Author Archives: Maurie Backman

Nov 1

Pumpkin Cake With Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

It was my dad’s birthday the other day, so I decided to whip up a cake for the occasion. There’s only one problem: My dad doesn’t eat sugar, or at least he’s not supposed to. So in reality, when I say I made this cake for my father, I really mean that I made it for his lovely coworkers, who got to enjoy the majority of it while he limited himself to a couple of small bites.

This isn’t the first time I’ve made this cake, and I have to say, this recipe is really one of my all-time favorites. The cake itself is just really flavorful and moist, so much so that I don’t even think it needs the frosting. In fact, as was the case the last time I made it, I wound up with a bunch of extra frosting, which is now sitting in my refrigerator just waiting to be incorporated into a new dessert (there are worse problems to have).

Unfortunately, the photo below really doesn’t do this recipe justice, but I wasn’t able to get a shot of the cake once it was sliced. The candy corn pieces on top, by the way, are totally optional, and in fact don’t do anything other than add a little extra color. I wanted my cake to have a bit of a festive look, but next time around I’ll definitely be skipping this step.

If there’s one pumpkin dessert recipe you’ve got to try this season, it’s this cake. Believe me, you won’t be disappointed.

bestpumpkincake

Pumpkin Cake With Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

Recipe from David Leite

Ingredients:

For the cake:

1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for the pans
1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 cups cake flour, plus more for the pans
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 large eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk mixed with 1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/4 cups canned solid-pack pumpkin

For the maple cream cheese frosting:

Two (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups confectioners sugar
1/4 cup pure maple syrup (if you have the good stuff, bust it out – it’ll be worth it)

Method:

  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Butter two 8-by-2-inch cake pans, line them with parchment circles, butter the parchment, and coat the pans with flour. Tap out the excess.
  2. In a stand mixer, beat the butter and sugars on medium speed until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, salt, and pepper into a medium bowl.
  3. Add the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides after each addition.
  4. Alternate adding the flour and milk mixtures, beginning and ending with the flour.
  5. Beat in the pumpkin until smooth.
  6. Divide the batter equally between the pans and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
  7. Cool the pans on racks for 10 minutes, then invert the cakes onto racks and remove the parchment paper to cool completely.
  8. Once the cake has cooled, you can make the frosting. In a stand mixer, beat all the ingredients on medium until fluffy.
  9. Assemble the cake by frosting the top of one cake and then placing the other cake on top and frosting the sides and top.
  10. Refrigerate the cake for 30 minutes to allow the frosting to set.
Oct 31

Pumpkin Nutella Bread

Pumpkin bread is one of my favorite fall treats, and I especially love it because it’s a) quick and easy to make, and b) so adaptable to a variety of additional flavors. Case in point: this awesome Nutella-swirled version. I basically just took the recipe I used for my pumpkin butterscotch bread, threw in some Nutella, and let the combination do its magic. The result? A moist, yummy version of a classic. Now if only I could pry myself away from the pan and stop eating this stuff by the plateful…

pnutellabread

Pumpkin Nutella Bread

Ingredients:

1 cup AP flour
1/2 tsp baking soa
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 large egg
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup packed pumpkin puree (canned or fresh)
1/3 cup Nutella

Method:

  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9×5 loaf pan and set aside.
  2. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and spices.
  3. In a large bowl, beat the eggs, and then whisk together with the sugar, oil, water, pumpkin, and vanilla.
  4. Stir in the flour mixture until well-combined.
  5. Pour the batter into your prepared pan and then add in the Nutella. Use a knife or the back of a spoon to swirl it around.
  6. Bake the bread for one hour, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
  7. Let the bread cool in its pan for at least an hour before cutting and serving.

pnutellabread_sliced

Oct 30

Pumpkin Pie Cookies and Impromptu Brownies

Sometimes things don’t go the way we plan in the kitchen. Case in point: these pumpkin pie cookies. Don’t ask me what happened, but basically I used the same recipe I do every year (one of my favorites, at that), and this time around my cookies came out looking like miniature pancakes. Thankfully, they still tasted delicious – as in, think pumpkin pie in a moist, cakey cookie form. But they were kind of unattractive to look at, and relatively tricky to transport. So when I found myself with about two dozen extra pancakes – er, cookies, I decided to get creative.

