Pumpkin Spice Cake

This cook book came with my husband when we got married. The recipe for the pumpkin spice cake we make is in it. Back in 1996, when both my husband and I were going to community college for landscape construction and landscape maintenance, he brought some of this cake into class. He'd made it the night before and thought I'd enjoy a piece with my lunch that day. How sweet! We had just begun dating ( if you'd call it that ). He had a couple of extra pieces as well and offered one to a classmate of ours named Harold. Harold was a 35 year old, rugged looking logger. Harold loved pumpkin spice cake and took his home to eat later. The next morning Harold came to class holding his jaw and muttering " That Tom! ( my husband ) He can quit making cake!" Harold had eaten his cake and there had been a walnut shell in his piece. He bit down on it and ended up cracking one of his molars. He'd had to make a trip to the dentist to get it taken care of. Poor Harold. Hee hee! It makes us laugh every time we think about it.

Now I make this cake, although my husband did a fabulous job every time he made it. It calls for raisins and walnuts but I don't put them in when I make it. I find they just get in the way of the cake part. Anyway, here's our recipe!

1 cup seedless raisins

1/2 cup muscat raisins

1 cup walnuts ( minus the shell! )

2 cups flour

2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp ground cloves

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground ginger

4 eggs

2 cups sugar

1 cup salad oil

1 can ( 1 lb ) pumpkin

Oven 350 degrees

13 x 9 x 2 baking pan.

chop raisins and walnuts. Sift together dry ingredients. Toss in raisins and nuts.

Beat at high speed, eggs and sugar, beat in oil and pumpkin at low speed. Gradually add dry ingredients. Turn into pan and bake for 50 minutes.

Cream cheese frosting: 8 oz cream cheese, 1 Tablespoon butter, 1 tsp vanilla, 1 lb confectioners sugar.