HELEN’S PUMPKIN CAKE

Cat­e­gory: Baked Goods

Plac­er­Grown ingre­di­ents used: Eggs Pump­kins Walnuts

Ingre­di­ents:

• 4 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 cups fresh pump­kin puree
• 1 cup veg­etable or canola oil
• 1 1/2 tea­spoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tea­spoon each ground all­spice and ground ginger
• 1 tea­spoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups flour
• 2 tea­spoons bak­ing powder
• 1 tea­spoon bak­ing soda
• 1/2 tea­spoon salt
• 1/2 cup chopped wal­nuts or pecans
• Frost­ing
• 1/2 cup butter(room temperature)
• 3 ounces cream cheese(room temperature)
• 3/4 cup pow­dered sugar
• 1 tea­spoon vanilla extract

Instruc­tions:
Pre­heat the oven to 350º (325º if using a Pyrex glass pan). Set aside a 9-by-13-inch bak­ing pan; do not grease. In the bowl of an elec­tric mixer fit­ted with the pad­dle attach­ment, beat the eggs until frothy. Add the sugar, pump­kin, oil, spice, and vanilla. Beat on low speed to com­bine, then increase to medium speed. Beat 1 minute. Addthe flour, bak­ing pow­der, bak­ing soda, and salt; beat on low speed 2 min­utes. Add the nuts and stir to com­bine. Pour into the bak­ing pan. Bake on the cen­ter rack for about 40 min­utes, until the cake is golden brown, the top springs back when lightly pressed, and a cake tester inserted into the cen­ter comes out clean. Let cool in the pan on a rack at least 1 hour before frost­ing. To pre­pare the frost­ing, beat the but­ter and cream cheese with an elec­tric mixer until fluffy. Add the pow­dered sugar and vanilla and beat on low speed until fluffy. Add a bit more pow­dered sugar if nec­es­sary to make a stiffer frost­ing. This makes a tasty thin layer; you can dou­ble the frost­ing recipe and make an extra thick layer, if desired. Scrape the frost­ing into the cen­ter of the cake and, using a metal spat­ula, spread to the cor­ners in an even layer. Store in the refrig­er­a­tor and cut pieces right out of the pan. Makes 12 to 16 pieces