A few days ago I made pumpkin brownies, and so I decided to use that same recipe and incorporate my leftover cookies into the batter. The result? One incredibly awesome combination. In fact, even if your cookies don’t come out as pancake-like as mine, you can still crumble up a portion of your batch and bake them into your favorite brownies – that is, if you manage to stop eating them long enough to reserve a few for experimentation.

pumpkinpiecookies

Pumpkin Pie Cookies

Ingredients:

2 cups AP flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ginger
1/2 cup soft butter
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla

Method:

  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line a few baking sheets with greased foil or parchment paper and set aside.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and spices. Set aside.
  3. In a large bowl, cream the butter and shortening until light and fluffy.
  4. Add the sugar, pumpkin, egg, and vanilla, and beat well.
  5. Slowly incorporate the dry ingredients and mix until well-blended.
  6. Scoop into small, round balls, making sure to leave a decent amount of space between each cookie (these babies will spread).
  7. Bake for about 12 minutes, or until the edges of the cookies turn golden brown and the tops start to brown ever so slightly.
  8. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for a minute or two, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely. You’ll get anywhere from 24 to 36 cookies out of this recipe depending on how big you scoop.

 

pumpkinpiecookiebrownies

Pumpkin Pie Cookie-Stuffed Pumpkin Brownies

Ingredients:

1 stick unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temp
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar (dark or light – either will work)
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup plus 3 tablespoons AP flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup pumpkin puree (canned or fresh)
12 pumpkin pie cookies, flattened and/or crumbled up

Method:

  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8×8 pan and set aside.
  2. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside.
  3. In a large bowl, whisk together the egg, sugars, butter, pumpkin, and vanilla.
  4. Stir in the flour mixture until well-combined.
  5. Pour half of the batter into your prepared pan. Evenly spread the pumpkin pie cookies on top, and then pour remaining brownie batter on top of the cookie layer.
  6. Bake for about 35-40 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool for at least one hour in the pan before cutting and serving.
Oct 28

Pumpkin Brownies

I’ll put pumpkin in just about anything – soup, stew, pasta, you name it. So when I found myself craving chocolate, I decided to whip up a batch of pumpkin brownies.

What I like about these brownies is that they’re moist and dense without being overly sweet – we can thank the pumpkin for that. You can easily eat them on their own, but what I like to do is warm them up and serve them with pumpkin ice cream on top. I mean, if you’re going to have dessert, you might as well go all out, right?

pumpkinbrownies

Pumpkin Brownies

Ingredients:

1 stick unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temp
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar (dark or light – either will work)
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup plus 3 tablespoons AP flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup pumpkin puree (canned or fresh)
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips or chunks (semisweet will also work just fine)

Method:

  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8×8 pan and set aside.
  2. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside.
  3. In a large bowl, whisk together the egg, sugars, butter, pumpkin, and vanilla.
  4. Stir in the flour mixture until well-combined.
  5. Pour the batter into your prepared pan and sprinkle chocolate chips/chunks on top.
  6. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool for at least one hour in the pan before cutting and serving.
Oct 27

Pumpkin Butterscotch Bread

Fall is finally here. I mean, technically it’s been here for awhile, but this past week, the weather got much cooler, the leaves all around me completely changed color, and the idea of planning my Thanksgiving menu suddenly didn’t seem so silly. And so to celebrate the more in-your-face version of fall that I’ve come to love, I decided to whip up this easy recipe for pumpkin butterscotch bread.

Now I’ve had different versions of pumpkin bread, some much sweeter than others. And of course I love them all. This particular recipe makes a sweeter, dessert-type of bread. You can thank the butterscotch flavor for that.

I happen to really enjoy the combination of pumpkin and butterscotch, but if you’re not a fan, you can easily swap out the butterscotch chips for semisweet chocolate, dark chocolate, cinnamon, or even white chocolate. Or, you can omit the chips completely and just enjoy the pumpkin flavor on its own.

