Although this was my first time making them, I’m beginning to think that these warm and spicy pumpkin doughnuts are going to become a fall tradition around here.  Filled with cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and even a hint of cardamom, these doughnuts will warm your soul on a crisp autumn morning.

Have you ever made doughnuts from scratch?  The closest I had ever come to making doughnuts was back in my college days when I learned how to make faux doughnuts (fauxnuts?) by poking holes in refrigerated biscuit dough rounds and frying them up in a skillet.  They were pretty good if you dipped them in sugar and ate them warm, but not quite the real thing.  Ok, not even close.

I have memories of the real thing, though.  You see, my mom made homemade doughnuts for us once.  They were yeast-raised doughnuts, the kind which are lightly glazed or sugar-crusted on the outside, but only slightly sweet and impossibly soft and fluffy on the inside.  Though I was small, and the recollection is a bit fuzzy, I know in my heart that they were the best doughnuts I’ve ever tasted.  While the “hot now” sign at Krispy-Kreme may make your heart flutter, I’m telling you that nothing compares to a doughnut fried up in your own kitchen.  My mom only made doughnuts once that I can recall, but that one memory fills me with so much warmth, I know that I have to make doughnuts from scratch one day for my own children.  Yes, food memories are powerful.

My favorite doughnuts are yeast-raised and glazed, and rarely do I stray from that standard when visiting a local doughnut shop.  But after deciding to make doughnuts at home, I thought it would be best to start with a simple cake doughnut on my first go-round.  And while I generally prefer plain cake doughnuts to flavored ones, I decided to give pumpkin doughnuts a try when I noticed that the leaning tower of organic canned pumpkin that had been perched precariously on my counter since that last trip to Trader Joe’s (when rumors of canned pumpkin shortages briefly got the best of me), was finally threatening to topple and, perhaps, hurt someone.

After looking through several pumpkin doughnut recipes, I chose to use one from Bon Appetit found on Epicurious. And since I can never leave a perfectly good recipe alone, I made a few changes like doubling all the spices and adding a touch of molasses.  I also chose not to add the white glaze, and instead dusted the finished doughnuts lightly with powdered sugar mixed with a bit of pumpkin pie spice.  They were absolutely delicious!

The dough is very sticky when it’s first mixed, so you need to chill it in the refrigerator for a few hours before you can work with it.

The next step reminded me a lot of making biscuits, and in fact I did use a biscuit cutter.  Just dump some of the dough out onto a lightly floured surface,  then pat it out lightly with your hands.

Since the dough is still rather sticky, even after refrigeration, I dipped the cutter in flour before cutting each round.

After you cut out some rounds, it’s time to cut the holes.  I wasn’t sure what to use, since I don’t have a one-inch round cutter like the recipe specified.  But I do have an apple corer, and it worked well, even though the holes were a bit smaller than one inch.  Again, I made sure to dip the apple corer in flour before cutting each hole.

When deep-frying, you need to make sure you control the temperature of the oil.  Although it’s hard to keep it at the same exact temperature all the time, you should adjust the heat to try to keep the oil between 365 and 370 degrees as much as possible.  If it’s too cool, the doughnuts will absorb too much oil and if it’s too hot, the doughnuts will brown too fast and the middles won’t be fully cooked.  Make sure you have a thermometer clipped to side of your pan to make it easy to monitor the temperature of the oil.

Cook the doughnuts in batches, without overcrowding the pot.  Adding too many doughnuts at once will cause the oil temperature to drop rapidly, resulting in greasy doughnuts.

Cook the doughnuts until they are golden brown, then remove with a slotted spoon to a tray lined with paper towels.

After the doughnut holes have cooled, they can be rolled in cinnamon sugar, or whatever topping you decide to create.

I decided that I like these pumpkin doughnuts plain, but I did sprinkle a few with powdered sugar and a dash of pumpkin pie spice.  Perfect!

Pumpkin Doughnuts
(adapted from Bon Appétit)

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 large egg
2 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon molasses
1 cup canned pure pumpkin
Canola or Peanut Oil (for deep-frying)

toppings:
1 cup sugar
3 teaspoons cinnamon
powdered sugar

1. Whisk first 9 ingredients (flour through cardamom) in a medium bowl to blend well; set aside.

2. Using an electric hand mixer or stand mixer, beat sugar and butter in large bowl until well blended (mixture will be a bit grainy). Beat in egg, then yolks, then vanilla. Gradually beat in buttermilk and molasses, then beat in pumpkin, in four additions.

