Pumpkin Ale Cake + A Pumpkin Party!

Guys. The amazing Sara Cornelius of Cake Over Steak has organized a virtual celebration of pumpkin! I can’t decide if she’s a genius or just my hero. Probably both. Because can you think of a better way to ring in the autumn season? And if you don’t slow down and eat loads of pumpkin, you’re probably doing October wrong.

Side note, thanks to my good friend Charlene I’m getting in all of my favorite Halloween and fall activities! Countless movies and two bent pumpkin carving knives later…

So what did I pick for my pumpkin recipe to share? Well the changing leaves and blustery winds always make me a bit homesick, so I perused around the old MN church cookbook for some inspiration. And I came across a recipe for a pumpkin beer bread! The best sounding recipe ever. Am I right? But wait! It gets better. I tried this baby out and the beer bread is more like a beer cake! With a crunchy top to boot! Add a sweet glaze and you’ve got yourself one kick-ass pumpkin-rific cake.

Creamy pumpkin, fragrant spices, bubbly beer, and soft golden raisins come together in one bite to make all of your whimsical October dreams come true. So now that I’ve got you all excited about pumpkin, I’m sure you’re just dying to get this recipe and all of the others.

Well first, I thought I’d share with you a secret to success with this cake. Golden raisins are sprinkled throughout to make each piece extra flavorful. If you skip one important step, however, the raisins will all sink to the bottom and make a big mess. In the batter, the fruit pieces always seem so well dispersed before it bakes. But in the oven, before the batter cooks and thickens, the heat thins out the batter. That’s when the pieces can sink.

The secret? Flour those fruit pieces before mixing them into the batter. I bet you have heard of this tip, but did you ever wonder why it works? The flour acts to suck up extra water on the exterior of the fruit. This extra water can be released during baking, and when the crumb isn’t set yet, it essentially makes the pieces slippery in the batter causing them to fall to the bottom of the pan. By sucking up any excess water in the nooks and crannies of the fruit pieces, flour helps to keep those pieces “sticky” and suspended within the batter. So cool, right?!

Also, another interesting note about the science in this recipe: remember that epic post all about beer waffles I did earlier this fall (also with Cake Over Steak)? Well, this cake uses some of that super-amazing functionality of the beer. The extra bubbles from the carbonated beer help the cake to rise extra tall and create that crisp crust. Use pumpkin or another seasonal beer to really step this cake’s game up!

Well pals. The time has come. Pumpkin mania! Head on over to Cake Over Steak for a full list of the recipes, or scroll down below the recipe to browse them! And ‘tis the season to be pumpkin-y.

Pumpkin Ale Cake

Makes 3 small cakes (4 ¾ x 2 ¾ inch) and 1 large 6×6 inch cake, or 2 9×5 inch cakes

2 cups sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

4 large eggs

1-16 oz can pumpkin

½ teaspoon kosher salt

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground cloves

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 cup beer (I used a seasonal fall beer)

3 ½ cups all-purpose flour

2 cups golden raisins—dusted with 1-2 teaspoons flour

Glaze (optional)

2 cups powdered sugar

3 tablespoons heavy cream

⅓ cup milk

1. Preheat your oven to 350⁰F. Grease and flour your selection of pans. Set aside.

2. Cream the sugar and oil together in a stand mixer for 2 minutes. Beat in the eggs and pumpkin. Scrape the bowl and make sure everything is incorporated.

3. Mix the salt, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg together in a small bowl and add to the pumpkin mixture. Mix to combine.

4. Alternating, add the beer and flour in 3 parts each beginning with the beer. Mix for about 30-45 seconds until just mixed. Fold in the flour-coated golden raisins with a rubber spatula by hand.

5. Divide your batter amongst your baking pans. The pans should be filled about ⅔ of the way with batter for a nicely domed cake.

6. Bake your cakes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. This could take up to 1 hour for the larger cakes.

7. Top with glaze and enjoy while warm. This cake also freezes well, so thaw in the fridge overnight and heat in the microwave when ready for a special pumpkin breakfast the next morning!

Hooray for the fall flavors!

Pumpkin Ale Cake

Pumpkin Lovin’ (it’s pretty epic)