PUMPKIN PIE CHIFFON CAKE

dulce de leche dripping down ethereally soft pumpkin chiffon: doesn't that look sexy?
lookie...here's that adorable mini chocolate pumpkin i made! it's especially cute on cupcakes too!

Here's a recipe I promised to post utilizing some of the leftover pumpkin puree from my Mini Pumpkin Cheesecake Brulees. BTW, I'm thinking of making those again because they were so good!

This Pumpkin Chiffon cake was so delicious! It was moist and had a tender crumb. The pumpkin puree, pie spices and cinnamon gave it a pumpkin pie flavour but the texture was so light and airy. You know how eating a pumpkin pie at the end of a meal can put you over the top? It tends to be very rich and dense in texture. Well, you could eat many more slices of this cake after your turkey meal and not feel the seratonin repercussions!

CAKEBRAIN'S PUMPKIN PIE CHIFFON CAKE
1 cup sugar
½ cup golden brown sugar
1 1/3 cups cake flour (measure unsifted)
1 ¼ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
7 large eggs, 2 left whole, 5 separated (at room temperature)
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ tsp cream of tartar
2/3 cup water
1 cup canned pureed pumpkin
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. pie spices


1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 325°F. Whisk sugars, flour, baking powder and salt together in large bowl (at least 4-quart size). Whisk in two whole eggs, five egg yolks (reserve whites), water, oil and extract until batter is smooth. Stir in pumpkin puree, cinnamon and spices.
2. Pour reserved egg whites into large bowl; beat at low speed with electric mixer until foamy, about 1 minute. Add cream of tartar, gradually increase speed to medium-high, then beat whites until very thick and stiff, just short of dry, 9 to 10 minutes with handheld mixer or 5 to 7 minutes in standing mixer. With large whisk, fold whites into batter, smearing any blobs of white that resist blending.
3. Pour batter into ungreased large tube pan ( 9 inch diameter, 16-cup capacity).
4. Bake cake on lower middle rack in oven until wire cake tester inserted in center comes out clean, 60-70 minutes. Immediately turn cake upside down to cool. If pan does not have prongs around rim for elevating cake, invert pan over bottle or funnel, inserted through tube. Let cake hang until completely cook, about 2 hours.
5. To unmold, turn pan upright. Run frosting spatula or thin knife around pan’s circumference between cake and pan wall, always pressing against the pan. Use cake tester to loosen cake from tube. For one-piece pan, bang it on counter several times, then invert over serving plate. For two-piece pan, grasp tube and lift cake out of pan. If glazing the cake, use a fork or a paring knife to gently scrap all the crust off the cake. Loosen cake from pan bottom with spatula or knife, then invert cake onto plate. (Can be wrapped in plastic and stored at room temperature 2 days or refrigerated 4 days.)
Serving: Drizzle a slice of the pumpkin chiffon with dulce de leche or caramel sauce. Top with a cute hand-made chocolate mini-pumpkin!


I have entered this dessert in the World Food Day Event hosted by Ivy at Kopiaste. Thanks to Giz, at Equal Opportunity Kitchen for informing me about this worthy event!
I have much to be thankful for: A healthy family, great friends and a food blogging community that is both inspirational and supportive!