Friday 23 January 2015

Pumpkin Butter Cake


Last year, someone bought a brand new Faber cake mixer just like mine. And he used it for the first time to bake a Legendary Pumpkin Cake. It was legendary all right. Because the cake became a pumpkin kuih. And his cake mixer is apparently possessed because it can talk.

RG, I love all your cooking and baking posts. In fact I love all your posts, whatever they may be. You keep me so entertained! No, I am not being condescending, please. I am being supportive and encouraging. We all start somewhere and if we are passionate enough, we will excel. That, I promise you.



So please indulge me as I go all auntie on you. In my humble opinion, the problem with your cake was :
  1. For the amount of butter and flour, there was too much pumpkin.
  2. There was no leavening agent in the flour (baking powder and baking soda) and hence the cake did not rise. But given point no. 1, it may not have risen either as the batter was too heavy.
  3. The flour was whisked into the batter. It is better to fold it in using a spatula. You see, the lowest speed on the Faber cake mixer is still too fast compared to the more more sophisticated (hence more expensive) mixers like Kitchen Aid. All that violent whisking will result in a tough cake.
  4. The baking pan was too big
  5. The baking time was too long or if the cake was still raw after 40 minutes or so, it would be best to cover the top of the baking pan with aluminium foil.
I am not trying to be clever or a show-off because I am simply sharing what I know and observed. I believe in sharing good things and I'd like to see you succeed in baking a cake. The beauty about baking is that people from all walks of life can participate. Some people do so well that their cakes are good enough to sell. Case in point, Fatboybakes, a civil engineer by training.

Does this look like a face to you? Reminds me of those sculptures on Easter Island.

And hey, I am really glad you baked that pumpkin cake :) I have had many mishaps when I started cooking and if only I had started this blog much earlier, I would have regaled all and sundry with my kitchen misadventures. Like the time when I used my auntie's plastic microwave safe container to grill (yes grill. On convection function. **faints**) some chicken drumsticks and to my horror saw the container melt before my eyes. I can't believe I was so zero!


I often wonder if my auntie ever wondered what happened to her missing container (there were two). Ee-Ee, if you are reading this, now you know. I am very sorry.


Or the time when I cooked mee sua and left it to stand only to come back from college to discover a big lump of congealed mee sua in the pot. LOL!


I was motivated to bake this pumpkin cake because I wanted to use up the pumpkin puree that I prepared on Christmas Day. I keep a lot of stuff in the freezer, some of which I don't even know what they are hah..hah... I settled on this recipe from Wendy of Table for 2 or More..... and this Pumpkin Butter Cake is simply awesome! This cake is soft and moist and that I could tell immediately when I sliced into it because the knife glided smoothly into the cake with no resistance.


This is a good recipe and it is a keeper. If at all there is a legendary pumpkin cake, this has got to be the one. 












Pumpkin Butter Cake
Recipe source : Adapted from Table for 2 or More.....

Ingredients :
- 250g self-raising flour
- 140g sugar
- 250g butter
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 5 large eggs
- 200g pumpkin puree

Method :
1. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
2. Add vanilla extract.
3. Add eggs, one by one, beating well after each addition.
4. Add half of the flour and fold in the flour until just combined. (I used a spatula from this point forwards)
5. Fold in pumpkin puree.
6. Add remaining flour and fold until just combined.
7. Pour batter into a lined loaf pan and bake at 160C for about 50 minutes or until skewer inserted into the centre of cake comes out clean.
8. Let cool on a rack before removing the cake from the pan.

Note for my own reference : 
- I divided the batter between 2 smaller loaf pans.
- I rotated the pans at the 30 minute mark for even baking.
- At the 40 minute mark, I tented the pans to prevent over browning and the cakes were done at the 50 minute mark.


48 comments:

  1. I like the way you call him RG.. Sounds so yau-ying, haha.. I like this post, coz it's like a tutorial or what-went-wrong-where post about his previous pumpkin cake, ooops, I mean pumpkin kuih.. I agree when you say his posts are all so entertaining.. Although he posts daily, his posts are not boing one wor, which is a good sign.. Give me the whole loaf of cake!

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    1. Louiz, I know you are a big fan of RG :) This cake is very good. I one shot had two slices and quickly pack it away hee..hee...

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  2. I saw this post when Wendy posted hers.... I was so hesitate to try out using pumpkin worrying how it would taste. I guess if I would have loved carrot cake, I am sure I would love this too as what you have been raving about it already.

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    1. Mel, go ahead and bake this cake. I guarantee you will love it!

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  3. Sounds easy enough, with few ingredients needed, this indeed looks like a fantastic cake!

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    1. Yen, this is an easy cake. Very straightforward and yet yields a moist and delicious cake!

