Is it really November 26th?

I hope everyone who reads this blog had a great Thanksgiving!  I definitely did - lots of amazing food ate with my immediate family, sister-in-law and adorable nephew.  (All gluten free, too.  We've been doing that gluten free holiday thing for a few years now, not to brag or anything :D) 

I've been a lazy daisy as far as photographing baked goods go.  The dessert recipes for Thanksgiving are going to be linked to here, and the pictures I took were just snapshots taken throughout the day, during the meal preparations.  They're certainly nothing compared to a lot of food bloggers, but they're something and the recording of recipes is what matters here anyway, even though the food setups for pictures frustrate me enough to stop posting for almost 3 weeks.  What do you do when you live somewhere the sun only makes an appearance 2 days out of 7?  It's not ideal for food photography.

Anyway, firstly I made Ellie Krieger's Pumpkin Flan and it tasted absolutely wonderful, pumpkin pie without the crust, which was what I wanted.  Perhaps I'm just jaded and lazy but I'm done with gluten free pie crusts unless someone can find me a fool-proof recipe.  They're just not worth the time and effort.  (I can't find one that's easy to roll out, I always end up piecing together the crust in the pan, so what's the point of taking the time to roll it out at all?  Plus the metallic tapioca starch taste always puts me off...)  I didn't take any pictures of this because when I inverted it onto the platter, the caramel didn't really drip down any sides since the sides were so thin (I made it in one 8-inch cake pan rather than 8 small ramekins), it just pooled in the middle and didn't look so great.  But it did taste amazing and that's what matters.  The only changes I made to this recipe were to increase the amount of spices and bake it in a large cake pan.  Served with cinnamon whipped cream on the side.

Then the chocolate cream pie - if I didn't make this, I'm fairly certain my sister would have a fit.  I enjoy it as well but I was dreading the crust.  I remembered I had some leftover gluten free vanilla cookie crumbs in the freezer and added just a couple tablespoons of melted butter and pressed those into a 9-inch pie plate and baked at 350 until the edges were golden.  This could not have worked more perfectly and I plan on doing this every time I need to make a gluten free pie, quite honestly.  Normally I use a very high-fat recipe in Lisa Yockelson's book Chocolate Chocolate, but this year I was looking for something lighter, something that wouldn't leave my stomach feeling like a brick after eating it, so of course I went to Cooking Light.  This recipe came out so nicely, so creamy, so chocolaty.  And no one knew it was "light." Success?  Success.  Only difference was that I used real whipped cream instead of the meringue.  I figured just a light slather of real cream would be just as caloric as an 8-egg white and 1 cup-sugar meringue topping.  Yes it might be poor reasoning, but it is Thanksgiving after all :)

Pumpkin Coffee Cake.

I have to admit, I went a bit pumpkin crazy last week.  I saw a 3-pack of pumpkin at the warehouse store and I grabbed it.  I now have 4 30-ounce cans and 2 15-ounce cans sitting in my cupboard - even after making this coffee cake.  I'm not admitting that I won't be able to use it all yet :)

This is a great, spicy, warming coffee cake during these colder months and it just so happens to be light as well.  I was pretty appalled by the calorie counts in most pumpkin coffee cake recipes out there on the 'net (pumpkin recipes in general - 1 cup of oil in a 9x5'' quick bread, seriously?!), so of course I checked to see what Cooking Light had to offer and they didn't let me down.  I didn't make any changes to this recipe except increase the spices and I never keep buttermilk in the house so I used skim milk plus a teaspoon or so of lemon juice to substitute for it.

Pumpkin Coffee Cake
Adapted from Cooking Light
1 teaspoon butter
1/4 cup quick-cooking or rolled oats
3 tablespoons brown sugar
3 tablespoons chopped pecans
3 tablespoons butter, softened
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 large egg
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup buttermilk

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. and melt the 1 teaspoon butter in the bottom of a 9-inch round cake pan.  Combine the oats, brown sugar and pecans in a small bowl and sprinkle on the bottom of the cake pan.  Set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices together.  In a larger bowl, cream the 3 tablespoons butter and sugars together until light and fluffy, about 3 to 4 minutes.  Add the egg and beat well.  Add the flour, pumpkin and buttermilk alternately, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients.

