Pumpkin, or “pompion,” as the early English settlers called it, has long been a New England staple. The fruit grows easily—almost too easily—here, where it can take over the garden. John Josselyn found several kinds of pumpkin growing here in the late 1600s. In his New-England Rarities Discovered (1672), he writes, “They are dryer than our English Pompions, and better tasted.” Pumpkin is such a diverse fruit: It can be served as a side dish, as was the Pilgrim custom, or it can be baked in a dessert.
This moist pumpkin cake, topped with cream cheese frosting,
is one of my most-requested desserts. If you use fresh pumpkin, you’ll need to
cook it first and then place it in cheesecloth fastened over a bowl to allow
excess moisture to drain. It’s far easier to open a can. Freshly
ground clove in the frosting is the surprise ingredient that brings this cake to
the next level:
Pumpkin cake
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
4 beaten eggs
1 15-ounce can pumpkin
1 cup cooking oil
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, stir
together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, salt and nutmeg. Stir in the eggs, pumpkin and oil until combined. Pour batter into an
ungreased 9- by 13-inch pan. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until a toothpick
inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely on wire rack before
frosting.
Cream cheese frosting
One 3-ounce package cream cheese, softened
¼ cup butter, softened
2 cups sifted powdered sugar
One teaspoon vanilla
¼ teaspoon freshly ground cloves
Using a mixer, beat together cream cheese, butter and
vanilla until fluffy. Gradually add powdered sugar and beat until it reaches
spreading consistency. Add ground cloves and mix just until incorporated.
Note: This cake must be stored in the refrigerator.
