Easy Pumpkin Cake

This is a traditional dessert here in Venezuela and there are as many recipes as grandmothers alive, we also eat it all year 'round, so here's my take on it that I want to share with you all, I've never used canned pumpkin, I always use fresh ingredients, but you can do it with whatever you have in your pantry, this is a super easy cake and I asure you can't f*ck it up that easy.

To make it you'll need:

• 2 cups pumpkin puree
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup neutral oil
• 4 eggs
• 3/4 cup milk (you can use non-dairy)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tbsp vanilla essence
• 2 sticks cinnamon
• 1 tbsp sweet anise seeds
• 1 thumb ginger
• Salt

Preheat your oven on high.

Place the pumpkin peeled and roughly diced in water with the 2 sticks of cinnamon, 1 tbsp sweet anise seeds and the thumb of ginger, until the pumpkin goes soft. Drain the water and keep only the pumpkin, leave it to cool for a little while and then mash them with a potato masher or a fork, you don't really need to do a very good job at this unless you hate to have chunks of pumpkin in your cake, if you do, try putting it in a food processor.

In a bowl mix the oil with the sugar, and add the eggs one by one, the non-dairy milk, vanilla essence, a pinch of salt, and gradually add the 2 cups of flour with the baking powder and baking soda, mix in until its all combined. Add the pumpkin puree and fold into the mixture. BE CAREFUL NOT TO OVERMIX THE BATTER.

Pour the batter in a greased cake pan (I used a 9 inch one), put in the oven for about 30 to 45 minutes or until slightly golden brown on top and a knife inserted in the middle comes out somewhat clean (its important that you don't overcook this cake, or you'll endup with a dry crumbly mess)

Let me know if you'd like to know a little more of my culture through food!

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