Scrape the batter over the toppings in the cake pan and smooth the top.  Bake in the preheated oven for about 30 to 40 minutes.  The cake will be done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the top is domed and just slightly golden around the edges.

Let cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then invert onto a serving plate and serve with coffee or tea :)

Gluten Free Pumpkin Spice Cake.

I haven't done a lot of gluten free baking lately since Rachel just had a lovely baby boy a few weeks ago, my nephew Oliver:

 

 

But luckily this past weekend we got to see him in his adorable dragon costume for Halloween:

For this special occasion, I made a gluten free pumpkin spice cake.  I made it last year and it's a wonderful keeping cake since pumpkin baked goods seem to stay fresh and moist for days.  I added chopped and toasted pecans this time but last year I added dried cranberries as well as an orange glaze.  Feel free to add anything you'd like: chocolate chips, dried fruit, nuts, etc.  I didn't fancy this one up with a glaze, but perhaps a nice dusting of powdered sugar would also do if you're looking for a way to make it not so plain.

Gluten Free Pumpkin Spice Cake
Adapted from 125 Best Gluten Free Recipes by Donna Washburn and Heather Butt
1 cup sorghum flour
3/4 cup whole bean flour
1/4 cup potato starch
1/4 cup tapioca starch
2 teaspoons xanthan gum
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup orange juice (or apple juice, apple cider, milk)
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup chopped and toasted pecans

Grease a 9x13'' glass baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.

In a large bowl, sift together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices.  In another bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar together until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes.  Add the juice, eggs, vanilla and pumpkin and mix well.  Stir in the dry ingredients and the pecans until everything is well combined.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and let it rest for 15 to 30 minutes.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. in the mean time.

After the batter has rested, bake the cake for 25 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.  Let cool completely before cutting or glazing.

Pumpkin Cranberry Cake with Cinnamon-Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting.

We like to buy in bulk at my house.  So I don't just buy the 15oz. cans of pumpkin, we buy the 32oz. cans of pumpkin.  So generally I have leftover pumpkin after making recipes.  I just store the leftover in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a month.  I had just under a cup left and didn't want to open another can so this is what I decided on.

I don't think it's any wonder why I'm obsessed with Southern food and baking since my beloved lives in North Carolina.  This recipe comes from Nancie McDermott's book Southern Cakes: Sweet and Irresistable Recipes For Everyday Celebrations, a book I go to whenever I need an easy and simple yet delicious cake.  This recipe was no exception, the only difference I made was to increase the spices and add a few additional ones as well as use dried cranberries in place of raisins.  I also halved the recipe in order to use the pumpkin I had left, but I'll post the original quantities with my changes here since I realize most people will probably want to make a whole recipe, not a mini cake and a mini loaf as I did.

This recipe calls for self-rising flour.  I'm lucky enough to have my lovely friends in North Carolina provide me with White Lily Flour, but if you don't have that available just add 1 1/2 teaspoons of of baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon of salt per cup of all purpose flour.

Pumpkin Cranberry Cake with Cinnamon-Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting
Adapted from Southern Cakes: Sweet and Irresistible Recipes For Every Day Celebrations
2 1/2 cups self-rising flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 cups canned pumpkin puree
3/4 cup dried cranberries
1 cup walnuts or pecans, toasted and chopped

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. and grease a 9x13'' baking pan or 2 8 or 9'' round layer cake pans.

In a large bowl, combine the flour and spices until well mixed.  In a smaller bowl, stir together the oil, sugar, eggs and pumpkin.  Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until almost mixed, then add the cranberries and nuts.  Scrape the batter into the cake pan(s) and bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes or until the cake is set on top and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool the cakes completely before frosting.

