Smells GOOD in here!!!

When I got up this am, I went into the kitchen and was surprised to find that my kitchen was CLEAN! Then I remembered I was up at 1 am cleaning it. To celebrate the clean kitchen and the crisp air outside, I decided to make my old stand-by Pumpkin Bread. I've made this stuff so often that I don't need the recipe anymore, but I keep it taped inside my cabinet door in case I forget it. I had to make a few changes to the original recipe because:
1. Didn't have enough pumpkin
2. Didn't have enough flour
3. Didn't have any nuts.

This was NOT a problem! In fact, I think it turned out better than usual.

Here it is. Please don't notice that it was cut before I took the picture - my taste tester was getting impatient and I had to change the batteries in the camera.

The "thumbs up" usually indicates that there is some incredible goodness going on. She ate the whole slice without talking, so I have to assume that it turned out well and that the recipe changes are a GO!

So, here it is:

Cabinet Door Pumpkin Bread - with Modifications

1 1/2 cups pumpkin

1/2 cup apple butter ( or apple sauce)

1/3 cup sour cream

1/3 cup water

4 eggs

3 cups sugar

1 cup oil

1 tablespoon vanilla

4 tsp pumpkin pie spice ( or apple pie spice)

3 cups flour ( plain. I actually used 2 cups plain and 1 cup cake flour)

1/2 cup cornmeal ( I used yellow, self rising)

2 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp salt

1.Preheat oven to 350.
2.Grease and sugar a bundt pan, or use Bakers Joy flour spray. You could use two big loaf pans if you like.
3. Mix sugar and oil for about 30 seconds until blended. Add sour cream, pumpkin, and apple butter (use a big bowl and mixer if you don't have a stand mixer)

4. Add in eggs, one at a time and mix until incorporated.

5. Add vanilla, pie spice, salt and baking powder.

6. Add the flour and cornmeal, 1/2 cup at a time until mixed in. Add water at the end.

7. Taste batter and add more pie spice if needed. I think it is always needed, but I like it spicy.

8. Pour into prepared pan (pans) and bake until a toothpick comes out clean. There may be more than your pan will hold. This took about 55 minutes in my bundt pan, in my crazy oven. If your oven is crazy like mine, you might have to tent a sheet of aluminum foil over the cake for the last 15 minutes to keep it from getting too brown on top.

The cornmeal gives it a little different texture , especially on the top, which ends up being the bottom when you invert it. Oh yeah....after you take it out of the oven, turn the pan upside down on a cooling rack and leave it a few minutes. Then just lift the pan and it should come right out. Mine did, so yours will too.