Pumpkin Bundt Cake

You will need 1 x 10-cup bundt tin (2.5 litre capacity) or 1 x 20cm square cake tin approx 5.5cm deep / 1 x 8-inch square cake tin approx 2¼ inches deep

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C Fan/gas mark 4/350°F. Spray your bundt tin with non-stick cooking spray, or make a paste by mixing 2 teaspoons of oil and 2 teaspoons of flour and brush it all over the insides of the tin, making sure you get into all of the crevices. Leave upside down on a piece of newspaper or baking parchment to drain off any excess oil while you prepare the cake.
2. In the bowl of a freestanding mixer (although you could do this by hand), beat together the sugar, oil, the finely grated zest of half the orange and 2 tablespoons of its juice until smoothly combined. You'll need to stop and scrape down the bowl once or twice.
3. Add the eggs, beating again.
4. Measure the flour, bicarbonate of soda and spices into another bowl, forking everything together lightly so that it's all mixed well.
5. Then beat the pumpkin puree into the cake mixture, before finally adding the flour and spices and folding to combine. Once you have a smooth cake batter, carefully fill your oiled bundt tin with this mixture.
6. Bake for 45-55 minutes, though I always start checking at 40. The cake should be coming away from the edges of the tin and a cake tester will come out clean. Remove to a wire rack, leaving the cake to cool in its tin for 15 minutes.
7. Gently prise the cake away from the tin with your fingers, paying particular attention to the part around the funnel, then turn out the cake onto the wire rack and leave to cool completely.
8. To ice the bundt, stand it on the plate of your choice, then sieve the icing sugar into a bowl and gradually whisk in the orange juice, beginning to slow down after the second tablespoon, just to make sure you get the consistency you want. Once you have a smiith icing that's thick enough to stick to the cake, but with just enough runniness to drip down the sides a little, start spooning it over the top of the cake, letting it move naturally on its own: it will run down the architectural grooves of the cake, rather beautifully of its own accord; don't worry if its drips a little onto the plate as — for me, anyway — this adds to its charm. Sometimes, if I have a little icing left over, I can't stop myself doing a bit of a frenzied Jackson Pollock (as you can see from the photo).
9. Grate the chocolate on top, to finish: even a small square gives you too much, but it's no great sacrifice to eat what you don't use.

You will need 1 x 10-cup bundt tin (2.5 litre capacity) or 1 x 20cm square cake tin approx 5.5cm deep / 1 x 8-inch square cake tin approx 2¼ inches deep

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C Fan/gas mark 4/350°F. Spray your bundt tin with non-stick cooking spray, or make a paste by mixing 2 teaspoons of oil and 2 teaspoons of flour and brush it all over the insides of the tin, making sure you get into all of the crevices. Leave upside down on a piece of newspaper or baking parchment to drain off any excess oil while you prepare the cake.
2. In the bowl of a freestanding mixer (although you could do this by hand), beat together the sugar, oil, the finely grated zest of half the orange and 2 tablespoons of its juice until smoothly combined. You'll need to stop and scrape down the bowl once or twice.
3. Add the eggs, beating again.
4. Measure the flour, baking soda and spices into another bowl, forking everything together lightly so that it's all mixed well.
5. Then beat the pumpkin puree into the cake mixture, before finally adding the flour and spices and folding to combine. Once you have a smooth cake batter, carefully fill your oiled bundt tin with this mixture.
6. Bake for 45-55 minutes, though I always start checking at 40. The cake should be coming away from the edges of the tin and a cake tester will come out clean. Remove to a wire rack, leaving the cake to cool in its tin for 15 minutes.
7. Gently prise the cake away from the tin with your fingers, paying particular attention to the part around the funnel, then turn out the cake onto the wire rack and leave to cool completely.
8. To ice the bundt, stand it on the plate of your choice, then sieve the confectioners' sugar into a bowl and gradually whisk in the orange juice, beginning to slow down after the second tablespoon, just to make sure you get the consistency you want. Once you have a smiith icing that's thick enough to stick to the cake, but with just enough runniness to drip down the sides a little, start spooning it over the top of the cake, letting it move naturally on its own: it will run down the architectural grooves of the cake, rather beautifully of its own accord; don't worry if its drips a little onto the plate as — for me, anyway — this adds to its charm. Sometimes, if I have a little icing left over, I can't stop myself doing a bit of a frenzied Jackson Pollock (as you can see from the photo).
9. Grate the chocolate on top, to finish: even a small square gives you too much, but it's no great sacrifice to eat what you don't use.