For two days now the temps have fallen under 90 so I think we can all safely say….welcome Fall!! One of the first things we think about as Fall’s all around is is of course, pumpkins! Pumpkins in arrangements, in our yards, pumpkin flavor in our coffee, Pumpkin pics on our T-shirt’s and most of all, in breads, cakes and other desserts! When I saw this recipe on FB, I knew I had to make it…and make it, I did! They turned out perfect and delicious and will be one of my favorite Fall Desserts! They were simple and kept for 3 days in the fridge, beautifully! Whipped cream was added on as we ate them so as not to get soggy! The only negative was that I sent the ones we had not eaten home with my son before getting a picture of them! But they were so good and looked so cute on a “pumpkin shaped plate”….

For the crust:

Preheat oven to 350

Crust: add the crust ingredients together.

Place paper cupcake liners in a 12 cupcake baking pan. Divide crust ingredients evenly between the 12 cupcake liners and press with a 1/4 measuring cup to mold the crust together in the liner. Bake for 8 min. Remove from oven and fill with the pumpkin filling. Bake until center of filling is no longer jiggly.

Filling:

Using hand mixer, cream the room temperature cream cheese and sugar until well blended and no lumps remain from the cream cheese! Add the remaining ingredients after adding the eggs and mixing well Do not over beat. Divide the filling between the 12 cupcake liners and pouring over the crust. Bake about 13-15 min or until center is done. Remove from oven and allow to cool before serving. Keep covered in fridge and add whipped cream when serving!

Some days just call for a good chocolate cake with the perfect chocolate flavor! This recipe comes from a blog, Two Chums, which are ladies that I met while living in California. The story behind this recipe is just so sweet that I encourage you to go to their blog and read about the background to this cake. I made it yesterday and we ate one layer and put the other two in the freezer for a dessert when we have friends over tomorrow night for dinner and a game of cards. This couple we are having over are Friends we met back in 2005 when we traveled to Greece with our church to retrace the 2nd missionary trip of Paul! To this day we have a tradition that we celebrate our birthdays with a dinner. So tomorrow night is their celebration and we decided instead of going out this time, to just have dinner here so we can play cards afterwards! And what a “perfect” chocolate cake to enjoy over a game of Garbage! Yes that is the name of the card game!
Have been making this cake since 2014 when I found it on the blog from Two Chums!
Cake:�1 1/2 cups melted butter�1 1/2 cups buttermilk�2 eggs�1 teaspoon vanilla�Add and mix well:�3 cups sugar�3 cups flour�3/4 cup cocoa powder�1 heaping Tablespoon of baking soda�1/2 teaspoon salt�Then add and mix again:�1 1/2 cups boiling water�Line 3 round 8″ cake pans with waxed paper and butter the sides of the pan to prevent sticking when cake is done. Pour batter evenly among the 3 pans in a preheated 350 degree oven. Bake for about 30 minutes or just until the center of the cake feels firm to the touch and the sides of the cake are beginning to pull away from the pan. Cool thoroughly and remove from pans. (You can wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at this point if you are making the cake a day ahead or hours ahead of when needed.) Spread icing liberally and smile….perfect chocolate cake is on its way.�Icing�1 cup butter at room temperature�8 oz. package cream cheese, at room temperature�12 oz. package chocolate chips, melted�1/4 cup cocoa�1 1/2 lbs. powered sugar�1 teaspoon vanilla�Enough heavy cream to soften