Chocolate · Daily Thoughts · Desserts · Holiday Fare · Uncategorized

Chocolate Pumpkin Magic Cake

Last year when I posted this, it was after eating it at a gathering at church. It came across my FaceBook memory yesterday and am so glad it did. It is now in the oven and will be devoured within 24 hours. The kids are coming to dinner tomorrow evening so we will have to “test” it tonight just to be sure it is still as good as we remember. Would not want to serve them something that is not top notch. If you didn’t make this last year, do yourself a favor and make it this year. You will be so thankful you did. It is so so good. The combination of pumpkin and chocolate with French Vanilla pudding frosting is scrumptious.

Mix a Duncan Hines Devils Food chocolate cake mix according to directions and pour into a 9×13″ baking dish. Do not bake until pumpkin layer is on it.

Pumpking Layer
1 15 oz can pumpkin puree
3 eggs
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1 heaping teas pumpkin pie spice
1 cup packed light brown sugar

Mix and whisk until well combined. Pour slowly over chocolate cake mix. Bake in preheated 350 oven for about 50-55 min or until no longer jiggly in the middle and toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely at room temperature.

Frosting

1 (4 oz) size box French Vanilla Instant pudding mix
1 cup cold milk
8 oz container Cool Whip
4-5 gingersnap cookies, crushed for sprinkling on top (opt)

Mix the milk and the pudding until thick. With mixer on low speed, mix in thawed Cool Whip. When thoroughly mixed, spread over top of the cooled cake and place, covered in fridge until ready to serve. Sprinkle the gingersnaps over the top, if desired.

*Recipe taken from Pinterest Wash You Dry

Cakes · Chocolate · Daily Thoughts · Desserts · Holiday Fare · Uncategorized

Chocolate Magic Pumpkin Cake

Yesterday was the magic day of discovering this delicious cake. I stood at the dessert table at church and ate 3 pieces. As I was standing there trying to figure out how to put another piece of this on my plate without anyone seeing me, I looked behind me to see 3 ladies asking if I had made it and if so they wanted the recipe. We could not find the lady who made it,so a friend of mine(one of the friends who stood there with me dissecting each bite to see if we could figure out what was in it) finally found the recipe on Pinterest and sent it to me (Thanks Debbie for finding it)We all ended up standing there and using our plastic forks, finished off the plate of this amazing dessert. Never had I thought about combining chocolate and pumpkin other than adding chocolate chips to pumpkin cake, but wow, this cake seriously “takes the cake”. Am making it Monday to take to a luncheon, praying that there will be some left for me to “snack” on all afternoon. If not, I guess I will be forced to make another one! Bless My Heart!

Cake
1 box of devils food cake mix baked according to directions on box for making the 9×13″ cake but do not bake yet.

For the Pumpkin Layer
15 oz of pumpkin puree
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
3 eggs
1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
1 teas pumpkin pie spice

Frosting
1 (4 serving size box french vanilla instant pudding mix
1 cup cold milk
8 oz container Cool Whip
4-5 gingersnap cookies, crushed for top, if desired

Preheat oven to 350. Prepare box of cake mix (Duncan Hines is a great chocolate cake mix)according to directions on box and pour into a greased 9×13″ pan. Set aside and do not bake yet.

In another bowl, whisk together all the ingredients for the pumpkin layer and stir until smooth. Slowly pour the pumpkin mixture over the chocolate cake batter.

Carefully place cake pan into preheated oven and bake for 50-60 min or until center is no longer jiggly and a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool completely to room temperature.

Frosting
Place the vanilla pudding mix into a large bowl and pour in the cold milk. whisk until combined and starting to thicken. Gently fold in the Cool Whip until completely combined. Spread on top of cooled cake. Sprinkle crushed ginger cookies on top if desired.
Store in Fridge, covered.
*taken from Pinterest I Wash You Dry

Breads · Breakfast · Cakes · Daily Thoughts · Desserts · Holiday Fare · Uncategorized

Pumpkin Coffee Cake

A sweet friend who lives across the street brought some of this amazing coffee cake over Monday night. I wish I would not have scarfed it down before taking a picture, but as soon as we ate one bite…well, lets just say that we didn’t wait until after dinner to eat the whole plate she brought over. Thank you Patty for a new dessert which has put our cholesterol levels in a brand new category.
This coffee cake is almost a cross between a bread pudding and a cake. Peter Pumpkin just stood at the counter and between bites, kept asking me if I would make us a whole pan. It is that good.

Makes 16 servings, yeah right! more like 4 the way we eat.

1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
3 eggs, room temp
1 teas vanilla
2 cups all purpose flour
1 teas baking powder
1 cup sour cream

Pumpkin Filling
1 (15 oz) can pumpkin
3/4 cup sugar
1 teas ground cinnamon
1/2 teas salat
1/2 teas ground ginger
1/4 teas ground cloves
2 eggs
1/2 cup half & half or 1/4 cup heavy cream plus 1/4 cup milk

Topping
1/3 cup butter, melted
1 cup light brown sugar
2 teas ground cinnamon
1 cup chopped pecans (very finely chopped)

Preheat oven to 325. Grease a 9×13″ pan and set aside. In a mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until smooth. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat again. Add the dry ingredients and mix to combine. Stir the sour cream and then pour half the batter into the prepared pan.
Stir together the pumpkin, sugar and the spices. Add the eggs and then the cream and stir to combine. Pour the pumpkin mixture over the cake batter and spread across the pan with the back of a spoon. Drop the remaining cake batter over the pumpkin in small spoonfuls and then smooth it across the pumpkin layer. Don’t worry about making it look perfect.
Stir together the melted butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and pecans. Sprinkle the topping mixture across the top of the cake.
Bake for 50-55 min until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool before cutting.