3. Fold the flour mixture into the egg mixture in 4 additions, blending gently after each. Cover the bowl and chill in the refrigerator for at least three hours.

4. Lightly flour two baking sheets.  When dough is well-chilled, lightly flour a work surface.  Starting with about 1/3 of dough, gently press it out to a round that is 1/2- to 2/3-inch thick. Using a 2 1/2-inch-diameter round cutter, cut out dough rounds. Using 1-inch-diameter round cutter, cut out center of each dough round to make doughnuts and doughnut holes.  Arrange doughnuts and holes on the baking sheets as you go.  Gather dough scraps. Press out dough and cut out more dough rounds until all dough is used.  If dough is very sticky, dip the round cutters into flour before cutting each doughnut.

5. Line two baking sheets with several layers of paper towels.  Pour oil into large deep skillet or dutch oven to a depth of 1 1/2 inches. Attach a deep-fry thermometer  to the side of the pot and heat oil to 365°F to 370°F.  Fry doughnut holes in 2 batches until golden brown, turning occasionally, about 2 minutes.  Using a slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels to drain.  Fry doughnuts, 3 or 4 at a time, until golden brown, adjusting heat to maintain temperature, about 1 minute per side.  Using a slotted spoon, transfer doughnuts to paper towels to drain.  Cool completely.

While doughnuts are cooling, mix sugar and cinnamon.  Roll doughnut holes in the cinnamon and sugar mixture.  Lightly dust doughnuts with powdered sugar, if desired.

Related Recipes:

• Pumpkin Pancakes
• Pumpkin Scones
• Pumpkin Spice Cake
• Pumpkin Cream Cheese Roll
• Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes

Around the Web:

• Pumpkin Doughnuts from A Mingling of Tastes
• Pumpkin Donuts with Pumpkin Cream Cheese Frosting from Pete Bakes!
• Baked Pumpkin Donuts from Culinary Cory
• Pumpkin and Hazelnut Doughnuts from Canelle et Vanille
• Baked Pumpkin Doughnuts from Recipe Girl

While some muffins are little more than cupcakes without the frosting, these hearty, flavorful, and nutritious whole grain apple muffins will help you power through your morning.

Don’t get me wrong, I am definitely a fan of cake-like muffins, but I think they generally make a better dessert than breakfast.  Made with whole wheat flour and heart-healthy oat bran, these muffins offer a bit more staying power than something you might pick up at a cafe on your way to work.

I made these using King Arthur White Whole Wheat Flour, which I have found is great for quick breads.  But traditional whole wheat flour will work fine, and if you can find it, whole wheat pastry flour would be even better.  As always, you may substitute all-purpose flour for any portion of the whole wheat, although you’ll lose some of the nutritional value.

One of my favorite muffin tips is to use a mechanical ice cream scoop for portioning out the muffin batter, it’s quick, easy, and reduces the chance of dropping globs of batter all over the muffin tin and counter (although I still usually manage to do that).

I think these muffins make a great breakfast-on-the-go, but I also enjoy them as an afternoon snack.  They freeze well, and will defrost quickly at room temperature.  I hope you enjoy them!

Whole Grain Sour Cream Apple Muffins

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup oat bran
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 cup sour cream, at room temp.
1/3 cup canola oil
2 eggs
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla

1 granny smith apple (or your favorite type of baking apple), peeled and diced
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

cinnamon and sugar mixture (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 12 cup muffin tin.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, oat bran, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.

3. In a separate bowl, whisk together sour cream, oil, eggs, brown sugar and vanilla.

4. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Fold in apples, raisins, and nuts (if using).

5. Divide batter between the twelve muffin cups (a regular-sized ice cream scoop works well). Sprinkle tops of muffins with a mixture of cinnamon and sugar if desired.

6. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.

