When the holidays come too early by showing up in the stores immediately after Halloween, you can say that we become Grinches, snarling at the loud decorations and getting more and more annoyed by the second at the mechanical Santa Claus doing his belly jiggle dance. But we have fully embraced the holidays now that they’re here. J and I like to sit in front of the small Christmas tree we picked up from a neighborhood tree lot and watch its glowing lights every night before we go to bed. While we sit there, we cut out paper tree decorations and listen to the holiday music playing on the radio — songs that we’ve heard and sung along to year after year. Now, we belt along in our loudest singing voices together (without disturbing our neighbor, of course). Somehow, this being our very first Christmas together makes this season all the more special to us.
We have been working on our Christmas tree decorations for more than a week now. The first thing we did was buy a short string of lights, but that happened to cover only a third of our tree. Severe underestimation. We exchanged the strand for a longer one, and all was well. Then we created a paper chain garland, which required a lot of cutting and taping, and at least several days. Now that the garland is finished, we are cutting out paper snowflakes for our ornaments. More pictures to come soon!
For the past few nights, our tree-decorating madness has been accompanied by this madly delicious and moist pumpkin cake. This cake contains crushed pineapple and coconut flakes, which do wonders to subtly flavor the cake and give it texture. And the spices and pumpkin are perfect for the season. I left out the currants because I didn’t have any at home, but it still turned out wonderfully. Instead of the suggested cream cheese frosting, I used a batch of leftover cream cheese frosting I had sitting in the freezer. (Cream cheese frosting freezes extremely well, in case you were wondering.)
Spiced Pumpkin Layer Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Epicurious | November 2009
by Diane Morgan
The New Thanksgiving Table
Cake
Butter for coating cake pans, at room temperature
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting the pan
2 cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
3 large eggs, beaten
1 cup canola or vegetable oil
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups canned unsweetened pumpkin purée
1 cup lightly packed sweetened flaked coconut
3/4 cup canned crushed pineapple (do not drain)
1/3 cup dried currants
Cream Cheese Frosting
2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 tablespoons canned unsweetened pumpkin purée
1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Butter two 9-inch diameter cake pans with 1 1/2-inch sides. Line the bottom of each pan with a circle of parchment paper. Butter the parchment paper. Sprinkle the pans with flour, tap the pans to evenly distribute the flour, and then shake off the excess flour. Set aside.
To make the cake, in a large bowl, sift together the 2 cups flour, the granulated sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, and cloves. In a medium bowl, combine the eggs, oil, and vanilla. In another medium bowl, combine the pumpkin purée, coconut, crushed pineapple, and currants.
Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until just combined. Add the pumpkin mixture and stir just until combined. Divide the batter between the prepared pans, spreading it evenly. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cake comes out clean. Transfer to wire racks and let cool in the pans for 15 minutes. Run a table knife around the edge of the pans to loosen the cakes. Invert the cakes onto the racks and peel off the parchment paper. Let cool completely before frosting the cakes.
To make the frosting, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese on medium speed for about 3 minutes until smooth. Add the butter and beat for about 2 minutes until combined. Add the pumpkin purée and beat until incorporated, about 1 minute. Add the confectioners’ sugar and vanilla and beat for about 3 minutes until fluffy.
Place 1 cake layer on a cake plate or platter. Using an offset spatula, spread half of the frosting over the top of the first cake layer. Spread the frosting right to the edge of the top without frosting the sides of the cake. Carefully place the second cake on top, lining up the edges. Spread the remaining frosting over the top of the cake without frosting the sides. Swirl the frosting to decorate the top. Refrigerate the cake to set the frosting. Remove from the refrigerator 30 to 40 minutes before serving.













































































































