I'm a Weeenner!

It's official. Life totally rocks right now.

Not only did I have a fab lunch yesterday with my awesome new co-workers, but I hit 500 followers on Twitter AND *drum roll* I won first place in my company's Iron Chef contest!

This is particularly exciting news because: (1) I never win anything ever, (2) I didn't totally embarrass myself in front of 25 people I'd only just met, and (3) I've clearly accomplished very little in my lifetime, making prize-winning bundt cake a defining moment in my life. Witness me grinning like a fool with my gift card (left).

But it really could have been a real disaster. I had baked a brand-new recipe with ingredients I don't normally use. Not wanting to destroy my beautiful bundt cake, I brought it to work without even tasting it. It could have been burnt or dry or something weird could have fallen into the cake batter-- I had no way of knowing. That's me, always living on the edge.

I had three goals: (1) find a recipe with good reviews that didn't take too long to make because earlier that day I found myself wandering the new Target in a daze and lost track of time, (2) make something using the only cake pan I own, (3) impress my co-workers so they'll want to eat lunch with me. Oh and one of the directors threatened to fire me if I brought in something nasty. So (4) don't get fired.

As always, I turned to trusty AllRecipes.com and found this super easy recipe for a pumpkin bundt cake. I mean, it really doesn't get any easier than this. Normally I never use cake mix, but because I had gotten hypnotized by Target like I mentioned earlier, I had to make do. It turns out the pumpkin puree does a good job masking the tell-tale flavor of cake mix. Next time I'll probably make yellow cake from scratch and increase the spices in the cake. The whipped cream is key, so don't leave it out. I definitely think it balanced the flavors in the cake and tipped the judge's hand in my favor. One gentleman tried to spoon the whipped cream directly into his mouth. Here's the recipe (incl. my modifications):


PUMPKIN BUTTERSCOTCH BUNDT CAKE

Ingredients
1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix

1 (3.4 ounce) package instant butterscotch pudding mix

4 eggs OR 3 eggs + 1TBS oil (for high altitude)

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 can (15 oz) pure pumpkin OR 2 cups fresh pureed pumpkin

2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice OR this pumpkin pie spice recipe

Preparation:
Combine ingredients. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds; beat on medium until smooth (about 2 minutes). Pour into a greased and floured 10-in. fluted tube pan. Bake at 350' degrees F for 45 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 15 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Serve with citrus whipped cream.


CITRUS WHIPPED CREAM

Ingredients
1 cup heavy cream
1.5 Tbs confectioner's sugar
1 Tbs orange juice
1 tsp orange zest (1.5 tsp if you like a lot of zest)

Preparation
In a large bowl, whip cream until stiff peaks begin to form. Beat in sugar, juice and zest until peaks form. Enjoy!