Easy Pumpkin Cornbread
I was very inspired last year when I planted about 5 pumpkin seeds in our garden and our reward in the fall was a more than generous harvest. During this whole season I made and continue to make my quick pumpkin galette, plus many other goodies. So I had to find new interesting and colorful recipes. Since we like cornmeal cake a lot, I thought I'd try to combine it with pumpkin.
This pumpkin cornbread came out very good and interesting - aromatic, colorful and soft when it's still warm or reheated. After it cools, it gets less soft, but you can still enjoy it like this or reheat in the microwave or in a regular oven.
The cranberries were a nice addition. You can omit or replace with raisins or any other dried fruit. Even sour cherries or jam fruit would go well here.
In a bowl, combine all the dry ingredients - flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder and salt.
Add 2 eggs, yogurt, melted butter, pumpkin puree and vanilla essence. Beat well with a whisk or mixer until the mixture is smooth and lump free.
You can prepare and store the pumpkin puree using the method here - Pumpkin Puree Recipe.
Line a 28-30cm diameter pan with baking paper. You can also use a square pan, the shape doesn't matter.
Transfer the batter to the pan and smooth out with a spoon.
Optionally, you can sprinkle with cranberries, raisins, prunes etc on top. The fruits from the jam or preserves would also fit here.
Place the cake in the preheated oven to 180 degrees C and bake for 45 minutes or more, until it browns evenly.
Remove from the oven, let cool and slice.
It's soft and tender when it's warm. When it cools, it gets a bit firmer, but it's just as good. You can have it cold or reheated.
Enjoy!
