This recipe makes a very moist, non-crumbly muffin, or a great cake. A cream cheese frosting would be excellent on the cake.

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups flour

2 cups sugar

2 cups pumpkin *

2 teaspoon cinnamon

2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup vegetable oil

4 eggs

½ teaspoon salt

METHOD:

Pre-heat oven to 350°.

In a large bowl, mix the first four ingredients, and beat until smooth.

Add baking powder and soda. Mix well.

Slowly add oil and mix well.

Break eggs into a bowl and beat. Add into other ingredients.

Add salt.

Pour batter into greased and floured muffin tins or an 8”x10” cake pan.

Bake for 10 minutes if small muffins, 15 for regular sized muffins, or 20-30 minutes for a cake.

Let cool at least 10 minutes so muffins can firm up a little.

A Variation for Muffins

This is the same recipe but uses more flour for a crumbly texture, the baking powder and soda are reversed, and water is added.

INGREDIENTS:

3½ cups flour

2 cups sugar

2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon salt

2 cups pumpkin

4 eggs

1 cup oil

2/3 cup water

METHOD:

Pre-heat oven to 350°.

Mix dry ingredients.

Mix pumpkin with oil and eggs.

Alternating with water, add dry ingredients to pumpkin mix.

Put batter into greased and floured muffin tins to fill 2/3 full and bake for 25 to 30 minutes.

Chef’s Notes: * See the recipe for Basic Roasted Winter Squash on site. Be sure to omit the sage, pepper, and use a neutral flavored oil. You can also stem the squash; cut into large chunks, stem until tender and remove the peel. This will leave you with a wetter squash, so you might drain it in a sieve or need to add flour to the recipe. Roasting makes the squash/pumpkin sweeter and less green tasting. You can use Winter Luxury, or most other pumpkins, or use squash such as Winter Carnival, Butternut, or other thick fleshed winter squash.

Yield: 12 muffins or 1 8×10-inch cake

Source: Chef Andrew E Cohen