Back To Basics

My Aunt Celesta, and her two children, Audrey Kate, and Evan, just left our house today with sadness in all our hearts. But isn't that how lovely times always feel when ended? We had a wonderful, too-short visit.

The agenda for our few days was to learn canning and a follow-up sewing lesson from their first class in April. I believe they aced the test! Aunt Celesta and Audrey Kate are great little seamstresses and Auntie can now can away!

Monday Afternoon

 Partly because I wanted to celebrate*, half because I had an itching for the kitchen; anyway, I cooked up a chocolate boxed cake mix, made this fabulous icing and happily worked away in my '40's apron.  There isn't much that can beat a simple chocolate cupcake and icing.  I ate them 'til I was sick, but, oh! was it worth it!


*I just got my braces off! (Pictures coming soon...)

Pumpkin Spice

I am sure that most of you are quite unaware of the fact that Mama and Susan Liana (Sissy) are pretty much on a whole foods diet.  It is a long story and a long list of yes and no foods, so I won't go into detail, but I will say that no gluten is on the list. I merely stated this to give you a background behind this cake and why on earth we would take the time to try it.

Monday night I walked into the kitchen and found Sissy cooking away at a new gluten free cake. It was our after dinner treat. The cake was lemon flavored and delicious, but it needed a few tweaks. I instantly started thinking of all the possibilities to make it fun/great/exciting. With Fall approaching, a spice cake came to mind. After school the next day, I took over the kitchen. I changed the recipe as I went along, and I was surprised that when it was ready to be eaten it wasn't in any need of change. I was excited about that! The Pumpkin Spice Cake is slightly more moist than the original recipe. I am biased, but, y'all(!), it was really good. 

Print this Recipe!

Pumpkin Spice Cake (Gluten Free)

• 6 eggs
• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/4 coconut milk (alternative: almond milk or experiment with it)
• 7 Tablespoons of honey (or other sweetener)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ginger
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg 
• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Take your eggs out of your refrigerator and allow them to come to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a metal pie pan. Whisk the eggs, coconut milk, honey, vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg together.  

Combine coconut flour, baking powder, and salt.  Stir the dry ingredients into the wet.  Mix the pumpkin puree  into the batter until all the lumps are gone.

Pour the batter into your greased pan and place on the middle rack of the oven. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until browned on top and a toothpick comes out clean.  Place on a cooling rack. 

After the cake has cooled, apply topping.

Pumpkin Spice Cake Topping

• 1/2 cup coconut oil
• 1 1/2 Tablespoon honey
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• pinch of: salt, ground clove, ginger, and nutmeg  

Mix all ingredients in a small saucepan. Heat up until the oil is melted and the honey is well mixed in.  Pour liquid into a bowl and place the bowl in the freezer in order to cool it down. it is very important to check on it every couple of minutes to catch it before it gets too cold.  You want to take it out of the freezer right when it starts to get cloudy.  At this point the cold bowl (and your cool kitchen) will continue to turn the liquid oil into a solid.  Continue to whisk the frosting as it gets cloudier and cloudier and eventually turns into a whipped butter consistency.  The idea is to get a bit of air into it.  Once it is to a whipped (very soft) butter consistency plop it onto your cooled cake.  Frost it very quickly before the coconut oils hardens.  It will seem pretty thin layer of frosting, but it is just enough. 

-You can order coconut flour here, and coconut oil in the health food section at your local grocery store.

I hope you all just love it!