Cakes · Daily Thoughts · Desserts · Holiday Fare · Uncategorized

Pumpkin Pecan Cobbler

Pumpkins Pumpkins everywhere! Isn’t it grand? In fact, if I’m not careful, I will be able to trick or treat as a pumpkin without putting on a costume. Fall is just the best time of the year. Moods change from wanting to find the nearest pool to wanting to bake. Actually, that is not a true statement for me at all. Because I would be the last person anyone would choose to see in a bathing suit, my comfort zone is always the kitchen. But, if I were rich and could afford an island where NO ONE lived or could see, I would love to swim. So I guess because Moo Moos are my costume of choice (and necessity) I love Fall and baking and eating all the great pumpkin recipes which are posted everywhere. I have never made this, but it sounds delicious, so I just printed it up. Taken from Lauren’s Latest on Pinterest, I think it will be one recipe that I will “fall” in love with.

Ingredients
1 cup plus 3 tables flour
2 teas baking powder
1/2 teas salt
3/4 cup sugar
1 teas cinnamon
1/2 teas nutmeg
1/2 teas cloves
1/2 cup of canned pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup melted butter
1 1/2 teas vanilla

Topping
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1 1/2 cups very hot water

Directions (be sure to read all directions before baking!

Preheat oven to 350.
In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar and spices. Set aside.
In a smaller bowl, stir pumpkin, milk, melted butter and vanilla together to mix.
Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix to create a thick batter. Pour into a small 8″ lightly greased casserole dish with high sides. (Place baking dish on a baking sheet in case it bubbles over.)

For topping, in a separate bowl, stir sugar, brown sugar and pecans together. Spread over the top of the batter evenly. Pour hot water over the entire thing. DO NOT STIR! Bake for 40 min or until middle of cobbler is set.

Serve while still warm with more toasted pecans if desired and vanilla ice cream. Of course, I don’t need to tell you that the ice cream needs to be Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla, right?

Breads · Breakfast · Cakes · Daily Thoughts · Desserts · Fruit · Holiday Fare · Uncategorized

Pumpkin Upside-Down Cake

img_2954Since it is officially Fall, there are now 6 cans of pumpkin in the pantry, 3 lbs of cream cheese in the fridge and I’m ready to bake. Spotted this beautiful Fall Baking Magazine at the store so, of course, couldn’t pass it up. This will be perfect to take to card night next week, (along with s’more bites to throw in our mouths ever time we change tables, which allows me to pass right by these little gems). Janece, this ones for you!

Ingredients

1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick, unless you buy the small sticks of butter, in which case would be two sticks)

1 tables water

2/3 cup chopped toasted walnuts (will use pecans)

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1 cup canned pumpkin puree

3/4 cup sugar (granulated)

1/3 cup vegetable oil

2 large eggs (room temperature)

1 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 teas baking powder

1 teas cinnamon (will make this a heaping teas as we love cinnamon)

1/4 teas ground ginger

1/4 teas salt

1/8 teas cloves

Preheat oven to 350. Line an 8″ square baking dish with parchment paper. Spray with nonstick baking spray with flour. Set aside.

In a small saucepan, cook brown sugar, butter, and the water over medium heat until mixture bubbles, about 4 minutes. Pour sugar mixture into bottom of prepared dish; sprinkle with walnuts (pecans) and cranberry. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine pumpkin, sugar, oil and eggs. Whisk until well blended. Set aside. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, salt and cloves. Add pumpkin mixture, stirring to combine. Spoon batter into prepared pan and smooth top with spatula.

Bake until cake tests done, which will bake about 30-35 minutes. Let cool in pan for 5 minutes. Invert pan onto a serving platter. Remove parchment paper. Serve warm with a spoon of whipping cream, or a drizzle of caramel (or BOTH)

 

Breads · Breakfast · Cakes · Chocolate · Desserts · Holiday Fare

Kitchen Addiction

IMG_1397IMG_1400IMG_1399Image

I don’t know what is happening, but the past few days, I cannot walk through the kitchen without baking. Is it the weather? Is it that I know I am getting older and there are so many recipes out there and so little time, or is it that I am just a sugar hoarder? Last night I found myself making the carrot cream cheese pound cake that I posted yesterday and it is absolutely amazing. Then this morning, I headed to the kitchen, still in jammies and pulled out the Pillsbury Pumpkin cake mix and proceeded to bake Pumpkin Poppers that I talked about the other day. I just followed the directions on the box except that I added 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice. Baked them in mini muffin pans (made 60) and then rolled them in cinnamon sugar while still hot out of the oven. Have eaten 5. Then our daughter sent us a picture of Kenley our grandaughter we are headed to see at Thanksgiving. They were making acorns out of miniature Nutter Butter cookies, Hershey Kisses and chocolate chips. A little melted chocolate holds the 3 items together, as you can see in the picture. So open those windows, celebrate this gorgeous autumn weather and get those baking pans out. Baking time is here.