Pumkin Bundt Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

 I just had to start off my fall baking with something pumpkin since it is one of my favorite fall and winter flavors! Apple is right up there too, so there will be an apple recipe coming real soon also. I have tried a couple of different Pumpkin Bundt Cake recipes and this is the best one so far so I'm sharing it with you.

 This Pumpkin Bundt Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting is dense and moist, much like pumpkin bread or pound cake. I topped this luscious cake with cream cheese frosting that contains some brown sugar, which gives the frosting a hint of caramel flavor! This is a perfect fall dessert which would be a delicious addition even your Thanksgiving table. And I confess that it was so good with my morning coffee also! Try taking it to any family gathering or even to work and I think people will be singing your praises. Here's the recipe.

Pumpkin Bundt Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Adapted from My Baking Addition

Ingredients:
Bundt Cake
If you don't have all the spices, you can sub pumpkin pie spice if desired.
2 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 cup canola oil, or vegetable oil
3 large eggs
3 cups un-bleached flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 can (15 ounces) pure pumpkin puree

Cream Cheese Frosting
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
4 tablespoons softened, unsalted butter
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 14 cup confectioners sugar (powdered sugar)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-3 tablespoons milk, half and half or cream, if needed to thin the frosting
3/4 cup toasted, chopped pecans, if desired

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Spray a 10 inch Bundt cake pan with nonstick cooking spray.

2. In a large bowl combine the oil and sugar and mix thoroughly with an electric mixer. Beat in eggs 1 at a time, then beat in the pumpkin. In a medium bowl mix together the flour, baking soda, spices and salt. Add flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture a little at a time, and mix until batter is just blended well.

3. Pour batter into the prepared Bundt pan and smooth the batter evenly around the pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 60-65 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center if cake comes out clean. Cool the cake for 10-15 minutes. Then invert cake onto a wire rack to finish cooling. Place cake onto a cake plate to frost.

4. To make the frosting: In a large bowl add the softened cream cheese, butter and the brown sugar and beat until creamy and smooth, about 2 minutes. Then gradually add in the powdered sugar and beat well. Stir in the vanilla and milk if needed. If frosting is too thick add a bit more milk if needed to get the desired consistency. Spoon frosting over the cooled cake. Using a spoon or rubber spatula, push the frosting where you want it. (This is not a glaze that will pour). Top with the toasted pecans , if desired. Now enjoy!

Pumpkin Coffee Cake with Brown Sugar-Pecan Streusel

 I am so happy that fall is here! I want to spend more time in the kitchen when the cooler weather arrives, and I always love trying new pumpkin and apple recipes to add to my recipe collection . I must admit that I've struggled with cooking and blogging the last few months since I had surgery, but fall is my favorite time to experiment in the kitchen. This Pumpkin Coffee Cake with Brown Sugar-Pecan Streusel is delicious and was a real treat for my husband and I. We both love pumpkin so there's nothing bad to say about this recipe. This cake is not as heavy and moist as my pumpkin bread, because it uses butter instead of oil. The streusel is so yummy with the toasted pecans and made this cake such a treat with a steaming mug of coffee! I also love the size of the cake; it's made in a 9 inch springform pan so it's not too huge for a small group. It was perfect for us. Here's the recipe.

Pumpkin Coffee Cake with Brown Sugar-Pecan Streusel
Adapted from Williams-Sonoma
(The only thing I changed in the recipe was the spice amounts.)

Ingredients:
For the streusel;
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of salt
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
1 cup chopped pecans, lightly toasted (Spread pecans on baking sheet; toast   at 325 for 5 minutes. Cool before adding to streusel.)

For the batter:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup canned pumpkin puree
1/2 cup sour cream

For the glaze:
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
about 2-3 teaspoons of milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9 inch springform pan.

To make the streusel, combine the flour, brown sugar, salt and cinnamon in a bowl. Add the butter; use a pastry cutter to cut in the butter until mixture looks like coarse crumbs. Or you may use  a food processor. Stir in the pecans. Set aside.

