Spiced Pumpkin Cake

Pureed pumpkin makes a wonderfully moist cake, says Nick Malgieri, and he particularly loves this version of it because it echoes the flavors of a pumpkin pie, one of his favorite desserts. Malgieri adapted this recipe from baking teacher Carole Walter’s book “Great Cakes” (Ballantine Books, 1992), for which he wrote the preface. * 3 cups all-purpose flour (spoon flour into dry-measure cup and level off) * 1 cup granulated sugar * 2 teaspoons baking powder * 2 teaspoons baking soda * 3/4 teaspoon salt * 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon * 2 teaspoons ground ginger * 2 teaspoons freshly grated nutmeg * 1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed * 2 cups (1 pound) canned pumpkin puree * 5 large eggs * 11/4 cups vegetable oil * Powdered sugar, optional * Sweetened whipped cream, optional * One 10-inch (16-cup) Bundt pan, buttered, coated with dry breadcrumbs and sprayed with vegetable cooking spray Set a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices in a medium bowl and whisk to mix; set aside. Place the brown sugar in a mixing bowl and use a large rubber spatula to work in about one-third of the pumpkin a little at a time, until there are no lumps of brown sugar. Use a whisk to incorporate the remaining pumpkin, the eggs and the oil, adding them one at a time and stirring to combine between additions. Whisk in the dry ingredients a third at a time. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until well risen and the point of a knife inserted between the edge of the pan and the central tube emerges clean, 60 to 70 minutes. Let the cake stand in the pan for 5 minutes, then unmold to a rack and cool completely. Serve the cake with powdered sugar sprinkled on the top, and/or with some sweetened whipped cream. Store under a cake dome or wrap in plastic and freeze for longer storage. Makes one 10-inch Bundt or tube cake, about 16 servings. Per serving: 374 calories; 19 g fat (2 g saturated fat; 46 percent calories from fat); 47 g carbohydrates; 66 mg cholesterol; 343 mg sodium; 5 g protein; 2 g fiber.