Perfect Pumpkin Bread 3 Ways

I can feel Fall in the air, even here in Tennessee and I am so excited.  The warm humid air is giving way to light cool breezes , and let me tell you, that is thrilling after a long hot summer in the South.  Although I love our summers spent poolside, I am oh-so ready for Fall!    There is something about the change of seasons that is good for the soul, don't you think?   I may be hurrying it along, but today I hung my Autumn wreath on the door and made these wonderful mini pumpkin loaves that I have been baking every fall for years.!  My home smelled incredible for hours and I had a yummy treat to share with some neighbors and to welcome my boys home from school.  This really is the BEST pumpkin bread recipe, and it tastes even better the next day.    You can have fun with this recipe by making a crumb topping, stirring in mini chocolate chips or drizzling a glaze over top.  Today I tried a mouthwatering brown butter glaze on top and it was fantastic, but a simple vanilla glaze is great too.  I usually enjoy this bread plain or with some whipped cream cheese, but my boys prefer the "frosting":)  The toppings do make the little loaves pretty and add an extra touch of sweetness.  If you do keep them plain, try eating it with a smear of whipped cream cheese--trust me, it is divine!  This recipe makes 8 mini loaves like the ones pictured or 3 (7x3 inch) pans.  Perfect for sharing!  This treat will definitely get you in the mood for Fall!

Today, I shared a few other ideas to get ready for Fall here and I would love to know what you are doing to welcome in the new season!  Leave us a comment with your plans:)  Have we mentioned that we  LOVE to hear from you?!  It's true!

Perfect Pumpkin Bread
submitted by~Melanie

1 (15oz) can pumpkin puree
4 eggs
1 c vegetable oil
2/3 c water
3 cups sugar
3 1/2 c flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cloves

*Optional Variations--see below

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and flour pans (this will make 3 small 7x3 loaf pans or 8 mini loaf pans).

In a large bowl, mix together pumpkin puree, eggs, oil, water and sugar until well blended.  In a seperate bowl, wisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.  Stir the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until just blended.  Pour into the prepared pans. *if desired stir in mini chocolate chips or sprinkle loaves with crumb topping (recipe follows) before baking.

Bake for about 50-60 minutes in the preheated oven.  Loaves are done when toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  Do not over cook!

*Optional Variations

Crumb Topping
1/2 cup butter
1/2 c quick oats
1/2 c flour
1/2 c brown sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
6 TB chopped pecans (if desired--we leave out)

Using a pastry cutter combine topping and sprinkle on top of loaves before baking.

Brown Butter Glaze
1/4 cup butter, warmed in a pan until it turns light brown
2 c powdered sugar
3 Tb hot water or milk
1/2 tsp vanilla
Combine the warm butter and vanilla with enough powdered sugar and water to get the right consistency to pour over loaves.  I put it on pretty thick pictured above, but you could definetly make the glaze thinner by adding a little more hot water or milk.  Also--you can heat it up again if it starts to stiffen.

Eclair Dessert Squares

Eclairs are one of those desserts that most people just love. But who's ever made eclairs? Of those of you that have attempted eclair-making, how many would ever do it again?! :)  Eclairs sure are tasty but making them is such an ordeal that I hardly think it is worth the blood, sweat and tears required.  (Just a slight exaggeration but you get the picture!) This eclair dessert is fantastic because it is easy, quick and delicious!!  All the yumminess of your favorite dessert but with far less hassle.  The instant pudding tastes wonderful (although homemade is even better if you have the time). I would definitely recommend whipping your own heavy cream instead of using Cool Whip but if you must use it, you must. It will still taste good.  The chocolate sauce is the perfect finishing touch. Since it is made with real melted chocolate it tastes so creamy and decadent and complements the rest of the dessert wonderfully.  Maybe some of you have tried this dessert before - many recipes have Hershey's chocolate sauce drizzled on top.  No comparison!  This is one dessert that is sure to please everyone! 

