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Rose Water Pound Cake: Omit the orange and lemon extracts. Reduce the vanilla extract to 1 teaspoon. Add 1½ teaspoons of rose water.

PUMPKIN CRUMB CAKE WITH PECAN STREUSEL

MAKES 16 SQUARES

TIME: 1 HOUR 10 MINUTES

How does moist, sublime, spiced pumpkin cake get better? A crummy mess of pecan streusel topping would get our vote any day. Perfect for autumn high tea.

Pecan streusel: ¼ cup all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons brown sugar (granulated sugar is okay, too)

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground allspice

1 tablespoon canola oil

1 cup coarsely chopped pecans

Cake: 1 (15-ounce) can pureed pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)

¾ cups soy milk

¾ cups canola oil

1½ cups granulated sugar

3 tablespoons light molasses

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

2⅔ cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon

¾ teaspoon ground nutmeg

¾ teaspoon ground ginger

½ teaspoon ground allspice

⅛ teaspoon ground cloves

PREHEAT THE oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9 × 13-inch baking pan.

Prepare the streusel:

In a small bowl, mix together the flour, brown sugar, and spices. Drizzle in the canola oil and mix with your fingertips until crumbs form. Add the chopped pecans and mix.

Prepare the cake:

In a large mixing bowl, combine the pumpkin, soy milk, oil, granulated sugar, molasses and vanilla. Mix well. Add roughly half the flour, the baking powder, salt, and spices, and use a fork to fold everything together. Add the remaining flour and mix gently until combined. Don’t use a hand blender for this, as pumpkin can get gummy if it’s mixed too aggressively. Blending with a fork helps maintain the texture.

Pour batter into the prepared baking pan and spread it out with a spatula. Scatter the streusel on top as evenly as possible. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until a knife inserted through the center comes out clean.

Remove from the oven, let cool, and cut into squares.

COCONUT-LEMON BUNDT CAKE

SERVES 10

TIME: 1 HOUR 30 MINUTES

Bundt is a hilarious name for this variety of cake. Get past the silliness with the enticing combination of tangy, bright lemon and irresistible chewy shredded coconut, made extra moist with plenty of coconut milk. No need for an icing on this cake, which is bursting with extreme flavor. It’s so simple and good—just “slice and go”—but sprinkle with a little powdered sugar to dress it up.

1⅔ cups granulated sugar

⅔ cup canola oil

1 (14-ounce can) coconut milk

¼ cup rice or soy milk

¼ cup lemon juice

3 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1½ cups shredded unsweetened coconut

A few tablespoons confectioners’ sugar for sprinkling

PREHEAT THE oven to 350°F. Lightly grease an 8- or 10-inch Bundt pan.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the granulated sugar, oil, coconut milk, rice milk, lemon juice and zest, and vanilla. Stir to combine.

Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into the wet ingredients in batches, mixing well after each addition. Fold in the coconut.

Pour the batter into the Bundt pan. Bake for 1 hour, or until a knife inserted through the cake comes out clean.

Remove from the oven and let cool for about 10 minutes, then place a cutting board over the cake pan, gently flip over, and release the cake from the pan. Let cool completely. One cooled, sift a sprinkling of confectioners’ sugar over the top. Slice and serve.

LOWER-FAT DEEP CHOCOLATE BUNDT CAKE

SERVES 12

TIME: 70 MINUTES

This is a wonderfully rich chocolate Bundt with a delicate crumb. And it delivers big chocolate flavor without a whole lot of fat. Fresh brewed coffee and almond extract heighten all that chocolate, and applesauce stands in beautifully for most of the oil. This cake doesn’t need a glaze or frosting, just a simple sprinkling of confectioners’ sugar.