I had never thought this day would come. The day we would make Kumro r Cake or Pumpkin Bread. Well, I had tried making one last year too but it had turned into a kumro r shinni. No Godmother could save it.
This year I decided to be prudent.
Instead of shifting through the million search results that Google throws up, the moment you type "pumpkin bakes", I decided to go with a recipe in one of the very trusted and authentic blogs "Smitten Kitchen". I have been a fan of Deb Perelman's very un-staged kinda photos and delicious blog from way back, though I have hardly made anything as I am not a dessert person. But if I have to bake anything and she has a recipe for it, I will take hers above anyone else's.
I took her recipe of pumpkin bread but then I wanted a coffee cake like streusel topping. A spiced streusel topping in keeping with the season. So I made a streusel topping with some "chai masala" and it was so very good. Mmmm...good. Also please note, I had no idea that topping was called "steusel topping" until two weeks back!
Then LilSis, took over the recipe and became the chief baker in charge. She also wanted chocolate chips. Now, if the chief-baker wants chocolate chips in her pumpkin bread, she will add it no matter what the recipe says.
LS's interest in baking reminds me of a story when she was 3 or 4 years old.
One day driving her back from her pre-school I had asked
"LS, what do you want to be when you grow up?"
"Bekaar," she had said confidently.
Assuming it was "baker" and have had seen her not interested in any baking so far, I was a little surprised.
"So what things do you want to bake? Bread, Cookies, cupcakes?" I wanted to get into the details.
LS had rolled her eyes and said, "Not that English Baker, I want to be the Bangla bekar*, the one who does nothing!!!"
* In Bengali, "the word "bekaar", means someone or something who is of no good.
That said, for this pumpkin bread mostly LilSis did the job, I helped. We baked 1 big loaf and 3 mini loaves of Pumpkin Bread with Chocolate Chips and Chai Streusel Topping. You could do two 9x5 loaf pans with this measure. We shared some of our cake with friends and everyone loved it.
Halloween at our home is bit toned down this year. The High School junior has given up on Halloween and doesn't want to go trick or treating any more. The new middle schooler has a very basic costume, which her sister helped put together. She is going to be a blue M&M! But Halloween Day forecast shows rain all day so I don't know what we will do.
This Pumpkin Bread is our proshaad for Kumro Pujo aka Halloween this year.
Pumpkin Bread with Chocolate chips and Chai Streussel Topping
Ingredients
Wet Ingredients
15-ounce can pumpkin puree -- 1 (I had the Libby's pumpkin )
Vegetable Oil -- 1/2 Cup
Eggs - 3
Dry Ingredients
Granulated sugar -- 1& 1/3 Cup (you can lower this a little if you want less sweet)
Baking powder -- 1 & 1/2 teaspoons
Baking soda -- 3/4 teaspoon
Fine salt -- 3/4 teaspoon
All-purpose flour -- 2 & 1/4 cups
Spices
Ground cinnamon -- 3/4 teaspoon
Fresh or McCormick grated nutmeg -- Heaped 1/4 teaspoon
Ginger Powder -- Heaped 1/4 teaspoon
Ground cloves -- 1 pinch
Optional Extras
Chocolate Chips -- a fistful
Pecans -- a fistful of raw,chopped pecans
Chai Spiced Streusel
Original Bisquick™ mix - 1/3 cup
Packed brown sugar -- 1/3 cup
Ground cinnamon -- 1/2 teaspoon
Chai Masala -- 1/2 tsp
Butter -- 2 Tbsp
How We Did It
Prep the wet ingredients
In a large, wide mouthed bowl, beat
Eggs and sugar
For 5 minutes or until smooth.
Note: LS used the KitchenAid
Next add the Oil and beat for 3 more minutes.
Next goes in the Pumpkin puree and 2 more minutes
Dry Ingredient
Sieve the AP flour into a bowl. Keep it separate
Mix wet + dry
Add the following to the wet ingredients
Baking Powder
Baking soda
Salt
All the spices
Whisk until it has mixed in well
Gradually add the flour to the mixing bowl and mix gently. Don't beat or over mix
Add the pecans and mix them in.
Make the Streusel
In small bowl, stir streusel ingredients until crumbly; set aside.
To Bake
Pre-heat oven to 350 F
Grease two 9 x 5 loaf pans.
Pour the batter out in both the loaf pans, distributing equally.
Sprinkle the chocolate chips on top, gently pushing them a little below the surface.
Sprinkle the streusel topping on both.
Bake for 45-50 minutes. Take out and poke with toothpick at 2-3 points to make sure that the cake is done. Depending on the pan you have used, the timing might vary a little.
Note: In the original recipe timing for cake was 65-75 minutes. Since I had distributed the batter, mine took lesser time, of 50 mins. If you are using foil loaf pans, which heat faster, it might be done in 45 minutes. I would say look out from the 40-45 mins mark.
Cool in the pan and only then cut slices. This is a delicious cake that fits our tea time perfectly. And I am so glad that we did the chocolate chips and streusel topping!
If you like what you are reading, get Bong Mom's Cookbook in your mailbox
LS is a sorted girl. At 3 years she had her life goals sorted out.She had the perfect dream that many of us secretly have but fail(rather sacred) to acknowledge. Amra sabai chotobelay boli j baro haye Pilot habo, doctor habo, lawyer habo..but jakhon seta haye jai takhon relaise kori j deep down within asole ami bekaar hote chai..jake kichu korte hayna...she had no such pretense like us and first e bole diyeche ki hote chai..Kudos to her
ReplyDeleteI usually mark your post notification in my mailbox and read them while traveling. Today, I just happened to click open the mail and the title "Pumpkin Bread ....." made me check the post right away. I am not so much into sweet stuff but the pics are awesome and so is the humor.
ReplyDeleteI guess Lil Chef has done a great job. Kudos to her. And 10 points for adding those chocolate chips to create her unique recipe instead of following Perelman blindly.
I agree with Balaka Basu that your kid is truly sorted. :)
Wishing the little chef all success...the bread formula is a good robust one. There are few bread chefs and making a good loaf is a very healthy thing. I love German Kornbrot...Ciabatta...and hopefully the Pumpkin Bread can be a good fixture in the house too. It has a certain features - a new tangy taste - a slice or two goes well with tea or coffee and its made by one of our young bengali chefs - so it generates that line of dialogue. Wishing LS all success with many new innovations as a ' bengali bekaar'.
ReplyDelete