November usually descends with grey skies. Cool temps. Naked trees. Snow flurries. Early darkness.
I usually respond to these changes with increasing gloom. Extra introversion. Hearty meals. Seasonal desserts.
I planned a weekend of baking such hearty meals and seasonal desserts, tucking into November with culinary comfort.
And then...sunshine, glorious sunshine! Unseasonably warm temperatures!
I eschewed a weekend of baking, and settled on making just one of the delicious picks for this month, the All in One Holiday Bundt Cake selected by Britin of The Nitty Britty.
Late Sunday afternoon I mixed up the cake, using canned pumpkin, a grated Ida Red apple from my mom, and a cup of local cranberries from G's mom. My two bundt pans, rose and sunflower shapes, don't seem to match the seasonality of this particular recipe, so I made two loaves instead. They baked for about 50 minutes and perfumed the house with spicy warmth.
After the loaves cooled, I topped them with the optional maple glaze and chopped pecans. G and I enjoyed thick slices with cups of hot vanilla green tea as our weekend came to a close.
Both of us were impressed by the density of the cake and the interplay of flavors. Delicious! I wrapped up a slice for G to take home, placed the partial loaf in the freezer, and set aside the other whole loaf to take to coffee hour at work tomorrow.
G raved about the cake and how the flavors improved overnight. While his direct comments are off-the-record, his overall impression of this cake is *very* favorable. A perfect autumnal cake, suitable to November days in all their manifestations.
I made this last week and just LOVED it! I'm going to make it for Thanksgiving this year ;)
ReplyDeleteThis was good, wasn't it. so many flavors. Nice and warm and dense and delicious.
ReplyDeleteYou've made me want to make this cake now! I think I have a seasonally appropriate bundt pan, but your loaves (and the prospect of thick slices) sound awfully good. And I'll go ahead and be the first to say that I'm most curious about the off-the-record comments!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful cake!
Your loaf looks wonderful with the nuts on top! I liked this one a lot too. I baked it as a bundt, but I'd like to try mini loaves or muffins next time.
ReplyDeleteI plan on making this for next week.
ReplyDeleteIt looks gorgeous.
I made this cake this week too! Yours looks so good! I thought it was super moist and delicious!
ReplyDeleteLeave it to a newspaper man to make his comments "off the record"!! I love your responses to the seasons - and your spontaneous decision to ditch your plans when the weather was (delightfully) unseasonable. This was a very good cake, wasn't it?
ReplyDeleteYour loaves look delicious! I am making this next week.
ReplyDeleteIt did get better with time. So yummy and yours looks great with the glaze. I skipped it this time around. I'll have to try it when my little cakes come out of the freezer.
ReplyDeleteYour loaf looks great! And Sunshine! Love it.
ReplyDeleteYour cake looks great, I too made it this week and just like you thought that the flavor totally improved by the next day. The house did smell delicious just before it came out.. totally a holiday cake!
ReplyDeleteThree cheers for loafcake! It was wonderful
ReplyDeleteI'm doing mine as a loaf next time too. Good idea!
ReplyDeleteI feel the same about the onset of fall/winter and agree that you must take advantage of any sunny warmth that comes along!
ReplyDeleteYour loaves look so delicious, and I'm glad to hear everyone say they liked this. I believe the consensus is to let it rest overnight for the best flavor.
I wish we'd get another warm snap! I can't complain because our winters aren't so cold, but still. This looks perfect with the glaze and sounds so delicious.
ReplyDelete