Recipe file: Pumpkin cake

Fall brings familiar holidays, friends, and memorable autumn flavors. This unfussy yet satisfying recipe from the Gleaner “Home Grown Recipes” book helps bring all of them together. Bundt Cake Day is Nov. 15, a perfect time to locate a bundt baking pan and try this. A yellow cake mix makes preparation simple. The flavors of cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger add zest to the mild hint of pumpkin. Add your favorite nuts (chopped walnuts work well). When cool, drizzle the top with the fresh taste that the lemon sugar frosting adds. Optionally, use a bit of milk and less lemon to suit your own frosting preference. Experiment and make it an autumn tradition!

Pumpkin Cake

"WONDERFUL FOR THE HOLIDAYS!"

1 box yellow cake mix

2 t. cinnamon

½ t. ginger

½ t. nutmeg

2 eggs

1 cup pumpkin

½ to 1 cup nutmeats

1/3 cup or less of water

Mix the ingredients, all except the nuts, according to directions. When mixed, add the nuts. Bake in a bundt pan for 30-40 minutes, at 350 degrees.

Frosting:

1 cup powdered sugar

1 Tb. lemon juice

½ t. grated lemon

This recipe belonged to Shirley Dick, the Society’s former First Lady and a member of Portage Center Arbor (OH). Frank Dick had been the Society’s President for barely a year when Shirley’s first collection of “Home Grown Recipes” was published in 1980. A fabulous cook herself, Shirley collected recipes from other Gleaners through picnics and Forum Magazine. She and Frank modeled leadership and philanthropy during Frank’s years as an educator in Ohio, later as Gleaner Life’s first couple, and finally in retirement. They marked more than 63 years together as life partners before Shirley’s passing in 2010 at age 84.