The incredible, edible pumpkin

Halloween has come and gone but the great pumpkin still lives — at least through the month of November.

Fall pumpkin desserts and side dishes are still in demand through Thanksgiving and it’s nice to have a few new recipes on hand. I attended a church bonfire and hayride recently and my daughter, Melissa Bedwell, surprised us with her Great Pumpkin cake.

And, although Linus’ famous quote in “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” says “There are three things I have learned never to discuss with people: Religion, politics and the Great Pumpkin,” this fall cake will have friends chattering for more.

A busy mother of three, she has learned to improvise but not compromise on taste and appearance. Using time-saving measures, she improved a boxed spice cake mix and cream cheese icing. Her cake consisted of two Bundt cake layers, baked separately and stacked together to create a pumpkin shape. Along with the traditional egg and oil, she added to each cake mix a large can of pumpkin puree. Each cake was baked for 70 to 75 minutes at 350 degrees. The end result created a “hybrid” with a consistency of both cake and pumpkin pie.

Using store-bought cream cheese icing, she embellished it by adding cinnamon and using cake decorator colors to create orange and green frosting.

Another great pumpkin idea came from my friend, Lori Sheets, of La Monte. Sheets works at the Whiteman Air Force Base commissary and found a tasty recipe for frozen pumpkin mousse pie in the commissary’s magazine, “Good & Fresh.”

The crust is made with crushed gingersnap cookies and raisins. For the filling, pumpkin puree is spiced up with brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg; added to this are four-cups of softened ice cream, making a wonderfully simple, light dessert.

In looking through recipes, I found a delicious spiced pumpkin doughnut recipe that my family loves. Made with buttermilk and pumpkin puree, it’s simple and is superb as a treat or, if made the day before, is great for a quick fall breakfast.

Making roasted pumpkin seeds is a fall activity kids will enjoy. Pumpkin seeds are nutritious and full of fiber. The shell is edible so there is no need to discard it like a sunflower seed. There are numerous recipes for roasted pumpkin seeds, but I like the one listed below.

Last but not least, never underestimate those mini pumpkins used most often for decoration. These tiny pumpkins can be scooped out, roasted then filled with puddings, custards or ice cream, making a classic fall table setting look exceptional.
   
The great pumpkin cake
Cake:
2 large cans of pumpkin puree
2 boxes spice cake mix
4 eggs, divided
1/2 cup oil, divided
1 Bundt pan
1 tomato paste can, emptied and cleaned well
Pan spray with flour (I use Baker’s Joy)

Icing/Decoration:
2 cans cream cheese frosting
2 teaspoon cinnamon, divided
Paste food color orange, green and black tints (I like Wilton best)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together 1 can of pumpkin, 1 cake mix, 2 eggs and 1/4 cup oil. Beat two minutes.

Spray Bundt pan and tomato paste can heavily. Pour 1/4 cup batter into Tomato Paste can. Pour remaining batter into Bundt pan spreading evenly.

Bake paste can 25 to 30 minutes; cool 10 minutes and remove from can to cool completely. Meanwhile, bake Bundt pan 70 to 75 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool cake 15 minutes then turn out of pan to cool completely.

Repeat above procedures to make second Bundt cake layer.

Assembly:
After cakes have cooled completely, trim the flat side evenly (this is the part that was touching the plate).
Remove frosting from cans and place in two separate bowls, adding 1 teaspoon cinnamon to each.

Apply 3/4 cup of frosting to trimmed edge of one cake; top with remaining cake, aligning the bundt pan designs. Place one paste can cake in the center hole of the cake.

Remove 1/3 cup of frosting from bowl and tint dark green (use green and a small amount of black). Combine remaining frosting (approximately 1/2 cup) with the frosting in the other bowl.

Tint this icing orange and ice the cake completely using a small spatula. When completely iced, run the spatula up the fluted edges to create pumpkin grooves.