Eclair Dessert Squares
submitted by Brittany ~ The Sisters Cafe

Crust:
1/2 cup butter (one cube)
1 cup hot water
1 cup flour
4 eggs

In microwave or stovetop, bring water and butter to a boil until butter is melted. Pour into mixer with wire whisk attachment (or use handmixer). Add flour and beat until smooth.  Beat in eggs one at a time.  Spread on greased large cookie sheet.   Bake at 400 degrees F for 20 minutes.  Crust will bubble up. Take out of oven and flatten bubbles with spatula while still hot.  Allow to cool.

Filling:
2 large boxes (5.1 oz)  instant vanilla pudding
4 1/2 cups milk
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 - 2 cups heavy whipping cream
powdered sugar

Whip pudding with milk and softened cream cheese until mixture is smooth.  Spread over cooled crust. 
Beat whipping cream with 2 heaping spoonfuls of powdered sugar until soft peaks form.  Spread whipped cream over pudding.

Chocolate Sauce:
1/2 cup chocolate chips
2 Tb butter
3 Tb milk
1 cup powdered sugar

Melt chocolate chips over low heat and add all other ingredients.  Beat well with wire whisk until smooth.  Drizzle on top.  Refrigerate dessert before serving.

Pumpkin Cream Trifle

Oh my goodness--this dessert is amazing! Seriously, it is one of my all time favorite fall desserts! Whenever I serve this, without fail people ask me for the recipe. I have to admit that this recipe beat me at a pumpkin themed recipe contest I was involved in at Thanksgiving Point years ago. I got second, but I had to completely agree with the judges choice. We got to sample all the entries and this was hands down the best (darn it:) I of course asked my fellow contestant for a copy of her winning recipe and she sweetly gave it to me. I have been making it ever since! This is perfect for fall and all of the holiday season. It is perfect for parties, looking very impressive and feeding lots (15-20). If you are not a pecan fan, like my husband you can use toasted almonds instead.

PS My weekly menu with recipe links here. What is on your menu?

Pumpkin Cream Trifle

submitted by Melanie courtesy of Gayle Holdman

Printable recipe here

First Layer:
1 pkg spice cake mix
1 pkg. (3.4 oz) instant vanilla pudding
1 cup canned pumpkin
½ cup vegtable oil (can do ¼ cup applesauce, and ¼ cup oil instead)
½ cup water
3 large eggs
1tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground ginger

Preaheat oven to 350. Spray 9x13 baking pan with vegtable oil spray. Place all cake ingredients in large mixing bowl. Blend with electric mixer on low speed from 1 minute. Scrape down sides and then increase speed to medium and beat for 2 minutes more. Batter should look think and well blended. Pour into prepared pan and backe 32-39 minutes or until cake tests done. Cool completely. (cake can be frozen at this point. Thaw at room temperature before assembling trifle.) When ready to prepare trifle, cut or tear into approx. 1 inch cubes.

Second Layer (cream):
2 pkgs. (3.4 oz) cheesecake flavored instant pudding mix
2 cups cold milk
2 cups freshly whipped cream (unsweetened)

Combine pudding mixes with milk and blend with whisk until it starts to thicken. Fold in whipped cream, then quickly assemble trifle.

Third Layer (toppings):
½ cup chopped, toasted pecans or almonds
½ cup Skor toffee bits

To assemble trifle:
Place 1/3 of cake cubes into trifle bowl. Top with 1/3 of cream mixture and sprinkle with 1/3 of nuts and toffee bits. Repeat layers two more times, ending with nuts and toffee on top. Serve immediately or refrigerate, covered no longer that 24 hours.

