Looking for an alternative to pumpkin pie? This pumpkin Bundt cake is a great option. It’s baked with pumpkin pie spices — cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves — and topped with a maple-mascarpone glaze.
The recipe comes courtesy of a new cookbook, “Bake Smart: Sweets and Secrets from My Oven to Yours,” by New York food writer Samantha Seneviratne. It’s set to hit bookshelves Nov. 7.
Downy Pumpkin Bundt with Maple Cream
Serves 10
INGREDIENTS
4 sticks (1 pound) butter, at room temperature, plus more for the pan
3¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 pound powdered sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin puree (about 2 cups)
Maple cream:
1/2 cup mascarpone
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon whole milk, as needed
DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Butter a 12-cup Bundt pan. (Use a pastry brush and soft butter and make sure to get into every ridge.)
In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, nutmeg and salt.
Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
Beat in the eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Beat in the vanilla. Add the flour mixture and beat on low speed until just combined. Fold in the pumpkin.
Tip the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Rap the pan on the counter to knock out any air bubbles. Bake until a skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, 70 to 75 minutes.
Transfer the cake to a rack and let cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then flip the cake out onto the rack and let cool completely.
Prepare the maple cream: In a small bowl, stir together the mascarpone, maple syrup and powdered sugar. Stir in a little milk, if necessary, to adjust the consistency; the cream should be thin enough for drizzling. Drizzle the cream over the top of the cooled cake to serve.
— Courtesy Samantha Seneviratne, “Bake Smart: Sweets and Secrets from My Oven to Yours” (Harvest, $35)