For batter; in a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt. In another bowl, beat together the butter and sugar, until combined. beat in the eggs, one at a time. Add the pumpkin and sour cream and mix. Stir in the dry ingredients. Batter is very thick.

Spread half the batter in the prepared springform pan. Sprinkle half of the streusel over the batter. Dollop the remaining batter over the streusel and spread over the streusel as best you can. (This was the hardest part of the recipe for me as the batter does not want to spread well. but it turns out delicious anyway.) Top with the remaining streusel. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake come out clean, about 50-55 minutes. Place pan on a wire cooling rack for 15 minutes. Remove the sides of the pan from the cake and slide cake onto rack to finish cooling.

To glaze, whisk together the confectioners sugar, milk and vanilla until smooth. Place cake on serving platter. Drizzle glaze over cake. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Cake Bars

 Technically it is late summer, but fall weather blew in with the storm we had a couple of days ago. I absolutely love fall and fall foods, so I couldn't wait to make something pumpkin. I can't even remember where I got this recipe years ago, but the first time I made it I thought the name was deceiving. It was called Pumpkin Bars, and somehow I assumed that it would turn out somewhat like a brownie. I was wrong. These bars are cake-like and moist, almost as dense as pumpkin bread really, but delicious. This recipe has become a staple at my house because I always have canned pumpkin in my pantry, so I can whip it up at a last minutes notice. I've made these Pumpkin Cake Bars so many times through the years. They are always well received at our church's pot luck dinners, family get togethers and they have been devoured at many funeral dinners that I've helped with. Oh, and my husband loves them too. These Pumpkin Cake Bars are made in a jelly roll pan and topped with Cream Cheese Frosting, which is always a favorite. So if you need an easy, yummy dessert to make, give this a try.

Pumpkin Cake Bars
Origin of recipe forgotten-sorry!
(Update! It was pointed out to me that I had a couple of mistakes in my recipe. So sorry for any problems this may have caused. It has been corrected-thanks! 10-29-14)

Ingredients:
2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon pumpkin spice (or use another teas. cinnamon if desired)
1 cup oil
4 eggs, beaten
1 can of pumpkin

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a jelly roll pan. I used a 17 1/2 x 12 1/2 inch jelly roll pan with 1 inch sides, also called a Baker's Half Sheet. (It will also fit in a 10 1/2 x 15 1/2 inch pan with 1 inch sides, but may need to bake a few minutes longer.) In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients together with a whisk. In another bowl, mix the oil, eggs, and pumpkin. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir until just mixed. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake in oven for about 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Frost with Cream Cheese Icing. Enjoy!

Cream Cheese Frosting:
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 3/4 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
In a large bowl, cream the butter and cream cheese together with a mixer. Mix in the powdered sugar and vanilla. Spread over cake. Enjoy!

NOTE: This makes a fairly thin layer of frosting, You may increase the amount of frosting if desired. I always top the frosting with about 1/2 cup of chopped pecans.
If you want a thicker frosting, use 8 ounces  cream cheese, 1/2 cup butter, 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar, and 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla.

Brown Butter Pumpkin Layer Cake

 I know, many of you will think that pumpkin is so Fall like, but my husbands birthday was last week and he really wanted a pumpkin cake. I've had this cake bookmarked for quite a while, so decided to try it now. I wanted to make a special cake for my sweetie, who's getting older and wiser, and who does not always share my chocoholic tendencies. This cake did not disappoint. In fact we both thought it was one of, if not the best cake we've ever tasted! Being a pumpkin cake, it is dense and moist and the browned butter in the cake, AND in the Cream Cheese Frosting, makes this a "To Die For", dessert! The frosting also has brown sugar in it and it's delicious.We couldn't quit groaning as we shoveled it in. You've got this cinnamony, gingery, spice flavored cake with the browned butter, cream cheese combination that's just amazing. In short, this is a keeper. Can't wait to try making cupcakes.

