Fave Pumpkin Snacking Cake Recipe

There used to be a handful of things that used make fall into true autumn to me, but now that we're into our second year of pretending to be New Englanders, these handful of things have grown to very-many-things; now matched by a quintessentially autumn backdrop. I embrace warm slices of toasted pumpkin bread with a piping hot cup of tea or apple cider as I stare out the living room window at fluttering leaves of unreal colors. In fact, this born-in-disneyland's-backyard girl has often wondered if the trees were artificially painted or how strenuous it must have been for the backstage upper valley staff to create such wonderment. Then I snap back to reality and recognize how lucky we are to live here....unfortunately, we just wrapped up our last autumn in new hampshire. SAD FACE.

happy thanksgiving basket for our hosts.

Piles of these Pumpkin Snacking Cakes are spilling out of our kitchen and into others' homes as we wrap up my favorite New England season. I hope to make them for years and be constantly reminded of the couple of "real" autumns I was lucky enough to experience. 

Pumpkin Snacking Cake (aka Pumpkin Bread) Recipe:

-this recipe doubles nicely-

• 
  
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, super soft (not melted)
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 8 ounces (scant 1 cup) canned unsweetened pumpkin puree
• 2 large eggs
• 2/3 cup water

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter or lightly spray the bottom and sides of a 9-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray. I do these in muffin size or mini loaves as well. 

Whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves in a small bowl.

In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the 4 tablespoons softened butter, sugar, and oil at high speed until light and fluffy, about 1 minute, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl a few times.

Add the pumpkin puree and mix until combined. Add the eggs, one at a time, and mix until just incorporated. 

At low speed, slowly add the flour mixture and water and mix until just combined (overmixing makes the cake/bread tough). Spread the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 60 to 75 minutes. If you're making muffins, try 15-20 minutes. 

Let cool in the pan on a baking rack for 10 minutes. Remove from the pan and let cool completely (makes it easier to slice).

For the record, I understand this is the first of December and perhaps well into the New England winter, but I just love autumn so much I can't let it go!

Baking - What's going on in the kitchen?

Holiday! 2 days 'till Christmas! We've been a-baking-like-CRAZY around here! And while there have been a few duds (chocolate crinkle peppermint? bleagh), here are the highlights of December:

Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

from SugarCooking (using NYTimes (great article) & BlueRidgeBakery info)

I try a new chocolate chip cookie recipe every single time I attack the cause. Perhaps it's because I'm just not completely satisfied with the previous attempts, perhaps I'm just on the constant hunt of something "different". Here are the key tactics I have adopted over the years:

• Brown the butter. 
• Leave the dough overnight. 
• Always sprinkle a tiny bit of fleur de sel or sea salt on top before baking.

Showing up with an unexpected plate of cookies is akin to a husband spontaneously taking out the trash without having to ask. It's just plain heavenly. The greatest part of this batter is that it gets better in the fridge/freezer and I've been maintaining a steady stream of ice cream scoop sized dough in the freezer. That way, in 15 minutes (+6min for preheating), I can have a fresh batch to take with us wherever we're heading! ~plus: totally jamie-friendly; he can bake them on his own.

Chocolate Lace Cookies

from our friends, Josh & Maria (pic borrow!)

but I also tasted this lace cookie recipe and with many fewer ingredients, also a winner.

This recipe is SO interesting. Kinda crunchy day of, really pretty. Fun Fact: they get SUPER YUMMY after 3-5 days. Unlike the chocolate chip cookies above, which are definitely best warm out of the oven, these get softer and caramelier (?) with a few days. We left some with the thin layer of dark chocolate and some without. Both tended to be yummier in 3 days. Definite plus if you're looking for a cookie to take somewhere!

Earl Grey Tea Cookies

from martha and a recipe I've blogged about before.

the recipe makes 8 dozen cookies and it's fun to bring around..."different".

A Celebration Cake for Jamie.

using this king arthur flour mix (omg, good) and a chocolate frosting mix from trader joes.