Whatever you decide to do, just make sure to add pumpkin bread to your list of fall baking musts. With a recipe this easy and quick, you’d be silly to miss out.

pbutterscotchbread_sliced

Pumpkin Butterscotch Bread

Ingredients:

1 cup AP flour
1/2 tsp baking soa
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 large egg
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup packed pumpkin puree (canned or fresh)
3/4 cup butterscotch chips

Method:

  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9×5 loaf pan and set aside.
  2. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and spices.
  3. In a large bowl, beat the eggs, and then whisk together with the sugar, oil, water, pumpkin, and vanilla.
  4. Stir in the flour mixture until well-combined.
  5. Stir in the butterscotch chips, mixing well.
  6. Pour the batter into your prepared pan and bake for one hour, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
  7. Let the bread cool in its pan for at least an hour before cutting and serving.
Oct 21

Monster Cookie Bars

I’ve been on a pretty big pumpkin and apple kick lately, so I was surprised to find myself craving something peanut buttery the other day. Fortunately, these monster bars did the trick, and they gave me an excuse to finally use up the open bag of M&Ms that was sitting around taking up space in my pantry.

These bars are really easy to make, and because they’re so colorful and fun-looking, they’re a great thing to bring to parties or potlucks. They also freeze pretty well, so if you’re not like me and can’t finish an entire pan in a few days’ time, storing them that way is also an option.

monsterbars

Monster Cookie Bars

Recipe from The Baker Mama

Ingredients:

1 and 1/2 cups AP flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 and 1/2 cups peanut butter
1 cup light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 cup rolled oats (the old-fashioned kind, not the quick kind)
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup M&Ms

Method:

  1. Preheat your oven to 350. Grease a 13×9 baking pan and set aside.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
  3. In a separate bowl, beat the butter and peanut butter until smooth.
  4. Add the sugars and beat until well-blended.
  5. Add the vanilla and eggs and mix until light and fluffy.
  6. Gradually incorporate the flour mixture into the wet mixture until just combined.
  7. Mix in the oats until well-combined.
  8. Stir in the chocolate chips and M&Ms.
  9. Press the dough into your prepared pan and bake for 30 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let the bars cool in the pan for an hour or so before slicing and serving.

When stored in an airtight container, these bars should keep for a good 4-5 days. Or, as mentioned above, you can easily freeze your leftovers.

Oct 20

Pumpkin M&M Oat Bars

One of my favorite things about October is the abundance of seasonal pumpkin items available in stores. Case in point: Pumpkin Spice M&Ms. From what I hear, these babies can only be found at Target, and even though they’re not overwhelmingly pumpkin-flavored, they’re worth picking up for the color scheme alone. I decided to incorporate them into an oatmeal bar, and that actually really worked to bring out the pumpkin taste.

Believe it or not, these bars aren’t as sweet as your typical brownie or blondie, even with the candy pieces incorporated throughout. I really happen to enjoy the combination of pumpkin and chocolate, so in my book, these are a hit (and my coworkers, who helped me polish off the batch, seemed to agree).

pumpkinoatbar

Pumpkin M&M Oat Bars

Ingredients:

1 and 1/2 cups AP flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup pumpkin
1 cup light brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 cup old fashioned rolled oats
1 cup Pumpkin Spice M&Ms (if you can’t find these, dark chocolate chunks or semisweet chocolate chips should work just as well; you can even use regular old M&Ms)

Method:

  1. Preheat your oven to 350. Grease a 13×9 baking pan and set aside.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
  3. In a separate bowl, beat the butter and sugars until smooth.
  4. Whisk or beat in the egg and vanilla, and mix until light and fluffy.
  5. Stir in the flour and oats, mixing until well-combined.
  6. Stir in the M&Ms.
  7. Pour the batter into your prepared pan and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let the bars cool in the pan for at least an hour before slicing and serving.
Oct 18

Pumpkin Coffee Cake With Brown Sugar Crumb Topping

Oh pumpkin, how I love you so.