 I changed the recipe some. I increased the cinnamon in the cake batter, and decreased the ginger. I decreased the brown sugar just a bit, but now I don't think I needed to. I thought the cake might be too sweet because I planned on increasing the frosting, but it was just fine. I knew that the amount of frosting wouldn't be enough, so I increased that. I also did not do the nut topping like the recipe. I just used some roasted pecans that I tossed with butter, sugar and a little salt and then decorated the cake rim. The next time I make this cake, I'm going to add some chopped pecans between the cake layer, like the recipe suggests. While this cake and the frosting use brown butter, this is not a hard cake to make. It does require a bit more time, so it would be best to make it early in the day, or make the cake layers the day before and then wrap them in plastic wrap. Then assemble the next day. Either way, this Browned Butter Pumpkin Layer Cake is worth the trouble.  Delicious, decadent, addictive and so much more; it's a cake to dream about. I hope you'll give it a try.

Brown Butter Pumpkin Layer Cake

Adapted from Fine Cooking

For the cake:

3/4 cup, (12 tablespoons),  unsalted butter

2 cups unbleached, all purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

3/4 teaspoon table salt

1 1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup light brown sugar - originally calls for  2/3 cup

2 large eggs

1/3 cup buttermilk

1 can of pumpkin puree, or homemade puree

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Move the oven rack to center of the oven.

2. Grease and flour 2 round cake pans that are 9x2 inches. Use parchment if desired. My cake did fine without it.

3. In a heavy bottomed saucepan, heat the butter over medium heat. Every minute or so, stir or roll the butter around. The butter will foam and begin to turn a nutty shade with bits of brown . This will take about 4 minutes. Pour into a bowl and cool.

4. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger and cloves.  In another bowl, combine the granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs, buttermilk, sugar, pumpkin and mix well.

5. Mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients together in intervals. Mix in the brown butter. Do not over mix this batter. You will not need and electric mixer for this cake.

6. Divide the batter evenly into the 2 cake pans and smooth the top. Bake for 25 - 30 minutes until done. Toothpick inserted into cake should come out clean. Cool the cake in pans for 10 minutes. Run knife around the cake and invert onto cooling racks. Cool completely.

Browned Butter Cream Cheese Frosting:

10 tablespoons unsalted butter

8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

1/3 cup light brown sugar

3 cups powdered sugar

1. In a heavy pan, brown the butter just as you did for the cake. Pour into a small bowl, and set it in the freezer for 12-15 minutes. Don't let it get hard on the top. Butter needs to be cool to add to the frosting, but don't let it get too hard. Or, you could pour the butter through a small mesh sieve to catch the small browned bits. You won't pour the brown bits into the frosting. Take a spoon and spoon out the cooled butter, taking care to not scrape up the browned bits.

2. In a large bowl, cream the cream cheese well; mix in the brown sugar and beat until fluffy. Mix in the cooled brown butter, and the powdered sugar in with the cream cheese. Beat until creamy. If the frosting is too stiff, add about a tablespoon of cream, or milk.

Assemble and frost the cake:

Place one cake on your cake plate. Add about 1 cup frosting, or your desired amount, and spread evenly to the edge of cake. Place remaining cake on top of frosting. Frost sides and top of cake. Decorate with pecans.

For Pecans: Mix 1 cup pecans, tablespoon melted butter, 1 tablespoon sugar and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Toast in a skillet for a few minutes, or in the oven. Cool nuts completely on a paper towel lined plate. The original recipe calls for more nuts, and uses them between the layers of the cake, and then piling the rest on top of cake. It also calls for candied ginger, which I did not use.

Pumpkin Bread

 Moist, fragrant pumpkin bread is one of my favorite quick breads. It's right up there with Banana Bread for me. This is my Mother's recipe that she made for many years. I  cut my teeth on this delicious bread when I was a kid, so this recipe has been around for awhile. I made this during Christmas and for got to post it. So here's my recipe. I hope you'll give it a try.

