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Pumpkin Cheesecake
The Best Pumpkin Cake
Plus “A User’s Guide to Cinnamon Chips” with Recipes
This is a great snacking cake, moist and delightful. The pumpkin makes it moist and the cinnamon chips give it a burst of flavor in every bite.
We have made this both ways, with the cream cheese frosting and without. We like both. Without the frosting and with a dollop of whipped cream, this is a quick and easy dessert.
Ingredients:
3 1/2 cups flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon maple flavoring
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup milk
1 cup cinnamon chips
For the optional frosting:
4 ounces cream cheese
1/2 cup butter
4 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon lemon juice
water
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
1. Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and allspice together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
2. Cream the shortening and sugars together. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each. Beat the mixture until light and fluffy.
3. Add the maple and pumpkin and combine.
4. Alternately add the flour in three additions and the milk in two, starting with the flour. (Adding the flour and milk in stages will better balance the batter.) Add the chips. Scrape the batter into a well-greased 8 1/2 x 13-inch pan.
5. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes or until the cake tests done. Cool on a wire rack.
6. For the optional frosting, beat the cream cheese and butter together. Add the powdered sugar and continue beating. Add the vanilla and lemon juice. Add just enough water to bring the frosting to a spreadable consistency. Frost the cake after it has cooled.
A User’s Guide to Cinnamon Chips
Cinnamon chips are shaped and made like chocolate chips but are made with cinnamon instead of cocoa. In the oven, they melt like chocolate chips leaving tiny pockets of sweet cinnamon. They are mini chips, smaller than standard chocolate chips.
Because they melt at a temperature that is higher than body temperature, they will not melt in your mouth as chocolate chips do. They are great for baking but because they don’t melt in your mouth, they’re not for snacking.
Use cinnamon chips just as you would chocolate chips. If you are making yeast bread, put them in at the end of the mixing cycle so that they don’t melt in the kneading.
How Much to Use
Tastes and recipes vary so you may wish to add more or less than these amounts but these are the recommended starting points:
- For muffins, use one cup for 12 muffins.
- For scones, use 3/4 cup per dozen scones.
- For bread, use 3/4 cup per loaf.
- For quick bread, 3/4 cup per loaf.
- For pancakes, use 2/3 cup per one pound of mix.
- For cookies, use 1 1/3 cups per three dozen cookies.
- For cakes, use 1 2/3 cups for a 9 x13-inch cake.
- To complement the cinnamon chips, add one teaspoon good quality cinnamon.
See these cinnamon chips >>
Selected Recipes
This article was written by Dennis Weaver of The Prepared Pantry. Dennis is a baker, a recipe designer, and a writer. He has written a number of baking guides and books including “How to Bake,” a comprehensive baking and reference book.
