Pumpkin Castle Cake

This cake is currently Bart's signature dessert--he can whip it together in no time at all, and it always turns out incredibly moist and delicious! At the end of the school year, we suddenly realized that Alyssa needed to bring something to "auction" off the next day. It was late at night, and we still had a lot to do before going to bed/work. Bart quickly put this cake together. The next morning, I put it on a cake circle, sprinkled the cake with powdered sugar (since the cake wouldn't be refrigerated we didn't use the cream cheese glaze), and boxed it up in a cake box which I tied with a beautiful wide ribbon and attached a picture of the cake to the outside of the box. Alyssa's teacher offered a million dollars for the cake before the auction. But since she wasn't allowed to purchase it, the girl who did buy it shared it with her class and we heard feedback that everyone really liked it.

Mrs. Chiu’s Spicy Pumpkin Cake
from King Arthur Flour Baking Sheet Autumn 2006

Cake batter:
3 cups (12 ¾ ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup (7 ounces) granulated sugar
1 cup (7 ½ ounces) packed light brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground allspice
1 cup (8 ounces) water
1 scant cup (8 ounces) canned pumpkin
2/3 cup (4-5/8 ounces) vegetable oil
2 teaspoons distilled white vinegar

Glaze:
4 ounces cream cheese
1 cup (4 ounces) confectioners’ sugar, sifted or pushed through strainer
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons (1 ounce) milk

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 325° F. Grease and lightly flour a nonstick 10-inch tube or Bundt pan; set aside.

To make the cake batter: In a medium bowl combine the flour, sugars, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and allspice; set aside. In a small bowl, whisk together the water, pumpkin, oil, and vinegar. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and beat with an electric mixer at medium speed until the flour is well incorporated (about 2 minutes), scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula as needed. Do not overbeat. The batter should look thick and creamy. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top with a spatula.

Bake for about 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer the cake to a cooling rack and allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Invert the cake onto a serving plate, remove the pan, and cool to room temperature.

To make the glaze: Place the cream cheese in a medium bowl, and heat it briefly in the microwave (1 minute is plenty, if cold from the refrigerator) to soften it until it’s almost runny. Stir until the cheese is smooth, with no lumps. Stir in the sugar and vanilla until smooth; add the milk to thin to a glaze consistency. Spoon the glaze over the top of the cake. Refrigerate the cake, uncovered, for 3 hours, until the glaze is set. Store covered after slicing in the refrigerator. Yield: 1 cake, 16 slices.