Ask any cook, from a highly decorated chef to a humble home cook. There is nothing more satisfying than the elated face of the one who has taken a bite of her food. One of my best moments was when I served a pumpkin birthday cake to my friend Cari. The cake looked poorly shaped, but just one bite made Cari, the guests and myself ecstatic. The combination of spicy pumpkin with cocoa pleased our palates and enchanted our hearts. Most of all, Cari was so joyful for her birthday surprise that I chose to name this cake after her.
To make the cake we first stop at a garden or the farmers' market, where we buy a nice juicy pumpkin. We can also find beautiful pumpkins at the fresh produce section of any grocery store. And once you are at the store make sure you buy eggs, all-purpose flour, baking powder, butter, sugar, both granulated and confectioner's, some whipping cream, at least 35% fat, and some cocoa powder. If you cannot find good pumpkin or if it is out of season a small can of pumpkin purée should be added to your list of groceries.
Selecting the perfect pumpkin might be the trick of the Halloween spirit, so here are some tips. While pumpkin for carving must have a perfectly round shape, there is no need to worry about this when we are selecting a pumpkin for cooking. As a matter of fact, a badly shaped pumpkin is a good sign that the plant and the vegetable were the receivers of the least amount of agricultural interventions. In the true spirit of organic farming no vegetable should look the same as the next one, thus the uglier the pumpkin the healthier it is. That does not mean that it must have other flaws, like scars or soft spots. The pumpkin must be robust and heavy for its size, which means that it is fleshy. Last but not least, if we are not using the pumpkin immediately we need to make sure that the stem is still attached on the produce. The stem assures that the vegetable lives longer, as long as we store it in a cool and dry place.
For our recipe we cut the pumpkin in wedges, seed it and put it in the oven, with the skin still on, in high heat for about an hour or until the flesh becomes soft. We take the flesh out with a spoon and purée it. If we have pumpkin carving leftovers, they are excellent for puréeing too. We just peel them and boil them with a little water (about half a cup) until they are soft. We need about a cup of pumpkin purée. The more pumpkin we add to the batter the heavier the cake will become. Personally, I like dense cakes, so I use about a cup and a half, but for a fluffier cake a cup of purée is enough.
For the cake, we separate four eggs and whip the whites on medium speed until they form soft peaks. We add a cup of granulated sugar and keep whipping until we get a shiny meringue. We combine the mixture with the egg yolks and shift in the mixture a cup and a half of flour and one Tsp of baking powder. We mix well with the electric mixer.
Then we add 2 sticks of melted butter (about one cup) and the pumpkin purée. If we have boiled the pumpkin, we make sure to strain it well, so that the least amount of moist goes into the batter. We add one tsp of ground cinnamon or any pumpkin mix of our liking. I like the clean taste of cinnamon for this cake, but any spice mix can work well. Finally, we give the mixture a good whip.
As I have mentioned before, I like to bake my cakes in silicon molds, because they do not need any oil coating. If you are not using this kind of utensils, oil well and dust with flour, or use cooking paper at the bottom of the pan. Bake for 35 minutes at 350oF.
While the cake is baking, we freeze a bowl and the whisks of the electric mixer for 10 minutes. We make sure the whipping cream is cool too. The lower the temperature of the utensils and the cream, the better the cream will be whipped. Next, we mix 2 Tsp of confectioner's sugar with one small container of cream and whip until we get a soft, buttery and delicious cream. We shift in 2 Tsp of cocoa powder and whip some more in low speed (we do not overdo it with the whipping, or else we will get some white butter).
We take the cake out of the oven and let it cool. We cut it in half horizontally and fill one half with cream. We place the other half of the cake on top and cover it with the rest of the cream. In the end, we sprinkle with chocolate syrup on top.
The cake is simple, but delightful. Although pumpkin pie in the US is served with plain whipping cream, the cocoa in this recipe really brings out the earthy taste of pumpkin in combination with the sensational aroma of the cinnamon. It is worth trying!
For our recipe we cut the pumpkin in wedges, seed it and put it in the oven, with the skin still on, in high heat for about an hour or until the flesh becomes soft. We take the flesh out with a spoon and purée it. If we have pumpkin carving leftovers, they are excellent for puréeing too. We just peel them and boil them with a little water (about half a cup) until they are soft. We need about a cup of pumpkin purée. The more pumpkin we add to the batter the heavier the cake will become. Personally, I like dense cakes, so I use about a cup and a half, but for a fluffier cake a cup of purée is enough.
For the cake, we separate four eggs and whip the whites on medium speed until they form soft peaks. We add a cup of granulated sugar and keep whipping until we get a shiny meringue. We combine the mixture with the egg yolks and shift in the mixture a cup and a half of flour and one Tsp of baking powder. We mix well with the electric mixer.
Then we add 2 sticks of melted butter (about one cup) and the pumpkin purée. If we have boiled the pumpkin, we make sure to strain it well, so that the least amount of moist goes into the batter. We add one tsp of ground cinnamon or any pumpkin mix of our liking. I like the clean taste of cinnamon for this cake, but any spice mix can work well. Finally, we give the mixture a good whip.
As I have mentioned before, I like to bake my cakes in silicon molds, because they do not need any oil coating. If you are not using this kind of utensils, oil well and dust with flour, or use cooking paper at the bottom of the pan. Bake for 35 minutes at 350oF.
While the cake is baking, we freeze a bowl and the whisks of the electric mixer for 10 minutes. We make sure the whipping cream is cool too. The lower the temperature of the utensils and the cream, the better the cream will be whipped. Next, we mix 2 Tsp of confectioner's sugar with one small container of cream and whip until we get a soft, buttery and delicious cream. We shift in 2 Tsp of cocoa powder and whip some more in low speed (we do not overdo it with the whipping, or else we will get some white butter).
We take the cake out of the oven and let it cool. We cut it in half horizontally and fill one half with cream. We place the other half of the cake on top and cover it with the rest of the cream. In the end, we sprinkle with chocolate syrup on top.
The cake is simple, but delightful. Although pumpkin pie in the US is served with plain whipping cream, the cocoa in this recipe really brings out the earthy taste of pumpkin in combination with the sensational aroma of the cinnamon. It is worth trying!
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