Pumpkin muffin

During the season I could not help but share with you a simple recipe for an amazing pumpkin cake, which will come in handy in the November bad weather. Light spicy aroma, delicate crumb, rich, moderately sweet taste ... pumpkin cake is simply created for a cozy tea party with your family.

All the subtleties and nuances of cooking (as well as the details about the ingredients), I traditionally wrote below in the steps, so just a couple of important points and let's go to cook. The color of the finished muffin will depend on the type of pumpkin you will be mashed. Regarding spices, I should note that they are very much in the subject here - an unobtrusive, pleasant and warming aroma is obtained.

Ingredients

• Wheat flour of the highest grade (270 grams)
• Pumpkin puree (250 grams)
• Sugar (200 grams)
• Vegetable oil (100 milliliters)
• Chicken eggs (2 pieces)
• Baking powder (2 teaspoons)
• Orange peel (1 tablespoon)
• Vanilla sugar (1 tablespoon)
• Ground cinnamon (1 teaspoon)
• Ground dry ginger (0.5 teaspoon)
• Cardamom (0.5 teaspoon)
• Salt (1 pinch)

Directions

1. To prepare this simple, tasty and aromatic cake, we need the following ingredients: pumpkin puree, wheat flour (I use the highest grade), granulated sugar and vanilla sugar, refined vegetable oil (I took sunflower oil), medium-sized chicken eggs (45-50 grams each), baking powder (find a homemade recipe here), orange peel and salt (to balance the flavor). In addition, I suggest using spices (in ground form), which will make the finished baked goods unusually fragrant - cinnamon, cardamom and ginger. Don't like spices or some kind of individual one? Then just don't add them! All pumpkin muffins should be at room temperature.
2. We immediately turn on the oven to warm up to 180 degrees, since the muffin dough is made quickly. Sift 270 grams of premium wheat flour into a separate bowl, add spices (1 teaspoon of cinnamon, and half a teaspoon of cardamom and ginger each), a quarter teaspoon of salt (preferably finely ground) and baking powder.
3. Mix everything thoroughly with a spoon, fork or whisk so that the dry components are evenly dispersed throughout the free-flowing mixture.
4. Half the battle is done: we will deal with the liquid half of the future pumpkin cake dough. Pour 200 grams of granulated sugar into another dish, add a tablespoon of vanilla sugar (I make it at home from simple sugar and empty vanilla pods) and a tablespoon of finely grated orange zest.
5. We grind two types of sugar with zest so that the essential oils of the latter are released easier and faster (that is, we will get more flavor). You can do this with a spoon, fork, whisk, or even with a mixer - it doesn't matter.
6. Next, add a couple of chicken eggs and beat everything with a mixer at high speed for about 5-7 minutes (or until the mass turns white and the sugar dissolves).
7. Pour 100 milliliters of any odorless vegetable oil into beaten sweet eggs and add 250 grams of THICK pumpkin puree. Almost always for baking and desserts, I make pumpkin puree by baking it in the oven and then chopping it with an immersion blender. You can see the detailed recipe here. The amount of flour used in the recipe depends on the thickness of the pumpkin puree, so it is important to consider this point.
8. Beat everything again with a mixer for about a minute to get a homogeneous mass (butter and pumpkin are mixed with a sweet egg mass). Pour in the dry flour mixture from step 3 (not in 1, but in 2-3 doses) and mix it into the liquid base.
9. If you want, mix everything by hand, but you can also use a mixer - at low speed until the dry ingredients are completely mixed. It is important not to stir the cake dough for a long time, otherwise the baked goods may not rise well, and it will turn out to be dull or dense. The consistency of the pumpkin cake dough resembles fatty sour cream. It will be quite thick: not fluid, it keeps its shape well, and at the same time it is quite tender.
10. A baking dish (my dimensions are rectangular: 24x11 cm - at the top, 21x8 cm - at the bottom, height - 6.5 cm), grease with a small amount of vegetable oil (bottom and walls) and put the pumpkin cake dough into it, leveling it spoon or spatula. By the way, it is not at all necessary to use this particular shape - round, square, oval, or even portioned cupcake tins are perfect.
11. We put the mold in a preheated oven and bake the pumpkin cake for about an hour at 180 degrees on the middle level (I have a gas stove, bottom heating). We check the readiness with a wooden skewer or a toothpick - it comes out of the dough dry, which means the baked goods are ready. The baking time can differ significantly from the indicated one - mine was ready in 1 hour and 10 minutes!
12. Let the finished cake stand in the form for 10 minutes, after which we take it out and completely cool it at room temperature.
13. If you wish, you can sprinkle the finished cake with powdered sugar or pour over with chocolate icing, decorating with almond petals or other nuts. Or you can not decorate with anything at all - the pumpkin muffin is good in itself.
14. Light spicy aroma, delicate crumb, rich, moderately sweet taste ... this cake is simply made for a cozy autumn tea with your family. Cook for your health, friends, and bon appetit!