This time of year reminds me of a joke that my older brother used to play on me when I was little. He says, want to play 52 card pickup? I say, yes, that sounds fun. Cue the entire deck of cards dropped on the ground. I get over it and think, that was mean but he really is nice and would never do something like that again. He waits ten minutes and then says, want to play 104 card pickup? I say, yes, that sounds fun and different. Cue two decks of cards dropped on the ground.
What is the point of this story? The point is that the world can be mean--older brother mean--this time of year. By the time you come to terms with the fact that the sun sets in the afternoon, it snows. A lot.
I am supposed to say something along the lines of: but, hey, look on the bright side this cold and snowy weather means that it is time to start baking for the holidays! While I am not entirely convinced of this, I am convinced that the following recipe should be added to your Thanksgiving menu immediately.
This cake begins and ends with a frosting so delicious that words cannot describe it. If it were socially acceptable to serve this frosting in little ice cream dishes at a dinner party, I would do just that. And for those of you whose friends are seemingly too sophisticated to eat frosting with a spoon, I have two suggestions:
1. Get new friends.
2. Bake the pumpkin almond cake which serves as a more appropriate conduit for getting the frosting to your mouth.
Pumpkin Almond Cake
from Baked
Make the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter one 9" round cake pan, line with parchment paper, and butter the parchment. Dust the parchment with flour and knock out the excess flour. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves.
In the bowl of a standing mixer, beat the butter and sugars on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the pumpkin puree and beat until incorporated. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and mix for 30 seconds.
Add the flour mixture in three parts, alternating with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and beat for a few more seconds.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Set the pan on a wire rack to cool for at least 20 minutes. Loosen the sides of the cake from the pan, then turn the cake out onto the rack. Remove the parchment, flip the cake right side up, and let the cake cool completely.
Make the frosting: Place the almond butter, butter, 2 tbsp of almond milk, powdered sugar, and salt in a food processor. Pulse until the frosting comes together and is shiny and smooth. If you prefer a slightly looser frosting, add more almond milk; if you prefer a thicker frosting, add 1/2 cup of powdered sugar.
Cake
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cups almond flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 cup pumpkin puree
2 large eggs
3/4 cup buttermilk, well shaken
Almond Butter Frosting
1/2 cup almond butter
2 ounces (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened
2 tbsp almond milk
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
