Pumpkin Walnut Cakes Chicago IL

By Maureen Callahan

Pumpkin Walnut Cake
Canned pumpkin replaces some of the fat found in traditional layer cakes while keeping it moist and rich-tasting. And instead of butter, we got away with using just a little canola oil.

For the glaze, mix up some maple syrup and milk and you can skip all the sugar and butter called for in more traditional toppings.

Cake
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
3¼4 teaspoon baking powder
1¼4 teaspoon baking soda
1¼2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1¼2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1¼4 teaspoon salt
1¼4 teaspoon ground allspice
1¼8 teaspoon ground cloves
3¼4 cup organic sugar or sucanat
1¼4 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1¼2 cup canned pumpkin
1¼4 cup 1% low-fat milk
1¼4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

maple cream sauce
1¼2 cup low fat milk
1¼2 teaspoon cinnamon
1¼2 cup maple syrup
Preheat oven to 350°.

Combine first 8 ingredients (pastry flour through cloves) in a small bowl, whisking until well blended. Combine sugar, canola oil, and vanilla in a large bowl, stirring until blended. Whisk in egg, then stir in pumpkin.

Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture, alternating with the low-fat milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Pour batter into a 9-inch-diameter cake pan coated with cooking spray; sprinkle evenly with walnuts and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until cake springs back when touched lightly in the center. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove cake from pan and continue cooling on wire rack.

To make the sauce, combine milk and cinnamon in a small heavy-bottomed saucepan. Cook over low heat until mixture just begins to boil; immediately stir in syrup and continue cooking until sauce thickens slightly.

To serve, cut cake into 8 wedges. Place each wedge on a serving plate and drizzle maple cream sauce on top.

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