Pumpkin Bread
from my Mother
This recipe makes 2 large loaves.

Grease and flour 2- 9x5 inch loaf pans. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Dry ingredients:
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon pumpkin spice
Sift all these ingredients together in a large bowl.

Wet ingredients:
1 cup vegetable oil- I use canola
2/3 cup water
4 eggs, beaten
1 can of pumpkin puree
1 cup chopped nuts - I used pecans this time
Mix wet ingredients together; stir into the dry ingredients, and then fold in nuts.
Divide the batter evenly between the 2 loaf pans. Bake for about 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool bread in the pans for 10 minutes. Then run a knife around the edges of the pumpkin bread and invert the loaves onto cooling racks. When completely cool, wrap in foil. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting

I'm back! My daughter is happily married and life has slowed down a bit now, so I am ready to to blog again.
Boy do I love this time of year! We have had the most beautiful fall; The trees are just now turning their brillant colors, the air is crisp and there are pumpkins decorating almost every porch. I love just about anything made with pumpkin, so I deciced to make pumpkin cookies for the first time. Why I haven't made them before now, I don't know. I usually make bars, bread or pie and stop there. But I've added these delicious cookies to my recipe box now. these Pumpkin Cookies are cake-like, soft and moist, and topped with addictive cream cheese frosting. I made these and took a platter full to a meeting I went to and they were devoured quickly. It's hard to eat just one of cookies. I dare you to make these and eat just one! Here's the recipe.

Pumpkin Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting
Adapted from Tasty Kitchen

1 cup unsalted butter
1 cup light brown sugar
1 egg
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt


Mix butter, sugar together until smooth. Then add the agg; mixwell and add the 1 cup pumpkin.
In another bowl, stir together the dry ingredients. Mix the dry ingredients with the pumpkin mixture in 2 parts. Mix well. Dough is going to be very soft. I used a tablespoon to measure the dough for cookies. You can refridgerate the dough to make it a bit easier to handle, if desired. Scoop dough evenly onto baking sheets and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven. Bake 9-10minutes. Remove to a cooling rack and cool completly before frosting with the Cream Cheese Frosting.

CREAM Cheese FROSTING
 !/2 cup softened butter
1- 8 ounce packages cream cheese, at room temperature
3 1/2 cups powdered sugat
1 teaspoon vanilla

In a large bowl, cream the butter and cream cheese together with a mixer. Add the vanilla and then the powdered sugar, a little at a time. Mix until smooth and creamy. If the frosting is too stiff add a little milk or cream to loosen a bit.

NOTE: I only used about half of the frosting on these cookies. But since the cookies are not very sweet, you may want to use more than I did.
These are awesome cookies!

Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake from Paula Deen

Do you still need to come up with a dessert idea for Christmas, or like me, a pot luck dinner? We had our annual Christmas pot luck at our church on Sunday and I wanted to whip up something different, so I gave this Paula Deen recipe a try. I've got to tell you I almost backed out of making this when I saw the ingredient list, but decided it was a Christmas dinner after all! Who counts calories at Christmas? This gooey, decadent dessert was a great hit at the dessert table, with hardly a piece left!

I loved the gooey texture and creamy pumpkin flavor. It is really rich though, so rich that my kids didn't really enjoy it. So, I may not make this for my family again, however, the recipe will be in my file for future pot lucks! It is easy to assemble, tastes great and the gooey factor makes it rather decadent, especially when topped with homemade whipped cream!

