Basic Pumpkin Bread

Do you believe in the magic of the holidays? I have always enjoyed Christmas probably more than I should, but this holiday season seems a little extra special for me. I don't know why?

Everything feels simpler. Less dramatic, complicated, and time consuming. Slowly things are starting to fall into place one by one.

And speaking of simple, this cake could not be any less dramatic, effortless, or elaborate. I found the recipe in Gelson's weekly flyer. The recipe is so easy to put together that you'll cry ...tears of happiness that is.

It has a delightfully bold pumpkin taste. I think walnuts, dark chocolate chunks, cranberries, or even a nice white chocolate glaze would make this lovely cake extra special.

The recipe doesn't call for any add-ins but I think the batter would hold up well to one or two additions of your choice. This is a wonderful base for any pumpkin bread lovers!


Print recipe: Basic Pumpkin Bread

Pumpkin Raisin Bread

This recipe is from a baking book Sur La Table recently released. And the recipe appeared in Gourmet or Bon Appetit, don't worry I'll figure it out by the end of the post.

Back to the bread. Whenever a recipe states that it yields one loaf and there is a lot of batter, my inner baker says "...no, no that's too much batter for one pan!" But like the rule follower that I am, I always add the batter to the pan which proceeds to spill over sometime during the baking.

So when this particular recipe said the same thing and the batter amount was startling, I still followed the rules. But made a promise to myself that if the batter spilled over I would never over rule my inner baker voice again.

Even as I placed the pan in the oven I said to myself "...this is going to spill over and make a mess in the oven." Well, this recipe is either fool proof or the baking gods were feeling sorry for me, because it came out of the oven perfect. With a shameless high dome, a slightly cracked top showing a sneak peak of it's yummy insides, and perfect square ends.

I was so impressed with the results that I went to the bookstore to see this book (The Art And Soul Of Baking by Cindy Mushet) for myself. And have now added it to my wish list for Christmas. Yes, my mind is already on Christmas but more on that later. For now enjoy the Perfect Pumpkin Raisin Bread.

P.S. I am not a fan of walnuts, so I replaced the "called" walnut amount with raisins.

Grab The Recipe

Pumpkin Pie Pancakes

OMG, where have I been for 21 days? I wish I could say that I had been somewhere exciting and done some insane thing. The reality is that regular old life had gotten in the way of things.

I had wanted to bake something inspired by the fall weather. I know it's fall because it's almost October, but you'd be wrong. Go ahead and take a look outside. It's been in the high 90's here in So. California.

Seriously. Somebody hand summer her "pink slip" because she has stayed well past her welcome.

I am ready for fall's cool mornings. Mornings filled with coffee and something sweet.

I have had muffins on the mind for awhile now. Ever since my friend Katie sent me a set of gorgeous muffin cases. I stare at them every night and say "...soon I will bake something delicious." So, I have been patiently awaiting the entry of fall.

I guess fall is going to be fashionably late here. Until fall makes his grand entrance I give you pumpkin pancakes. Yes, no oven required, yet packed full pumpkin pie taste.

PRINT RECIPE

Pumpkin Bars

I know you need another pumpkin recipe like you need a hole in your head. I am currently working on a pumpkin angel food cake recipe for a friend and had a little pumpkin left over that I had to use right away.

I have a recipe for pumpkin bars but it called for more pumpkin than I had. What to do? “Google” pumpkin bars of course!

I found this recipe on the Cooking Light website. It’s actually not that bad for you; very little fat for the amount of bars it yields. The recipe title is misleading though, when I think of bars, I think brownies or blondies. These little “bars” are more like cake, …pumpkin snack cake maybe? What ever these are they are quite delicious with a cup of coffee. Happy baking!

Pumpkin Bars

Ingredients
6 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
1 3/4 cups sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese, at room temperature

Preparation
1. In a bowl, with an electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar until smooth. Beat in 2 eggs, pumpkin, and 1/3 cup water until well blended, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. In another bowl, mix flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and nutmeg; stir or beat into butter mixture until well blended. Spread batter evenly in a buttered and floured 10- by 15-inch baking pan. [I used a 15x10x2 pan]

2. In a bowl, with an electric mixer on medium speed, beat cream cheese, remaining egg, and remaining 1/4 cup sugar until smooth.

3. Drop cream cheese mixture in 24 evenly spaced 1-tablespoon portions over batter. Pull a knife tip through filling to swirl slightly into batter.

4. Bake in a 350° oven until center of pumpkin batter (not cream cheese mixture) springs back when touched, about 30 minutes. Let cool completely in pan, then cut into 24 bars.

Makes 24 bar

Pumpkin Pie Cupcakes

I love pumpkin _____, just fill in the blank. I love it all pies, cookies, cakes, you name it. Pumpkins to me are the first sign that the holidays are just a hop, skip, and a jump away.

For me, I 'll be baking to my hearts content until the New Year. My friends on the other hand probably dread this time of year. You see they are my guinea pigs for all the baking I do. But they take it stride; they wear their "stretchy pants" and have another cookie or cupcake.

If I had the money I would give them all gym memberships as "thank you gifts" for eating all the baked goods. Until then if you see a group of people jogging/walking around the Rose Bowl, that's us burning off all the holiday goodies soon to come.

Pumpkin Pie Cupcakes

adapted from Martha Stewart
makes 20-22

1 cup pumpkin puree
1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 1/2 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice
1/2 cup of canola oil
3 extra large eggs

1. Preheat the oven to 350F degrees. Line two muffin pans with liners, set aside.
2. In a medium bowl sift the flour, baking powder & soda, salt, and pumpkin pie spices and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, mix the eggs, sugar, pumpkin, oil until smooth.
3. With the mixer on low slowly add the flour until incorporated. Careful not to over beat.
4. Fill the liners 1/3 full (I yielded 21 cupcakes) and bake 15-20 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
5. Cool cupcakes and decorate. I frosted mine with fresh whipped cream and made marzipan pumpkins.