Around the Web:

• Whole Wheat Apple Muffins from Smitten Kitchen
• Gluten-Free Apple Pear Muffins from Karina’s Kitchen
• Maple-Drizzled Apple Muffins from Recipe Girl
• Apple Cinnamon Crunch Muffins from Andrea’s Recipes
• Apple Muffins from Cooking for Seven

Click any of the photos above to be taken to the recipe.  Enjoy!

When my friends heard that I would be making Challah for the Bread Baker’s Apprentice Challenge, everyone told me the same thing:  challah makes the BEST french toast.  And since french toast is one of my favorite things to eat for breakfast, of course I had to give it a try.

As promised, I took half of the homemade challah to my sister and brother-in-law yesterday (which resulted in me staying at their house for a rousing game of Monopoly).  But I saved part of the loaf for myself, allowing it to stale slightly overnight so that it would be in perfect condition to play the leading role in my favorite breakfast.

I have already shared my standard French Toast recipe with you, including step-by-step photos, so I’m not going to go through the whole thing again.  But I did make a few changes this time that might interest you. Namely, I fried the french toast in oil.

Lately I’ve been reading Molly Wizenberg’s book, A Homemade Life: Stories and Recipes from My Kitchen Table.  Just like her blog, Orangette, Molly’s book is beautiful and filled with recipes that I can’t wait to try.  One of the recipes is for her father’s French Toast, which is similar to mine in all ways except for the frying method.  I’ve always been a butter girl, but was intrigued by Molly’s father’s reasoning that frying the french toast in hot oil seals and crisps the outside of the bread while the inside turns into a soft custard.

Of course I had to give it a try.

I coated the bottom of my cast iron skilled with canola oil and mixed up the eggs and milk while the oil heated.  I combined 2 eggs, 1/2 cup milk, a splash of vanilla, a pinch of sugar and a pinch of salt and whisked it together well.  I dipped the thick-sliced challah into the egg mixture, allowing it to soak up a bit of liquid on each side, but not soaking the bread completely (I prefer my French toast on the slightly dry side).  Then I transferred the dripping slices to the hot oil.  I cooked them for a minute or two on each side, until they were golden brown and crisp all over, then transferred them to a paper towel-lined plate to soak up any extra oil.

These french toast slices were beautiful! The oil crisps up the bread much better than butter and I loved the texture of the interior, which was soft and creamy where the bread had been soaked in egg batter and a bit chewy in the very center where the bread stayed mostly dry.  If you prefer a creamier french toast, you can soak the bread completely, it’s all a matter of taste.  I still think I prefer the overall flavor of french toast that’s been cooked on a buttered skillet, but the texture of this one was certainly better!  And once I added a bit of butter and maple syrup on the top, I was completely happy with this french toast.

And the challah?  It really might be the perfect french toast bread!

You can read about Molly’s father’s french toast on her blog, Orangette, or in her wonderful book, A Homemade Life: Stories and Recipes from My Kitchen Table. You can also find Molly at Bon Appetit, where she writes a monthly column, and on twitter.

Related Recipes:

• Basic French Toast Recipe (with step-by-step photos)
• Spiked Egg Nog French Toast

With today’s modern ice cream makers, frozen fruit mixtures like granitas and sorbets can be whipped up in no time! Usually containing only fresh fruit, water and sugar, Sicilian granita is one of the simplest frozen desserts breakfasts you can make.

We moved back to the California from Sicily a year and a half ago and one of the things I miss most is the granita from Catania. I can’t believe that it took me this long to figure out how simple it is to make granita at home!

My first attempt at granita was a few weeks ago, when I made brioche for The Bread Baker’s Apprentice Challenge.  Since I was making brioche for the first time, it only made sense that I attempt some homemade granita. In Sicily, granita and brioche are eaten together for breakfast during the hot months of summer.  It might sound strange, but don’t knock it til you try it!  You’ll also see Sicilians eating ice cream sandwiches of brioche and gelato, another tradition of which I highly approve!

So as I was saying, I made some fresh strawberry granita to go with my brioche.  It was good, but the fruit/water/ sugar ratio wasn’t quite right, so I need to give it another try.  It was the following week that a friend and food writer from Catania showed up unexpectedly on twitter.  And guess what she was tweeting about?  Brioche and granita!  She even shared a quick Lemon Granita recipe.  Of course I had to try it!

