MangiaMore: PUMPKIN cake with cream cheese frosting

RER 11.25.16

Jack-o-lanterns feel like decades away, fangs faded to gummy smiles. Festive gourds on stoops are withering with fall warmth and snaps of cold.  Mallow crème pumpkins are drying out, toothy with time. Pumpkin pie is buried in our bellies after Thanksgiving feasts, but the spices and stringy middles remain. Pumpkin has left its mark on this season with a damn delicious pumpkin recipe.

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Once a whole pumpkin, its innards and seeds were transformed into a scrumptious fall treat (well, two, but one was less successful than the other). We used boiled and mashed pumpkin from our first attempted dessert—a pumpkin pie— to create a modified version of damn delicious’s pumpkin cupcakes with cinnamon cream cheese frosting. Instead of cupcakes, we doubled the recipe to make a sheet cake. And it was truly delicious.

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Other modifications were made to the easy-to-make recipe. We did not have pumpkin pie spice (as I have said before, it costs far more than I prefer to spend), so we whipped up a small batch of our own, minus the nutmeg (which we legit did not have).  Instead of using the full amount of oil for a doubled recipe, we used unsweetened applesauce to lighten the load.

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In the end, the cake sang fall. The intense exterior and almost savory middles of the squash forfeited stiffness and vegetal notes, and melted and surrendered to the sweet spices of cinnamon and allspice and all that makes fall. On top, the cinnamon cream cheese frosting was subtle with the tang of the cheese and kept the moisture in. Because there was only layer and one thick strip of frosting, the cake was not too sweet and laden with butter and powdered sugar.  Each slice was fluffy and light, airy and warm. So delicious.

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11.25.16

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photo OP: THANKSGIVING(s)

RER 11.29.15

Sometimes, you just have to do Thanksgiving twice....
1.

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 2.

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MangiaMore: CHOCOLATE Cavity Maker Cake

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Now, about that Chocolate Cavity Maker Cake. I mentioned this cake amongst others on our list of sweets for our Thanksgiving dessert spread. And yes, it was on our list, but it did not, unfortunately, make it to the table.

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You see, we made it, easy as 1-2-3, but too bad it didn’t turn out of its pretty silicone decorative bunt pan that easy. To our chagrin, the deeply sweet and chocolaty cake was practically immutable. With patience and struggle, the cake was de-panned, but it was lopsided and not super cute—edible but unattractive, and not good enough for our guests (probably was but…more cake).

 

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So we made this other tasty chocolate cake instead! And put the Cavity Maker in the freezer for the very near future (we have some birthdays to celebrate this month!).

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