Pumpkin Cake & Cream Cheese Frosting

My friend Damaris has a popular food blog - Kitchen Corners - you know the one! And this month she is hosting a pumpkin recipes cook off. Although I'm generally not competitive about basically anything (never be on my team for any game because I will probably tell the other team the answers), there are a few things that get me to try new recipes, and they are a) a potluck or dinner party, and b) a contest. This is the latter! Vote for me! Just kidding, there is no voting involved. Just try the recipe, and I'll be satisfied.

Pumpkin Cake

4 eggs
1 2/3 c. sugar
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup applesauce
1 16 oz. can of pumpkin
2 c. flour
2 teasp. baking powder
2 teasp. cinnamon
1 teasp. salt
1 teasp. baking soda
1/8 teasp. nutmeg (I ground mine fresh from the nut, and let's be frank... I used a lot more than 1/8 of a teaspoon!)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat together eggs, sugar, oil, applesauce and pumpkin until light and fluffy. Sift dry ingredients together, add to the above wet ingredients, and mix thoroughly. Spread batter into an ungreased (I greased it anyway) 15" x 10" pan, or two circular pans for a layered cake. Bake 25-30 minutes. Let the cake cool (I baked the night before and then froze the layers) and then frost with cream cheese frosting.


Cream Cheese Frosting

Cream together:

6 oz. cream cheese
1/2 c. butter (1 stick)

Then add:

1 teasp. vanilla

Then add:

1 c. powdered sugar

Voilà! Cream cheese frosting is amazing when it is done right, and "done right" means something different to everyone, so taste to test, and add more powdered sugar, or cream cheese, or whatever it needs in order to be perfect!

Chopped walnuts or filberts makes a pretty garnish.