Pumpkin walnut bread

I don't know why we call these kinds of things "bread." It's really a cake, and that's what they're called in French. Since I had the bounty of a nice big pumpkin, I've been making raviolis, timbales, and this cake. I also froze some of the flesh for another use later in the season.

Freshly baked pumpkin and walnut bread. Yummy!

This cake is made with walnuts (given to us by a friend whose tree produced a lot this year) and gingembre confit (candied ginger) that we got at the Asian market. All very good stuff! Here's the recipe if you're interested. It's my own, adapted from various other pumpkin bread recipes.

Preheat your oven to 180ºC (350ºF). Butter a loaf pan and put it into the refrigerator until ready to fill. In a large bowl, mix together:

• 2 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp allspice
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp salt

In another bowl, whisk together:

• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup of plain yogurt, milk, or water, whatever you like.

Blend in until well incorporated:

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 cup pumpkin purée (fresh roasted or canned, but not raw)
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until smooth. Stir in:

• 1 cup chopped toasted walnuts
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup chopped candied ginger

Pour the batter into the buttered loaf pan and bake for 55 to 65 minutes. Test with a wooden skewer; when it comes out of the loaf clean, the cake is done. Cool on a rack then turn out and slice with a serrated knife.