My pumpkin cake and I..."we" won!

                                        

My divine fellow blogger Kerry of Monograms and Martinis shared about a Thanksgiving recipe contest Cape Madras was having on their Facebook page. I had never entered one of my recipes in a "most votes wins" contest like this before, but I have been encouraged and inspired by so many wonderful new friends since I began this blog and most recently my Facebook page, so for the first time, I entered one of my recipes in a "most votes wins" contest. This newlywed far from home in a new place relied on my pumpkin cake recipe I created back home in my Oklahoma kitchen with my baking mentor, my late maternal grandmother sitting in her rocking chair watching me because I had met a wonderful man who liked pumpkin desserts and I wanted to create a dessert to wow him that Thanksgiving because I was going to take him a plate to the hospital because he was working on Thanksgiving. I don't say "I" won, I say that my cake and I, "we" won.

Voting closed on Thanksgiving night and the winner was announced. Thanksgiving night when Cape Madras announced that I was the winner, was a time of glorious excitement for me! The Southern Fried Husband is so proud of me! For the first time, I felt my late Grandma Cleva and my late Mother's presence right there in the room with me SO close, as if I could almost reach out and touch them. For the first time ever, I have won a "most votes" contest and I am incredibly thankful and grateful for every single person who voted for me and my cake to get "us" there.

Here is the winning recipe, one of my favorite cakes to bake this time of year:

“The Southern Fried Bride's Pumpkin Delight Cake”


2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup brown sugar

3 teaspoons baking powder

1 package (4-serving size) Jell-O pumpkin flavor instant pudding

1 cup canned pumpkin OR fresh, mashed pumpkin

1/2 cup cooking oil

1/2 cup water

3 large eggs

Optional Garnish: 1/4 cup chopped pecans

                           1/2 teaspoon cinnamon


Preheat oven to 350 F. Coat two 8-inch round pans with cooking spray. Place all ingredients into large mixing bowl. Blend with mixer on low speed for one minute, then increase to medium speed for two minutes. Pour batter into pans and place in oven. Bake 30-35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove pans from oven and place on cooling racks. Frost cooled cake. Garnish, if desired, with chopped pecans and sprinkled cinnamon. Enjoy!

"Delightfully Cinnamon Buttercream Frosting"


1 stick butter, softened

3 cups confectioner's sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon cinnamon

4 tablespoons milk


Place butter in mixing bowl. Blend with mixer on low speed until fluffy. Gradually add confectioner's sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and 3 tablespoons milk until all ingredients are blended. Increase to medium speed and beat until light and fluffy. If mixture becomes stiff, add additional 1 tablespoon of milk.