The recipe has a very high 5 star rating on Paula' site. My photos don't do it justice, but when in a hurry to get to the dinner, this was the best I had time to do. I topped this Pumpkin Gooey butter Cake with whipped cream and dusted it with ground cinnamon. Let me know if you give this recipe a try. Now here's what you do:

PUMPKIN GOOEY BUTTER CAKE - from Paula Deen

Ingredients

Cake layer:

1 18 1/4 ounce package yellow layer cake mix

1 egg

8 tablespoons melted butter

Filling:

1 15 ounce can pumpkin

1 8 ounce package cream cheese, softened at room temperature

3 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

8 tablespoons melted butter

1 16 ounce box powdered sugar (yup, you read that right)

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg- I only used 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, the egg, and 8 tablespoons of melted butter. Mix thoroughly and pat into a greased 9x13 inch baking pan.

To prepare the filling, beat cream cheese and pumpkin together in a large bowl.

Add eggs, vanilla and butter and combine well. Now add the powdered sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg and mix well.

Spread filling over the cake mixture. Bake for 40-50 minutes. Make sure not to over bake as the center should be a bit gooey. Over baking will also make the bottom layer too dry. Serve with whipped cream and a dusting of cinnamon if desired. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Bread with Cream Cheese Filling

I made some delicious pumpkin bread last week. I normally make my mother's delicious recipe, but when I saw this recipe at Joy of Baking, I knew I wanted to try it. This pumpkin bread has a layer of cream cheese filling through it which makes it a little different from the usual. Half of the batter is spooned into the loaf pans and the yummy cream cheese filling is smoothed over the top. Then, the rest of the pumpkin mixture is spooned over the top and spread out evenly. Unfortunately, that part was harder because the filling is rather runny whereas the batter is thicker, which makes it sink into the filling. I got it spread out as well as I could. Even though I do not have a pretty cream cheese layer, the bread is so moist and subtly spiced. The cream cheese layer is a delicious touch. It makes two loaves, one to eat and one to share!

Pumpkin Bread with Cream Cheese Filling

Pumpkin Bread:
1 cup pecans or walnuts ( I didn't use them)
3 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves (my addition)
4 large eggs, beaten
2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1/2 cup water
1 - 15 ounce can pure pumpkin
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Cream Cheese Filling:
8 ounce package of cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup granulated white sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon ( my addition)
Mix all ingredients for the cream cheese layer together.

For the bread:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and grease and flour 2 9x5x3 inch loaf pans. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, soda salt and spices. In another bowl, whisk the eggs, sugar, pumpkin, butter, water and vanilla together.
Add the pumpkin mixture to the flour mixture, stirring until just combined.
Divide the batter in half. Take one half and divide it evenly between the two loaf pans. Spread out evenly. Divide the cream cheese mixture between the 2 pans, smoothing it out evenly. Top with the remaining pumpkin batter, smoothing it out as best you can. Bake at 350 degrees for 55-65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Place pans on a wire rack to cool for about 10 minutes. Remove bread from pans.
I prefer to let it cool before serving. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Pancakes- A Delicious Way to Start the Day!

My family loves having breakfast foods for dinner during the cooler months of the year, so earlier this week I decided to try making Pumpkin Pancakes. I had just enough pumpkin left over from making the Pumpkin Bread Pudding a few days earlier. I must say that these wonderful pancakes are delicious! They are not too sweet or too spicy, but flavored just right for a perfect Autumn breakfast, (or dinner!). Son Number 2 LOVED them, so I've made them twice already. This is the son that is reluctant to try new foods, so these pancakes surprisingly won him over! Actually, my whole family loved them, so this recipe is a deffinate keeper, as I'm sure I'll be making them often. The only trouble I had with these pancakes was trying to take a good picture before the butter melted! Here's the recipe.

Pumpkin Pancakes - slightly adapted from Martha Stewart

In a large bowl, add these ingredients:

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour ( I subbed 1/4 cup whole wheat flour for the 1/4 white)

2 T. sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. ground ginger ( Martha calls for 1/2 tsp.)

1/2 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. nutmeg

pinch of ground cloves

In a separate bow, mix together:

1 cup milk

6 Tablespoons canned pumpkin

2 T. melted butter

1 egg

Fold these ingredients into the flour mixture.

