Saturday, October 6, 2012

Pumpkin-Banana-Cranberry Mini Bundt Cakes #BundtaMonth

Notice something different?...I figured out how to use 'text' in my photos! So thrilled to start out for the #BundtaMonth Challenge, and the theme for October is Pumpkin!

Vintage 'Vera' table cloth, (brand new $1.99) ...a 'thrift find' from Goodwill
Hi everyone! I have so much to share with you starting with this post...which is so exciting because, it is the month of October, a very favorite month of mine which spells FALL, AUTUMN...HALLOWEEN, the crisp cool fall weather...of course; I'm not talking about S. Florida, but in our northern states, and everywhere else where they celebrate the beautiful fall season. I mentioned before that this is one of my all-time favorite season with the beautiful changing of the gorgeous autumn colors of the leaves...weaving its magical bright orange, yellow, brown, burgundy colors. So mesmerizing and enchanting, that I would want to enjoy this for more than just a short time!

I've been wanting to link up with such great 'blog hops' ...but for me, the easiest ones are the ones where I can link up whatever I have on my blog for that chosen day...but as for the #BundtaMonth link, I cannot resist it not just because my daughter Lora and Anuradha are the partners in crime of this fabulous 'bundt' challenge...and I just happen to love bundt cakes. I have been baking bundt cakes since the seventies when they were so ultra-popular.

I still have my original dark orange color seventies bundt pan along with a couple newer ones, and an awesome mini heavy duty pan, a 'thrift find'...which I love to bake in. I didn't want to take time browsing for a recipe, so I just used my 'trusted' basic banana bread recipe that I have memorized, modified it, and added the pumpkin and the fresh/frozen cranberries from Whole Foods.

What is #BundtaMonth all about?

Here’s the challenge:
Anuradha (Baker's Street) and Lora (Cake Duchess) will pick an ingredient and announce it the first week of every month. All you Bundt loving bakers need to do is use your imagination on how you’d like to incorporate it and bake a Bundt – mini Bundt or large Bundt – and link it up to our blogs throughout the month. It's that simple!

They decided to bake with pumpkin in their October Bundts.

If you're out of ideas and are looking for inspiration you should check out their Pinterest board that has 100+ bundt cake recipes.

Pumpkin-Banana-Cranberry Mini Bundt Cakes
recipe by; Elisabeth

1 cup all-purpose flour
 (I used King Arthur unbleached all-purp)
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 can (15 oz) pumpkin (I used Libby's
2 ripe bananas
2 large eggs
1/4 cup vegetable, or canola oil
1 bag (12 oz) fresh, or frozen cranberries
(you can use dried cranberries, in place of fresh
or frozen...1 cup)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg (I used a sm. amt. of fresh grated)
3 or 4 pieces crystallized ginger
(you can use 1/2 teaspoon powdered ginger instead)





Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Get 3 bowls ready for your ingredients. (1 large, 1 medium, and 1 small)
On the top right photo...in the large bowl,
add the canned 15 oz. pumpkin puree, the 2 sugars,
the cinnamon, the grated nutmeg, the 2 bananas, and mash coarsely with a potato masher.

In a small bowl, add the 2 eggs, and 1/4 cup vegetable, or canola oil, and whisk with a fork.






In the medium bowl, combine the flours, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Mix together.






Add the cranberries, and the crystallized ginger to the flours and mix gently together. The importance of this method is; so that they don't sink to the bottom of the batter when baking.









Now, you can add half of the fruit and flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture, in the large bowl. Also the the egg mixture to that, and fold in gently.
Now, finish adding the second half of the fruit and flour mixture, and fold that into the large bowl, again.

Finish, by gently incorporating everything, so that you don't smash the cranberries.









Spray a a mini bundt pan, and a 6 cup muffin pan with cooking spray, and add the batter carefully, about 3/4 full  in the bundt pan, and halfway full in the muffin pan

 Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes...remove the muffin pan, which will be done...Lower temperature to 350 degrees F. and finish baking the mini bundts for another 20 to 25 minutes (total 45 minutes for the bundt cake) Cool on metal rack for about 15 minutes before inverting the bundt cakes.








As you can see, I've worked very hard on this challenge, planning, working on re-constructing the actual 'memorized' banana bread recipe from 'scratch' taking step-by-step photos...trying to capture a good natural light with a 'speck of sun'...virtually, never using 'props'...just 'thrift finds' items I have on hand.

I almost forgot the glaze recipe!

2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon light rum
1 teaspoon (maybe 2, if needed)


Mix all the ingredients with a fork, making sure there are no lumps, and to have it at a fairly thick consistency. (finger testing)...making sure it stick to your finger when you test it. Drizzle on with a teaspoon, since these are small cakes.

Just look and see how incredibly moist is the texture. Your taste buds are in for a huge surprise when you bit into the sour taste of the cranberries, and the sweet tangy taste of the crystallized ginger.

