Pumpkin Cake

I love just about anything with pumpkin, and it is packed with vitamins and health benefits. My mom has made this recipe for as long as I can remember and it  has always been a great cake to bring to potluck dinners or have as a birthday cake (since our family was not the typical iced chocolate birthday cake family). This is one of the cake recipes that I cannot make often enough for my family now! This cake is very moist and flavorful and tastes even better as it sets for a day or so. It is great with any icing, or by itself, or with a simple glaze.

Ingredients:

2 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon (or pumpkin pie spice blend)
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 cup oil
2 cups canned pumpkin
3/4-1 cup dried cranberries, raisins, chocolate chips or other add-ins (optional)

Sift dry ingredients together in a bowl. Cream sugar and eggs in a large bowl. Add the flour mixture and blend. Add oil and pumpkin to mixture and pour into a well-greased and floured bundt or tube pan (I love to use the baking spray that has flour in it).  Bake approximately for 1 hour at 350 degrees or until a knife inserted in middle of cake comes out clean.

For a simple glaze, mix together  2 cups powdered sugar, sifted, with 2-4 Tbsp milk and 1/2 tsp vanilla extract. Stir together until well mixed. Pour over top of cake and allow to drizzle down over the sides. (Use more or less liquid until you have it as thick or thin as you want. If you accidentally add too much liquid, just add more sifted powdered sugar until it is the right consistency.)

*Recipe by Cathy David from the Elmira College Cookbook 1971.