Spiced Pumpkin Cake

Commonly known as "Kaddo"  in India, here it is mostly used in savoury dishes. A huge variety of dishes are prepared on most popular Indian festivals and vegetable curry made out of  pumpkin holds a special spot amongst the festive fare.  
 Most of us do not realize that this humble pumpkin is a powerful storehouse of vitamins and minerals. Not only is it loaded with vitamin A, it’s a good source of vitamins C, K, and E, and lots of minerals, including magnesium, potassium, and iron.(try telling your child this! Seriously, I haven't yet come across a kid who is fond of eating kaddu)
And for all  you ladies - a quick beauty tip - Just  throw in 2 tsp pureed pumpkin and add 1/4 tsp honey and 1/2 tsp milk - mix it well and apply on your face and see how it  glows. In short, give this humble versatile vegetable a "thumbs-up" for your good health.
 Back to the recipe -  I got this recipe while surfing the net and followed the directions exactly as given (except I reduced the oil from 1 1/4 to I cup). The cake turned out nice and moist and the lovely flavour of cinnamon really added to its good taste.


Ingredients :-

·         2 cups white sugar

·        1 cup vegetable oil

·         1 teaspoon vanilla essence

·         2 cups pureed pumpkin(chop pumpkin into pieces, pressure cook till soft, then puree)

·         4 eggs

·         2 cups all-purpose flour

·         3 tsp baking powder

·         2 tsp baking soda

·         1/4 tsp salt

·         2 tsp ground cinnamon

     1/2 tsp all spice powder

·         1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Method :-

            Preheat oven to 175 C. Grease and flour a 9 inch round baking tin. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, spice powder,salt and cinnamon powder. Set aside.

.          In a large bowl combine sugar and oil. Blend in vanilla essence and pumpkin puree, then beat in eggs one at a time. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in nuts. Spread batter into prepared  pan.

          Bake in the preheated oven for about 1 hour,or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool.

                 

You can make cupcakes too, using the same batter