Every week, baking expert Alice Medrich is going rogue on Food52 -- with shortcuts, hacks, and game-changing recipes.
Today: Give the king of the fall a makeover with a lighter pumpkin cake (that just happens to be gluten-free), thanks to Alice Medrich.
Pumpkin normally appears in rich pies or hearty cakes. But here, with rice flour and a hint of spice, it produces a moist, fluffy cake with subtle flavors.
I’ve tasted it with every imaginable topping from frosting to whipped cream and candied nuts, only to find that a sprinkling of spiced sugar is the best topping of all: Everything else overwhelms the delicate flavor of the cake.
This recipe was inspired by, but does not appear in, my new book Flavor Flours (Artisan, 2014).
Serves 10 to 12
1 cup (200 grams) sugar
5 large egg yolks, at room temperature
1/2 cup neutral vegetable oil (such rice bran, corn, or safflower)
1 1/4 cups (285 grams) pumpkin purée
1 1/4 cups (200 grams) white rice flour or 1 2/3 cup (200 grams) Thai rice flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated or ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
8 large egg whites, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
Spiced sugar: 2 tablespoon sugar mixed with 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon and 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
See the full recipe (and save it and print it) here.
Get excited about Alice's new book Flavor Flours: nearly 125 recipes -- from Double Oatmeal Cookies to Buckwheat Gingerbread -- made with wheat flour alternatives like rice flour, oat flour, corn flour, sorghum flour, and teff (not only because they're gluten-free, but for an extra dimension of flavor, too).
Photos by James Ransom
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Written by: Alice Medrich
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16 Comments
Is confectioner's sugar or granulated sugar required for the spiced sugar topping?
Is the pumpkin puree required the unsweetened canned/frozen puree variety? (We don't eat a lot of pumpkin where I'm from).
Thank you!
I just made this cake. I'd like to point out that in the ingredients list, it says 1/4 tsp ground cloves on the landing page of the recipe - but when you're prompted to click on the full recipe with the method, the measurement switches to 1/2 tsp ground cloves. Unfortunately, I used 1/2 tsp before realising this discrepancy. I assume 1/4 tsp cloves is correct? (I have only tried the crumbs of the cake while unmolding it, it's tasty thus far but very clove-heavy).
Also, I'm guessing you didn't invert the tin to cool this particular chiffon cake? Because I automatically did so before realising you didn't actually say to do so here and my cake fell out, ha ha!
I still can't wait to try it tomorrow with the spiced sugar, though! Thank you :)
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