Although the textures vary from province to province, the granita I grew accustomed to eating in Catania is somewhat soft and slushy, rather than granular and icy.  By processing it in an ice cream maker until semi-solid, it is quick and easy to replicate the texture of the granita I know and love.

Like anything, the lemon granitas in Sicily vary in sweetness and tartness from bar to bar. Some are almost unbearably tart (I love those!), some are almost too sweet.  I’d say this one falls somewhere in the middle.  Please feel free to adjust the amounts of lemon juice and/or sugar to suit your own taste.

Now I just need someone to teach me how to make granita di mandorla (almond granita) and I’ll be even happier!

Simple Lemon Granita
adapted from this recipe

1 1/2 cups water
scant cup of sugar
juice of 2 1/2 lemons

Heat water and sugar, stirring, until sugar dissolves.  Let cool completely.  Stir in lemon juice and refrigerate until cold.  Process in an ice cream maker until slushy, but not frozen completely.  Serve immediately.

Yield: approximately four servings

Recipe notes: Lemon juice and sugar amounts can be adjusted to suit your own taste.  You may freeze leftovers, but keep in mind that it will freeze solid.  Just let it sit out at room temperature for 20 minutes or so, then stir with a fork until slushy again before serving.

As you can see, twitter is increasingly becoming the place to talk about food!  Have you joined yet?  If so, you can follow me here.  And don’t forget to follow Alessandra, perhaps she’ll tweet some more of my favorite recipes from Sicily!  And here’s a list of several other food bloggers on Twitter.

This post marks a couple of firsts for me.  This is the first time I’ve ever used rhubarb and it’s also the first time I’ve ever made homemade turnovers.  You probably won’t be surprised to learn that I now love them both!

I’m not sure how I’ve made it 34 years without ever touching fresh rhubarb.  We just didn’t eat it growing up.  I don’t think there was any particular reason for it, we just didn’t.  I know I’ve probably tasted Strawberry Rhubarb Pie at some point in my life, but I can’t really recall ever knowing what rhubarb even tastes like.

Luckily, my friend Allen suggested that I try making something with rhubarb. If he hadn’t put it in my head, I probably would gone another year without giving it a go.  And once he suggested it, I started noticing rhubarb recipes everywhere.  It seemed like I was the only in the world not eating rhubarb on a daily basis.  I was determined to give it a try.

But I wasn’t really sure where to find it.  I knew it was in season, and living in California, I generally have access to just about any fruit or vegetable imaginable.  But I really didn’t recall seeing rhubarb at the markets.  My friend Caron assured me that I would be able to find it here, since she grew up eating lots of rhubarb in Southern California.  We headed out to one of our local farmer’s markets and sure enough, there it was!

I snatched up two bunches of the scarlet, celery-like vegetable (or is it a fruit?).  Caron suggested I try using it to make a simple compote, and I thought that sounded like a good way to get to know this ingredient.  I chopped it up, tossed it with some sugar and let it macerate for a while since I had read that it would release liquid.  When it didn’t release as much liquid as I expected, I tossed in a spoonful of water and heated it on the stove.  The rhubarb softened much faster than I expected, and all of a sudden I had a pot full rhubarb mush, instead of the chunky compote I was hoping for.  Rhubarb FAIL.

Well, instead of being disappointed with my failed compote, I decided to turn it into a sauce.  I tossed in a handful of fresh raspberries, half a vanilla bean, and a few cardomom pods and let it simmer for a bit.  Then I removed the vanilla bean and cardmom, passed the mixture through my food mill and ended up with a beautiful red sauce that tasted great over my Greek yogurt as an afternoon snack.  Although the sauce was good, I wasn’t really satisfied with my first rhubarb experiment.  Luckily, I still had a bunch in the refrigerator!

It took me about a week to get back to the rhubarb, but I am so glad that I did!  The Rhubarb Blueberry Turnovers that I finally ended up with are the best pastries I’ve ever made.  I got the idea while looking through my newest baking book, The Art and Soul of Baking. If you can believe it, I received the beautiful book as a free gift when I recently attended the International Food Blogger Conference in Seattle.  Lucky me!  The book is filled with gorgeous photos and there are tons of recipes I want to try (Lemon Mascarpone Layer Cake, anyone?).  But back to the Rhubarb!   I ended up adapting a Summer Berry Turnover recipe to include rhubarb and blueberries since that’s what I had in the fridge.