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  4. I love pumpkin, i love everything made with pumpkin. I love your pumpkin butter cake, it looks so awesome. I baked pumpkin cake before, it became pumpkin kuih as well. Now I know why, thank you so much for sharing all the tips in baking awesome pumpkin butter cake. I must copy this down an bake for my family this coming festive.

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    1. Yannie, do bake this cake and I bet you and your family will love it!

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  5. Now I've seen it all. I know pumpkin soup, pumpkin fritters, pumpkin bingka, kim kua koi (steamed pumpkin cake like or koi/steamed yam cake), pumpkin in many many ways...first time, seeing it in cake. Hehehehehe!!!!

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    1. Oh really? hee..hee.. It's a cake that would meet your approval :D

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  6. Come to grab a piece for my tea break this afternoon, hehe...

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    1. Sure, Sharon. Help yourself hee...hee...

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  7. aiye...i just threw away a quarter of a pumpkin the other day. in the fridge. forgotten about it till it was modly :(

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    1. Meow, I do that too sometimes. Now I check my fridge more frequently to avoid wastage.

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  8. I love the cracks on top, like that baru ada feel, heheheh!

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    1. Hayley, I prefer smooth top hee..hee...

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  9. That slice of pumpkin cake looks super soft and moist. This recipe is a keeper for sure. Move over RG, this is the legendary pumpkin cake...wakakaka!! By the way, PH, do you have to make the pumpkin puree or you can get it ready made?

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    1. Kris, so far I have not seen any canned pumpkin puree at the supermarket. So you would have to make your own. It's worth the effort and this pumpkin cake is indeed legendary hee..hee...

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  10. Are you worried that I will give up (trying to) baking cakes, hence the motivational speech? I'll come back soon enough! XD

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    1. Way to go, RG! I know you won't give up lah. The fact that you bought a cake mixer tells me you love baking :)

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  11. So cute lah this post... somehow. Hahaha

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  12. there goes the pumpkin again!! hehehe, have you baked this before?? looks rather familiar, or maybe i've read about this somewhere else?? hehehe, read on and you enlightened me about that "pumpkin cake" by RealGunners, hahaha, now i recall!! :p

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    1. SK, I love love love this cake! It is really good.

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  13. aiyoh, so nice lah your pumpkin cake (by this i swear i DID NOT imply that RealGunners did not bake a nice pumpkin cake, muahahahaha)!! the golden yellow color, the moist yet fluffy (or fluffy yet moist?? whichever..) makes me somehow able to smell the aroma of the pumpkin cake "cyberly", hahaha!! okay, i admit i am actually hungry now and about to go out for my slightly late lunch~~ :p

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    1. ah...I am hoping that RG attempt pumpkin cake again and succeed :)

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  14. Ah .... you are back with pumpkins !

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    1. Yes, Chris. There's more in the freezer :D

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  15. Hi Phong Hong, I sure will bake this. Looks so lovely and I like the texture. Nice colour.

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    1. Kimmy, you will love this cake. It is moist and soft. You won't stop at one slice :)

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  16. Dear Phong Hong, I am a pumpkin lover. Your pumpkin cake looks so good, please send one over to me...heheh

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  17. Phong Hong can I ask how big is your fridge? it seemed to have lots of things in the freezer !
    Yeah! I love pumpkin. ... this pumpkin butter cake is so moist ^-^! Must find time to try this recipe !

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    1. Karen, hah..hah... I had to buy a standalone freezer because the one that comes with the fridge is at bursting point!

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  18. I love the sound of this pumpkin cake! This looks amazing!

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    1. Cathleen, this is the best pumpkin cake ever!

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  19. Aiyo, after looking at your cake here, tomorrow I must go and eat some cakes.

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  20. You're so killing my diet ... not that I'm trying very hard...I'm such a weakling.
    I'm also a sucker for anything pumpkin. I'm sold!!

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    Replies
    1. Ping, with baking as a hobby my diet is scuppered all the time so I have given up. LOL!

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  21. Hi Hong Hong,
    I love the golden colour of your pumpkin cake. I love the fine and soft texture too. Are we still in the LTU pumpkin month ..:p
    Must try to bake this too!
    Have a wonderful Sunday!
    mui

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    1. mui mui, I wish that LTU pumpkin is still on! hah.hah...

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  22. Haha such a good read your post! Btw I too have tried this cake before, so good lorr. And yes, I have also so much stuff in my freezer that I don't even remember them after awhile haha! Have a good week ahead. ;)

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    1. Honey Bee Sweets, I was so blur in my younger days hah..hah...

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  23. This is the first time I see such a vibrant yellow cake and it's naturally coloured. Pumpkin is always my favourite.

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    1. TM, in that case you will love this cake :)

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