For cake:
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
4 large eggs
1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin
1 cup peeled, shredded baking apple, such as Granny Smith (1 large)
1/2 cup molasses
For hard sauce:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
2 teaspoons rum or brandy or 1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 to 2 cups sifted powdered sugar, plus more to garnish cake
Step 1: Prepare the cake. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 12-cup bundt pan.
Step 2: Combine flour, baking powder, ginger, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice and salt in a medium bowl.
Step 3: In a large mixer bowl, beat together 1 cup butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar until creamy. Beat in eggs 2 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in pumpkin, apple and molasses. Gradually beat in flour mixture.
Step 4: Spoon batter into prepared pan. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Let cool in pan on wire rack for 15 minutes; invert onto serving platter.
Step 5: While cake bakes, prepare hard sauce. Beat 1/2 cup softened butter and rum in a small mixer bowl until smooth. Gradually beat in 1 1/2 to 2 cups powdered sugar until fluffy.
Step 6: Dust warm cake with powdered sugar; cut into slices. Top each slice with a dollop of hard sauce.