With a little freezer space and a few hours before the big day, delicious pies and cakes can be made ahead and frozen, leaving our ovens free for that big ol' bird and all the fixings to go with it. 
This deliciously moist cake is filled with aromatic spices, crystallized ginger, pecans and a hint of rum. Serve with a dusting of powdered sugar and ginger-flavored whipped cream, if desired. Don't be put off by the lengthy ingredient list; most things are in your cupboard. -- Jeanne Besser

Hands on time: 30 minutes  Total time: 1 hour and 45 minutes  Serves: 12

Ingredients:

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 

2 teaspoons baking soda 

2 teaspoons baking powder 

1 teaspoon salt 

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger 

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice 

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg 

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves 

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature 

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar 

1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar 

4 eggs 

1 2/3 cups canned pumpkin 

1/2 cup sour cream 

1/4 cup unsulfured molasses 

2 tablespoons dark rum 

1 1/2 cups pecans (about 6 ounces), toasted and chopped 

1/2 cup minced crystallized ginger

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease and flour a 12-cup bundt or tube pan. In a bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, nutmeg and cloves and set aside. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and both sugars until thoroughly combined and fluffy, scraping down the sides periodically. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the pumpkin, sour cream, molasses and rum. On low speed, add the flour mixture, pecans and crystallized ginger. Pour the batter into the pan. Bake for 65-75 minutes, or until a tester inserted near the center of the cake comes out clean. Check after 30 minutes, and every 10 minutes thereafter, to make sure the cake isn't browning too quickly. If necessary, cover with foil. Cool the cake on a rack for 15 minutes in the pan. Run a knife around the sides of the pan, and turn the cake out onto rack. When completely cooled, wrap tightly with plastic wrap and place in a 2-gallon freezer zip-top bag or cover tightly with aluminum foil and freeze. Defrost, wrapped, at room temperature, and serve. -- Adapted from Bon Appetit

Nutrition:

Per serving: 565 calories (percent of calories from fat, 48), 8 grams protein, 69 grams carbohydrates, 4 grams fiber, 30 grams fat, 108 milligrams cholesterol, 674 milligrams sodium.