A Martinmas Spice Cake

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It's the eve of Martinmas. The children's lanterns are glowing on the mantle and I still have one more pumpkin hat to decrease and bind off after bedtime. I did manage to get a little festal baking done after dinner and just pulled our spice cake out of the oven when I thought of you.

Martimas mantle

I thought how you might like to prepare a Martinmas cake for your family. (We're eating ours for breakfast. A feast is the perfect excuse to have cake for breakfast if I do say so myself. Anyhow, this recipe boasts a smidge of whole wheat pastry flour and a lot of pumpkin puree so I don't feel too guilty. Not at all in fact.)

This recipe is a simple one and most likely you have all the ingredients on hand, especially this time of year. And no. It's not even close to Paleo. 

Martimas 1

Martinmas Spice Cake 

Dry Ingredients

  • 1 cup unbleached white flour
  • 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 tsp ground cloves

First of all, don't forget to preheat that oven. 350 should do just fine.

Combine all of the dry ingredients in a bowl. Some say it's best to sift them. I say just use a fork and mix away.

In another bowl...

Wet Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar
  • 1 can pumpkin puree (That's probably about a cup and a half.)
  • 2/3 cup canola or coconut oil
  • 3 eggs
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract

Beat the wet ingredients well and then gradually add in the dry. Don't overmix or you'll have yourself a dense cake. 

I suppose you could add in dried fruit or nuts, but why mess with perfection?

Generously spray a bundt pan with canola spray. (Seriously, spray it generously.) Pour in the cake batter and bake for 40 minutes. (At least that's how long it takes in my oven. My oven tends to run slow, teaching me unwanted lessons in patience. So check it at 30 minutes just in case. If a toothpick comes out clean, you're set.) Allow your cake to cool in the pan for five minutes and then turn out on a rack to cool completely. (If you sprayed that bundt pan generously it should come out just fine.)

Dust with powdered sugar and enjoy with those you love.

Martinmas 2

Happy Martinmas to you!

xoxo,
Edith