Gingerbread Pumpkin Guinness Bundt

The Sunday after Thanksgiving was a memorable one for our family.  In the morning, my nephew was dedicated.  In the afternoon, my sister (who lives out of town) came over for the day.  We watched a movie and then she played with the girls while I baked - have I said how much I miss my sisters living close by??  Anyways, it was nice to have a little peace while she played with her nieces so I could make this bundt cake.  It was for our evening plans - my brother's 30th birthday celebration.  If it seemed weird to turn 30 myself, it's been really strange watching my two younger siblings (so far) hit that milestone.

You know I'm a fan of bundt cake and this recipe combined things I love:  pumpkin, gingerbread, and a good stout beer.  The original recipe was made with an oatmeal stout but I used Guinness.  It's a nice holiday dessert and I should have made much more icing . . . it looked a little skimpy and I didn't have time to make another batch.

Pumpkin Gingerbread Stout Bundt (10-12 servings)

from Bake Me Away 

1 cup dark stout

1/2 cup molasses

1 tsp. baking soda

3 large eggs

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup canola oil

1 cup canned pumpkin puree

1 T grated fresh ginger

2 c. all purpose flour

1 T ground ginger

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. allspice

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1/4 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray bundt pan with nonstick spray.  In a medium saucepan (you need room because the mixture will foam way up), combine the stout and molasses over medium heat.  Bring to a boil then remove from heat.  Stir in the baking soda.  It will foam up a lot - set it aside until the foam subsides and the mixture slightly cools.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugars, oil, pumpkin and ginger.  In a medium bowl, mix together the flour and the rest of the ingredients.  Add a third of the flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture and whisk until just combined.  Add half of the stout mixture and whisk to combine.  Continue alternating flour and stout until the batter comes together.  Pour into prepared pan.

Bake about 45 minutes or until top feels springy and a tester comes out clean.  Cool for about 5 minutes and then turn the bundt out on a wire rack to continue cooling.  

To make the brown butter icing:

Melt 4 T butter in a small sauce pan over medium high heat until it browns (about 8-10 minutes).  Remove from heat.  Stir in 1 cup sifted powdered sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla.  Add milk, about a tablespooon at a time, until it's the consistency you want . . . I like it pourable but still really thick.  Pour over the bundt cake in wide ribbons.