Ice the remaining “paste can” round with the green icing; using a fork, engrave horizontal lines around the cake piece to resemble the stem. Place finished piece in the center of the cake.

Place the remaining green frosting in a decorator bag (or small plastic zip-type bag); snip a small hole in one corner. Trim cake with pumpkin “curly vines” and leaves as desired.

Refrigerate any remaining left over cake.

Recipe source: Melissa Bedwell, Sedalia.

Pumpkin spice donuts
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg or a dash of ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1/3 cup buttermilk
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
Vegetable oil for deep-fat frying
Spiced sugar mixture

In a large bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add 1/2 cup sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, baking soda, ginger, nutmeg and cloves. Beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in pumpkin, buttermilk, egg, egg yolk and vanilla until combined. Using a wooden spoon, stir in flour until well combined. Cover and chill three hours.

On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to a 1/2-inch thickness (I kneaded in extra flour since dough was sticky). Cut with floured 2 1/2-inch doughnut cutter (I used a 2-inch cutter), dipping cutter into flour between cuts. Reroll as necessary.

Fry doughnuts two to three at a time, in deep hot oil (365-degrees) about 2 1/2 minutes or until golden, turning once. Using a slotted spoon remove doughnuts from oil and drain on paper towels. Repeat with remaining doughnuts and doughnut holes. Coat warm doughnuts in spiced sugar mixture. Serve warm or at room temperature. Makes about 12 doughnuts plus holes.

Spiced sugar: In a small bowl stir together,
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg or 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Recipe source: bhg.com/recipes

Frozen pumpkin mousse pie
Crust:
30 small gingersnap cookies (about 7 1/2 ounces)
2 tablespoons raisins
1 tablespoon canola oil

Filling:
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
2 pints (4-cups) frozen low-fat vanilla ice cream, softened

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a nine-inch deep dish pie pan with cooking spray.

To prepare crust: Combine gingersnaps and raisins in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add oil and pulse until blended. Press evenly into the bottom and up the sides of the prepared pan. Bake the crust until set, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To prepare filling: Combine pumpkin, sugar, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg in a large bowl and mix well. Add ice cream and stir until blended. Spoon the mixture into the cooled pie crust. Freeze until firm, at least two hours. Let pie soften slightly in the refrigerator for 20 to 30 minutes before serving.
Tip: To soften ice cream quickly, microwave on medium-low for 30 to 60 seconds.
Recipe source: “Good & Fresh” magazine, a publication of the Defense Commissary Agency (commissaries.com).

Spiced mini pumpkins
6 mini pumpkins, about 3 to 3 1/2 inches in diameter
3 tablespoons butter, melted
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
 
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Cut off tops of the pumpkins, cutting about 1/3 of the way down so the whole top will come off. Scoop out seeds and scrape soft fibers out of the pumpkins. Scoop out the top, also, if there are a few seeds remaining in the top.

Combine the melted butter, brown sugar and cinnamon; put a few teaspoons in each pumpkin, brushing or swirling to coat sides; brush more on the inside of the tops. Place tops on the pumpkins. Arrange the pumpkins in a jelly roll pan or large baking pan with sides. Pour three to four-cups of water in the pan or to a depth of about 1/2 inch.

Bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until the pumpkins are tender. Use pumpkins to serve pumpkin pudding or custard or fill the warm pumpkins with scoops of vanilla ice cream and serve immediately.

Recipe source: southernfood.about.com
 
Sweet and spicy pumpkin seeds
2 egg whites
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups fresh pumpkin seeds
 
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a medium sized bowl, whisk together egg whites, sugar, cayenne pepper, cinnamon and salt. Add the pumpkin seeds and toss to coat.

Spread the seeds in a single layer across the parchment lined baking sheet and bake about 15 minutes. Stir them up a bit and put them back in the oven until golden in color, about five minutes more. Taste and season with more salt if needed.

Recipe source: “The Rachael Ray Show.”