Pumpkin Sheet Cake

Mom made this when we were down there over the holidays and it was fabulous!!  It's a great, quick dessert to bring when you have a function and need to feed a lot of people. So basically anything church related :). It's from that cookbook "Our Favorite Recipes" that mom gave each of us a copy from their katy 3rd ward (p. 218). Originally submitted by Alyson Felt.

Pumpkin Cake:
4 lg. eggs
1 c. olive oil (I've used canola oil and it's fine)
2 c. sugar
2 c. solid pack pumpkin
2 c. all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. ground cloves
1 tsp. ground nutmeg

In large bowl, beat eggs, oil and sugar until well blended. Add pumpkin and mix thoroughly. Mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and nutmeg. Gradually add dry ingredients to pumpkin mixture. Mix unitl smooth. Pour into greased and floured 11x17 inch jelly roll pan. Bake at 375 for 20 minutes. Cool before sreading with cream cheese frosting.

Cream cheese frosting

3 ounces cream cheese, softened (I totally think it needs double this!! I love to be able to taste cream cheese in my cream cheese frosting)
6 T. butter
1 T. milk
1 tsp. vanilla
3 c. powdered sugar

Beat cream cheese until soft. Add butter, mixing until smooth. Stir in milk and vanilla. Gradually add powdered sugar. Beat until smooth and spread onto cooled cake.

Cauliflower "Mashed Potatoes"

I know a lot of people know this trick, but this was the first time I actually did it. So I thought I'd share. Instead of having regular mashed potatoes with our Sunday roast, I boiled a head of cauliflower till soft. Then drain the water and use a potato masher or just skip straight to the electric beaters like we do. Add butter and salt if desired. It has the same consistency and color as potatoes, but a lot more healthy and fewer calories. Unfortunately, my older two kids didn't care for it. But the two little girls loved it! As did my husband and I. So if you have some cauliflower around and don't know what to do with it, this is always an option.

Pumpkin Pancakes and Buttermilk Vanilla Syrup

Tom's family makes these delicious pancakes and he brought the recipe with him to school. I'm so glad he shared, and you will be too when you try them!

Pancakes:
1 C. Pumpkin mix
1.5 C. pancake mix
1 t. vanilla
.5 t. cinnamon
1/4 t. nutmeg
.5 C water - you can add more to get the consistency of batter you want

Serves about 4/5 people.

Top it with this delicious syrup!

Buttermilk Vanilla syrup
1 C. butter
2 C. sugar
2 T Karo syrup
.5 C buttermilk
1 t. vanilla
.5 t baking soda

1. Dissolve butter, sugar, Karo syrup, and buttermilk on medium
2. Bring to a boil for 2-4 minutes
3. Remove from heat
4. Immediately add vanilla and baking soda

For those who have never made a buttermilk syrup, it's kind of a fun thing to let your kids watch or even help pour in the baking soda; it reacts with the ingredients and bubbles up. Kind of a neat little edible science experiment!

Bon appetite!