Pumpkin Spice Cake
härth is so committed to farm-to-table and the use of locally sourced ingredients that they have their own rooftop beehive to produce 200 pounds of honey a year. We could go on and on ... but for now, take a gander at his delectable pumpkin spice cake!
Recipe from harth's former Executive Chef Thomas Elder
For the Cake:
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 3/4 cup sieved cooked pumpkin
- 2 cups sifted cake flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp allspice
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 cup milk or buttermilk
- 1/2 cup chopped toasted nut (walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts)(OPTIONAL)
Method:
- In a mixing bowl, cream the butter well, then cream in the sugar until fluffy.
- Beat in the eggs and the pumpkin.
- Sift the dry ingredients together and stir in alternately with the milk on low speed. Make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
- Mix until the batter is smooth.
- Add the nuts and pour into a greased and floured 8-9 inch cake pans. (You'll need 2 pans.)
- Bake in preheated 350 degree oven about 25 minutes. The cake should spring back when pressed lightly.
- Cool 5 minutes on a rack, loosen from the pan and turn out onto the rack to cool.
- Frost with fluffy caramel frosting (see below).
For the frosting:
Ingredients:
- 2 cups dark brown sugar, firmly packed
- 1 1/3 cups heavy cream
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Method:
- In a sauce pan over low heat bring the sugar and cream to a boil.
- Cover the pan and cook the mixture for 3 minutes.
- Remove the cover and continue cooking until the mixture reaches 236 to 240 degrees.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the butter, salt and vanilla.
- Cool to lukewarm, then beat until the mixture is creamily smooth and of spreadable consistency. This recipe provides sufficient frosting for a 9-inch two layer cake.
härth restaurant
7920 Jones Branch Dr
McLean, VA 22102
703-761-5131
www.hiltonmclean.com/Harth
https://www.facebook.com/harthrestaurant
https://twitter.com/harthrestaurant
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