• Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, regular sugar, cinnamon, ginger, mixed spice, and cloves in a medium bowl. Set aside.
• In a separate bowl, whisk together the brown sugar/ grated jaggery, vegetable oil, egg, vanilla, and pumpkin puree until well combined.
• Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing until just combined and smooth.
  
• Meanwhile, grease and dust a 1kg-cake pan. (Or a sufuria/ saucepan that's about 7 to 8 inches in diameter, or, the cake butter fills the pan halfway or slightly below half especially if you'll use the second method of no-oven baking below)

  Pour the cake batter in the greased pan.

  See the two methods you can use to bake the cake below.

Method 1 of Baking Without an Oven

• Select a fairly heavy pan in which the cake/ bread tin you’ll use to bake will fit while leaving some space on the edges to place or lift the cake tin out of the pan.

  Add 2 cups of salt to the pan to protect it and help with even distribution of heat. Evenly spread the salt in the pan.

  Arrange about 6 to 8 stones (about half an inch in diameter each) on the salt. These are the stones on which the cake will rest so it’s not in direct contact with the salt. This is going to be our micro oven.

  I picked my stones from a construction site. Ensure you get heat-resistant stones that won't crumble when exposed to heat.
  
• Cover the pan, transfer to your stovetop, and allow it on the high heat setting for the first 5 minutes to heat the pan and salt.

  After 5 minutes, lower the heat to the lowest setting as designed by the manufacturer of the stove and allow 5 more minutes. This is a total of 10 minutes.

  Transfer the cake batter to the preheated pan with the salt and carefully place it on the stones.
  
• Cover and bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick or taster inserted into the center comes out clean.

  If the cake bakes for longer than 40 minutes, reduce the flame further by taking it as though you are switching off and reduce it to a very low flame as shown below, the kind that if you blew hard on it, it would go off. this is so your cake won’t burn at the bottom as it bakes the last several minutes until it’s cooked through.
  

Method 2 of Baking Without an Oven

• Remember to use a fairly heavy saucepan/ sufuria if using this method of no-oven baking. Grease and dust the pan. Pour the butter into the pan and cover.

  Transfer to your stove top.

  If you are using the smallest burner on your stove, allow the cake on full flame for 30 seconds just to heat up the pan. Now reduce the flame to the lowest setting and bake for 40 to 50 minutes until a toothpick or taster inserted into the center comes out clean.

  If you’re using one of the wider burners, allow it on full flame for 20 seconds to heat up the pan.

  Reduce the flame to the lowest by turning it slowly in the direction you take the knob when switching off. Reduce it to the lowest flame as shown in the picture below.

  *Don’t reduce to the lowest as designed by your manufacturer for this wide burner. The lowest flame as designed for the gas stove is usually too high for your cake. It will burn before it’s ready.
  
• Let it bake for 45 minutes to an hour or until a toothpick or tester inserted into the center comes out clean.

  If you want the cake to brown on the surface, invert it back into the pan so the upper part of the cake is at the bottom of the pan. Let it bake for 10 minutes just to brown on the surface now that it is already cooked.

Once the Cake is Ready...

• Transfer the cake to a suitable platter, plate, or cake board. Let the cake cool completely before serving.

  My household loves pumpkin with or without frosting. You can have your pumpkin without frosting. You'll enjoy your flavorful pumpkin cake as it is. But if you'd like to frost it, proceed to the next step.
  

To Frost the Cake,

• This Quick and easy cream cheese frosting without a mixer is easy to whip up with a spoon. It will be ready in no time.

  You can either cut the cake horizontally into two halves, apply some of the frosting on the surface of the lower piece, cover it with the upper piece and frost it on the surface too. You can also just frost the surface of the cake only.

  If you want to frost the entire cake and pipe it to decorate, double the cream cheese frosting recipe.
  
• For this cake, I applied some in between the cake and also on the surface only.
  
• Enjoy the cake as a dessert or with your favorite beverage for your breakfast, teatime, or for your guests.
  
• Enhance your hospitality for the glory of God.