What I loved most about this recipe was the simple cream cheese pastry dough.  As long as you have a food processor, the dough comes together in minutes!

First, cut a stick of cold butter into small pieces (put it back in fridge to keep it cold).

Then do the same thing with an 8-ounce block of cream cheese.

Next, combine flour, sugar and a pinch of salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse to combine the ingredients.

Remove the butter from the fridge and add it to the flour mixture.

Press the pulse button several times until the butter/flour mixture resembles coarse bread crumbs.

Now add the cold cream cheese.

Pulse again, several times, until the dough clumps together in a shaggy mass.

Next, dump the shaggy dough out onto a lightly floured work surface.

Knead the dough briefly until you have a cohesive dough, then pat it out into a square.

Wrap the dough in plastic, then chill in the refrigerator for 3o minutes.

Meanwhile, chop and measure out one cup of rhubarb and one cup of blueberries.

In a medium bowl, combine rhubarb, blueberries, sugar, lemon zest, cinnamon and cardamom.

Mix the filling ingredients together well, then set aside.

After the dough has chilled, roll it out into a big square, a little larger than 15 inches all around.

Using a ruler and a knife (or in this case, a pizza cutter), trim the dough into a 15-inch square.

Then mark the dough in 5-inch increments on all sides and cut into 9 (5-inch) squares.

Divide the filling between each square, placing spoonfuls of it in the center of each one.

Although I forgot to do it, you should brush the edges of the squares with egg was before folding them over to form a triangle.  Gently press the edges together with your fingers.

Then use a fork to seal and crimp the edges.

Divide the turnovers between two baking sheets, then brush each one lightly with egg wash.

After brushing with egg wash, sprinkle coarse sugar over the tops of the turnovers.

Use a small sharp knife to cut several slits in the top of each turnover.  This will allow steam to escape during baking.

Bake the turnovers in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 25-30 minutes, rotating the sheets halfway through the baking time.  Remove from the oven when they are golden brown.  The turnovers will leak, but that’s fine!

Move them to a wire rack to cool.

Enjoy warm or at room temperature and try not to eat the whole batch in one sitting!

Rhubarb Blueberry Turnovers
adapted from The Art and Soul of Baking

Crust:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon sugar
pinch of salt
1/2 cup cold unsalted butter (one stick), cut into small pieces
8 oz. cold cream cheese, cut into 8 pieces

Filling:
4 oz. rhubarb, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (1 cup)
4 oz. blueberries (1 cup)
6 tablespoons sugar
zest of one lemon (about 2 teaspoons of zest)
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom (optional)

Egg wash:
1 large egg yolk
2 tablespoons milk or cream

Sanding sugar, turbinado sugar (sugar in the raw), or granulated sugar for sprinkling on the turnovers.

1. Place flour, sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse a few times to blend the ingredients.  Add the cold butter pieces and pulse several times until the mixture resembles coarse bread crumbs.  Add the cream cheese and pulse until the mixture starts to clump together in a shaggy mass.

2. Dump the dough out onto a lightly floured board or counter and knead briefly until the dough comes together.  Pat the dough into a square (about 3/4 inch thick) and wrap in plastic.  Chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes or up until 2 days.

3. Just before removing dough from the refrigerator, prepare the filling:  In a medium bowl, stir together rhubarb, blueberries, sugar, lemon zest, and spices; set aside.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees and place two baking racks close to the center of the oven.

4. Unwrap dough and place on a lightly floured surface.  Roll dough into a large square (slightly larger than 15 inches all around), about 1/8 inch thick.  Using a large knife, trim dough to a 15-inch square.  Use a ruler to mark 5-inch increments along each side of the dough then cut into 9 (5-inch) squares.*

5. In a small bowl, beat together the egg and milk; set aside.  Add a spoonful of rhubarb-blueberry filling in the center of each pastry square (try to divide filling between the squares as evenly as possible). Using a pastry brush, lightly brush the edges of the squares with the egg wash.  Fold the dough over the filling to form a triangle and gently press the edges together with the side of your hand or fingertips.  Use a fork to crimp the edges.

