One thing my grandmother taught me was to always have a pantry stocked with food. She lived in the country and sometimes got snowed in, and I know their pantry saved them many times! While she had a garden and loved fresh produce, she also loved canned goods. One fact that I know she would agree with is that the canning process locks in foods’ freshness, flavor and nutrients at the peak of ripeness, just hours after picking. It’s field to sealed! That means I can serve canned foods anytime, and with confidence. Believe it or not the  canning process used today is fundamentally the same that our grandparents and great grandparents used to naturally preserve food generations ago.

I stopped by Target to pick up the ingredients for my cake, stocking up on my fave Libby's Pumpkin and Carnation Evaporated milk, two pantry staples, especially with the holidays coming up.

Today I wanted to share with you this pumpkin cake recipe. I make this cake every fall and it's perfect with whip cream or vanilla ice cream.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 3 1/2 cups canned Libby's pumpkin
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 can (12 ounces) Carnation evaporated milk
• 1 pound yellow cake mix (1 standard box of cake mix)
• 1 cup chopped nuts
• 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons butter), melted
• sweetened whipped cream or whipped topping

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350°. Mix together the sugar, eggs, pumpkin, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, salt and milk. Line a 9 x 13 x 2-inch baking pan with waxed paper and pour the mixture in. Sprinkle the dry cake mix on top, then sprinkle the nuts. Pour melted butter evenly over the cake mix and nuts. Bake at 350° for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a wooden pick or cake tester inserted in center comes out clean. Cool cake thoroughly. Flip over and remove from pan; remove the wax paper. Top with whipped cream or whipped topping.

 

For more Canned food recipes and tips check out ths below Cans Get You Cooking sites:

•  “Cans Get You Cooking” Facebook page: www.Facebook.com/CansGetYouCooking
•  “Cans Get You Cooking” Pinterest page: www.Pinterest.com/CansGetUCooking
•  “Cans Get You Cooking” YouTube page: www.YouTube.com/CansGetYouCooking

• Bush Brothers: http://www.bushbeans.com/en_US/index.jsp
• Del Monte: http://www.delmonte.com/
• S&W: http://www.swfinefoods.com/
• Muir Glen: http://www.muirglen.com/
• Progresso: https://www.progresso.com/
• Spam: http://www.spam.com/
• Hormel Chili: http://www.hormelfoods.com/Brands/BrandWall/Hormel-chili
• Hormel Chicken Breast: http://www.hormelfoods.com/Brands/BrandWall/Hormel-chunk-meats
• Margaret Holmes: http://www.margaretholmes.com/
• Glory Foods: http://www.gloryfoods.com/
• Nestle Carnation Sweetened Condensed Milk/Evaporated Milk: http://www.verybestbaking.com/carnation/products/sweetened-condensed-milk.aspx
• Red Gold: http://www.redgold.com/
• Goya: http://www.goya.com/english/
• Icicle Seafood: http://www.icicleseafoods.com/products/salmon/
• Atlantic Natural Foods: http://www.atlanticnaturalfoods.com/index.html
• Ocean Spray (cans): http://www.oceanspray.com/Products/Sauces/Whole-Berried-Cranberry-Sauce.aspx
• Old El Paso (cans): http://www.bettycrocker.com/Products/Old-El-Paso

Disclaimer: I am part of the Mom It Forward blogger network. Mom It Forward and “Cans Get You Cooking”partnered in support of this campaign. “Cans Get You Cooking” compensated me for participation in this campaign. However, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Photo credit: The Girl Who Ate Everything