PUMPKIN CAKE WITH BUTTERMILK ICING
The flavors in this delicious pumpkin Bundt cake continue to develop when made a couple of days in advance. I like to serve it with ice cream; when I can find it, my ice cream choice is pumpkin or rum raisin.
TO MAKE AHEAD >> Cake can be made 3 days ahead and kept in an airtight container at room temperature.
YIELD >> 12 servings
INGREDIENTS
One 10-inch nonstick Bundt pan (3quart)
1½ sticks (3⁄4 cup) unsalted butter, softened, plus additional for greasing Bundt pan
2¼ cups all-purpose flour plus additional for dusting pan
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3⁄4 teaspoon ground allspice
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
1¼ cups canned solid-pack pumpkin (from a 15-ounce can; not pie filling)
3⁄4 cup (well-shaken) buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1¼ cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs
Icing:
2tablespoons plus 2teaspoons (well-shaken) buttermilk
1½ cups powdered sugar
DIRECTIONS
Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350degrees. Butter a 10-inch nonstick Bundt pan generously, then dust with flour, knocking out excess.
Whisk together 2¼ cups flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice and salt in a bowl. Whisk together pumpkin, 3⁄4 cup buttermilk and vanilla in another bowl.
Beat 1½ sticks butter and granulated sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, 3to 5minutes, then add eggs and beat 1 minute. Reduce speed to low and add flour and pumpkin mixtures alternately in batches, beginning and ending with flour mixture and mixing until batter is just smooth.
Spoon batter into pan, smoothing top, then bake until a wooden pick or skewer inserted in center of cake comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool cake in pan on a rack 15minutes, then invert rack over cake and reinvert cake onto rack. Cool 10minutes more. While cake is cooling, whisk together buttermilk and powdered sugar until smooth. Drizzle icing over warm cake, then cool cake completely. Icing will harden slightly.