By: Helena Stallings, Culinary Arts Student
The baking and pastry arts are a tough science to master. With baking, by adding too much of any one ingredient your end product will be ruined and most likely inedible. It requires exact measurements and adjustments based on both altitude and daily humidity. Escoffier’s baking courses have proven extremely beneficial to both the pastry arts students and the culinary arts students. Many of my classmates never knew they loved making bread until they came to Escoffier. Since it’s finally October, there are pumpkins everywhere and one of my favorite pumpkin recipes is a pumpkin bread with a maple buttercream frosting.
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and prepare 2 9×5 loaf pans by using a spray grease or butter. In a large bowl stir together 3 cups of sugar and 1 cup vegetable oil, then add 4 lightly beaten eggs and 1, 16oz can of unsweetened pumpkin puree. In a separate bowl, combine all of your dry ingredients and slowly blend your dry mixture into your wet ingredient mixture. Pour the batter into the loaf pans and bake for about 30 minutes or until the knife comes out clean. While the bread is cooling, add 2 sticks of room temperature butter, 3/4 cup powdered sugar, 1 cup maple syrup, 2 tsp vanilla extract and a pinch of salt to a stand mixer and blend on low using a whisk attachment. When all of the ingredients are incorporated, turn the speed on high for 5 minutes to aerate and using a spatula, spread onto the warm bread.
Pumpkin Bread with a Maple Syrup Buttercream Frosting
Pumpkin Bread:
3 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs, beaten lightly
1 16 oz can unsweetened pumpkin puree
3 ½ cups flour
2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp allspice
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp ground cloves
2/3 cup water
Pecans (optional)
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two loaf pans (9 by 5)
2. Stir together sugar and oil. Then stir in the beaten eggs and pumpkin.
3. Combine dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Blend dry ingredients and water into the wet mixture, alternating between the two.
4. Pour the batter into the two loaf pans. Bake for about 30 minutes or until knife comes out clean. Let stand for about 15 minutes. Remove from pans and let cool before adding frosting.
Maple Syrup Buttercream Frosting:
2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
¾ cup powdered sugar
1 cup maple syrup
2 tsp vanilla extract
¼ tsp salt
Directions:
1. While the cake cools, add all ingredients to a standing mixer using the whisk attachment. Beat on low for about one minute or until everything is incorporated.
2. Beat an additional 5 minutes on high or until mixture is light and whipped. Use immediately for frosting. Sprinkle some toasted pecans on top for garnish and serve!
