Pumpkin Cake w/Orange Glaze

It feels like winter, but technically its still fall. I found a can of pumpkin in my cabinet and immediately thought of baking with it. At first I was thinking of making a simple pumpkin bread, but as I browsed for recipes, I saw these adorable glazed pumpkin cakes in baby bundt shapes. Of course I immediately switched gears. I didn't have a baby bundt pan, so I set off in search of one. Sadly, my search was in vain. The baby bundt pans that I did find were waaaay too tiny. I already had a regular sized bundt pan, so I ended up using that for my cake, and although it isn't nearly as cute as the miniatures, it's still sort of attractive.

I adapted this cake from a recipe at allrecipes.com. I didn't have all the spices ( no allspice or cloves), so I decided to add some orange flavor in the icing in the form of zest and juice, and to add some of that flavor to the cake as well, just to make the piece more harmonious. I wanted to make it a bit healthier, so I substituted applesauce for half of the oil (the original called for a cup of oil), and cut the sugar by 1/2 cup (the original called for 2 1/2 cups). I don't like nuts in baked goods for the most part, so I skipped them. The cake turned out more like a bread in my opinion, but it was still delicious, moist and pumpkin-y. Apparently that half cup of sugar is a critical one.

Pumpkin Cake w/Orange Glaze
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 cups pumpkin puree
3 eggs
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1 T cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
2 T orange juice
zest of one orange

For the Glaze
2 T orange juice
zest of one orange
1 T butter, melted
1 cup powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease 12 cup bundt pan. In large bowl, blend together oil, applesauce, pumpkin, eggs, vanilla, orange juice and zest. In separate bowl blend together flour, baking soda, sugar, and spices. Add flour mixture to wet mixture and mix until smooth. Pour into greased pan and bake at 350 F for about 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Let cool for five minutes, then invert onto plate. Let cool for 15 minutes more before glazing. To prepare Glaze: Mix butter, zest, and juice. Add sugar, stir to combine.