As for kids under 6...I recommend using dry cranberries, that have been soaked in boiling water for a few minutes before mixing it in the batter. (my little 6yr. granddaughter literally picked out each cranberries before she ate the cake, which she did like, but not approved of the sour taste, which actually mingles with the sweet cake and a surprise of the slightly spicy crystallized ginger!
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41 comments:

Miz Helen said...

Hi Elisabeth,
I just love your Pumpkin Banana Cranberry combination for these precious little mini bundt cakes. We will really enjoy these little treats. Enjoy your weekend and thank you so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday.
Come Back Soon!
Miz Helen

Priya said...

They looks damn cute and seriously very attractive.

Pegasuslegend said...

Adorables cakes so festive for Thanksgiving! Have a great weekend!

Patty said...

That is a lot of flavor in one little cake...I bet every bite is yummy!

Joyful said...

Yum, those look so delicious! I love the thrift table cloth too. Such a good find.

Cake Duchess said...

So I think you had saved a couple of these months for us, right?;)These look fantastic and I love that little grater girl-so sweet:)Thanks for linking and participating with #BundtaMonth!!xx

Baker Street said...

Wow! Banana, pumpkin and cranberries! That's a fantastic combination, Liz! Thank you so much for baking with us and YAY for the text on the pictures. ;)

The Mom Chef said...

While I love the other ingredients in these beautiful bunts, the one that caught my eye and sold me was the crystallized ginger. I adore the stuff.

Swathi Iyer said...

Elisabeth,this mini bundt cake with pumpkin,banana, crystallized ginger and cranberries is delicious.love this fall flavor

Amelia said...

Hi Elisabeth, your bundt cake look extremely good, love the combination. The texture of the cake is so moist and delicious. I'm sure one piece is not enough?

Love your thrift finds, you always manage to find great treasure at a very good bargain. ;)

Have a nice weekend, regards. Hugs to you.

Illéskrisz Konyhája said...

Nagyon guszták ezek az apró kuglófok! És megint az a guszta máz a tetején...Guszta! Jópofa a reszelő is, nagyon cuki!

Rashida Shaikh said...

I loved the ingredients and the outcome is so soft texture from inside. Hope to see more Bundt cake as the whole month is Bundt challenge.
All the best. :)

Angie's Recipes said...

Fantastic mini bundt cakes! Love esp. the 2nd photo...so inviting!
Fun nutmeg gadget!

trollanyu said...

Nagyon jó, olyan kis helyesek, ahogy csurog le róluk a máz:) Ti az USA-ban rengeteg sütőtököt használtok, mindenféle formában, ez nagyon szuper, mert egészséges is nemcsak finom. Sajnos nálunk nagyon drága Norvégiában és alig lehet kapni, pedig én szeretem. Még ilyen kis formáim nincsenek, pedig sokféle dolog van a konyhámban, na és a reszelőd, az is nagyon aranyos, ez egy speciális szerecsendió reszelő? További szép napot Neked:)

marisz57 said...

Először muffinnak gondoltam, de mini kuglóf. Nagyon szépek, és nagyon finomak lehetnek, csupa remek összetevőből készült!
Nálunk is beindult a sütőtök szezon, és egyre többet használunk az ételeinkben. A gyerekkoromban csak megsütöttük héjában, úgy fogyasztottuk.

hankka said...

Csodásak, gyönyörű a tésztában az áfonya, annyira kívánatos! :) Jó ez a "tökös" hónap! :)

Elisabeth said...

Erzsike, ez a kis forma mini kuglóf sütő tiszta ujjonnal vettem ebben a kedvence THRIFT üzletben, ahol találtam az uj régi asztalteritőt is. A kis speciális szerencsedió reszelő, azt meg ajándékba kaptam az idősebbik unoka kislányomtol...Nagymamát jelezi!
Én is szép napot kivánok neked...itt most esik az eső!

Elisabeth said...

Hankka, ez nem áfonya, egyáltalán nem is hasonlit hozzá. Ennek vörös a szine, és kemény a kilseje, savanykás keserü az ize. Itt rengeteg terem, és nagyon egészséges. Csak ősz végén terem ez az érdekes mag féle gyümölcs...kissé drága is frissen venni!

Paula said...

Now this is a perfect bundt for Fall! How clever of you to add pumpkin and cranberries to your trusted banana bread recipe.

wanna said...

Csodás kombináció és prezentáció! Szépek a formák. Én is nagyon szeretem a sütőtököt, de inkább csak télen, krémlevesnek, vagy csak úgy megsütve. Sütiben még nem próbáltam, az is igaz, hogy ritkán sütök :)
Itt azt tartják a sütőtök akkor a legfinomabb, ha már "megcsípte" a dér :)

Chic & Gorgeous Treats said...

