Couscous is a great secret weapon for busy nights because it needs only a 5-minute soak to be ready for the table. If you don't like scallops, peeled deveined jumbo shrimp make a tasty substitute.
The inspiration from this cake came from Tartine's pumpkin tea cake. I wanted to make a lighter, cake-ier cake, closer to a dessert you'd eat at a dinner party than to a quickbread you'd eat for breakfast. The frosting recipe is based on my idol Dorie Greenspan's Tangy Cream Cheese Frosting.