Creamy Vanilla Pudding

One word: HEAVEN. Seriously, I love this homemade vanilla pudding. It is marvelous. It is smooth, rich, creamy, and perfectly perfect. My husband teases me about the fact that I savor every spoonful.... I won't tell you if I actually close my eyes and sit back as I slowly enjoy the delicate flavor and creamy texture..... Let's just say if I was videotaped it would be very embarrassing. :)

I remember requesting "Blancmange" for my birthday dessert instead of cake and icecream. That's how much I loved this growing up and how much I still love it to this day! (We would call it blancmange as well as vanilla pudding; they are very similar so we used the terms interchangeably.)

Thank you, Mom, for another wonderful, life-enhancing recipe! :)

 

Creamy Vanilla Pudding

Submitted by Erin ~ The Sisters Cafe

Printable Recipe

1/3 c. sugar
2 T. cornstarch
1/8 tsp salt
2 c. milk
2 egg yolks, slightly beaten
2 T. margarine or butter, softened
2 tsp vanilla

Mix sugar, cornstarch and salt in a 2 quart saucepan. Stir in milk gradually. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture thickens and boils. Boil and stir 1 minute. Stir at least half of the hot mixture gradually into egg yolks. Blend into hot mixture in saucepan. Boil and stir one minute. Remove from heat; stir in margarine and vanilla. Pour into dessert dishes. Cool slightly and serve warm. Refrigerate leftovers. Makes 4 servings.

Sweetheart Custard Dessert

I like to make this pretty dessert every Valentines. I love having a special recipe that I only make once a year, and this one just says LOVE all over it! :) I made this for a girl baby shower last week, and it was perfect since I consider this "chick-food." :) I originally found the recipe in a food magazine (when I remember the name of it, I'll include it), and it said to use a store bought pastry crust. Of all the times I've made this, I've only ever attempted to use a store bought pastry crust one year. I was running waaay late for a neighborhood Valentines party and decided to run to the store to buy a crust, quickly roll it out and then assemble the dessert and still not be too late. Well, it was a disaster. The store bought pastry was cracked and paper thin from the beginning. Rolling it out was a ridiculous endeavor. I will never attempt that again! Just making my own pie crust is way easier! (And now it's easier than ever for me because my sweet husband bought me an 11-cup capacity Cuisinart food processor last year, so making a pie crust is now a snap!) I prefer to use the Barefoot Contessa recipe for a double crust pie crust. I'll include that recipe at the end.

The great thing about this recipe is it's easy to make ahead and assemble just beforehand. You can make the pie crust and custard in the morning. Before the party I whip the cream and fold it into the custard, and slice the strawberries. Then I assemble it all together. Before drizzling it with chocolate, I sprinkle the edges of the tart with confectioners' sugar, so it looks pretty on the glass cake stand.

The first time I made this I cut out an 11-inch wide heart using 2 pieces of computer paper taped together. I just fold it and keep it tucked behind the recipe in my recipe binder, and I use it as the heart pattern every year. I just lay the paper pattern on top of the rolled out pastry and cut around it with a knife.

Happy Valentines!

Sweetheart Custard Dessert
Submitted by Erin ~ http://www.thesisterscafe.com/

Printable recipe

Pastry for double-crust pie (9 inches)
Confectioners' sugar 

CUSTARD:
2/3 cup sugar
3 Tbs cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt
11/3 cup milk
2 egg yolks
1/4 cup lemon juice

1 Tbs butter or margarine
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup confectioners sugar 

TOPPING:
2 to 3 cups sliced fresh strawberries
2 Tbs semisweet chocolate chips
1 tsp shortening

Roll out each pastry between waxed paper (I just use my silicone mat) into a 12 inch circle; using an 11 inch wide heart shaped pattern, cut each pastry into a heart shape. Place on greased and floured baking sheets; prick with a fork. Bake at 450 degrees for 7-9 minutes or until golden brown. Remove to wire racks to cool. Sprinkle with confectioners sugar.

