Pumpkin Crumb Cake

Next recipe that I have been wanting to try.... Pumpkin Crumb Cake!  This was delicious.  Next time I would put it in a 9x9 pan.  There were too many crumbs for the loaf pan plus it took longer to back! 

Cake Batter
1 3⁄4 cups all-purpose flour    
1 1⁄2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
       (or 3/4 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp ginger, 1/8 tsp cloves)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
3⁄4 teaspoon salt
1⁄2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 1⁄4 cups sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup canned pureed pumpkin
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1⁄3 cup milk
3⁄4 cup chopped walnuts (optional) - I skipped this!

Topping
2⁄3 cup plus 2 tablespoons rolled oats
1⁄2 cup all-purpose flour
1⁄2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1⁄2 teaspoon cinnamon
6 tablespoons unsalted butter

Directions
・ Preheat oven to 350°F.
・ Grease a 9x5x3-inch loaf pan and line with parchment paper.
・ To make the topping, combine 2⁄3 cup oats, flour, sugar, and cinnamon in processor. Add butter and cut in until crumbly. Transfer mixture to medium bowl. Stir in remaining 2 tablespoons oats. Set to one side.
・ Sift the flour, pumpkin spice, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a bowl.
・ In a separate bowl, beat the butter with an electric mixer until smooth. Gradually beat in the sugar and 1 egg at a time.
・ Add the pumpkin and vanilla extract to the wet batter mix.
・ Gradually beat the dry ingredients into the batter. Slowly add the milk and stir in the walnuts (optional). Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and spread with the topping.
・ Bake the loaf cake until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, about 55 minutes. Cool in the pan for 15 minutes.
・ Turn the cake out onto a rack and cool completely.

Pumpkin Banana Bread

It seems as if Mom and I are on the same page today!  I just logged into the blog and behold - pumpkin bread with delicious sounding frosting and salted caramel.. Num!

Well, now I am taking a break from a day of studying for a biochemistry exam and a lab presentation to indulge in my stress relief - BAKING!  It was a dreary fall day here in the middle of Iowa, and the chill in the air brings to mind all things I love about this season.  The football game versus Kansas State played in the background, the rain whipped against windows, and I had a craving for banana bread.. and pumpkins.. so I combined them!

Taking Mom's good old recipe, I left out some banana and put in some pumpkin with nutmeg, cinnamon, and cloves for delicious flavoring (at least the batter tasted fantastic!).  The bread is filling my apartment with a wonderful aroma and will soon be done and I'll see if my recipe tastes as good as it smells!

Looking at Mom's recipe..  I've half the mind to add frosting and caramel to the bread..

Pumpkin Banana Bread
Ingredients:
     1 1/2 C sugar
     3/4 C butter (Crisco)
     2 eggs
     1 C mashed bananas
     1/2 - 3/4 C pumpkin puree
     1 tsp salt
     1tsp soda
     nutmeg, to taste
     cinnamon, to taste
     1 tsp vanilla
     cloves, to taste
     2 C flour
     1/2 C buttermilk

How to:
     1.   Preheat oven to 350 degrees
     2.   Blend everything together in a large bowl
     3.   Pour into greased whatever size bread pans you have (I used two medium loaf pans)
     4.   Throw those buggers in to the oven for about an hour and a half (as I've said earlier, my oven cooks fast, so I'm looking at about forty five minutes for the medium loaves)
     5.   Hopefully, enjoy!

Pumpkin Bread with Pumpkin Butter Cream Frosting and Salted Caramel

Today started out very early with us going to watch Kiefer run a 5k supporting the Essentia NICU at Fitgers in Duluth.  It is a very foggy, dreary, damp day so after the event was over, we returned home, turned up the heat and I decided it was time to turn the on the oven.  Another search on Pinterest led me to the following recipe.  

