Chocolate Pumpkin Cake.

As featured last Saturday at the SheOak planing with Meccarg. Great cake work folks, but my fave was Caed's beetroot cake, but this one is pretty good.

For me the biggest challenge is getting the pumpkin grated , but once past that its easy.
I can't see why you can't use any similarly firm veg - like carrot, beetroot...? but apple might be too wet.
I rarely make the topping, but it is nice and can be used with or without the cocoa on other cakes.

Chocolate Pumpkin Cake

3 cups grated pumpkin
3 eggs
1 cup oil (not olive)
vanilla essence
1 cup sugar
2 cups wholemeal flour (yeh but, I use 1/2 white & 1/2 wholemeal)
1 heaped tsp bicarb
1 heaped tsp baking powder
3 heaped tbs good cocoa
walnuts (which I don't think I've ever added)

Combine pumpkin, eggs, oil and vanilla.
Sift flour, cocoa, bicarb & baking pwdr, gradually adding into the mix.
Add sugar and nuts. Mix well.
Its quite a stiff mix at first, but the pumpkin soon moistens it up.
Bake 1 hour 350/moderate. Open oven to cool.

Topping
1 small packet Philadelphia Cream Cheese
1 tbs butter
vanilla essence
1 tbs sifted cocoa

Cream the lot and spread on the cool cake.

Mez