This past Saturday I really wanted some stovetop coffee. It was cold and rainy outside. I was feeling trapped indoors and wanted to enjoy some creature comforts. Problem is that I am terrible at making coffee. This is an area in my marriage where my husband excels, to be clear he excels at all sorts of things, but coffee made at home he does with great ease. Whereas I on the other hand lose all my kitchen abilities when faced with brewing a pot. Because of this sometimes he holds my enjoyment of a cup of coffee for ransom, exchanging it for things like breakfast or desserts. This weekend he was really craving a dessert with autumnal flavors and yes I made tart apple slice last weekend at his request, so yes you are right to notice a pattern of behavior.

For the record, my grandma did not leave me a Spiced Pumpkin Cake recipe. But she did leave me a fantastic Banana Cake recipe. I was able to use that Banana Cake recipe as the foundation for this Spiced Pumpkin Cake. It was a fun endeavor that turned out really well spiced, sweet with a moist texture. Well enough that I was able to trade it for the stovetop coffee that I was craving, which is why I also named this cake my “Quid Pro Quo Cake” for fun.

Yields: 9″ Round Cake

Ingredients Cake

1 1/2 Cup Sugar

2/3 Cup Butter

2 Beaten Eggs

3 Tablespoons Whole Milk

1 Tablespoons Ricotta

1 Cup Canned Pumpkin Puree (Plain)

1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Sift Together:

1 1/2 Cup Cake Flour

1/8 Teaspoon Salt

1 Teaspoon Baking Soda

1/2 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon

1/4 Teaspoon Ground Powdered Ginger

1/4 Teaspoon Ground Clove

Ingredients, Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

4 oz Cream Cheese (1/2 Brick)

2 Tablespoon Maple Syrup

1 1/2 Cups Powdered Sugar (Sifted)

For Dusting/Garnish

1/4 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon

Instructions

Preheat Oven to 350 Degrees Fahrenheit

Butter and lightly cake flour one 9″ cake pan.

In a stand mixer using the flat beater attachment, cream the butter and the sugar. Turn off the mixer, lower the bowl, scrape down the sides and add the remaining wet ingredients; eggs, milk, ricotta, pumpkin, vanilla. Raise the bowl then beat at low setting until combined. Turn off the mixer, lower the bowl, scrape down the sides and add the sifted dry ingredients together. Raise the bowl and beat at a low speed until just combined. Batter will be thick and relatively smooth. Using a spatula pour the cake batter into the prepared buttered and floured 9′ cake pan. Bake the cake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 45 minutes until done. Test for doneness with a toothpick inserted in the center that emerges clean.

Cool the cake on a wire rack. Once the cake is cooled to slightly warm but not hot, approximately 1.5 hours, invert the cake onto the wire rack, removing the pan and cool the cake completely. Once the cake is cooled invert it onto a 11″-12″ cake plate.

Once the cake is cooled, prepare the frosting with a hand mixer. In a large bowl combine the cream cheese, maple syrup and sifted powdered sugar using a hand mixer. The frosting will be a little loose. Using an off-set metal spatula, scoop all of the frosting onto the top of the cake. Using the off-set spatula spread the frosting on the top of the cake evenly, leave a 1/2″ border around the cake so the frosting doesn’t run down the sides of cake. Cover the cake with plastic cling wrap or a domed cake cover and refrigerate to chill the cake and set the frosting. Serve the cake cold and lightly sprinkle with a 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon.