Queen Bee Pumpkin Cake
Adapted from a Martha Stewart Recipe
Makes one 9” x 2” round cake
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
1 2/3 cups Queen Bee Cake, Cookie, Muffin flour blend
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup homemade or canned pumpkin puree
1/2 cup warm (110 degrees) milk
Carmelized Walnut Halves, see below
Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-by-2-inch round cake pan. Line pan with parchment, and butter the parchment. Coat pan with tapioca starch, and tap out any excess.
In a large bowl, sift together Queen Bee CCM flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, salt, baking powder, and baking soda; set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat sugar and butter together until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs, and beat until combined. Add pumpkin puree and milk; beat until combined. Add reserved flour mixture; beat on low speed until just combined.
Pour batter into prepared pan, and bake until a cake tester inserted into the middle comes out clean, about 55 minutes. Transfer the cake to a wire rack to cool. Let cake rest 20 minutes.
Unmold cake. Using an offset spatula, spread icing over top of cake, and decorate with caramelized walnut halves.
Brown Butter Icing
4 Tb unsalted butter
1 cup sifted confectioners' sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 to 2 Tbs milk
1. In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium-high heat until nut-brown in color, about 10 minutes. Remove pan from heat, and pour butter into a bowl, leaving any burned sediment behind.
2. Add sugar, vanilla, and 1 tablespoon milk; stir until smooth. If the icing is too thick, add the remaining tablespoon milk, a little at a time, until consistency is spreadable. Let cool 5 minutes. Use immediately.
The consistency of the icing should be thin enough to spread but not runny.
Carmelized Walnut Halves
1/2 cup sugar
10 large walnut halves
In a small skillet, melt sugar over medium-high heat until medium golden, about 3 minutes. Remove skillet from heat. Working quickly, drop walnut halves, one at a time, into the melted sugar. If the sugar hardens, return skillet to low heat, and stir several minutes. Using a fork, turn walnuts until they are evenly coated. Transfer walnuts to a wire rack to cool completely. Use to decorate cake.