My laptop decided to take a nap.
Really, a permanent nap. And it refused to be awaken. So, I took it to be repaired. And this little repair, left me computer less for about two weeks. This is partly to blame for my lack of posting recently.
The other part, you can blame, is a few failed dessert photo shoots and my need for every picture to be perfect. I admit it, I’m somewhat of a perfectionist. Especially when it comes to this blog and the recipes I provide you. I just want you all to be happy with the taste and look of the final product…Can you blame me?
The one good thing about taking this baking break is that I was able to prioritize my ‘To Bake’ list. Meaning, that I have some really good recipes in the works (a lot of which involve pumpkin…the season simply demands it) that I CANNOT wait to share. You have been warned of the future deliciousness. Prepare your kitchens, stock your cupboards, and be ready for your stomach to growl in happy anticipation.
Now, can we just talk about how cute this Peekaboo Pumpkin Cream Cheese Pound Cake is? Just look at it.
Aside from being ridiculously cute, this cake is extremely delicious. Did I mention it’s actually pretty easy to make too? The peekaboo pumpkin is made from a box mix of pumpkin bread and maintains the wonderfully warm and cinnamony undertones you would find in the bread. The surrounding cream cheese pound cake is a homemade cake that contains both regular and pumpkin flavored cream cheese, giving it a slightly pumpkiny aftertaste. As a whole, the cake is extremely moist and both the pumpkin and cream cheese flavors are present in every bite!
Peekaboo Pumpkin Cream Cheese Pound Cake
Cake concept from SheKnows
Yields: One 9×5-inch loaf (+ about 6 cupcakes)
Utensils:
Medium sized pumpkin silicon molds (if you don’t have molds, you can use a pumpkin shaped cookie cutter—see the SheKnows website for directions on how to proceed).
Ingredients:
Pumpkin Bread
1 box pumpkin bread (I used the Trader Joe’s brand)
2 eggs
½ cup vegetable oil
1 cup water
food coloring
Cream Cheese Pound Cake
1 ½ cups (3 sticks) salted butter, at room temperature
4 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
4 oz. pumpkin spice cream cheese, at room temperature
3 cups sugar
6 eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vanilla
Directions:
Pumpkin Bread
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl, combine pumpkin bread mixture, eggs, vegetable oil, and water. Stir until combined.
Add food coloring (2 red drops + 3 yellow drops=orange) to the batter until you feel the pumpkin is orange enough.
If you are using pumpkin silicon molds, pour the batter into the mold, filling it only about 2/3 of the way, and bake for about 10 minutes—the pumpkin will still be doughy in the center, but should be slightly firm on the sides.
The bread requires about 7 medium sized pumpkins, which means you’ll have extra pumpkin batter (with my extra batter, I made mini pumpkin shaped cupcakes using the mini pumpkin silicone molds, but I suggest making extra medium sized pumpkins just in case one falls apart while pulling it out of the mold).
Let pumpkins cool completely before gently removing them from the mold. Place pumpkins in a container lined with wax paper.
Refrigerate for at least four hours (I let mine sit over night).
Cream Cheese Pound Cake
Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
Cream together butter and both cream cheeses, until creamy.
Gradually add sugar, beating until combined.
Add eggs, one at a time, beating the mixture until each egg is incorporated.
In a small bowl, combine flour and salt. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture.
Add vanilla. Mix until combined. Set cake mixture aside.
Assembly
Grease and flour a 9×5-inch loaf pan.
Remove the pumpkins from the fridge. Place pumpkins right side up (the bottom of the pumpkin touches the bottom of the loaf pan) in the middle of the pan in a line from one side of the pan to the other.
Pour the cream cheese pound cake mixture over the pumpkins, making sure to cover the pumpkins completely (there will be some left over cake batter, I made cupcakes with mine and placed the mini pumpkin cupcakes on top as a decoration).
Bake for about an hour and 50 minutes—if the top of the loaf is browning to quickly cover the pan with foil.
Let the cake cool completely (if you can) before cutting into it to reveal the inside.
hintofnutmegg.com 