MangiaMore: PUMPKIN cake with cream cheese frosting

RER 11.25.16

Jack-o-lanterns feel like decades away, fangs faded to gummy smiles. Festive gourds on stoops are withering with fall warmth and snaps of cold.  Mallow crème pumpkins are drying out, toothy with time. Pumpkin pie is buried in our bellies after Thanksgiving feasts, but the spices and stringy middles remain. Pumpkin has left its mark on this season with a damn delicious pumpkin recipe.

RER 11.13.16 

RER 11.24.16

RER 11.13.16 

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RER 11.24.16

RER 11.24.16

Once a whole pumpkin, its innards and seeds were transformed into a scrumptious fall treat (well, two, but one was less successful than the other). We used boiled and mashed pumpkin from our first attempted dessert—a pumpkin pie— to create a modified version of damn delicious’s pumpkin cupcakes with cinnamon cream cheese frosting. Instead of cupcakes, we doubled the recipe to make a sheet cake. And it was truly delicious.

RER 11.24.16

RER 11.24.16

RER 11.24.16

RER 11.24.16

RER 11.24.16

Other modifications were made to the easy-to-make recipe. We did not have pumpkin pie spice (as I have said before, it costs far more than I prefer to spend), so we whipped up a small batch of our own, minus the nutmeg (which we legit did not have).  Instead of using the full amount of oil for a doubled recipe, we used unsweetened applesauce to lighten the load.

RER 11.24.16

RER 11.25.16

RER 11.24.16

RER 11.24.16

In the end, the cake sang fall. The intense exterior and almost savory middles of the squash forfeited stiffness and vegetal notes, and melted and surrendered to the sweet spices of cinnamon and allspice and all that makes fall. On top, the cinnamon cream cheese frosting was subtle with the tang of the cheese and kept the moisture in. Because there was only layer and one thick strip of frosting, the cake was not too sweet and laden with butter and powdered sugar.  Each slice was fluffy and light, airy and warm. So delicious.

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11.25.16

RER 11.25.16

photo op: this IS fall

RER 10.28.16

Fall is spicy and sweet, pumpkins and apples, warmth and cool air.  Fall is the mix of cold mornings and sunny afternoons with the rustle of leaves, amber from the changing seasons. Fall is light when it used to be dark and dark when it used to be light.  Fall is a mix of dichotomies, opposites that attract and mingle and meld to make the beautiful.

RER 10.28.16

RER 10.28.16

RER 10.28.16

RER 10.28.16

A few weekends ago, fall was the smell of sliced fat apples warming in brown sugar and butter, seeped in spices. I finally was able to use some gifted apples (I am a teacher) and made fall tumble into my newish kitchen.  The roasty caramelized apples sat atop some plain Greek yogurt and meal-prep protein waffles for a scrumptious and comforting autumnal brekkie. No recipe, just brown sugar, butter, cinnamon, vanilla, allspice, love, and fall.

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RER 10.28.16

RER 10.28.16

How have you cooked up fall?

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11.12.16

RER 10.28.16

MangiaMore: PUMPKIN snickerdoodle blondies

RER 12.18.14

Once again I turned to Averie Cooks as the pumpkin master. After using her recipe just last week for Cream Cheese-Filled Pumpkin Bread, I had a ton of pumpkin puree left over. Apparently I used a giant can for a small job.

RER 12.17.14

RER 12.17.14

After Googling “things to do with leftover canned pumpkin puree” in various iterations, I was back to Averie Cooks and dreaming of these Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Blondies. I love blondies (like these and these), so these seemed like the right fit.

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RER 12.17.14

This variety has a simple blondie recipe with a generous amount of melted butter, pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice, but what makes them so special is the cinnamon sugar topping. Once topped, those pumpkiny treats are ready to bake and become even more delicious.

RER 12.17.14

RER 12.17.14

A liberal sprinkling of three tablespoons of sugar and two tablespoons of spicy cinnamon produced a dusty sweet layer on top of the cooked bar cookies. The texture of the crunchy dry cinnamon sugar was in stark contrast of the creamy and fudgy innards. Initially, the cinnamon was too strong, but I am hoping after time, the moisture of the blondies will absorb the flavors, deepening the complexity of the dense pumpkin base.

RER 12.17.14

RER 12.17.14

RER 12.17.14

Despite whipping up these pretty late fall blondies, I still have a ton of pureed pumpkin left. What to do next? No, really, what should I make next? I need your help!

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12.17.14

RER 12.17.14