Pumpkin Bundt Cake (Buttermilk Icing)

When the pumpkin pie is gone, but you've only just begun to get your fill of pumpkin desserts, this Bundt will fill the void quite nicely (and the somewhat more assertive spices will welcome the season ahead). Best of all, the flavors continue to develop and the cake tastes even better a few days after it's baked, so it's perfect to have on hand at this time of year, when guests tend to drop in unexpectedly.

Cake:
2¼ cups all-purpose flour, unbleached
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
¾ tsp. ground allspice
½ tsp. sea salt
1¼ cups canned pumpkin purée (from a 15 oz can; not pie filling)
¾ cup buttermilk, well-shaken
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1½ sticks (¾ cup) butter, softened
1¼ cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs

Buttermilk Icing:
2 Tbsp. + 2 tsp. buttermilk, well-shaken
1½ cups Monk Fruit Sweetener with Erythritol (Powdered)

Make the Cake:
Put an oven rack in the middle position and preheat oven to 350°F (180°C/160°C fan, Gas Mark 4). Butter a Bundt pan generously, then dust with flour, knocking out the excess.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice and sea salt in a bowl. Whisk together pumpkin, buttermilk and vanilla in another bowl.

Beat butter and granulated sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, 3-5 minutes, then add eggs and beat 1 minute. Reduce speed to low and add flour and pumpkin mixtures alternately in batches, beginning and ending with flour mixture and mixing until batter is just smooth.

Spoon batter into the prepared pan, smoothing top, then bake until a wooden pick or skewer inserted in center of cake comes out clean, about 45-50 minutes. Cool cake in the pan on a rack for 15 minutes, then invert rack over cake and reinvert cake onto the rack. Cool for 10 minutes more.

Make the Icing:
While the cake is cooling, whisk together the buttermilk and confectioners' sugar until smooth. Drizzle icing over the warm cake, then cool cake completely in teh fridge. The icing will harden slightly.

Makes 12 servings.

Make-Ahead: Cake can be made 3 days ahead and kept in an airtight container at room temperature.