6. Divide the turnovers between two baking sheets that have been lined with either parchment or silicone baking mats. Brush the tops of the turnovers with the egg wash then sprinkle with sugar.  Using the tip of a small knife, cut several slits in the top of each turnover.  Place baking sheets on two baking racks in the center of a preheated 350-degree oven.  Bake for 15 minutes then rotate the sheets from front to back and switch them between the racks to ensure even browning.  Bake for 10 to 15 minutes longer until the turnovers are golden brown.  Transfer pastries to a cooling rack.  Serve turnovers warm or at room temperature.

Recipe Notes: *At this point, the squares can be stacked (with pieces of parchment or waxed paper between layers), wrapped in plastic and refrigerated for up to two days or frozen (place in a plastic freezer bag) for up to two months.

These were some of the best turnovers I’ve ever tasted!  They are sweet, but tart and the crust is flaky and flavorful.  I’ve already made them twice and can see myself making them again and again in the future.  Any type of berry filling would work great in these turnovers, and according to Recipe Girl, cherries work great as well!

Related Recipes:

• Apple Galette
• Whole Grain Sour Cream Blueberry Pancakes
• Strawberry Shortcake

Around the Web:

• Buttermilk Rhubarb Bread from Eating Out Loud
• Rhubarb Cobbler from Smitten Kitchen
• Balsamic Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp from Karina’s Kitchen
• Red Wine Poached Rhubarb from David Lebovitz
• Rhubarb Margarita from Andrea’s Recipes

I’ve written about Egg in a Nest before, but I decided it was time to revisit this breakfast classic just in time for Valentine’s Day. I felt like making something fun for breakfast this past weekend and since February is the month of heart-shaped food (at least in the world of food blogs), I decided to break out my heart-shaped cookie cutter to create Eggs in a Heart for breakfast!

The method is simple. Grab a piece of bread, an egg, a cookie cutter or a knife, some butter, and a frying pan. Cut a heart-shaped hole in the bread.  Heat the pan over medium heat, add a bit of butter and swirl around.  Place the slice of bread in pan (as well as the little heart-shaped piece) and carefully crack the egg into the hole in the bread.

Sprinkle egg with a bit of salt and pepper and cook until the bread is nicely browned on the bottom.  Next, you can either carefully flip the slice of bread over to cook the other side, or you can slide the whole pan under the broiler and cook until the top of the bread is browned and the egg is cooked to your liking.  If you use the broiler method,  I suggest brushing the top of the bread lightly with melted butter (or a bit of bacon grease if you have some handy) before putting it under the broiler.

Serve with the little heart on top, or place it on the side.  Would be perfect with a side of fresh-squeezed blood orange juice.

Enjoy with your sweetheart!

If this is your first time learning about Egg in a Nest, it might be fun to read my first post about it, especially the comments!  There are over 80 comments on that post, most of them giving different names for this simple breakfast dish.  And if you happen to call it something else, head on over and join the discussion!

Other Valentine’s Day Ideas:

• Blood Orange Salad
• Heart-Shaped Buttermilk Cranberry Scones
• Bacon-Wrapped Beef Tenderloin with Smoked Paprika Butter
• Double Dark Chocolate Beet Muffins
• Red Velvet Cake
• Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
• Naughty Ice Cream Sandwiches
• Chocolate Guinness Cupcakes with Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting

I made this on a whim late last night and it was still cooling when I went to bed. Since the recipe was completely improvised, I had no idea if it was successful until I woke up this morning. So when I rolled out of bed (way too early), the first thing I did was cut into the cake!

While I wouldn’t suggest eating cake for breakfast on a regular basis, this Pumpkin Spice Cake turned out to be the perfect day-before-Thanksgiving breakfast for my husband and I. It was moist, spicy, and delicious…exactly what I was hoping for!

I’ve always loved spice cakes served with nothing more than a sprinkling of powdered sugar on top. This cake is moist enough to stand on it’s own, and serving it without frosting or glaze allows the warm and wonderful spices to shine.

This recipe is loosely based on a Walnut Spice Cake recipe from The Gourmet Cookbook. But I added some ingredients, removed others, and changed amounts of the remaining ingredients, so it really was quite an improvisation. I also changed the method, so it’s simple to put together, much like a quick bread. In fact, you could really say this is a quick bread that is baked in a Bundt pan. Call it what you like, I say it’s delicious, easy, and worth baking!

