It is exam time in London. We're cramming every last piece of information into our brains until the moment we let the flood gates open. Every student has their coping mechanism to get through four weeks of monogamy with nothing but the books to keep them company.My coping mechanism has been baking and I have to say, it is working for me. Today I wanted some comfort from home. Every recipe I make has a memory and when I think of pumpkin bars, I think of Aunt Lori. She makes them better than anyone. So I thought, why not? My friends will love them! I took them to study group and they did!
The tricky thing about pumpkin in Europe is that it really is an American ingredient. Every now and again a boutique bakery will have a pumpkin flavored something, but it is rather rare. At home, I can get canned pumpkin year around. Here I have a few options. I can order normal Libby's Pumpkin from Amazon like the good little American I am. I can get a pumpkin and roast it myself, which isn't too bad actually. Or I can get pumpkin puree from Whole Foods. Every option will work for this recipe. The main consideration is the liquid content.
Canned pumpkin has more oil so it keeps cakes moist. If you roast your own pumpkin, it is important to season and oil it very well to retain the moisture. Pumpkin puree from the store is just roasted and mashed pumpkin so it needs to be seasoned and it has a lot of water, so cut back on the wet ingredients until you know you need them in the recipe, you may find that the puree makes the batter too loose.
Other than that, the recipe is very easy. This is the first time I've made this recipe and I have a few observations. Make sure you are using a larger pan, around 13 x 9 inches. If you are using smaller pans, back in shifts. If there is too much batter, the cake won't cook evenly and the cake won't turn out light and fluffy.
Ingredients for cake:
15 oz of pumpkin
4 eggs
1 2/3 cups sugar
1 cup of vegetable oil (sunflower oil works well too)
2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
Ingredients for cream cheese frosting:
8 oz cream cheese (softened)
1/2 cup of butter (softened)....1/4 cup for thinner/healthier frosting
2 cups confectioner/ icing sugar
1 tsp of vanilla
Also calls for 2 tablespoons of milk. You do not need milk if only using 1/4 cup of butter.
Recipe:
1. Combine eggs, sugar, oil and pumpkin until well mixed.
2. Add baking powder, soda, cinnamon, and salt.
3. Gradually add the flour, half a cup at a time until incorporated, but don't over mix.
4. Bake for 25-30 minutes at 350 degrees.
5. For the frosting, beat cream cheese and butter until combined. Add vanilla. Then gradually add sugar. If too thick, add milk slowly for consistency.
Voila!!!! Enjoy!
