Pumpkin Spice Cake with Maple Frosting

Pumpkin Spice Cake 

with 

Maple Frosting

This is pretty much the best pumpkin spice cake I have ever had. I think the frosting is what pushed this one over the edge for me. I don't usually lick frosting before it is on the dessert (that's what Ryan is for) but this one made me rethink my stand on being a non-frosting-licker. The candied pecans didn't hurt, either--next time I will double the pecans! 

For the cake: 

1 1/2 cups flour

3/4 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp kosher salt

2 1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice*

3/4 cup brown sugar 

3/4 cup sugar (you can use all brown sugar if you prefer, so 1 1/2 cups)

12 tablespoons melted butter

3 eggs

15 oz. can pure pumpkin puree (about 1 1/2 cups)

*the original recipe also suggests using Garam Masala or Chinese 5 spice for more complex flavor

For the frosting:

8 oz. cream cheese

12 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons pure maple syrup

1 tsp vanilla

2 1/2-3 cups powdered sugar

For the pecans:

1 cup whole pecans

2 tablespoons pure maple syrup

pinch of kosher salt

For the cake:

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease and flour a 9x13 baking dish, set aside.

Mix all the dry ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Pour in the melted butter, pumpkin puree, and eggs. Mix together until completely incorporated and smooth.

Pour into prepared pan and bake for 30-40 minutes until the cake bounces back when pressed and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

For the frosting:

Place cream cheese, butter, maple syrup, and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat until light and creamy. Slowly add the powdered sugar and beat until desired consistency. If you need to thin it out a bit just add milk a teaspoon at a time. Refrigerate frosting until ready to use. 

Spread over cooled cake. 

For the pecans:

Place the pecans in a skillet over medium heat, drizzle with syrup and sprinkle with salt. Keep the pecans moving until all the syrup is clinging to the pecans and begins to crystallize, this will take several minutes. The nuts will become glossy when they are done. The syrup coating will harden up a bit as they cool. Transfer to a cutting board and coarsely chop. Once cooled, sprinkle over the frosted cake. 

Store the cake in the refrigerator, it will keep for several days...if it lasts that long.

Recipe adapted from 'A Spicy Perspective'.

Peach Crumble Pie

This pie is so satisfying and delicious. It has three steps to making it but each one is easy and can be made at different points during the day. Then put it all together and bake when you get a chance.

I used white peaches because that is what looked good at the Farmers Market, I have made it twice with the white peaches and it's fantastic.

You must serve with vanilla ice cream. Don't even consider not doing it.

• For The Crust:

  • 1 1/4 cups flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for rolling
  • 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
  • 2 teaspoons sugar
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

• For The Filling:

  • 3 pounds peaches, halved, pitted, and cut into 1/2-inch slices (8 cups or about 8 peaches)
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons flour

• For The Crumble:

  • 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup flour (spooned and leveled)
  • 1/3 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
  • 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

  
  

  1. Make crust: In a food processor, pulse flour, salt, and granulated sugar until combined. Add butter; pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal, with a few pea-size pieces of butter remaining (I just use a whisk and then mix in the butter with my fingers--it's faster and uses less equipment). Sprinkle with 3 tablespoons ice water. Pulse (or gently knead) until dough is crumbly but holds together when squeezed (if necessary, add up to 2 tablespoons ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time); do not overmix. Form dough into a disk, wrap tightly in plastic, and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour (or up to overnight)--in a hurry I stick it in my freezer for about 20 minutes. And I am always in a hurry!
  2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly flour a rolling pin and work surface and roll out dough to a 12-inch round. Place in a 9-inch pie plate, fold overhang under, and crimp edges.
  3. Make filling: In a large bowl, toss together peaches, brown sugar, and flour until combined.
  4. Make crumble: In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, flour, and oats; using your hands, work in butter until large clumps form.
  5. Transfer peach filling to pie shell, then sprinkle crumble evenly over top. Place pie on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until juices are bubbling and topping is golden, 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack 1 1/2 hours before serving.
• Recipe courtesy of Martha Stewart, Everyday Food magazine.

Chocolate Chip Pie (Toll House Pie)

Oh man. This picture is torturing me. I long for another piece of this delectable pie.

