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Preheat oven to 325 F.
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1. Spray your bundt pan with non-cooking spray with flour. I prefer to use the floured spray rather than the shortening and flour technique because of the intricate detail of my bundt pan. I tend to have better luck with a clean release. However, it is key to be liberal with your coating, no matter which technique you choose. The last thing you want is a delicious cake held captive in a sticky pan!
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2. Cream the butter, shortening and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat it well and allow the mixture to become fluffy. This step is very important for setting up the texture of the cake.
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3. Add the 5 eggs, one at a time, incorporating well after each addition. Scrape the sides of the bowl periodically.
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4. Add the pure pumpkin puree and vanilla to the mixer; mix well.
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5. In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients (flour through cinnamon).
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5. Beginning with one-third of the dry ingredients, alternate adding dry ingredients and milk into the creamed mixture, allowing each step to become incorporated before adding more of the other ingredient. You will do three alternating cycles, ending with the milk.
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6. Pour batter into the prepared bundt pan. I place the pan on a cookie sheet before placing in the oven just to catch any possible overflow. I would much rather clean a cookie sheet rather than the entire oven bottom!
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7. The cooking time will depend on the size of your pan and your oven. After 1 hour 15 minutes, check the cake. Do not stick it with a tester; you will have a fallen cake if you do! Begin watching the cake every 15 minutes until the top is firm to the touch and there is no jiggling motion to the cake. If you test the cake at this point, you might still get some moist crumbs attach to the tester, but there should be no batter. My cake takes 2 hours to bake.
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8. Remove the cake from the oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes in the pan.
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9. Invert the cake onto your serving dish. If you coated the pan well, the cake will release with no problem and you will be left with a steaming, beautiful cake.
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10. I like to serve with whipped cream and a dusting of cinnamon.