Two thumbs up for both mixes! As in, I totally recommend both of them if you're in a pinch aka a normal human being with millions of other things to do in a day. It was a last minute decision, I happened to have both mixes and had purchased both just to taste test. The cake mix is definitely superior to the box mixes I grew up with; yielding even, non-dry layers with terrific flavors. Betty Crocker, see ya later. Duncan Who? 

Trader Joe's frosting mix doesn't quite yield the mass quantity of frosting I'd prefer (my cake-to-good-frosting ration might be off), but it's particularly yummy after sitting in the fridge overnight. Helps the sugar crystals fully meld? I baked the layer cakes and frosting the night before, sticking cake in freezer and frosting in fridge. Putting it together after work was a snap.

And I definitely added one tablespoon of maple syrup to the batter. Because (a) we live on the border of Vermont and (b) I felt like throwing a shout out to Elf..."maple syrup in coffee? why didn't i think of that?!"

And a Big Ass Cake. (warning: photo-heavy!)

Wish-making-anxiety written all over the face.

It was Jamie's birthday on Sunday and I was determined to not let the guy go hungry.  Yup, that was my main goal. Not to take him anywhere cool or gift anything terribly extravagant (read: year of saving $$), but to just feed him lots of awesomely favorite foods on such an awesomely spectacular day! 

 Morning started with pan-roasted pepper scramble +
a stack of mini pumpkin pancakes.

I stuck a little candle in the stack of pancakes before belting: HAPPY BIRTHDAY TOOOO YOOUUUUUU! 

After breakfast and after what seemed like hours upon HOURS of fairytale football*, I sent Jamie on an extra-long walk with Hudson to get him out of the house.  The only requirement on his part was to pick up some screws at the hardware store and to stay away for about an hour, making sure to call me before he came home.

Poor guy.

It was gray and cold, drizzly, and miserable outside.

To top it off, our stupid local dogpark was holding a stupid dog birthday party with stupid animals in stupid sweaters and costumes.  Much more than he could handle ("they COME with furcoats! why would you ever put a sweater on over a fur coat??").  Regardless, he did a great job of staying away for the designated hour.

*for the record, this is a term coined by Christine in reference to the ridiculousity surrounding fantasy football.  i like it so much, i now use it when referring to anything football.

When Jamie was finally allowed in the front door, he was met with a series of words laid out on the stairs up to our place:

I shouted from the top...."Read as you ascend the stairs!"

It says: Check it Out.  You're now older (read: bigger). Items may appear smaller than they are.

A mini birthday banner.

All day long, I had been emphasizing what a "big guy" he was because of his getting older and what not. In hindsight, this phrase can actually make someone feel fat, not necessarily older.  Must make note of this.  In the future, reserve "big guy" for birthday kids under 10 or so.

Regardless of the calling-thefiance-fat revelation, I had to maintain the "you're so much bigger now" because I had planned on making lots of his favorite food items in mini form and thought if he was BIGGER then the mini items would seem normal sized to him....makes no sense?

Hmmm...maybe more pictures will help.

This menu sat waiting for him at the top of the stairs.

Mini hotdogs wrapped in dough + topped with parmesan.

Handed to him on a silver platter...ha!

Mini meringues nestled in an owl dish.

Mini burgers with extra-sharp white cheddar,

"ketchup and mustard only" (his standard In-n-out order).

Mini Salad + PBCrackers.

 

And the Big Ass Cake.

Deep, dark chocolate cake with PBCreamCheese frosting,

dripping with a PBChocolate ganache...mmmmm.

Shot of mini pizzas with Big Ass Cake in the background.

Happy Birthday, Jamie!

Disgustingly good cake.

We polished off the day with a closing night at the theater. 

Two of the original Rent cast members brought the show to SF for a little over a week and we were lucky enough to snag some tickets of a sold-out performance.  It.was.amaaaazing and I have been humming showtunes every second since we got out of the theater.  As I sat in the dark theater, I realized how thankful I was for three things:

• Mom+Dad for ingraining a love of theater and appreciation for the arts.
• Being able to live in SF - a major stop for many traveling shows (+Grease +Hairspray).
• That I get to marry a guy who appreciates great theater...and big ass cakes.
  

