halved for smaller families like ours. Yay, we win! :D

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Thank you for your comments, friends ~ they make my day!

A Sampling of my food . . .

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