Pumpkin Spice Cake

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice*
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup sour cream, at room temperature
1 cup canned pumpkin
3/4 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a Bundt pan (or even better, use Baker’s Joy spray).

2. In a medium bowl, sift or whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices; set aside.

3. In a large bowl combine eggs, sour cream, pumpkin, and oil. Beat well with a hand mixer (or use a stand mixer), scraping down sides with a spatula, until everything is well blended. Add flour mixture a little at a time, beating well after each addition, until everything is well combined. Scrape down sides, then blend in the vanilla extract.

4. Pour batter into prepared Bundt pan and bake in the center of a 350 degree oven for 35-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean. Let cool on wire rack for ten minutes, then invert cake onto wire rack and let cool completely. Sprinkle with powdered sugar immediately before serving if desired.

Yield: 10-12 servings

Recipe Notes: *Pumpkin pie spice can be substituted with 2 teaspoons cinnamon, 1 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice, and 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg (or make your own combination). Make sure to butter your Bundt pan really well and get into all the crevices. I like to use a spray like Baker’s Joy because I’ve never had a problem with cakes sticking to the pan when I use it.

Related Recipes:

• Pumpkin Roll
• Whole Wheat Pumpkin Maple Muffins
• Pumpkin Spice Scones
• Pumpkin Spice Cream Cheese Spread
• Sweet and Sour Grilled Pumpkin

Around the Web:

• Rosemary-Polenta Pumpkin Spice Cake from The Recipe Girl
• Pumpkin Spice Cake from For the Love of Cooking
• Pumpkin Buttermilk Bundt Cake from Whipped
• Apple Pumpkin Cake from Zoe Bakes
• Gluten Free Pumpkin Raisin Cake from Karina’s Kitchen

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving tomorrow! We’re heading up to Central California to spend Thanksgiving with my family so my next few blog posts will be from there. Hope my family has some great new recipes I can steal and share with you!

I’m sitting here on this beautiful Sunday morning eating the best scone I’ve ever made in my life.  Days like this are bittersweet.  On one hand, there’s almost nothing better than a lazy Sunday morning spent baking and lounging in my pajamas.  But what’s the fun in eating such a wonderful treat, when there’s no one to share it with?

So, as as soon as I’m done writing this, I’m heading out to deliver a few scones to my friend Caron who lives nearby.  And my sister, who is coming over this afternoon, will get the rest.  My husband will be home in a few days, but scones are always best eaten on the day they are made.  I’ll just have to make a new batch for him next Sunday!

Scones are simple to make, especially if you already know how to make biscuits from scratch.  The key is to keep the ingredients cold and work quickly.  Read completely through the recipe before starting and make sure you have all your ingredients and tools ready and nearby.  And make sure you start preheating the oven as soon as you start thinking about making these.

Buttermilk Cranberry Scones

2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small chunks
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 large egg
1/3 cup sweetened dried cranberries, chopped fine
finely grated zest from one small lemon (about 2 teaspoons)
heavy cream (optional, for brushing tops of scones)

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk or sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, soda and salt.  Add butter chunks and toss lightly with flour; place bowl in fridge.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together egg, buttermilk, and lemon zest; place bowl in fridge.
4. Get organized:  measure out and chop the cranberries; set aside. Line a baking sheet with parchment or a silpat; set aside. Lightly dust a counter top with flour.  Pour a little bit of heavy cream in a bowl and have a pastry brush handy.
5. Remove bowls of flour and buttermilk from fridge.  Cut butter into flour with a pastry blender or rub together with your fingertips until it resembles coarse crumbs. Add cranberries and stir to combine.
6. Add buttermilk mixture all at once to flour mixture and stir until the mixture clumps together. Dump mixture out onto floured counter top and, with floured hands, gather into a ball and knead once or twice to combine everything.  Pat into a circle about 1/2 inch thick.  Cut into 8 slices, like a pie, or cut with biscuit or cookie cutters into whatever shape you prefer.  Put scones on lined baking sheet and brush lightly with heavy cream (optional).
7. Bake in a preheated 425 degree oven for 13-15 minutes until lightly browned.  Remove to cooling rack.
8. Enjoy with someone you love!

