Dealing with the leftover pumpkin dilemma!

So I know this happens to everyone-you bake a great pumpkin treat (pie, cake, whatever) and the recipe calls for a cup not the entire can of puree. So you are left with an amount of pumpkin that seems useless but I have three way to use the dreaded leftover pumpkin.

 

So first here is a new recipe I tried this year that commits the sin of only using a cup of the can of pumpkin puree. This recipe is a Pumpkin Chiffon Cake-it satisfying and light all at the same time.

Here is the recipe:

INGREDIENTS

·         1 cup flour

·         1 1/4 cups granulated sugar

·         1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice

·         1 teaspoon baking powder

·         1/2 teaspoon salt

·         4 eggs, separated, plus 5 egg whites, at room temperature

·         1 cup canned pure pumpkin puree

·         Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 325°. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, 3/4 cup granulated sugar, the pumpkin pie spice, baking powder and salt. In a medium bowl, combine the egg yolks and pumpkin puree. Stir the pumpkin mixture into the flour mixture until smooth.

Using an electric mixer with a whisk attachment, whip the remaining 9 egg whites at medium speed until foamy, about 2 minutes. With the machine on, gradually whisk in the remaining 1/2 cup granulated sugar; increase the speed to high and beat until stiff but still moist, 1 to 2 minutes.

Add one-quarter of the egg white mixture to the pumpkin batter, folding with a rubber spatula just until no streaks remain. Fold in the remaining egg white mixture in the same manner. Pour the batter into a 10-inch tube pan with a removable bottom and bake until springy to the touch and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 55 minutes. Then let cool in pan for 5 minutes and then invert cake on cooling rack and let it cool completely for about an hour and a half. Dust with powdered sugar and serve.

Side Note: I baked mine in a pretty bunt pan and it came out just as well as it would in the spring form pan. This is actually a Rachel Ray recipe.

Now here are three ways to use that leftover pumpkin:

Pumpkin Pancakes- I love to use the extra pumpkin puree and just throw it into my pancake mix-especially the morning after a holiday dinner. I add a few dashes of cinnamon and nutmeg and a few drops of vanilla to the mix. It is just a simple twist on basic pancakes. To take the pancakes up a notch I like to sauté some apples in butter and brown sugar for a yummy caramel sauce to go over the pancakes but maple syrup works wonderfully too.

Pumpkin Butter- This is just a nice seasonal spread and can be spread on quite a plethora of treats. To make the butter, beat together 2 sticks of softened butter, ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons of pumpkin puree, 3 tablespoons of maple syrup, and a ½ teaspoon pumpkin-pie spice. Beat on high until pale and fluffy. Then spread and enjoy!

Now this may be my favorite use of the pumpkin puree:

Pumpkin Pie Martinis

Ingredients

·         dash cinnamon

·         dash nutmeg

·         1/4 cup orange juice

·         graham cracker crumbs

·         1 tbsp. pumpkin puree

·         1 1/2 oz. vodka

·         caramel sauce

Mix all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker until your hands are freezing cold.

Dip the rim of the glass in melted caramel and then in graham cracker crumbs.

Pour the martini in the prepared glass.

This is a P. Allen Smith recipe and it is yummy. I hope these ideas help you to use the leftover pumpkin puree. Let me know how they turn out for you.

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