Really, I could go on and on about how much I adore pumpkin in just about any type of culinary application, but one of my favorite things to do with pumpkin is put it in cakes. And since I happen to love coffee cake in general, this recipe is just about perfection in my book.

pumpkincofcake

Pumpkin Coffee Cake With Brown Sugar Crumb Topping

Recipe from Sally’s Baking Addiction

Ingredients:

For the cake:

2 cups AP flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon allspice (the original recipe suggests cloves – take your pick, or just add a pinch more cinnamon and nutmeg if you don’t have either)
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup pure maple syrup (this is when you want to bust out the good stuff, if you have it)
1/4 cup buttermilk (regular milk will work as well)

For the topping:

1/2 cup AP flour
1/4 cup unsalted butter, cold
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt (I used more like 1/2 teaspoon because I wanted the salt to help cut the sweetness a little; in reality, I think about 1/3 of a teaspoon would be ideal)
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Method:

  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9×9 baking pan and set aside.
  2. Make the crumb topping first: In a small bowl, toss the flour, brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon together. Cut in the cold butter using a pastry blender or a fork. Use your fingers to create clumps and crumbs. Set aside in the fridge until ready to use.
  3. For the cake, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and spices in a large bowl until combined.
  4. In a medium bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, brown sugar, oil, maple syrup, and milk.
  5. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Try not to over-mix the batter, which will be thick.
  6. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and then use your fingers to sprinkle the crumb mixture evenly on top. It helps to coat your hands with a little cooking spray so that the crumbs don’t stick to your fingers.
  7. Bake for 30 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
  8. Let the cake cool in its pan before slicing and serving.
Oct 17

Apple Cranberry Walnut Coffee Cake

Okay…there are still apples in my fridge. Lots and lots of apples.

You know what that means: another apple cake, this time with some dried cranberries and walnuts for good measure. This recipe is essentially the same one I used for my last apple cake, only without the brown sugar topping. You can add the topping if you’d like, but I really don’t think this cake needs it.

I’ll stop making apple cakes (at least for a little while) until my supply is depleted. Till then, please bear with me.

applecrancofcak

Apple Cranberry Walnut Coffee Cake

Ingredients:

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 cup AP flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup apples, peeled and sliced
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup raisins (not really necessary, but I wanted to use some up)

Method:

  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease an 8×8 baking pan and set aside.
  2. To make the cake, in a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg until well-combined
  3. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, alternating with the sour cream and vanilla.
  4. Stir in the apples, dried cranberries, walnuts, and raisins (if you’re using them).
  5. Pour the batter into your prepared pan and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
  6. Let the cake cool in its pan completely before serving.
Oct 9

Apple Coffee Cake With Buttery Brown Sugar Topping

I’m impressed. I went apple picking several weeks ago at this point, but my apples still taste fresh and delicious. Storing them in the fridge probably helped, but it just goes to show that getting fruits and veggies right from the source is usually the best way to go.

Even though I was itching to make another cake out of pumpkin, I couldn’t let my seemingly never-ending supply of apples go to waste, and so I whipped up this yummy (and, ahem, incredibly easy) apple coffee cake. I have to say, I just love the way this cake came out. It was nice and moist (thank you, sour cream), and sweet without being too sweet. I was worried that the topping would add too much sugar, but it ended up balancing the cake out nicely.

If you’re looking for a way to use up some extra apples, give this recipe a try. You really won’t be sorry.

applecofcake

Apple Coffee Cake With Buttery Brown Sugar Topping

Recipe from Laura’s Sweet Spot

Ingredients:

For the cake:

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 cup AP flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup apples, peeled and sliced (I used a combination of Granny Smith and Golden Delicious, and that worked well for this cake)

For the topping:
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup AP flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened

Method:

  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease an 8×8 baking pan and set aside.
  2. To make the cake, in a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg until well-combined
  3. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, alternating with the sour cream and vanilla.
  4. Fold in the apples.
  5. Pour the batter into your prepared pan.
  6. To make the topping, combine the sugar, flour, cinnamon, and butter. Use your fingers to work it into a soft crumb mixture.
  7. Sprinkle the topping over the cake and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
  8. Let the cake cool in its pan completely before serving.

Note: The original recipe calls for double the ingredients. You can follow that and just bake your cake in a 9×13 pan. I wanted a slightly smaller cake this time around since it was pretty much only going to be me and my mom eating it, but if you’ve got a crowd to feed, feel free to go for the larger version.