Pumpkin Walnut Cake **the walnuts are optional

I cut the recipe for this pumpkin cake out of a magazine in 2002. I love this cake so much that I have the paper in a clear plastic sleeve so that it doesn’t get ruined!  It is perfect for pumpkin lovers & even if you don’t love pumpkin, you might find that you like this cake. …The pumpkin flavour is so subtle. This pumpkin cake recipe is from Canadian Living Magazine, the October 2002 issue.

This recipe calls for walnuts but I have made it without nuts when I am having people over that are allergic to nuts & it is just as delicious so I don’t think the nuts are necessary. I know some people even if they are not allergic to nuts do not like nuts in their baking so make this cake without if you want.

It is moist & gently spiced so that it is not too overpowering in flavour. Sometimes I find pumpkin baked goods just too spicy or something…not this cake.

A friend of mine had a piece & told me it was the most delicious cake she has ever had….hahaha…what about all the other cakes I make???? I won’t go there!! I am glad she likes this cake.

Here is the recipe….from Canadian Living Magazine October 2002

Ingredients

Cake

1 cup butter **** I made this cake parve ( non-diary) so I used Becel Vegan margarine

3 cups packed brown sugar

4 eggs

3 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground ginger spice

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup toasted chopped walnuts

1 can ( 14 oz) pumpkin puree *** not pie filling

Streusel Topping

1/3 cup flour

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 cup butter or parve/non-dairy margarine *** I used the margarine

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Method

Preheat oven to 325f  Grease a 10 inch tube pan

1. In the bowl of a mix master, beat the butter & sugar together until well combined.
2. Beat in the eggs one at time, beating well after each egg is added
3. Beat in the vanilla
4. In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger spice, cloves & baking powder together
5. Stir the walnuts if using into the flour mixture
6. Gradually add the flour mixture alternately with the pumpkin puree, mix after each addition until the cake batter is well combined
7. Put the cake batter evenly into the prepared cake pan
8. Make the streusel topping : in a small bowl stir the flour, sugar & cinnamon together. Using 2 knife, a pastry blender or your fingers… mix the margarine in until it all clumps together. Add the walnuts if using
9. Sprinkle the streusel topping evenly over the cake batter
10. Bake for approximately 1 3/4 hours…..until the top is brown & the cake is baked… use a cake tester to see if the cake is done… I checked the cake at 1 1/2 hours & it was done….
11. Let the cake cook in the pan on a wire rack for about 15 minutes then remove from the pan.   If you have another rack or using a plate, put that over the top of the cake & turn it over. Then put the wire rack over the cake…it will be the bottom of the cake & turn it over…now you have the bottom of the cake on the wire rack to cool completly….there will be some of the streusel topping that has fallen off but that is just an opportunity to taste it!!!
12. If you can, cool the cake before serving….we couldn’t wait and dug in before while it was warm…did not cut that well but it was delicious & so soft!

Enjoy!