The fall holiday season which begins with Halloween has officially gotten underway as we hosted our annual pumpkin carving party last weekend. With orange rind as blank canvas, I thought you might like to take a peak at just a few of the jack-o'-lanterns that emerged from the creative minds and hands of our guests. Enjoy a sampling:
Since this is the season of harvest, I thought I might share two delicious pumpkin recipes you might like to try, if you cook up any of your pumpkins as I do. These sweet treats make a satisfying snack, coffee complement, or autumnal dessert.
Chocolate
Pumpkin Cupcakes
1 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
⅔ cup baking cocoa
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon table salt
1 cup pumpkin puree
½ cup buttermilk
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
¾ cup brown sugar
¾ cup granulated sugar
3 eggs
- Place
cupcake liners in standard cupcake tins. Set aside.
- Sift
flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and set aside.
- Combine
pumpkin, buttermilk, and vanilla and set aside.
- Beat
butter and sugars together in large bowl, with an electric mixer set on
medium speed, until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating
well after each addition, until mixture is smooth and light. Alternately
add flour mixture and buttermilk mixture, blending well after each
addition.
- Fill cupcake liners with ¼ cup batter each or until about two thirds full. Bake at 375° F until wooden skewer inserted into middle comes out clean, or about 25 minutes. Cool cupcakes in pan for 5 minutes. Remove and cool completely on a wire rack prior to frosting, if desired.
Yield:
24 standard cupcakes
Apple-Flavored
Winter Squash Bundt Cake
8
tablespoons (1 stick) butter, softened
1 ½
cups granulated sugar
2
large eggs
1 ½ cups
cooked, pureed winter squash
½ cup
apple cider
1 ¾
cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon
baking soda
½ teaspoon
ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon
ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon
ground cloves
¼ teaspoon
ground ginger
Apple cider glaze, if desired:
1½
cups confectioners’ sugar
¼ cup
apple cider
1.
Butter
and flour a 9 or 10-inch tube or Bundt pan.
2.
In
a large bowl, beat butter until fluffy. Slowly beat in sugar until mixed until
light and fluffy again.
3.
Add
eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Add squash and apple cider,
and beat until well mixed.
4.
Sift
together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger. Add to
batter in 3 batches, beating well after each addition.
5.
Pour
into the pan and bake at 350°F for 45 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the
center comes out clean. Remove and cool for 10 minutes, then turn the cake out
onto a wire rack to cool completely.
6.
If
making glaze, sift confectioners’ sugar into a small bowl. Add cider and whisk
until smooth. Pour immediately over cooled cake and allow to set for 15
minutes.
Yield:
12 to 16 slices
Adapted
from Gardeners’ Community Cookbook by
Victoria Wise
