Spiced Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting


Ingredients
Grated zest of an orange (optional)
1 14 oz. (398 mL) can pure pumpkin
1/2 cup golden raisins and/or dried cranberries (optional)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
Frosting
1 8 oz. (250 g) pkg. light or regular cream cheese, softened
4-5 cups icing sugar, or enough to make a spreadable frosting
Directions
1Preheat to 350°F and spray two or three 9" round cake pans (or a Bundt pan) with nonstick spray.
2In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, allspice and nutmeg. In another bowl, combine the sugar, brown sugar, oil, eggs, ginger, vanilla and orange zest.
3Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture along with the pumpkin and stir with a spatula until almost combined; add the dried fruit and nuts and stir just until blended. Scrape into prepared pan(s) and bake for an hour, until the tops are springy to the touch. (It will be closer to 45 minutes for three layers, or an hour and ten minutes for a Bundt.) Cool in the pan on a wire rack.
4To make frosting, beat the cream cheese and butter with an electric mixer until smooth; add about a cup of icing sugar and beat until smooth, then add more, and 2 tablespoons of water, and keep beating until you have a smooth, spreadable frosting.
5Once cakes have cooled, invert them onto the racks out of their pans, flip them back over and slice most of the domed top off using a long, serrated knife.
6 Frost with the cream cheese frosting.