Gingerbread cake and pumpkin butter

I first made this delicious, moist, deeply-spiced cake last fall and it has already become a family standard . Whenever the real winter weather starts, I crave this cake. It fills the house with such a wintry aroma. And the good news is, the recipe produces a huge amount of cake that freezes wonderfully, ready to be pulled out and zapped in the microwave at a moment's notice. I think small squares of it would also be a welcome addition to a holiday cookie plate. I've also considered drizzling it with chocolate (chocolate and gingerbread--I know, it sounds weird but for all of us out there who have had the combo, it's strangely tasty and intriguing, no?)

The recipe is here. I tried substituting half the oil with applesauce this time around and the result is a slightly lighter cake that I don't feel too guilty about having for breakfast. If it's your first time though, I'd make the original recipe as is because really, it's worth it.

And the pumpkin butter, it's also somewhat of a holiday staple around here. It's great on toast and scones, stirred into oatmeal, or I'll put a dollop of it inside pumpkin muffins just before I throw them in the oven. Yumm!