Pumpkin Spice Cake with Penuche Icing

Why Didn't I Think of That?
Follow this link for some clever ideas to make life easier in the kitchen 
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which include:

spray measuring cups before adding sticky ingredients like honey or molasses. Now this sure does make a lot of sense.


The arrival of Fall signals the beginning of pumpkin cooking season. There is no shortage of recipes in every food category imaginable. Pumpkin Spice Cake with Penuche Icing goes to the top of my list. The cake is moist and flavorful but it was the frosting that sent me over the edge into pure bliss. I was licking the pan. It was decadent.
Penuche is a boiled icing made from brown sugar, milk, butter and vanilla. The flavor is reminiscent of caramels. Pecans are often sprinkled over the icing.

 
Pumpkin Spice Cake with Penuche Icing
recipe adapted from Bon Appetit October 2007
Cake Ingredients:

• 3 cups flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1-1/2 TB. cinnamon
• 2 tsp. ground ginger
• 1-3/4 tsp. allspice
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• dash nutmeg
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 cup vegetable or canola oil
• 4 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 can (15. oz.) pure pumpkin not pie filling
• 1 TB.vanilla
• 1 TB. orange zest
• optional 3/4 cup chopped pecans or walnuts 
• topping 1/3 cup each toasted coocnut and pecans 

Cake Directions:

• Grease a 13 x 9 pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• In a bowl sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, ginger, allspice, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg. Set aside.
• In a bowl beat both sugars and oil. Add eggs in one at a time. Add in pumpkin, orange zest and vanilla. Beat until well blended. Add flour mixture and beat only until incorporated. Add nuts and pour into a prepared pan.
• Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into center comes clean.
• Frost cake with Penuche icing and sprinkle with topping mixture.

Penuche Icing
Cook's notes: For topping I mixed 1/3 cup each toasted coconut and pecans.
Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup butter
• 2/3 cup brown sugar, packed
• 4 TB. milk or half and half
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 2-1/2 cups powdered sugar

Directions:

• Melt butter in saucepan. Stir in brown sugar. Boil and stir over low heat 2  minutes. Stir in milk. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Stir in vanilla and cool in pan to lukewarm.
• Add powdered sugar to saucepan with brown sugar mixture. Beat until smooth with a hand mixer. Add milk as needed for correct consistency.  If icing gets too thick can warm pan on stove.