This is a standard in our family--it wouldn't quite be Christmas without this rich and buttery treat. I thought perhaps my taste buds were outgrowing this pie that we have been making for more than fifteen years; enter the homemade 'pat-in-th-pan' pie crust. BOOM! I am back on the chocolate chip pie train!

How could I have ever thought we were through?

Toll House Pie

1 unbaked 9-inch pie shell (or the wonderful 'pat-in-the-pan' pie crust-recipe follows )
2 large eggs
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
3/4 cup butter, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, for serving

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Ready the pie shell (if using a frozen pie shell, you do not need to thaw it).

In the bowl of an electric mixer beat the eggs on high until foamy--this will take several minutes. Add the flour, sugar, and brown sugar and mix well. Beat in butter and vanilla. Add the chocolate chips and walnuts, if using.

Spoon the dough into the pie shell and bake for approximately 1 hour until a toothpick inserted halfway from the edge and the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack and serve warm with whipped cream and ice cream.

You can rewarm in a 300 degree oven for 20 minutes.

Recipe from Nestle Toll House

Pat-in-the-Pan pie crust:

This makes one 9-inch pie crust or 10-inch tart shell.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Whisk together in a bowl or process in a food processor for 10 seconds:

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

Add:

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces, softened

Mash with the back of a fork or process until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Drizzle over the top:

2-3 tablespoons heavy cream

Stir or process until the crumbs look damp and hold together when pinched.

Pat the dough evenly over the bottom and up the sides of a pie pan. Evenly crimp or flute the rim. Thoroughly prick the sides and bottom with a fork.

Bake in a preheated 425 degree oven until the crust is golden brown, about 18 minutes.

Recipe from Joy of Cooking.

Gingerbread cookies

Up until a few years ago I thought that I didn’t like gingerbread. It turns out I just don’t like overly spiced gingerbread. These cookies are so chewy and delicious! I am so glad our friend/neighbor, Rebecca, brought these over to us.
These cookies are absolutely wonderful as is; however, in my house I quickly realized if I wanted to make this big pile of cookies disappear I needed to add frosting.

1 ½ cups molasses, a 12 oz. jar
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2/3 cup cold water
1/3 cup butter, softened
6 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon allspice (I only use a ½ teaspoon)
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon cinnamon

In a large mixing bowl, combine molasses, brown sugar, water and butter and mix thoroughly (I used my Kitchen-Aid). Mix dry ingredients together in another large bowl and slowly add to wet mixture until dough comes together. Chill dough for at least 30 minutes before rolling out. Roll dough out to either ¼” or ½” thick depending on how puffy you want your cookies to turn out. I did ¼-inch for the cookies pictured. Cut out shapes or do rounded tablespoonfuls, slightly flattened. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes.

Yield: This made 18 gingerbread men and two dozen round cookies. You may want to cut the recipe in half if you don’t need so many cookies…or take them to your neighbors!

For the frosting:
I just whipped up a quick thick frosting:
1 cup powdered sugar
2-3 tablespoons heavy cream
A few teaspoons of milk
Orange or lemon zest (optional)

Stir the sugar and cream together, thin with milk to desired consistency. I added the zest from half an orange.

Chocolate dipped shortbread

Okay, this post comes a little late as it is something I make during the holidays but it's simple enough to enjoy all year round.

1 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
dash of salt
5 tablespoons butter, softened
2 tablespoons fat-free milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine flour, sugar and salt in a bowl, stirring with a whisk.
Place butter in a medium bowl and beat with a mixer until light and fluffy. Add flour mixture, beating at low speed. Add milk and vanilla; beat until blended.
Pat the dough into a 4-inch circle; wrap in plastic wrap and chill 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Unwrap and place dough on plastic wrap. Cover dough with another piece of plastic wrap. Roll dough, still covered, into an 8-inch circle. Place dough on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray (or just use a Silpat mat-my best friend). Cut dough into 16 wedges, cutting into--but not through--dough. Pierce dough several times with a fork.
Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on pan 5 minutes. Cut into wedges. Cool completely (especially if you plan to dip in chocolate).

To dip your shortbread:
I melted a bag of bittersweet chocolate chips in the microwave in a glass dish, stirring every 15 seconds. Once it is mostly melted you want to stir, stir, stir and stir some more until you have tempered the chocolate. Once the chocolate is tempered, dip away.

