Pretty in Pumpkins

There is just one thing that truly makes Halloween... Just one thing that one must not be without when celebrating this tasty holiday... Of course, costumes and candy and are an absolute must, but what would Halloween be without pumpkins?


Gabriel and I love to celebrate, and typically this involves keeping up traditions! It is one of my favorite things about the holidays. Every year Gabriel and I carve pumpkins together; he always creates something amazing, and with his help I can usually eke out something that I am fairly proud of.


Last year, I was a wee bit over zealous and in my haste to purchase and carve pumpkins way too early in the season, subsequently meant we didn't have fresh pumpkins when Halloween rolled around; they got rained on and rotted out (of course!). However, it was actually a fortunate happenstance because on the 31st, as I was preparing for our Halloween Party, I ran out to the store to get new festive pumpkins and discovered that the 100 pound pumpkin I'd had my eye all on month, was marked down to $5!


Others before me had the foresight to realize how monstrous that pumpkin would be to haul home, and eventually dispose of, but... me? All I could imagine was how fantastical that pumpkin would look sitting on our doorstep - I prefer to choose over the top every opportunity that I can. (That was the year we didn't have a camera!)


Another tradition we have involving pumpkins includes devouring pumpkin cake. This cake comes from my Mother's index, and growing up I remember her tradition was to make this for the family every year. I inherit the tradition gene from her.

Pumpkin Cake

This cake is so versatile! Not only is this cake super tasty by itself, but has limitless variations for frosting and decoration. I've included a few pictures of my designs, but I'm sure you can think of something extraordinary!

Ginny says,

"This is my
favorite cake!"

Cake:
1 cup oil
1 ¾ cup sugar
Mix well

Add:
4 eggs
Whisk until creamy and yellow

Add:
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
Stir to incorporate

16 oz. canned pumpkin
Fold into batter

Pour into greased rectangle pan
Bake at F350º, 20-30 minutes or until cake springs back to the touch
Allow to cool to room temperature

Frosting:
8oz. cream cheese
4 cups powdered sugar
3 tablespoons butter
2-3 teaspoons vanilla
Beat with handheld mixer until smooth
Add milk until desired consistency is reached
Spread over cake
Cut into bars and decorate with gummy festive candies
*Add 1 tablespoon of cinnamon for a spicy alternative (Likewise, it would only be fitting to adorn a cinnamon frosted cake with a little red devil!)

Do you have a favorite pumpkin tradition? Roll on over to Pammy's blog and spy her festive pumpkin tricks!


Stay tuned next week! The Sisters that Spook will be featuring donuts, a goblin feast, a haunted house review, and more!