Recipe

A A A

• 2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp clove
• 1/4 tsp dry mustard
• 4 oz unsalted butter (1 stick)
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup strong black coffee
• 1 cup mashed cooked pumpkin
• 2 cups pecans, broken into large pieces

• 1 Position oven rack in the center of oven; preheat oven to 350°; butter a 9x5 loaf pan; dust it all over with fine, dry breadcrumbs; tap over a piece of paper to shake out excess; set aside.
• 2 Sift together the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, and mustard; set aside.
• 3 In a big bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter; add in sugar and beat to mix.
• 4 Add eggs and beat to mix.
• 5 On low speed, add half of the dry ingredients, scraping the bowl with a rubber spatula.
• 6 Beat only until barely incorporated; mix in the coffee.
• 7 Add the remaining dry ingredients and beat only until incorporated; add the pumpkin and, scraping the bowl as needed, beat only until incorporated; remove bowl from mixer.
• 8 Stir in pecans.
• 9 Turn mixture into prepared pan; smooth the top.
• 10 Then, with the back of a spoon, form a trench down the middle, about 1/2 to 1 inch deep; the trench will prevent the middle from rising too high, although it will rise some anyhow and form a crack down the length of the cake (it is supposed to).
• 11 Bake 1 hour and 10-15 minutes, until the top feels slightly firm to touch and a cake tester comes out clean.
• 12 Cool cake in pan for 10-15 minutes; cover the pan with a rack, turn over the pan and the rack, remove the pan, cover the cake with another rack, and very carefully turn over again, leaving the cake right side up to cool.