Homemade Autumn Desserts

By Julia Romano

Homemade Amazing Apple Cake

Ingredients

• ½ cup butter, softened • 1 cup sugar • 2 eggs • ¼ teaspoon vanilla • 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour • 1 teaspoon baking soda • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon • ¼ teaspoon salt • 2 ½ cups shredded peeled apples (about 3 medium apples) (see below for suggested apple types) • 1 quart vanilla or cinnamon ice cream

Directions

• Heat oven to 350°F. • Spray a 9-inch round cake pan with baking spray with flour. • In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. • Beat in eggs, one at a time. • Stir in vanilla, flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. • Stir in apples. • Spoon into pan. • Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. • Cool for 10 minutes. • Remove from pan to cooling rack. • Cool for 10 minutes longer. • Serve warm or room temperature with ice cream.

Tips

À la mode: a fancy phrase that means serving with a scoop of ice cream, or two. Even fancier? Whip up some heavy cream, flavored with a splash of caramel coffee syrup and a dash of cinnamon.

The best baking apples are slightly tart, hold their shape during the cooking process and aren’t too juicy. Top choices are Granny Smith, Braeburn, Cortland, Northern Spy, and Rome Beauty.

Spread some peanut or almond butter on a slice of this moist cake for an on-the-go breakfast.

This cake is also delicious when cooled and dusted with powdered sugar.

For more apple bite, chop the apples into small chunks rather than shredding them.

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cake

(Baked in coffee cans)

Ingredients

• 3 cups white sugar • 1 (15 ounce) can or fresh (see below) pumpkin puree • 1 cup vegetable oil • 2/3 cup water • 4 eggs • 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon • 1 tablespoon ground nutmeg • 2 teaspoons baking soda • 1 ½ teaspoons salt • 1 ½ cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips • ½ cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. • Grease and flour three 1 pound size coffee cans. ((3)9x5 inch loaf pans if you do not have coffee cans). • In a large bowl, combine sugar, pumpkin, oil, water, and eggs. • Beat until smooth. • Blend in flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt. Fold in chocolate chips and nuts. • Fill cans to almost ¾ full. • Bake for 1 hour, or until an inserted knife comes out clean. • Cool on wire racks before removing from cans or pans. • Add vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, or spread with cream cheese to make this dessert even more yummy.

Easy directions for fresh pumpkin puree

Once it’s home, rinse the pumpkin, then cut it in half. Smaller pumpkins will be easier to work with. Push a heavy knife into the top near the stem and push down to the bottom. Keep your fingers out of the way. I suggest using a dish towel (or a mopeen, as it’s referred to in my family) to keep the pumpkin in place while you are cutting into it.

Turn the pumpkin and make a cut from the stem to the bottom again. Wiggle the knife through the bottom so that all but the stem is cut. Don’t try to cut through the stem; it’s much too tough and may cause you to cut yourself. Last, pull the two halves apart. As you do this, the top of the pumpkin should break just under the stem, and the stem can be pulled away.

Scoop out the pumpkin seeds and any stringy flesh, then lightly season with salt. Place the halves cut-side-down onto a baking sheet and roast until the flesh is soft and coming away from the skin. Once the pumpkin is roasted, scoop the softened flesh into a food processor and blend until smooth. It’s now ready to be used for your pumpkin recipe.