Hope you enjoyed your bday, Jamie!

A couple of my favorite things...

Cookie + Shopping.
Nice.

This is my new favorite sweet-treat and whenever I'm in the east bay, I find myself drooling on the glass window case of Tea Cake Bakeshop...when asked "how can I sweeten your day," I mutely point at what my heart so strongly desires. I can even ignore how cheesy it is to ask me how they can sweeten my day (gag-kitschy-gag).

The "vanilla sugar softie" is unlike any other sugar cookie I've ever had. It's pillowy soft, perfectly sweet, fragrantly beautiful, and covered with the perfect proportion of melty and firm vanilla frosting. Those four red balls up top are strategically placed to surprise the tongue and entertain my tastebuds. I.love.this.cookie.

Super Bowl = Awesome Foods!

We did a relatively simple Super Bowl celebration and impromptu, self-inflicted bake off. A few dogs, some friends, lots/lots/lots of food...

First was a spin on Giatta's Lemon Ricotta Cookie with Lemon Sugar Glaze. Instead of the 40+cookies the recipe is supposed to make, I used a large ice cream scoop to make scone size piles of deliciousness and we think it turned out spectacularly. The recipe yielded 12 cookies, tweaked to my liking. More of a not-dry biscuity type of cake-cookie and so super yummy in the morning with some strong earl grey tea. Perfect!


Also, Jocelyn was so kind to gift a totally indulgent brownie pan for my bday and I was completely stoked to use is asap! The results were so amazingly scrumptious and cute and perfect! The pan itself comes with a recipe on the back and inspired by the ever-svelte Barefoot Contessa, I swirled in dollops of peanut butter (salmonella-scare-whatever) and they made for a dense cake with the perfect proportion of chocolate crispiness on the outside to gooeyness on the inside. I'm in LOVE with this pan!
Yup. Then we made some grilled lemon chicken skewers with satay sauce, which doesn't need to to be served warm so it's perfect for buffet style dining! Partay! The leftovers made for an awesome chicken salad sandwich for dinner tonight. Add in some salami, cheese, chunks of bread, bread+butter pickles, strawberries, chili-cream-cheese dip with frito scoops (ala Jamie), pickled green beans. Uh...can you tell I have a RAVENOUS appetite now? What, what?!

Baking - Banana Bread with Chocolate and Cinnamon Sugar

photo from molly.

HOLY COW! This bread is amazing! Totally hit the spot for a late Sunday dessert while wrapping up weekend activities and dreading the ever pervasive Monday morning return to work. We cut thick slices of it and drank super cold glasses of milk while taking in some bad TV and working on our laptops. The idea of a non-fat dessert created with a one-bowl-required recipe was incredibly appealing to me ("non-fat" read: no butter or oil added, but plenty of fat from eggs and chocolate chips). This is in no way "healthy" but is a much better way to use up those ripe bananas piling up in my freezer than the traditional banana bread. And you guys know how much I loooove traditional banana bread.

Melty chocolate intertwined with just enough banana flavor and topped off with a crunchy, cinnamony crustiness? Why hadn't I ever thought of it before? CINNAMONY CRUSTINESS! Oh goodness.

And to add to Molly of Orangette's comment on frozen bananas...when defrosting those frozen bananas, try throwing them onto a Teflon-coated frying pan or baking sheet. You'll have thawed fruit in less than an hour. Woohoo!

Banana Bread with Chocolate and Cinnamon Sugar
courtesy of Orangette

3 very ripe bananas (the size doesn’t much matter; medium to large works)
2 large eggs
1 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips trader joe's comes to the rescue again (cheap and delish)

For topping: i doubled this part for extra crunchiness
2 Tbsp. granulated sugar
1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter or spray an 8-inch square pan. i contemplated making it in a loaf pan instead, but am glad i stuck to the square pan. it would've taken forever to bake in the smaller pan and rose enough to give me the height i wanted.

