Pumpkin-Ginger Cake

While this cake is an adaptation of the Fresh Apple Cake blogged about earlier, I decided it deserved its own identity because it is really is a completely different product.  This cake is moist; it can, of course, be made as bread loaves.

In the course of making this cake, I discovered that my new Bundt cake pan does not hold as much as my old Bundt cake pan!  To prove this, I placed 8 cups water in each pan, and here’s what the experiment revealed:



Old Bundt Pan

New Bundt Pan

 

When using the smaller Bundt pan, there was enough batter to make a 3x6 inch loaf, as well.  Moral of the story:  don't assume all Bundt pans are the same size, and avoid over-filling.



Comparison

Pumpkin-Ginger Cake

1 cup canola oil

1 cup sugar

1 cup molasses

4 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

3 teaspoons ginger

1 cup buttermilk (if home-prepared pumpkin puree seems extra juicy, reduce buttermilk to ¾ cup)

2 cups canned pumpkin or home-prepared pumpkin puree

1 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350° F.  Grease and flour a 10 inch tube pan.  Sift together flour, ginger, baking soda, and baking powder; set aside.  In large bowl, mix together canola oil, sugar, molasses, and vanilla, using medium speed of mixer.  Add eggs to this mixture and mix well.  To this mixture, add dry ingredients and buttermilk alternately, mixing well to blend, using low mixer speed.  Blend in the pumpkin and pecans.  Pour into prepared pan and bake for 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, and the top of the cake bounces back when lightly touched.  Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then remove from pan and continue cooling.