A Yummy Fall treat

Although we are experiencing a few days of summer like weather here on the north coast I've been craving one of my favorite fall treats: Fall Harvest Cake.
The original recipe comes from Gooseberry Patch's Flavors of Fall cookbook  shared by a woman with whom I posted for a good number of years on a message board about recipes. Most of her recipes there were big hits and I was certain before even trying this one for the first time that would hold true for this as well. In the years since first making this I've served it at school (in the days before the healthy eating initiative) and altered it slightly by leaving out the pecans and adding dried cranberries. At home here I use both. I've also experimented and decided I prefer maple sugar over the brown sugar when I have it. Brown sugar is far less expensive however.
I whipped up the batter (using the last granny smith apple) and put it in the oven!  Seventy minutes at 350 degrees and the cake was ready to come out of the oven.  The original recipe also includes a frosting but my personal opinion is that a sprinkle of powdered sugar over the top is enough. The cake is very sweet on its own.

Fall Harvest Cake
Gooseberry Patch's Flavors of Fall
Lynda McCormack

 1 1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar (or maple sugar)
2 t. cinnamon
2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. nutmeg
1/4 t. ginger
1 c. oil
1/2 t. vanilla extract
4 eggs
2 c. all purpose flour
1 15 oz. can pumpkin
1 apple, cored, peeled and  chopped
1/2 c. chopped pecans
my addition: 1/2 c. dried cranberries

Mix first 10 ingredients; add flour 1/2 cup at a time, blend in pumpkin then fold in apples, pecans, and cranberries if you use them. Grease and flour bundt pan and pour in batter. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 70 minutes. Cool 20 minutes on a wire rack. Serves 12