Saying goodbye to summer and the light evenings is not easy but there are so many things to look forward too. The drawing in of the nights for me means cosy evenings, hearty food, great fashion, halloween and not to mention the run up to christmas, sorry, I said the C word, but it is November now! and FYI I started my christmas shopping in September, smug.
If one thing symbolises Autumn for me, it's the trusty old pumpkin, I love them for adding a seasonal touch to my home, pumpkin recipes and of course, carving!
I thought i'd share a little pumpkin recipe in this post because it tasted yummy and even better made my house smell like Christm.... I'm not going to say it again, i'll use the word festive!
Pumpkin Spice Loaf
I found a recipe online and adapted it a little, the loaf tastes lovely but it has a very moist texture. If you aren't keen on that you could reduce the wet ingredients and add a bit more flour!
Ingredients
- 210g pumpkin puree (I got Libby's in a can from Waitrose, Tesco have it too)
- 2 eggs
- 100ml vegetable oil
- 75ml of water
- 300g caster sugar
- 225g plain flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder
- 1 level teaspoon of cinnamon
- 1 level teaspoon of ginger
- 1 level teaspoon of nutmeg
Pre heat your oven to 180c or gas mark 4, you need a loaf tin also! mix together all the wet ingredients! Then do the same in a separate bowl with the dry ingredients. Then slowly add the dry to the wet and mix thoroughly.
Grease your loaf tin lightly, pour the mixture in and put it in the middle of the oven for about an hour, check on it after 40 minutes and pop a skewer through the middle, when it comes out clean it is done!!
You could use less sugar if you wanted to, to make it a bit healthier, the recipe works just as well! You could also use one bowl instead of two and mix the dry and wet ingredients together if you can't be bothered with the washing up!
The last step is to light some candles, get some blankets and cuppa and thoroughly enjoy your glorious smelling home and not to mention, your cake!
Josephine xxx