Cinnamon-Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting
1 8oz. package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 cups confectioner's sugar
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Beat the cream cheese and butter together in a large bowl until well-mixed and fluffy.  Add the sugars a little at a time until it's all added, then beat for about 2 minutes on medium speed.  Add in the pinch of salt and cinnamon and beat until everthing is incorporated.

As you can see I went for the easy method this time of just putting some frosting in the middle and on top of the cake but feel free to slather this cake well as there will be plenty of frosting :)

Pumpkin Spice Chocolate Chip Biscotti.

 On the first day of October I opened one of the four (just to be safe!) cans of pumpkin I stocked up on at the grocery store recently and made these lovely biscotti.

Generally all pumpkin baked goods tend to taste the same - like pumpkin pie only in cookie or cake form, but because biscotti are harder cookies, it's a more unique variation on the pumpkin theme.  I sent home about a dozen of these with my boyfriend who lives in North Carolina and all of them made it back with him unbroken which leads me to believe these are fantastic cookies for shipping to loved ones who might live farther away than you'd like.  The original recipe calls for pumpkin pie spice which I don't keep around so I just used my own mixture of spices.  Feel free to do the same or to use the pumpkin pie spice as called for.

Pumpkin Spice Chocolate Chip Biscotti
Adapted from Disney Family
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
2 large eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 cup mini chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. and line a couple baking sheets with parchment paper.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt and spices until well mixed.  In a small bowl, mix together the pumpkin, eggs, vanilla and melted butter.  Add the pumpkin mixture to the dry ingredients and stir well, adding in the chocolate chips.

Divide the dough into 2 equal portions and form them into rectangles about 3/4 of an inch in thickness.  Mine ended up being about 12'' x 3'' each.  Bake in the preheated oven until the logs are cracked on top and set in the middle, about 25 minutes.

Let the logs cool until almost completely cool, at least an hour.  Slice into thin lengths, about 1/4'' to 1/2'' thick.  Place the slices on the parchment lined baking sheets and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes.

Let the biscotti cool completely before dipping into coffee, tea, milk or hot apple cider :)

Pumpkin x 2.

So listen, for as much as I say I hate fall, and I really do, I really love pumpkin. I love pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin cake. I think it's a fantastic ingredient that's easy to work with coming out of a can and it makes everything so lovely to eat. Especially since it's associated with the holidays, it gets combined with my favourite spices of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves very often.

This past Sunday for brunch I made the pumpkin scones here on seven spoons. They were fantastic. I didn't change a thing about the recipe and neither should you. (I did however top them with half and half and sprinkle with turbinado sugar. Why not?)



Today I decided to use up the rest of the pumpkin from that recipe (it freezes great, just thaw it overnight) and make a pumpkin cake. This cake is so easy peasy you won't believe it. It's from Elinor Klivan's The Essential Chocolate Chip Book and the only thing I did differently was increase the amount of spices used. (PS if you haven't heard of her yet, get everything she's written - ASAP.)



Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Cake:
1 1/2 cups AP flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup canola oil
2 large eggs
2 cups chocolate chips

Start off by preheating the oven to 325 degrees F. and greasing a 9x9 inch baking dish.

Sift together the flour, baking powder and soda, salt and the spices. I like to use a piece of wax paper so I don't have another bowl to wash.

Then in a mixing bowl combine the pumpkin, sugar and oil. Then mix in the eggs one at a time until everything is combined. Stir in the dry ingredients thoroughly and then the chocolate chips until they're just mixed through.

Pour into the baking dish and pop it in the oven for 40 minutes. Mine literally took just 40 minutes until a toothpick came out clean.

Frosting:
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups powdered sugar

In a mixing bowl, cream the butter and cream cheese with the salt and vanilla until everything is creamy. Then add the sugar and beat slowly until incorporated, and then at a higher speed to lighten the frosting.

When the cake is cool, you can either take it out of the pan or leave it in and ice it with the frosting. I like lots of swirls on my cakes. This is supposed to make 12 squares or probably more like 8.