Pumpkin Cake

Yes, it is time for all things pumpkin. I personally don't understand the fascination, but I do like pumpkin spice cake and this is my personal recipe, which has more spices that most.

What you need:

For the cake:
1 16oz can of pumpkin puree
2 c AP flour
4 eggs, beaten
3/4 c Vegi oil
2 c sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp salt
1 Tbls pumpkin pie spice
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg (freshly ground is best)
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground allspice

For the frosting:
1 8oz package cream cheese at room temp
4-5 tbls button at room temp
1.5 tsp vanilla
2 c sifted powdered sugar


How to do it:
Pre-heat oven to 350.
Stir together the dry ingredients, set aside.
Combine eggs, pumpkin, sugar, & oil. Beat until combined.
Add dry ingredients, beat until just combined.
Pour into a 13 x 9 pan and bake for 25-30 minutes. You can also bake in round(2 8" for about 25). A toothpick should come out of the center with a few crumbs attached. If you bake this in a pyrex dish it will take longer.

Let the cake cool for at least 2 hours before frosting.

Making the frosting is incredibly easy.  When your butter and cream cheese are soft, sift the cream cheese over and whip together (yes sift. Do you want lumpy frosting? Don't sift your sugar ad I promise you will get it.) Now whip it all together with your hand mixer, then whip in the vanilla and put it on the cake. This recipe make plenty for a sheet cake, or 8" rounds.

Nom.

At little update on the foundation stick

I still love it, still super happy with it. Haven't gotten around to buying a darker and lighter shade for contouring but it is on the list (and January). I just wanted to update with a little review video done by Wayne Goss which you can watch here.

On a side note, I love Wayne Goss' videos. I really, really do a better job with my make up because of them.

Getting out of my own way

On Tuesdays I sing. Or at least I meet with my voice coach. This week, in a pinnacle moment of getting in my own way, I somehow tried to think my way to a note. Really.

For the non-singers, this does not work. Ever. At one point Denise actually asked me if I could please use the same octave he was. It was not pretty. I did eventually manage to get my brain to shut the hell up and just listen and repeat but it was ugly until I did.

I was thinking about this as I practiced last night because I think about everything (while wondering if I was in the same octave as the recorded warm up...).

This is, of course, my problem - the thinking. There are so many things in my life where a bit less thinking would be helpful... singing, acting, dancing, cooking, painting, work... living really. Earlier today I spent a solid hour over thinking a decision that has basic only one way to go - yeah think less, and make the call would have been good there (also commit. Sigh). The hour of over analysis did not help anything. Working out doesn't require me to think hard about it, but I do. In fact, it is the thinking that can stop me from doing it ("Oh I am tired and I need to run lines/go to the store/make dinner/sing/sit on the couch and drink a martini. I will take a rest day.") When rehearsal dictates that I must work out in the morning (at like 5. Ick.) my mantra is don't think about it. The alarm goes off just get up and go and it totally works. The minute I think, I am toast. Not getting up. It has to just be "Don't think, just do."

So... the challenge is to be aware of when I am getting in my way and to know it off. No problem. Ha. Perhaps October is the month of getting out of my head?

Don't think, just do...