Happy Thanksgiving.
It's Thanksgiving in Canada.  This is an interesting thing.  For most internationals Thanksgiving doesn't even exist outside of the American movies that they might watch.  Canadian Thanksgiving is really nothing close to the big deal that the American Thanksgiving is:

Canadian Thanksgiving is earlier (our harvest is earlier, hello - Canada)
We get Monday off not Friday (therefor no black friday shopping extravaganza)
We might have Turkey but could also easily have Ham or Lamb
It's honestly no tragedy for most of us if we don't observe it at all.

It's kind of like Hallowe'en for me.  A very American holiday that I can take or leave (keep in mind people that generally I'm a bit of a 'Ba Humbug")


We did observe Thanksgiving this year though by visiting my parents.  Not for as long as we would have liked to but at least we got there.  We had a lovely dinner with them which included this whipped turnip dish that was divine and will be featured in a later post.  My contribution was a cake.
I do not like pumpkin pie.  I think it has something to do with the gross tasting canned pumpkin crap.  However, I've never been motivated enough to make my own and check it out.  So, I didn't make pumpkin pie.

I did make something which was kind of Harvest/Fall-ish.  Pear Pecan Cake.
I got this from the Magnolia Cookbook.  It was my first time trying it and it came out quite lovely.  I was a little concerned because the batter was really goopy.  I thought that maybe there wasn't enough liquid and that maybe I should add more.  I held myself back though and I'm glad that I did because they knew what they were doing apparently, those recipe people.  It worked beautifully and just the right texture.  This would make a beautiful coffee cake alternative as well.


So, Happy Thanksgiving and 'Here's to no Pumpkin Pie this year!' (Sorry Pumpkin pie lovers)


Pear Pecan Cake
The Complete Magnolia Bakery Cookbook

Cake

3 cups unbleached, all purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup plus 2 tbsp veg oil (I used Canola)
3 lg eggs, room temp
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 Bosc Pears (about 2 cups) cut into 1 inch pieces (I used 2 small pears and 1 apple)
1 cup pecans, coarsely chopped

Glaze

1 1/2 cups icing sugar
3 tbsp lemon juice/orange juice or water


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Lightly grease and flour a 10 inch tube pan.
In a large bowl, sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt.  Make a well in the centre.  Stir in the oil, eggs and vanilla.  Mix well.  Add the fruit and the nuts.  Mix well.
(The batter will seem a bit weird at this point but just trust me... it's ok)
Spoon batter into the prepared pan.  Bake for 60 - 70 min.  or until a tester comes out clean.  Cool in the pan for about 20 min.  Finish cooling on a cake rack.


For the glaze:
Combine the icing sugar and the juice until it's the desired consistency.  Pour over a completely cooled cake.