In a medium mixing bowl, mash the bananas well with a fork or potato masher. Add the eggs, and stir well to combine. Add the flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, and vanilla, and stir to mix. Add ¾ cup of the chocolate chips, and stir briefly. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and set aside.

In a small bowl, stir together the topping ingredients. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the batter in the pan, and top with the remaining ¼ cup chocolate chips.

Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for at least 15 minutes before serving.

Baking - Monkey Balls!

Ok, fine. The more mature would continue to call this delectable dessert by its given name, Monkey Bread. But when something intends to be dessert then not-so-secretly becomes bkfst, + lunch + dinner, as its become in our household, the pet name that gets such frequent use begins to take a strong hold on the vocabulary. Monkey Balls. heh, heh.

These were gifts from Williams-Sonoma. All risen and ready to bake.
Oh. My. G.
(as in Glorious)

Here are a few recipes, seemingly varied in difficulty. Tackle the Balls, people. Your weekends will never be the same:

• Pillsbury Monkey Balls - they push their product, but so/so/so easy. no excuse.
• Food Network Monkey Balls - lets you watch the stuff rise...i like that. advanced easy.
  
• Martha Monkey Balls - for "kids"? really, martha? geesh. difficult.
• Paula Deen's Gorilla Balls - Add a mini cube of cream cheese in the middle and you can serve big ole gorilla balls to your family for a glorious Sunday brunch. easy.
  

And a few tips for you. 'Cause I'm so wise and full of monkey ball knowledge:

• If mixing your own dough (i think any sweat bread dough could work!) use the stand mixer. Otherwise, bear down for mad/mad/mad stickiness all over your fingers.
• Looks like most recommend using an angel pan as opposed to a bundt pan, but whatevs. Throw the stuff into any or all the pans you own and just keep an eye on the oven.
• Leftovers are great the next day, we micro'd for 45 sec. Jamie also attests that they're pretty good micro'd ala mode for dessert (seems too sweet even for me).
  
• Once you grab the sweet, sweet balls maybe try some savory ones? I'm thinking same process, but with parmesan-reggiano, chives, parsely, and loads of garlic powder. loads.
  

# of times I got to use "balls" in this post = 9.
Oh dear. I'm almost ashamed to call these folks my people.

Baking - Really Good Cookie Recipe

*Updated: check out the comments to see how many people are craving ch.chip cookies! 'Tis the season, I suppose! Jen's the first to post about her efforts.

click for larger image, print out, and make these right now.
double the recipe, use your coarsest salt,
and consider adding a vanilla bean!

I mailed some cookies in a care package to my sister who was suffering an unbearable cold down in San Diego. I thought the picture looked so freaking delicious and was seeking a simple, non-tollhouse, but still classic chocolate chip cookie recipe. This one was just perfect! I used coarse, kosher seasalt and 1/2 a vanilla bean for added punch - glorious. Btw, I've been getting vanilla beans @ our local co-op and they're relatively reasonable! I really enjoy going in there while in my work suit and getting such looks of disgust from all the SF hippies. They despise yuppies like me and I get a kick out of it.

Amy didn't pick up her mail for many days, got the package like a week later, and the cookies were still fresh tasting and delicious! aaaand gone in about 15 minutes due to the other kids on her dorm floor. Hmmm, maybe I should've tripled the recipe?

Hope you feel better, sister!

Baking - Mary Had a Little Lamb Cupcakes

Baaaaaaa.

Jen's shower was MotherGoose/NurseryRhyme themed so I made some Mary Had a Little Lamb Cupcakes using a handy Martha recipe. I used her Billy's vanilla frosting and scraped in 1/2 a vanilla bean instead of making the meringue (seemed too complicated for me). Cut big and little marshmallows in half with kitchen shears sprayed with non-stick cooking spray (ala Pam) and it was a complete breeze. Also, I piped on little, pink, heart noses and mini chocolate eyes for lack of bubblegum and chocolate drops in my kitchen. We're pretty well stocked around here, but bubblegum? I think not. Cute, huh?

Not that big of a marshmallow fan.
Thought I'd pick 'em off before eating a cupcake, but they were actually kinda yum!