Thanksgiving in the United States isn’t always the best time to start innovating in the world of food prep. For the most part, we like the traditional standards: Turkey, stuffing, yams, and, of course, green bean casserole.
If there is one area where there’s more leeway to experiment with the Thanksgiving meal, though, it’s at the dessert table.
While pumpkin pie is a favorite, you’re liable to find all sorts of delicious new things to try at the sweet end of the spread. Last year, we shared a recipe for persimmon pudding, courtesy of John Pidgeon’s grandmother Jessie Draper Pidgeon.
This year for our Thanksgiving recipe from the Draper Employee Cookbook, we’re going with another dessert: Pumpkin Bread. Why not? Everything else is pumpkin these days, right?
This recipe comes from Carolyn Mills, who is a member of Draper’s Purchasing Department. Here’s what she had to share about it:
Carolyn, shown with her significant other.
My picky eater son came home from work one day and was raving about this cake. I was so glad that he was expanding his horizons, spreading his wings, testing out his taste buds, all of the above—to even try the cake, much less love it.
I must admit it was probably a year or two before I tried it. He even mentioned it a few times in that time span. Once I tried it however, I understood his enthusiasm. It is wonderfully moist and delicious. And practically anything with cream cheese frosting is worthy of a healthy slice on the plate.
Well said, Carolyn! And now, on with the recipe!
Pumpkin Cake
- 2 cups flour
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 4 eggs, beaten
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 teaspoons soda
- 1 cup oil
- 15 oz. can pumpkin
Prepare a 9 x 13 baking pan; preheat oven 350°. While the oven is preheating, mix all the dry ingredients. Add oil, eggs, and pumpkin to form a thick batter. Pour into pan and bake for 45 minutes.
Frosting
- 1 stick butter, melted
- 1 lb. powdered sugar
- 8 oz. cream cheese
Mix ingredients together. Allow the cake to cool before frosting it. You can also press chopped nuts into side of cake if you want to.