Hi Elisabeth, how was your weekend? These mini bundts are just so adorable. I have not had pumpkin paired with banana before and certainly can't wait to try it out. Also I love how fresh cranberries are used in this recipe too. They sure look moist and delectable. Have a good week ahead and time is sure flying by way too fast. Hugs, Jo

Lizzy Do said...

Oh, these are spectacular, Lizzie!!! Great use of classic autumnal ingredients! I would love to join in with you and Lora for the bundt challenge and the loaves challenge, but I can't get my act together. I may have to drop a few of the too many blogging activities I'm doing....breads and cakes will always be eaten here. Wishing you a wonderful, delicious week...thanks so much for always keeping in touch. xoxo

Chef Mireille said...

love the flavors in these - with the ginger and nutmeg...I must try this one!!!

Patty said...

LOVE!!!! These mini bundt cakes are the sweetest little guys;-)
The cranberries and ginger are my favorites combined with pumpkin banana-sounds wonderful!
I will go check out the Pinterest board with all the bundt cakes, this sounds like such a fun project for Fall Baking, thanks for sharing and enjoy your week;-)

Zsuzsa said...

Lovely Elisabeth, I love the combination it's so homey. The weather is turning colder up here. Thanks for the heads up about my link. I quickly added a new recipe to remedy the problem. [I deleted the previous post, it's odd how it stayed on at your site. I will be reposting it at a later date. Long story]

Sissi said...

Gorgeous small bundt cakes, Elisabeth! I have fallen in love with your nutmeg grater :-) It's so cute!
Lucky you to love October.... I hate the autumn (maybe because it's not as hot and sunny as in Florida?) and always feel a bit down thinking of the approaching winter. Your cakes would certainly cheer me up!

The Café Sucré Farine said...

I love bundt cakes also, I guess because I'm a bit lazy and they're so great when you're in a pinch to make a quick, yummy dessert! Yours look wonderful with all these fabulous ingredients combined!

Kristen said...

I just love this bundt a month party. I just wish I had it together enough to actually participate. In the mean time, I will just drool over all of the lovely offerings including your fantastic mini bundts. I just adore cranberry and pumpkin together!

Lyndsey Chapin said...

Elisabeth what amazing flavors you have mixed together here. I like to use whole cranberries when I make my breads because I like the tang when you bite into one. I have a double mid -size bundt pan (a thrift find) I have not used it yet. Now with all these bundt cakes to choose from I don't have an excuse, but this one looks great!

Gizi said...

ÓÓÓÓ, Elisabeth ezek a kis kuglófok csodálatosak, ahogy folyik le róla az a máz, hát legszívesebben beleharapnák!!! Nagyon ritkán sütök kuglófot, de ez a banános-tökös most nagyon felcsigázott. Sajnos nincs ilyen formám, de szerintem megpróbálkozom egy nagyobb kuglófformába megsütni. Nagyon tetszik a "nagymamás" reszelőd. Puszillak

Anita at Hungry Couple said...

These look so adorable and delicious!

suhaina aji said...

ooh..looks too good. i love the nutmug grater..very cute...would surely try ur recipe.

Kathy said...

Beautiful looking bundt cakes…love the combination of bananas and pumpkin…your recipe sounds so wonderfully delicious!!

lena said...

i can see how moist the cake is! it's wonderful and i also think crystallized ginger is a good addition. I have some in the fridge but i always tend to forget about them! do you know that i've baked the zucchini bundt last month but i was late to post it up..nvr mind, i'll save that for later!!

Lisa said...

A Pumpkin banana bundt..or shall I say, mini pumpkin banana bundts, filled with cranberries, is one of the most beautiful sights for sore eyes (and dessert hungry bellies!). If you haven't created the most perfect Thanksgiving cakelets..I'll stick a fork in my eye (well, maybe a foam fork) lol SO creative and gorgeous! Pinned, of course! xoxo

Phong Hong said...

Elisabeth, love your mini cakes!

MJ said...

Hi Elisabeth....love those mini bundt cakes......looks yum! those cranberries would add a beautiful tang to the whole sweetness :)

Spicie Foodie said...

Hi Elisabeth,
These are so cute and I bet they taste amazing! Love your cute little grater:)

Terra said...

Wow, you mixed three gorgeous flavors together that I love! The cakes looks so moist and delicious! Your nutmeg grater is adorable:-) Hugs, Terra

Elisabeth said...

Thank you so much for all your sweet comments...I'm so behind with my comments, and promise to comment back on your blogs. I'm not replying back on my own blog, unless there's a question involved. You've all been so kind to me and I appreciate each and every input, suggestions, and even something that I'm not doing right!
Hugs,
Elisabeth )aka Lizzie)

Shabs said...

Hey Elisabeth , your mini bundt cakes look so cute and tempting . Love the pics too :) .