Spiced Pumpkin Cake (South African Style)

Ingredients

For the cake:
2 cups cake flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
½ tsp salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp mixed spice (or nutmeg + ginger blend)
1 cup brown sugar
½ cup white sugar
¾ cup sunflower oil (or canola oil)
4 large eggs
1½ cups cooked pumpkin (well mashed – butternut works perfectly!)
1 tsp vanilla essence
½ cup buttermilk (or ½ cup milk + 1 tsp lemon juice, left to curdle)

Optional add-ins:

½ cup chopped pecans or walnuts
½ cup raisins or chopped dates

Method

Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease and line two 20 cm cake tins or one large loaf tin.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, bicarb, salt, cinnamon, and mixed spice.
In another bowl, whisk sugars, oil, and eggs until smooth.
Add the mashed pumpkin and vanilla essence, and mix well.
Gently fold in the dry ingredients alternating with the buttermilk, mixing until just combined.
Stir in nuts or raisins if using.
Pour into the prepared tin(s) and bake for 30–35 minutes (cupcakes) or 45–50 minutes (cake/loaf), until a skewer comes out clean.
Cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.

Cream Cheese Frosting (optional but heavenly!)

250 g cream cheese, room temp
100 g butter, softened
2–3 cups icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
A pinch of cinnamon (optional)

Beat together butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add icing sugar gradually and beat until fluffy. Spread over cooled cake and dust lightly with cinnamon or decorate with chopped nuts.