Pumpkin Cake with Dried Cranberries

Ingredients

Cake

• 2 1/2 cups whole-wheat pastry flour (see Tip) or 1 cup whole-wheat flour and 1 2/3 cups cake flour
• 2 cups fine cornmeal, preferably stone-ground
• 2 ½ teaspoons baking soda
• 1 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground allspice
• 2 large egg whites
• 2 cups packed light or dark brown sugar
• 1 15-ounce can unseasoned pumpkin puree
• 1 cup low-fat plain yogurt
• ⅓ cup canola oil
• 2 teaspoons freshly grated orange or lemon zest (optional)
• 1 1/2 cups dried cranberries or raisins

Glaze & Garnish

• ½ cup packed confectioners sugar
• 1-1 1/2 tablespoons orange juice
• 1/2-1 teaspoon freshly grated orange zest, plus julienned zest for garnish

Directions

1. To prepare cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. To prepare cake coat a 12-cup Bundt pan with cooking spray.
2. Whisk flour, cornmeal, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and allspice in a large bowl. Whisk egg whites, brown sugar, pumpkin, yogurt, oil and orange (or lemon) zest, if using, in a medium bowl until well combined.
3. Fold the pumpkin mixture and dried cranberries (or raisins) into the dry ingredients with a rubber spatula until completely blended. Do no over mix. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top.
4. Bake the cake until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean, 50 to 60 minutes.
5. Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Remove from the pan and let cool on the rack.
6. To prepare glaze: Place confectioners’ sugar and zest to taste in a small bowl. Add 1 tablespoon orange juice and stir until smooth. Add up to 1/2 tablespoon more juice to thin the glaze to desired consistency. Drizzle the glaze over the cooled cake. Garnish with julienned zest, if desired.

Tips

Make Ahead Tip: 12-cup Bundt pan

Tip: Whole-wheat pastry flour is milled from soft wheat. It contains less gluten than regular whole-wheat flour and helps ensure a tender result in delicate baked goods while providing the nutritional benefits of whole grains. Find it at large supermarkets and natural-foods stores. Store in an airtight container in the freezer.