But.... instead of making the bread from scratch, I pulled out a box of Libby Pumpkin bread mix.  How easy, open the can of pumpkin puree, add the mix, eggs, oil and water.  Well it wasn't that easy.  I cracked 4 eggs into a bowl, then measured the 1/2 cup of oil, poured it over the eggs and then proceeded to pour another 1/2 cup of oil and poured it over the eggs!  As soon as I did that I realized what I did.  It was supposed to be a 1/2 cup of oil and 1 cup of water!  NOT 1 C OIL!  ugh.  So down the drain it went.  I finally did succeed in making 2 medium loaves and 1 mini loaf of bread.  I then topped with the Pumpkin Butter Cream Frosting (2 tablespoons of puree were taken out of the can before using it for the bread).  I think I should have had a double batch of the frosting because it didn't seem very thick.  I did double the caramel and drizzled that over the top.  That was messy because it kept running off the bread.   My bread didn't turn out as pretty as the picture on Pinterest.  

Tonight not only do Paul and Kiefer get to try my new trial but so do Kim and Dave.  :) And the mini loaf will go to the Neighbors!

Pumpkin Bread with Salted Caramel Drizzled Pumpkin Butter Cream Frosting

For the Bread  (a box mix is much easier!)  

• 1 C all-purpose flour
• 3/4 C white whole wheat flour
• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp allspice
• 1/8 tsp cloves
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 C brown sugar
• 1/4 C granulated sugar substitute
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 C low-fat plain yogurt
• 2 tbsp canola oil
• 1 1/4 C pumpkin puree

For the Frosting 

• 1/4 C butter, softened
• 2 tbsp pumpkin puree
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1 1/2 C confectioner’s sugar, sifted  (I didn't sift!)
• 2 tsp milk

For the  Caramel Drizzle

• 3 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tbsp water
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1/4 tsp salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven 325. Grease and flour a 9×5 loaf pan.  Or follow directions on the box.  
2. Whisk together flours, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, salt, baking soda, and baking powder until well-combined. Set aside.
3. In a separate bowl, using an electric or stand mixer, beat eggs until creamy. Beat in brown sugar and sugar substitute on medium speed for one minute. Add in vanilla, yogurt and oil. Beat until well-combined. Add flour mixture and pumpkin, beat until just combined. Scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
4. Spread batter into prepared loaf pan. Bake for 45-55 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow bread to cool in pan for 10 minutes before removing it to cool completely on a wire rack.
5. While bread is cooling, begin preparing the frosting. Cream together butter and pumpkin puree. Add in cinnamon and vanilla and beat until creamy. Slowly add confectioner’s sugar and milk. Beat until well-combined and creamy. Spread frosting over the top of the cooled bread.
6. In a small saucepan, stir together brown sugar and water. Dissolve sugar over medium-high heat. Continue heating until caramel turns dark brown and starts to boil, making sure to stir constantly to avoid burning. Add butter and salt. Stir to combine and remove from heat. Continue stirring for another 1-2 minutes to cool the caramel somewhat before drizzling over the top of the frosting.
7. Slice bread and serve! 
8. Store leftovers in the refrigerator.

Pumpkin Spice Kiss Cookies

I found Pumpkin Spice Hershey Kisses at the store after finding a recipe for cookies!  They are yummy!

Pumpkin Spice Kiss Cookies

1 1/2 packages Hershey’s Pumpkin Spice Kisses
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 1/4 cups canned pumpkin puree
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Line a couple of baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.  (I lightly greased the pan).

Unwrap the Pumpkin Spice Kisses. (about 65 of them) Place them in the freezer for at least 30 minutes. This is important because the Pumpkin Spice Kisses melt much faster than the regular Kisses.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, kosher salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and allspice. Set aside.

In a bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, mix together the butter, sugar and light brown sugar on medium high speed for 4 minutes until light and fluffy.

Add in the egg and mix to combine.
Then add in the vanilla extract and the pumpkin. Mix on medium speed for a couple of minutes.

Slowly add in the dry ingredients on low speed. Mix until it’s almost combined.
Take a spatula and fold the ingredients together.

Using a Tablespoon, scoop the cookie dough. Then use a spoon to scoop the dough out of the Tablespoon. The cookie dough will be sticky so don’t worry. Place the cookie dough balls onto the baking sheets lined with parchment paper.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 12 minutes.

Once the cookies come out of the oven, press a Pumpkin Spice Kiss in the middle of each cookie.

Immediately (and carefully!) remove the cookies from the baking sheet with a spatula and cool them on a cooling rack.