Recipe courtesy of Cooking Light magazine

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

Recipe from Cooking Light magazine
Buns:

1 package dry yeast (about 2 1/4 teaspoons)

1/4 cup warm water (100-110 degrees)

2 3/4 cups flour, divided

1/2 cup canned pumpkin

1/2 cup 1% milk

1/4 cup butter, melted

1 tablespoon sugar

1 1/4 teaspoons salt

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg (freshly grated has way better flavor than the stuff in jars)

Filling:

3 tablespoons sugar

3 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons flour

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

2 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into small pieces

Glaze:

3/4 cup powdered sugar

1 tablespoon hot water

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

1. Dissolve yeast in warm water in a large bowl; let stand for 5 minutes. Lightly spoon flour into measuring cups and level with knife. Add 2 cups flour, pumpkin, and next 5 ingredients (through nutmeg); beat with a mixer at medium speed until smooth. Turn dough out onto floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic (about 10 minutes); add enough of the remaining 3/4 cup of flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, to prevent dough from sticking to hands (dough will feel tacky).

2. Place the dough in a large bowl, coated with cooking spray, turning to coat top. Cover and let rise in a warm place, free from drafts, for 45 minutes or until doubled in size. Press two fingers into the dough. If an indentation remains, the dough has risen enough.

3. Combine the sugar, brown sugar, flour and cinnamon for the filling. Cut in butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse meal.

4. Punch dough down; cover and let rest 5 minutes. Roll the dough into a 12X10-inch rectangle on a floured surface. Sprinkle with filling mixture. Roll up the rectangle tightly, starting with a long edge, pressing firmly to eliminate air pockets; pinch seam and ends to seal. Cut roll into 12 1-inch slices. Place slices in a 13X9 inch pan coated with cooking spray. Cover and let rise for 25 minutes or until doubled in size. *Tip: Use plain dental floss to slice through dough cleanly.

5. Preheat oven to 375. Bake the rolls for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for 15 minutes in pan on a wire rack.

6. To prepare the glaze, combine all ingredients in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk until smooth. Drizzle glaze over buns. Serve warm.

*Note-You may want to double the glaze if you have frosting lovers in your house.

Pumpkin Waffles

This is one of the most delightful things I have eaten in a while!

2 1/2 cups flour
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger (I used grated fresh ginger, yummy!)
1/4 teaspoon cloves
4 large eggs, separated
2 cups well-shaken buttermilk
1 cup canned pumpkin (plain old pure pumpkin)
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
vegetable oil for brushing waffle iron

Preheat oven to 250 and preheat waffle iron. Sift together flour, brown sugar, baking powder and soda, salt and spices. In another bowl, whisk egg yolks with buttermilk, pumpkin and butter until smooth. Whisk in dry ingredients just until combined.

In a mixing bowl with a whisk attachment, whisk the egg whites until they hold soft peaks. Fold them gently into the waffle batter, just until combined.

Brush waffle iron with oil and spoon batter into waffle iron, spreading quickly.

Transfer waffles to oven to keep warm and crisp.

Serve with maple syrup and chopped pecans.

The dry and the wet... Folding in the egg whites...

Bon appetit!

Recipe courtesy of Smitten Kitchen

Sweet Potato Biscuits with Maple Butter

Recipe courtesy of Cooking Light

These turned out quite delicious and I look forward to making them again. They are especially good with ham and pork and really make a dinner special.

For the biscuits:

2 cups flour

1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 cup pureed cooked sweet potatoes, cooled (I used canned, shhhh)
1/3 cup fat-free milk (I used 1% and nothing bad happened!)

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Cut in butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse meal-do not overwork the dough. Combine sweet potato and milk in a small bowl; add potato mixture to flour mixture, stirring just until moist.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface (it will be a little crumbly); knead lightly 5 times. Roll dough to a 3/4-inch thickness; cut with a 2-inch biscuit cutter. Place biscuits on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray.

Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Serve warm.

*Tip*: The key to flaky biscuits is to keep them cold. Make sure your butter stays cold and keep your baking sheet cold, I refrigerated the baking sheet with the biscuits for a while before I baked them.

For the maple butter:

6 tablespoons butter, softened
3 tablespoons maple syrup
1/8 teaspoon salt

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed 1 minute or until smooth. Cover and chill until use. Mmmmm!