Pumpkin Carrot Cake with Lemon Glaze

Yesterday was Halloween; though somewhat stirred up by Sandy and the untimely cold windy weather, people here still managed to don spooky costumes matched with outrageous hairdos and make ups. It is cool to see people roaming on the streets attired in distinct clothing, heading for parties; Halloween special decorative items, figurines and pumpkins colored in orange flashing in the porches throughout the Halloween month. I too bought a brightly-hued doormat and one flamboyant vase with gorgeous silk flowers arrangement in orange to decorate my home for the purpose. It feels nice to tune yourself in to the festive mode and feel the mood pulsating through the ambiance.

 

In celebration of Halloween, I baked this warm squishy Pumpkin Carrot cake inspired by the recipe of Martha Stewart, though I adjusted the quantity of the ingredients according to my convenience. Both Pumpkin and Carrot combined into a full-bodied flavour with lemon frosting spiking up the richness to a greater extent; this cake spoils you, providing sinful pleasure of pure decadence. 

Ingredients:                                         Cooking time: 1 hr 20 minutes ü  3 cups of all-purpose flour ü  2 cups of brown sugar ü  2 eggs ü  1 1/4 cup pumpkin puree ü  1 cup grated carrot ü  1 tsp ginger paste ü  1/2 cup of butter, melted (1 stick unsalted butter) ü  1 1/2 tsp baking powder ü  1 tsp baking soda ü  Chopped walnuts, as per your craving ü  A pinch of salt ü  1 tsp cinnamon powder ü  1/2 tsp nutmeg powder ü  1 tsp vanilla essence For Frosting: ü  1 tsp lemon zest ü  1 tbsp lemon juice ü  1 1/2 cup of whipped cream cheese ü  1 cup of confectioners' sugar Method: 1) Preheat oven to 350 F/180 C. 2) Combine the dry ingredients - flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and grated carrot together. 3) In another mixing bowl, beat together eggs, butter, pumpkin puree, brown sugar, vanilla essence, ginger paste, cinnamon powder and nutmeg powder to a mixture of smooth consistency. 4) Gently fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients stirring until no speck of flour is visible. Toss in the chopped walnuts and mix in. 5) In a greased bundt pan, spread the cake batter and bake in the oven for 40-50 minutes till a toothpick inserted at the centre comes out clean. 6) For the frosting, put together the ingredients mentioned and using an electric beater, whip them till the mixture turns fluffy and smooth. 7) When the cake comes down to room temperature, scoop the frosting across the top surface and the sides of the cake with a frosting spreader uniformly. 8) Enjoy !