our bakes this week

Pumpkin Bread & Baby Bundts

Received a huge slab of pumpkin from Fruit&Veg Fairy Godfather. Apart from pumpkin soup, I made the rest into puree, and that went into my various loaves of pumpkin bread for gifting: cranberry & walnut, crystallised ginger, chocolate chip & raisins (pictured below), chocolate chip & ginger.

Dainty: Baby Bundts

Not so dainty: Pumpkin Bread

On the dainty front, Younger Child made rum & raisin baby bundts to celebrate (Grand)Father’s Day.

The Easy Pumpkin Bread was adapted from King Arthur Baking Company‘s recipe.

• 198g vegetable oil
• 350g granulated sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 425g homemade pumpkin purée
• 152g
• 400g flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 80g black raisins, optional*
• 80g chopped crystallized ginger, optional*
• 200g chocolate chips, optional*
• coarse sparkling sugar, for sprinkling on top, optional

*Substitute golden raisins, dried cranberries, walnuts, pecans

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
2. In a large bowl, beat together the oil, sugar, eggs, pumpkin, and water.
3. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and vanilla, stirring to combine.
4. Mix in the chips, nuts or other add-ins, if desired. Split the batter into the number of different flavoured loaves you want to make.
5. Spoon the batter into the prepared pans (I used 2 large paper loaf pans, 2 small). Sprinkle the tops of the loaves with coarse sparkling sugar.
6. Bake the bread for 45-90 minutes (depending on size of loaf), or until a cake tester or toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean.
7. Remove the bread from the oven, and cool it on a rack. When it’s completely cool, wrap it well and if time allows, store it overnight before serving. Waiting to enjoy the bread allows the flavors to meld and texture to completely set.
8. Storage information: Store leftover bread, tightly wrapped, at room temperature for several days. Freeze for longer storage.

Rum & Raisin Bundt for tea

Pumpkin Loaf with chocolate chips, ginger & raisins

Feature photo taken by Loving Husband during afternoon tea.