Perfectly Delicious Pumpkin Spice Cake

As I enter into my nearly third week of self-expression via this silly blog, I find myself feeling a bit overwhelmed. You see, I am entirely new to the blogosphere. Not only have I never kept one before, but I’ve never really read anyone else’s, either. So of course, now that I’m getting my feet wet in this fantastical world of food bloggers, I’m realizing how “not like the others” I am.  I don’t mean that in some sort of “I’m super original” way, because in fact, I am feeling quite the opposite. It’s more of an outsider sentiment—like “Wow, look at what all these other people are doing; I am way out of my league here!”

            But I know this sharp pang all too well; it’s the one that always dissuades me from pursuing paths that inspire or intrigue me. It’s the hell-bent perfectionist in me; I don’t want to do anything unless I know I can be absolutely perfect at it. I can’t tell you how many dreams have withered into the recesses of my mind because of this relentless inner dilemma. And I think I’ve reached my breaking point; enough, I say!

            So I don’t wake up in the morning and mix fresh juice smoothies for breakfast or bake crumbly cobblers and casseroles from scratch in the evening, but I do dream of doing these things. And thanks to this lovely virtual land of fellow food enthusiasts, I can learn from the best of the best out there—on my own time, in my own way.
            In my brief brush with blog browsing this afternoon, I landed on a few that whet my appetite for gluten-free baking (which I will be sharing in future posts, I’m sure). I’m in a bind at the moment when it comes to both free-time and finances and therefore, the means to stock up on all the fancy rice and tapioca flour blends and commit to the hours of experimenting that it takes to produce these delightful creations. But in the meantime, I can marvel at what other people are doing. And I can imagine myself joining them one day, in my lovely little studio-size kitchen somewhere. 

            And there’s something else I can do whilst I await that magical day when I manage to muster the means and motivation to whip up tasty home-baked treats of my own concocting; I can buy baking mixes.

            Just like my mother, and her mother before her, I love the simplicity of baking from a box. Perhaps from-scratch baking just hasn’t fully made its way into my bloodstream—yet.

Anyway, here’s the mix I used to bake a pumpkin spice cake for my mother on her official day of honor (yesterday): Simply Organic Carrot Cake Mix.

It’s basically a spice cake mix, and along with the 2 eggs and 1/2 cup of water, you can add pumpkin, carrots, or apples—or whatever you like—to produce just the right combination of tastes for your sweet-loving purposes.

I chose to add 1/2 a can of Farmer’s Market Organic Pumpkin, and to top the finished product with vegan cream cheese frosting and crushed walnuts.

What can I say? It took all of five minutes to blend the batter, and I forgot to change the oven setting from broil to bake, so the top got a little burnt; but in spite of these minor imperfections, the cake was a hit. Moist, flavorful, and perfectly delicious.
            (I wish I had some photos for you to see its loveliness for yourself, but the cake was apparently so good that it was gone before it occurred to me to capture it on camera.)

 Tasty Tidbit: If you want to try making this cake on your own, it just so happens that Simply Organic is on a promotional kick and is currently offering this splendid little coupon on their website. Enjoy!