Pumpkin Gingerbread

It’s day 11 of 31 days of pumpkin and I’ve decided to try something new. I’ve never added pumpkin to gingerbread, but it seems like a natural combination, so I’ve decided to go for it. The tagline of this blog is after all, “We risk disaster so you don’t have to.” Combining pumpkin and ginger isn’t even that big of a risk, but you never really know how something is going to turn out until you taste it. This risk yielded success. A moist, light, fluffy cake with a spicy bite to it, I would say this gingerbread is traditional with a twist.

Of course, writing this post feels a little bit like the time I was 8 years old and I told my family I had invented a new drink: half apple juice, half grape juice. Then, while watching tv that night, we all saw a commercial for Welch’s new Apple-Grape drink. While working on this post, a quick Google search for “Pumpkin Bread” has yielded a pretty long list of recipes. Duh.

Here are some highlights from around the web.

Pumpkin Gingerbread Muffins from dlyn

Pineapple Upside-Down Pumpkin Gingerbread from Epicurious.com (via Bon Appétit Oct. 2008)

Pumpkin Gingerbread Trifle from Paula Deen

Pumpkin Gingerbread

Ingredients

1 Tbsp cider vinegar
3/4 cup milk
2 1/3 cups flour
2 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/3 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup canned pumpkin purée
1/2 cup dark molasses

Method

1. In a small bowl, blend the cider vinegar and the milk and set aside. It will curdle. That’s the point.

2. Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Spray an 8″x8″x2″ pan with cooking spray.

3. In a medium bowl, mix all of the dry ingredients and spices. Use a whisk to blend them thoroughly and to break up any lumps. Sifting would achieve the same result, but using a whisk is easier.

4. In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, cream the butter. Continue mixing while gradually adding the sugar until the two are creamed together and fluffy. Add the egg and beat well. Add the pumpkin and mix thoroughly. Add the molasses and blend.

5. Alternating between dry ingredients and curdled milk, in three batches, mix each into the wet ingredients. Mix the ingredients as little as possible.

6. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 45-50 minutes. If you get the chance to eat it warm, lucky you. You can also serve it with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.