Spiced Pumpkin Pie Bundt

I'm very fond of this time of year. Despite the cacky wind and rain, there are exciting things just around the corner. I love it when the shops start to get in the Halloween gear, treacle toffee, pumpkins and dare I say it... Christmas stuff! I love the falling leaves, conkers and wrapping up warm. I don't like hats. They flatten my already temperamental fringe.

This cake is perfect for Halloween, Thanksgiving or just the colder months in general. And for those of you thinking 'I hate pumpkin!'... it doesn't taste of pumpkin, just like carrot cake doesn't taste like carrots. The pumpkin puree adds moisture, texture and sweetness to the finished cake. The spices add depth and make it the perfect partner to a nice cup of tea. This cake is much lighter than some of my other bundt recipes, so is best done in fluted or plain tins rather than the really intricate ones.

Ingredients

• 220g of vegetable fat 
• 250g golden caster sugar
• 80g of dark brown sugar
• 5 medium eggs
• 250g canned pumpkin (I used Libby's - it's available on Amazon...)
• 340g plain flour
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp mixed spice
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 130ml orange juice

Method

1. Grease and flour a regular sized bundt tin (2.4l, 10 cup, 10 inch). I recommend you use a simple design, as this is a fairly light mix.
2. Soften the vegetable fat and then cream in the sugars in stages.
3. Add the eggs one at a time on a slow setting.
4. Add the pumpkin:
5. Tip: It's going to look rancid at this stage. Curdled. Orange. A right cock up. Persevere... 
6. Add all the remaining dry ingredients to a large bowl.
7. Add the vanilla extract to the orange juice.
8. Sift in 1/3 of the dry ingredients, followed by 1/2 of the liquid. Repeat until all the flour and liquid is used up. Fold it in gently...
9. Give the whole thing a quick mix for about 10 seconds or until well combined. It will no longer look curdled. It is quite orange though!
10. Spoon the mix into the prepared tin and give it a good whack on the worktop to release bigger bubbles.
11. Bake at gas 3/160 C for about an hour and 15 minutes. 
12. It should be shrinking from the sides and a skewer should come out clean.
13. Let it cool fully in the tin then turn it out. 
14. Allow to cool fully before dusting with a little icing sugar mixed with cinnamon.

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