Thanksgiving Cake ♥

[Don't worry, there will be more Thanksgiving vegetable recipes again tomorrow. And don't forget, What's your favorite pie? Leave a comment on the recipe for the double-crust American Apple Pie, you can win a video with tips for making perfect pie crusts. Winner will be announced on Wednesday.]

So every Thanksgiving meal needs dessert, yes? If even pumpkin pie and apple pie are traditional for Thanksgiving dinner itself, for the weekend's festivities, think about a quick-to-make Bundt cake that includes so many of the Thanksgiving flavors, pumpkin, cranberry, pecans, even apple. This is a moist spice cake, easy to mix and quick to bake, easy to keep on hand.

The recipe comes from my favorite home baking cookbook, Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan, who calls it All in One Holiday Cake. The cookbook's recipes are perfect for home bakers who love to reach into their pantries to bake. If you're already thinking 'Christmas gifts', this would be perfect for a favorite baker, even ones just starting out for it's filled with tips and variations that make the book as much an intimate kitchen lesson as a collection of great recipes.

INGREDIENT NOTES The recipe calls for unsweetened pumpkin puree -- don't accidentally come home with pumpkin pie filling which is already sweetened and spiced. Peel, core and grate the apple RIGHT before adding to the mixture. Otherwise it'll turn brown in the air, even in just a few minutes.

NUTRITION NOTES For this cake, I used two favorite tricks for baking for a small household. First, Bundt cake recipes are big because most Bundt pans are big. So I halved the recipe (except for the spices and other flavorings) and baked it in a smaller Bundt pan, a recent find. My version serves eight generously, 16 sparingly. Second, the Bundt pan is is sculpted, so it already 'looks' better on a plate and so needs little sugar-sweet adornment.

MAKE AHEAD TIPS Bake the cake the day before serving, then wrap tightly with plastic wrap so it'll be sweet and moist the next day. You can drizzle with icing on either day but I usually do it just before serving so that the icing doesn't get messed up by the plastic or by traveling.

FOR THE CURIOUS Yes, the photo was taken earlier, in late September when the shadows were lengthening but before falling leaves and first frost.

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FROM THE ARCHIVES See the Recipe Box for more pumpkin recipes.

THANKSGIVING CAKE

Hands-on time: 30 minutes
Time to table: 2 hours
Serves 8 generously or 16 sparingly (for a standard Bundt cake, double the ingredients and plan to serve 16 generously and 32 sparingly)

1/2 cup pecans, chopped (for the cake, toast more if you'd like to sprinkle some atop the icing)

DRY INGREDIENTS
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon table salt

WET INGREDIENTS
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg, at room temperature (or warmed in a bowl of hot water for 5 minutes)
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1 teaspoon vanilla

GOOD THANKSGIVING FLAVORS
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons unsweetened pumpkin puree
1 tart apple, that's a Granny Smith or Jonathan or Macintosh, NOT a Red Delicious, peeled, cored and grated (or chopped)
1/2 cup fresh or frozen cranberries, chopped (I put them in a small food processor but cutting them in half or quarters would be fine too)
Those pecans you toasted

DRIZZLE
2 tablespoons maple syrup
Powdered sugar
Cream or milk

PREP Set the oven to 350F. Place the chopped pecans on a baking sheet and put into the oven (even as it's preheating) to toast until warm and all nutty-scented. Set the timer for 5 minutes, then for increments of another minute or two -- you don't want to burn the nuts and they turn quickly. Grease the Bundt pan (or use Baker's Joy, my favorite spray).

DRY INGREDIENTS Whisk together in a small bowl.

WET INGREDIENTS In a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to cream the butter and sugars til creamy and fluffy. Add the eggs (one at a time if you're doubling the recipe) and beat for a full minute. Add the fresh ginger and vanilla and mix in well.

COMBINE Add the dry ingredients and mix until just barely combined (I often use a wooden spoon at this stage). Stir in the pumpkin, apple, cranberries and toasted pecans. Scrape the batter into the Bundt pan, smooth the top, then bake for 60 - 70 minutes or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven. Let cool for 10 minutes, then invert onto a serving plate to finish cooling.

FINISH In a small bowl, stir together the maple syrup and just enough powdered sugar to make the right consistency for drizzling. If it gets to thick, add a drop or two of milk or cream. Drizzle over the cooled cake. (If you like, put the icing into a small zip-lock bag, then cut off a tiny corner and squeeze out the contents.)

NUTRITION ESTIMATE
For 8, Per Serving: 295 Cal (39% from Fat, 5% from Protein, 56% from Carb); 4 g Protein; 13 g Tot Fat; 5 g Sat Fat; 5 g Mono Fat; 43 g Carb; 2 g Fiber; NetCarb41; 27 g Sugar; 71 mg Calcium; 2 mg Iron; 190 mg Sodium; 50 mg Cholesterol; Weight Watchers 6 points

For 16, Per Serving: 148 Cal (39% from Fat, 5% from Protein, 56% from Carb); 2 g Protein; 7 g Tot Fat; 3 g Sat Fat; 2 g Mono Fat; 21 g Carb; 1 g Fiber; NetCarb20; 13 g Sugar; 36 mg Calcium; 1 mg Iron; 95 mg Sodium; 25 mg Cholesterol; Weight Watchers 2 points (yes, it's one of those funny recipes that's on the line, where a big slice is 6 points but one half its size is only 2 points)

TODAY'S VEGETABLE RECIPE
Adapted from Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan

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Move aside, turkeys. (No, not you, dear readers! Thanksgiving turkeys!) Here at A Veggie Venture, vegetables are the real stars of the Thanksgiving table. So it's new Thanksgiving recipes all November long for a fabulous collection of Thanksgiving vegetable recipe ideas. Whether it's last year's famous World's Best Green Bean Casserole or a brand-new recipe which catches your fancy this year, move over turkeys, it's vegetables' time. © Copyright 2007