One of the things I love most about Autumn is that I now have a free mandate to bake all things pumpkin! Funny how pumpkin cakes and bakes are not as appealing at other times of the year. I wonder why that is. Just the natural order of things I guess!
The recipe I am sharing with you today for this fabulous Pumpkin Molasses cake is one I adapted from one of my oldest and most favorite cookery books. The BHG New Cook Book, published in 1982. This book has traveled around the world with me and for good reason. It is quite simply an excellent recipe source.
You can serve the cake plain or dusted simply with icing sugar. You can see both versions here. It really needs nothing else . . . this cake stands well enough on it's own. 
Dense and moist with plenty of pumpkin, buttermilk and soft light brown sugar and . . .
That delicious warmth of molasses and of course the sweet baking spices . . . ginger and cinnamon. It is like a pumpkin gingerbread.
It is beautiful served warm, and it is beautiful served cold. It also rises surprisingly high despite only having a tsp of baking soda as it's leavening.
It does stand beautifully on it's own, served with a hot drink . . . but for dessert, a nice dollop of softly whipped cream goes down a real treat!
*Pumpkin Molasses Cake*Serves 12Printable Recipe
Moist and delicious. Simply dust with powdered icing sugar to serve.
350g plain flour (2 1/2 cups)2 tsp finely grated orange zest1 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)1/2 tsp salt1/2 tsp ground cinnamon1/2 tsp ground ginger125g butter (1/2 cup)300g soft light brown sugar (1 1/2 cups packed)2 large free range eggs180ml buttermilk or sour mikl (3/4 cup)90g of tinned pureed pumpkin (1/2 cup)60ml molasses (1/4 cup)icing sugar to dust
Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Butter a 9 by 13 inch baking tin and lightly dust with flour, shaking out any excess. Set aside.
Sift together the flour, soda, salt, cinnamon and ginger. Whisk in the orange zest. Set aside.
Whisk together the buttermilk, pureed pumpkin and molasses. Set aside.
Cream the butter until light. Add the brown sugar and beat until well combined. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating for one minute after each egg is added. Add the flour mixture alternately with the pumpkin mixture, beating after each addition. Scrape into the prepared pan.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes in the preheated oven until the top springs back when lightly touched or a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan on a wire rack. Dust with icing sugar to serve.
If you can get your hands on a copy of this cookbook, it is really a book worth having in your cookbook library! You can sometimes pick them up second had at used book sales, etc. (Although I cannot imagine anyone wanting to get rid of their copy!) Happy pumpkin season and Bon Appetit!
Note - Here in the UK I have seen tinned pumpkin in Morrisons, Tesco and of course at online sites such as Skyco and Amazon. I always pick up several tins when I see it! I have even occasionally gotten it at Aldi. Molasses is a bit harder to come by, but you can get it at health food shops. If you can't find it, just use golden syrup in its place and DARK soft brown sugar instead of the light.
