Cream Cheese Frosted Pumpkin Cake

Total Time: 1 hr 20 mins Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 1 hr

Ingredients

• Servings: 12
• 4 large eggs
• 2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted before measuring
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup oil, vegetable
• 1 (1 lb) can pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
• 2 (3 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
• 1 tablespoon rum or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 cups confectioners' sugar
• pecan halves or walnuts, halves (to garnish)

Recipe

• 1 prepare pumpkin cake: crack eggs into the large bowl of an electric mixer; cover and let stand 30 minutes until room temperature. preheat oven to 350°f meanwhile, sift flour with baking soda, salt, cloves, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg.
• 2 with electric mixer at high speed, beat eggs thoroughly. add sugar and continue to beat until eggs are lemony in color and the mixture is light and fluffy. gradually add oil and pumpkin, beating well after each addition to blend thoroughly.
• 3 with electric mixer at low speed, beat in flour mixture, several spoonfuls at a time, beating only until flour is moistened. pour into ungreased 10 inch tube pan without removable bottom. bake about 1 hour, or until surface springs back when gently pressed with fingertips.
• 4 remove cake from oven and cool completely in pan on wire rack.
• 5 meanwhile prepare cream cheese frosting: in a small bowl with electric mixer at medium speed, beat cream cheese with rum until smooth and soft. gradually add confectioners’ sugar, (icing/powdered sugar) beating until light and fluffy.
• 6 using a long, narrow metal spatula, carefully loosen cake from pan; remove. place on cake plate and frost top and sides with cream cheese frosting. use the tip of the spatula to swirl the frosting in a spoke-like fashion in towards the center of the cake.
• 7 arrange pecan or walnut halves decoratively around top edge of cake. serve cake immediately or store, tightly covered, in refrigerator. remove about 30 minutes before serving. makes 12 servings.
• 8 mc call’s cooking school.