Thanksgiving favorites

On my work blog, PBS Engage, I just posted a list of Thanksgiving favorites from the cooks in my office.

Here's my contribution.

Thanksgiving happens to fall right around two big birthdays in my family, so we’re always looking for a way to combine birthday cake with traditional Thanksgiving desserts, without having to stick a candle in a pumpkin pie. Last year, I made a pumpkin-chocolate chip cake, modified from an Epicurious recipe, topped with a cream cheese frosting – it really hit the mark (plus the leftovers make a Friday morning breakfast of champions).

Frosting:
2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
Cake:
1 3/4 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice (I make my own, using 1 tsp cinnamon, ½ tsp ginger, ½ tsp ground cloves, and ½ tsp nutmeg)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup canned pure pumpkin
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 sour cream
1 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips (toss with flour to prevent from sinking)
3/4 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour 9-inch cake pab. Sift first 5 ingredients into medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until smooth. Gradually beat in sugar, then beat in eggs 1 at a time. Beat in pumpkin and vanilla. Beat dry ingredients into pumpkin mixture alternately with milk. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts. Transfer batter to prepared pan.
Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 55 minutes. Cool in pan on rack 15 minutes. Turn cake out onto rack; cool completely. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Wrap in plastic; store at room temperature.) Ice the cake with cream cheese frosting.

***I make two cakes and use the frosting to layer it, but this recipe works nicely as a loaf or bundt cake as well, with or without frosting!

And check out the rest here:

Cooking Up Thanksgiving Favorites