National Bundt Cake Day

I love this blog The Food Librarian and she makes a bundt cake every day for 30 days leading up to National Bundt Cake Day (11-15 . . . today!).  Crazy, right?  I'm very impressed by a commitment to do anything for 30 days straight.  She inspired me to make a new bundt recipe for some company we had this past weekend.  I served it with pumpkin ice cream (unfortunately not homemade) and I thought the cake was perfect!  Nice crumb and not too dense, moist, great flavor . . . I'll be making this one again.

I didn't change the recipe (from Fine Cooking) except to check the cake sooner than the baking time listed because my oven seems to cook faster than most and to omit the crystallized ginger because Trader Joe's was out of it (of course!!).

Buttermilk Cake with Vanilla Icing (serves 10-12)
from Fine Cooking

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
3 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
1.5 cups granulated sugar
1/2 c. canola oil
2 large eggs
1 T white vinegar
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. table salt
1 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. grated nutmeg
3/4 c. butttermilk
2 1/4 c. peeled and grated butternut squash

Icing:
2 c. confectioners' sugar
3 T buttermilk (more as needed)
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ginger
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 c. finely chopped crystallized ginger

Preheat oven to 325 and prepare your Bundt pan (grease and flour or use the Baking Pam like I do).  In a large bowl with a hand mixer or a stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until well combined, about 1 minute.  Add the oil and beat until combined, about 15 seconds.  Add the eggs one at a time in low speed.  Add the vinegar and vanilla and mix again until just combined.

Add one half of the flour, the baking soda, the ginger, the nutmeg, the salt and mix on low speed until just combined.  Add half the buttermilk and mix until just combined.  Repeat with the other half of the flour and buttermilk.  Stir the squash into the batter and pour batter into bundt pan.  Smooth with a spatula.  Bake until a tester comes out clean, about 1 hour (mine took 50  minutes).  Cool for 30 minutes on a wire rack then carefully remove the pan and cool the cake on a wire rack before transferring to a serving dish.

To make the icing:  In a medium bowl, whisk everything except the chopped crystallized ginger.  Add more buttermilk, a few drops at a time, as needed, until pourable but still quite thick.  Pour it in thick ribbons over the cake.  Sprinkle the ginger on top.  Let the icing set at room temperature (about 45 mins) before serving.