Thank you, Pumpkin Walnut Spice Bundt Cake Happy Thanksgiving Canada

October lovin'

Happy gobble..gobble....... it's that time of the year again. It's Canadian Thanksgiving weekend, and this will be the 10th one I have missed. Hard to believe that it has been ten years since I last had the goodness of a real Canadian thanksgiving meal. Mash potatoes with gravy, peas and carrots, my mom's homemade dinner rolls, mashed turnips drenched in butter and  roasted turkey with a side of cranberry sauce. I miss fighting over the crispy skin with my brother, and the two hour food coma.

I miss waking up really early thanksgiving day to the smell of my mom's stuffing frying in the frying pan. We always have pumpkin on thanksgiving. It's usually in the form of the traditional pie, but sometimes we spice it up with a pumpkin cheesecake, or pumpkin mouse. I like the simplicity of the pie and I needed the comfort of the memories this weekend,so I baked myself a little pumpkin reminder of all the good things I am thankful for.I am grateful for the wonderful memories I have of this fine thanksgiving weekend. Where yet again there will be a few  empty chairs at their table.Happy thanksgiving to my friends, family and my readers. May we all have something wonderful to share with our loved ones this weekend.

Adapted from Miette cookbook Chronicle books


Ingredients:


1 3/4 cups  (7 ounces )all purpose flour
1½ teaspoons of baking soda
4 teaspoons of ground cinnamon (MIETTE'S uses only 2 teaspoons, but I like mine spicy)
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon ground cloves
3/4 teaspoon salt(kosher)
4 large eggs
1 2/3 cup(11 ounces) white sugar
1 cup vegetable oil..OR..I used 1 cup melted BECEL liquid margarine  


http://www.becel.se/Consumer/Article.aspx?Path=Consumer/HealthyHeartLiving/OurProducts/BecelFlytande 

Butternut squash works just like traditional pumkin 

1 3/4 cups of homemade pumpkin puree or one 14 ounce can puree solid-packed pumpkin mixed with 1/4 cup water 
( Swedish readers, you can order pumpkin filling at www.englishshop.se ) but, supplies are limited to what kind of harvest it is in the States and Canada. 
OR make your own... I have instructions at the bottom of the page.


1 cup (3½ ounces) small walnut pieces toasted and chopped


Directions:

Remember to butter and flour your pan

1. Butter and flour a 10-inch bundt pan ( or a long bread/loaf pan can be used as well). Using a pastry brush make sure you get into all the groves.Tap out the extra flour. Set aside.


2.Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F or 176 degrees C. While oven is preheating, chop into small pieces but not minced walnuts, and add to an oven proof dish/pan. Roast in the oven for 5 minutes or until you start to see a little color. Remove from the oven. BE CAREFUL NOT TO FORGET THEM!! Set aside. 


3.Sift together the flour, baking soda,cinnamon,nutmeg,cloves,and salt into a bowl and set aside.


4.In a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, or a hand held electric mixer ..combine the eggs and sugar and whisk on medium speed until well combined and lightened in color, about 2 minutes. Reduce the speed to low, slowly drizzle in the oil/ melted BECEL liquid margarine, and whisk until combined, then whisk on high speed for 1 minute to emulsify.

Added, pumpkin to egg mixture and flour mixtures in three parts

Fold in the walnuts by hand using a rubber spatula

5.Switch to the paddle attachment or( use a spatula) Add the pumpkin/squash puree to the egg mixture and mix on medium speed just until combined.Add the dry ingredients in three additions, mixing just until combined. After each addition, approximately 5 seconds each time. Remove the bowl from the mixer and scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula. Fold in the roasted and cooled walnuts by hand.

Fabulous little gift of love

See, I missed some spots...oops..

6. Pour batter into your prepared pan.Bake until the cake springs back when touched and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. 45-60 minutes. Mine took a little more than 1 hour and 10 minutes. Please watch, as it can burn on top, cover with tin foil if starting to get dark on top.


7. Transfer to a cooling rack when tester comes out clean and let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Run an offset spatula around the edges of the pan, the invert the cake onto the cooling rack. Let cool for a further 20 minutes before serving or wrap tightly in plastic wrap when COMPLETELY cooled and place in the refrigerator up to three days. To freeze, wrap tightly in a second layer of plastic wrap and store in the freezer for up to 2 months. Serve at room temperature.  


I loved this recipe,but I was not so impressed with the MIETTE cookbook. It seems that the international market has been filled with the publishers miss printed books, and it is very confusing even for an advanced baker. Inside the front pages is a little card explaining the printing miss ups.( If you live in the States and Canada and purchased this book on amazon you will be sent the new revised version FREE of charge) Due to Amazon's copy laws. Great for you. 


The rest of us.... Have to suck it up, and measure everything three times and resort to handwriting out each recipe and inserting it into our cookbook.  I did email Miette to let them know exactly what I thought, and they understood my point of view and were very helpful. I as well helped them out with my contacts for products that you can not ship from their contacts list. Good team work!


How to make your own pumpkin puree:

roasted and ready to peel

To make your own pumpkin puree, preheat your over to  400 degrees F or 200 degrees C. Scrub a small (about 4 pounds ) (2 kilogram) sugar pumpkin or butternut squash ( 2 large ) well and wipe dry. Cut up the pumpkin in half and scrape out the seeds or "guts". 

A hand held emulsifier works well here. 

Cut into halves, or quarters and place flesh side down on a greased cookie sheet and bake until soft, about 1 hour. Let the pumpkin cool. Scoop out the flesh of the pumpkin from the skin and process in a mix master/ food processor or food mill until you make a puree. Makes about 2.5 cups

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone. Gobble...gobble....