October is Pumpkin Time

Wednesday is Bible Study

Women's Bible Study

No meeting

First a prayer and then our lesson

Sometimes we don't get a whole chapter in the allotted hour

It's good camaraderie.

But before we begin our study,

We must have cake!

And coffee!

For we are Lutherans!

Everyone gets a cup of coffee and a piece of cake before they sit at the dining room table
where we hold our bible study.

In the breakfast room where everyone can serve themselves.

Coffee and cake

blue and white always sets a pretty table

A new tablecloth -- bought in the Azores last year -- it's one of the few new ones I own.

Blue Spode cups and saucers and cake plates

A mixture of cake forks -- some with bone handles and the rest are silver.

My silver urn for the coffee and Blue Spode for the cream and sugar

Coffeecake anyone?

The treat is pumpkin swirl coffeecake.   A new recipe.   It received rave reviews!

Coffee and cake for six.

A bouquet of garden sunflowers and pot marigolds in an old green pitcher

add a bit of color to the table.

The coffee cake was really good and may, just may, replace the traditional cranberry pumpkin that I've made for years for Thanksgiving morning.

PUMPKIN SWIRL COFFEECAKE

Cake:

12 T. butter, softened

1 c. sugar

2 t. vanilla

2 large eggs

3/4 c. pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)

1/4 c. sour cream

2 c. flour

1 t. baking powder

1/2 t. baking soda

Syrup:

3 T. butter, melted

3 t. sugar

1 t. ground cinnamon

1 t. ground nutmeg

1 t. ground cloves

1 t. ground ginger

Streusel:

3/4 c. firmly packed light brown sugar

1 T. ground cinnamon

1 c. chopped pecans, toasted

8 T. cold unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons

Heat oven to 350.    Butter and flour a 10 inch tube pan, cake pan or springform pan.

Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, approximately 5 minutes.    Scrape down the sides of the bowl.   Add the vanilla and eggs, one at a time, beating for 20 seconds after each addition.    Scrape down the bowl again.

In a small mixing bowl, mix the pumpkin puree and sour cream together and set aside.   In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.    Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in thirds, alternating with the pumpkin/sour cream mixture.    Beat for 45 seconds after each addition and begin and end with the flour mixture.    Set aside while you make the syrup and streusel.

To prepare the swirl, stir together the melted butter, sugar, and spices in a small bowl.

To make the struesel, combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, pecans and butter in a food processor and pulse a few times until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Pour about 1/3 of the batter onto the prepared pan.    Scatter half of the streusel topping and then pour the rest of the batter on top.    Drizzle the syrup over the batter and with the blad of a knife or a skewer, swirl the syrup through the batter.    Scatter the rest of the streusel topping over the batter in the pan.

Bake for 50 to 55 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.    Remove the pan from the oven to a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes.   Serve warm or at room temperature.

It's Thursday and I'm joining

Cuisine Kathleen for Let's Dish

Susan at Between Naps On The Porch for Tablescape Thursday
Bernideen at Bernideen's Tea Time Blog for Open House