In a skillet or griddle over medium heat, add oil or butter; pour about 1/4 cup batter for each

pancake. Cook about 3 minutes per side and serve hot with butter and syrup. Yields about 8-10 pancakes. These are awsome Pumkin Pancakes! I hope you try them; your family will love you even more. Have a great weekend, my friends!

Pumpkin Bread Pudding

It seems that when fall arrives, so does my need for baking! Or rather not my need, but my desire. The air is cool and there's just nothing like turning on your oven and sticking a mouthwatering, sweet smelling dessert inside so that you can have a bit of fall deliciousness! I've been making this luscious Pumpkin Bread Pudding for a couple of years now and let me tell you, it is heavenly! The custard is silky smooth and delicious, with just the right amount of spices to make you savor each bite. It's a perfect marriage of pumpkin pie and bread pudding. Addictive!

Unfortunately, the days have been dark and dreary here lately, so my pictures are not as good as I hoped. But then, I always have trouble photographing brownish looking foods. This is one of our newer favorite desserts. Cubes of crusty bread and spicy pumpkin never tasted so good!

Pumpkin Bread Pudding (slightly adapted from Epicurious)

1 cup heavy cream ( half and half works well too)

3/4 cup canned solid pack pumpkin

1/2 cup whole milk (I use 2%)

1/2 cup sugar

2 large eggs, plus 1 egg yolk

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. ground ginger

1/8 tsp. allspice

pinch of ground cloves

5 cups cubed day old baguette or crusty bread ( I use 4 cups to get more custard)

3/4 cup melted butter (6 tablespoons)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the melted butter butter in a bowl with the cubed bread and toss. In another bow, mix the pumpkin, sugar, milk, cream, eggs and yolk, and spices. Beat well and toss in with the bread. Stir and pour into a 8x8x ungreased baking pan. Bake at 350 for about 25-35 minutes, until custard is set. Enjoy with homemade whipped cream, ice cream or my decadent Caramel Sauce, if desired.

Earlier, I said that I use less bread than called for. That is because I like to have a layer of silky custard, so I never use all the bread called for in bread pudding recipes. So this dessert turns out more scoopable (is that a word?), than one that is cut into squares. But it's delicious whichever way you make it. My husband will get up in the night for this addictive, comforting dessert. This Pumpkin Bread Pudding is perfect for the coming holiday gatherings! Hope you try it!

Country Pumpkin Muffins

I know it's not fall yet, but we've had some unseasonably fall like weather recently which has had me craving certain comfort foods. And at the farmers market a couple of days ago I saw sweet potatoes, winter squash and just a few small pumpkins! I didn't buy any yet, but it made me remember the canned pumpkin in my pantry that I hadn't used. And I hadn't made these muffins for a few months so I remedied that real quick. These Pumpkin Muffins have become a family favorite since I first made them last year. My son downed about 5 of these moist and spicy muffins when he spied them! His girlfriend gladly took some home with her also. It's a good thing this makes a large batch! These tasty muffins freeze well; I just wrap them individually and place in freezer bags in the freezer. At this rate though, I'm not going to have any left to freeze!

Country Pumpkin Muffins ( adapted from Allrecipes)
ingredients:
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups pumpkin, canned or fresh (there will be a little more than 1 1/2 c. in the can, but I just use all of it)
3 eggs
1/2 cup water
3 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. salt
nuts or sugar for sprinkling on muffins tops
Directions:
In a large bowl add the sugar, eggs, oil, water and pumpkin and beat well. In another bowl, combine flour, baking powder, soda and spices and blend into the pumpkin mixture. Do not over mix. Spoon batter into greased muffin tins, or paper liners, filling about 3/4 full. If desired, sprinkle tops of muffins with course sugar or chopped nuts. Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for about 15 minutes. This makes about 27 muffins, which is a good thing in this family!
These muffins are so moist and addictive! Yes, you can add nuts and raisins to the mix, but my family won't eat them if I do, so I adapted the recipe to our tastes. Enjoy!