Rum Glazed Pumpkin Cake

Rum Glazed Pumpkin Cake
Original recipe by Taste of Home 
www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/rum-glazed-pumpkin-cake

Ingredients: 

1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 can (15 ounce) solid-pack pumpkin
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup canola oil
4 large eggs
1/4 cup water
1 package yellow cake mix (regular size)
1 - 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

Glaze:

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, cubed
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Dash ground cloves
1/2 cup rum

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 10-inch fluted tube pan; sprinkle pecans onto bottom of pan.

In a large bowl, beat pumpkin, sugar, oil, eggs and water until well blended. In another bowl, whisk cake mix and spices; gradually beat into pumpkin mixture. Transfer to prepared pan.

Bake 55 - 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack.

In a small saucepan, combine sugar, butter, cinnamon and cloves; cook and stir over medium heat until butter is melted. Remove from heat. Stir in rum; cook and stir 2 - 3 minutes longer or until sugar is dissolved.

Gradually brush glaze onto warm cake, about 1/4 cup at a time, allowing glaze to soak into cake before adding more. Cool completely.

Yield: 12 servings

Hint: To remove cakes easily, use solid shortening to grease plain and fluted pans.

Plum Torte

Plum Torte
Oringinal recipe by NYT Cooking
https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/3783-original-plum-torte

Ingredients:

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup unbleached flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
2 eggs
24 halves pitted purple plums

Topping:

Sugar
Lemon juice
cinnamon

Directions:

Heat oven to 350 degrees

Cream the sugar and softened butter together in a bowl. Add the flour, baking powder, salt and eggs and beat well.

Lightly coat an 8-inch springform pan with non-stick spray and spoon the batter into the springform pan. Place the plum halves skin side up on top of the batter.

Sprinkle lightly with sugar and lemon juice, depending on the sweetness of the fruit. Sprinkle with about 1 teaspoon of cinnamon.

Bake 1 hour, approximately. Once cooled, serve plain or with whipped cream.

Hint:

You can freeze your plum torte if desired. Double-wrap the torte in foil and place in a plastic bag and seal. To serve a torte that has been frozen, simply defrost and reheat it briefly at 300 degrees.