PUMPKIN NUT CAKE

I love my Amish cookbooks. I have found so many outstanding recipes in them. I have found so many what sounds like outstanding recipes in them that list the ingredients but not much directions. Looking for something to make to take to the volunteers at Hillcrest Thrift Shop yesterday, I finally decided to take a chance on what I thought would be the directions. Actually this one did give the oven temperature and how long to cook it, but that was it. 

Miss Nettie Weaver's recipe for Pumpkin Nut Cake was in my Dutch Country Cooking, Recipes compiled from Dutch Country Kitchens cookbook. She said to bake it for an hour. That and the fact that it used 3 cups of flour plus other ingredients, I decided to make it in a tube pan, specifically a fancy Bundlt-like pan. She also said to just mix together but I have made too many cakes not to follow a certain process. Well, it worked out perfectly and the volunteers gave me several thumbs up.

PUMPKIN NUT CAKE

1     cup shortening
2     cups brown sugar
3     cups flour
1/2  teaspoon soda
4     teaspoon baking powder
1     cup nuts (I used pecans)
2     eggs - beaten
1     teaspoon maple extract
1/2  cup milk
1     cup mashed pumpkin (I used canned pumpkin)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Grease and flour a tube pan. Set aside.

Beat shortening and brown sugar in a large mixing bowl til light and fluffy. (I let the mixer run while I measured out the flour and other dry ingredients.)

Beat eggs and then add them to the shortening mixture. Beat til well blended.

Add maple extract.

Combine flour, soda, baking powder, and nuts in a bowl and whisk.

Add flour mixture alternately with the

milk to the batter beginning and ending with the flour (3 times flour and 2 times milk).

Scrape the sides of the bowl often.

Stir in pumpkin.

Spread batter in pan and bake for one hour.

Cool in pan on wire rack for 15 minutes and

then invert on cake platter to finish cooling.

Can make a powdered sugar glaze to drizzle on it or just sprinkle powdered sugar on top.