Pumpkin Cake
Why I Love This Recipe
This is a modified Martha Stewart recipe. It's moist but not overly sweet - great with a cup of coffee the morning after Thanksgiving.
Ingredients You'll Need
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup warm milk
Pecan halves
Brown Butter Icing:
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup sifted confectioner's sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 to 2 tablespoons milk
Directions
Heat the oven to 350 degrees.
Butter a 9-by-2-inch round cake pan. Line pan with parchment, and butter the parchment. Coat pan with flour, and tap out any excess.
In a large bowl, sift together flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, salt, baking powder, and baking soda; set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat sugar and butter together until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
Add eggs, and beat until combined.
Add pumpkin puree and milk; beat until combined. Add reserved flour mixture; beat on low speed until just combined.
Pour batter into prepared pan, and bake until a cake tester inserted into the middle comes out clean, about 55 minutes.
Transfer the cake to a wire rack to cool. Let cake rest 20 minutes.
Unmold cake. Using an offset spatula, spread icing over top of cake, and decorate with pecan halves.
Icing:
In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium-high heat until nut-brown in color, about 10 minutes.
Remove pan from heat, and pour butter into a bowl, leaving any burned sediment behind.
Add sugar, vanilla, and 1 tablespoon milk; stir until smooth.
If the icing is too thick, add the remaining tablespoon milk, a little at a time, until consistency is spreadable.
Let cool 5 minutes. Use immediately.
