Pumpkin and Raisin Spice Cakes

 
When I purchased  the bakeware concoction pictured below, I was excited with my find. The swirly shape really got my attention........."how great to have two different shapes in one mold."  Once home, I realized that the swirly sections were to be combined with the muffin shapes thereby creating "Super Size" muffins. The thrill of my latest find soon turned to disappointment and regret. As a result my new purchase languished in the cupboard for weeks while I waited for some inspiration. Thanks to another monstrosity biding it's time and taking up valuable space, the muffin tin was about to have its coming out party. Yup, one humongous leftover pumpkin from Halloween can surely alter your perspective. Faced with the thought of a truckload of pumpkin puree, suddenly made me regain interest in the the "Super Size" mold. To use up even more of the puree I doubled the recipe and used my pretty small bundt mold. The recipe given is for one 8" cake or 12 muffins. Once the muffins were baked and iced I had far less regret for my purchase.  As can be seen from the finished product, the darn mold really grows on you and has found its rightful place in my kitchen.

Some assembly required after baking.......Super Size Muffin Tin

Mini Bundt Cake Molds

 
To make the recipe easier I combined the puree into the wet ingredients and folded it all into the dry ingredients instead of alternating the puree and egg butter mixture into the dry ingredients as is normally done. The cakes were moist and had the perfect texture.


 Ingredients:
1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 cup soft butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
1 cup raisins
Sift the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Toss in the raisins.  In a separate bowl cream the butter and gradually add the brown sugar. Continue beating until light and creamy. Add the egg and beat well. Stir the pumpkin puree into the egg mixture.  Make a well in the dry ingredients and gently stir in the wet ingredients.  Spoon into an 8" prepared pan or 12 muffin tins and bake in a 350º F preheated oven. the cake will take 40-50 minutes and the muffins about 20 minutes.  Cakes are done when a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Delicious with a dollop of cream cheese icing.