Recipe notes: Since I make these only on rare occasions, I buy and use the best quality unsalted butter I can find.  Brushing the scones with heavy cream is optional, but will add a nice shine to the tops.  I think these scones are perfect the way they are, but if you want to get fancy, you can drizzle a lemon glaze over the top.  Lemon Glaze: Combine about 1/2 cup powdered sugar with a couple teaspoons of fresh lemon juice and whisk to combine. Adjust sugar/juice amounts to get the consistency you prefer.  Drizzle glaze over cooled scones.

For those of you who have never made scones or biscuits from scratch before, you can read a more detailed account of the process, with photos, at How to Make the Best Buttermilk Biscuits from Scratch.  Although the recipe is not identical, the process is the same.  Scones are simply a lightly sweetened biscuit.

If you like this recipe, you might also like to try my Apricot Cream Scones.

For those of you just tuning in this month, I’m happy to say that I’m participating in the National Blog Posting Month challenge. For this year’s edition of NaBloPoMo, I’ve pledged to post a new recipe every single day for the month of November. If you don’t want to miss a recipe, sign up to receive my recipes by e-mail. You’ll only receive an e-mail when I write a new blog post, and your e-mail address will not be used for any other purpose. Interested? Sign up now!

Although I haven’t roasted a turkey yet this season, I’ve been enjoying the occasional roasted turkey breast from grocery store deli.  I love turkey sandwiches and when my husband is away, a roasted turkey breast or rotisserie chicken from the grocery store up the street is the perfect thing to keep me fed for a few days.

This Curried Turkey Salad recipe popped into my head this morning, but it wasn’t until I was putting it together that I decided to swap out the celery for apples.  I had planned on using turkey, dried cranberries, celery, and chopped walnuts along with my standard dressing for curried chicken salad.  I’m sure it would be good with celery, but I’m planning on taking the leftovers to my sister’s house for dinner tomorrow and I’m pretty sure my brother-in-law hates celery.  So at the last minute I decided that tart green apples would be a great addition rather than the dreaded celery.

The salad turned out great, and I just enjoyed eating some of it on a croissant.  I really don’t think I’ll mind eating it the same way tomorrow night!

Curried Turkey Salad with Apples, Cranberries, and Walnuts

4 cups cooked and chopped turkey
1/2 cup diced apple (pref. granny smith)
1/3 cup chopped sweetened dried cranberries
1/3 cup chopped toasted walnuts*
Curry Dressing (recipe below)

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and stir well.  Serve on your favorite bread as a sandwich or on a bed of greens as a salad.  Serves four to six.

Dressing:
1/2 cup thick yogurt
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons curry powder**
1 tablespoon honey
generous pinch of salt
fresh ground black pepper

Whisk all ingredients until well combined.

Recipe Notes: *To toast walnuts, spread a handful of walnuts on a baking sheet. Toast in a preheated 350 degree oven for about five minutes or until they are fragrant. Don’t leave them in too long! Allow to cool slightly before chopping and adding to salad.  **If you prefer less spice in your salad, start with one tablespoon of curry powder then taste dressing and add more if desired.  I used a full two tablespoons.  For the turkey, I used a roasted half turkey breast from the deli section of the grocery store, but this would be perfect if you have lots of turkey left over from the holidays!

For those of you just tuning in this month, I’m happy to say that I’m participating in the National Blog Posting Month challenge. For this year’s edition of NaBloPoMo, I’ve pledged to post a new recipe every single day for the month of November. If you don’t want to miss a recipe, sign up to receive my recipes by e-mail. You’ll only receive an e-mail when I write a new blog post, and your e-mail address will not be used for any other purpose. Interested? Sign up now!

Related Recipes:

• Curried Chicken Salad
• Herbed Tuna Salad with Feta and Pine Nuts
• Easy Egg Salad
• Monster Meatball Sandwich
• The Ultimate Manwich

Around the Web:

• Curry Turkey Salad from Culinary in the Desert
• Curried Turkey Salad with Cashews and Apricots from French Kitchen in America
• Brown Rice Salad with Leftover Turkey from Kalyn’s Kitchen
• Asian Turkey Salad from Tarheel Table