Meanwhile, in a saucepan, combine the sugar, cornstarch and salt; gradually stir in milk until smooth. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Reduce heat; cook
and stir 2 minutes longer. Remove from the heat. combine the egg yolks and lemon juice. Stir a small amount of hot filling into egg yolk mixture; return all to pan, stirring constantly. Bring to a gentle boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in butter. Cover; refrigerate until cool. In a mixing bowl, beat the cream and confectioners' sugar until stiff peaks form. Gently whisk the lemon custard, then fold in whipped cream.

Place one pastry on a serving plate; spread with half of custard. Arrange half berries over filling. Repeat with second pastry and remaining custard and berries. In a microwave-safe bowl, melt chocolate chips and shortening. Drizzle over the top.

(With some leftover piecrust, I made a few little tartlettes. I reserved some pudding to put in the insides and topped them with strawberries and chocolate.)

Barefoot Contessa Pie Crust

Submitted by Erin ~ http://www.thesisterscafe.com/

Makes for two 10-inch pie crusts

12 Tbs (1 1/2 sticks) very cold unsalted butter
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 Tbs sugar
1/3 cup very cold shortening
6-8 Tbs (about 1/2 cup) ice water 

Dice the butter and return it to the refrigerator while you prepare the flour mixture. Place the flour, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse a few times to mix. Add the butter and shortening. Pulse 8-12 times, until the butter is the size of peas. With the machine running, pour the ice water down the feed tube and pulse the machine until the dough begins to form a ball. Dump out onto a floured board and roll into a ball. (At this point, I like to divide it into two parts and make two discs.) Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Cut the dough in half. Roll each piece on a well-floured board (I use a silicone mat) into a circle, rolling from the center to the edge, turning and flouring the dough to make sure it doesn't stick to the board. Fold the dough in half, place in a pie pan, and unfold to fit the pan. Repeat with the top crust.

Kneaders Raspberry Bread Pudding with Vanilla Cream Sauce

Kneaders is a great bakery, cafe in Utah. Is it nationwide?? I am not sure. Anyway, they are famous around here for their baked goods, soups and desserts. Everything that I have ever had from Kneaders is wonderful. I got this recipe from my friend Sheri. I am not sure if it is the REAL Kneaders recipe--but it was fantastic! My hubby requested it this year for his birthday, instead of cake. Mmmmm--
**Tips** I did not use cream--that just seemed to rich for my tastes. I used half and half whenever it said cream in the recipe. I baked this in my Le Cresuet 9x13 deep dish baker. I had to keep it in the oven an extra 20 minutes. Next time I will use my roasting pan, it is bigger than a 9x13.

Kneaders Raspberry Bread Pudding
submitted by Melanie

Cream Mix

1 1/2 loaves aged, white bread

1 quart heavy cream

3 cups sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

In large bowl combine cream, sugar, egg and vanilla. Cut bread into 1 1/2" cubes and add to cream mixture, coating bread well. Let stand 30 minutes stirring every 5 minutes to allow cream to absorb completely.

Fruit Filling
5 cups frozen raspberries

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup apple juice

Combine raspberries, sugar and apple juice, stirring until sugar is dissolved.
Layer a 9x13 dark baking dish 3/4 full with bread mixture, pour fruit filling over bread mixture, spreading evenly, top with remaining bread. Bake 40 minutes at 375 degrees. Serve warm. Top with vanilla sauce.

Vanilla Sauce
1 1/3 cup butter

5 tablespoons flour

3 cups heavy cream

2 teaspoons vanilla

1/3 cup sugar

Over medium heat melt butter, and add flour stir 10 minutes until it has a nutty aroma, do not brown. Add cream and sugar and boil till mixture is thick, remove from heat adding vanilla. Serve this wonderful sauce cold.

Toffee Butterscotch Tapioca Pudding

I first saw this recipe on another blog (Tartelette) and printed it out to try. I would definetly recommend it! It was really easy to make and my family thought it was SOOOOO yummy!

Toffee Butterscotch Tapioca Pudding

submitted by Melanie (adapted from Tartelette.blogspot.com)

1 can evaporated milk

2 egg yolks

2/3 cupwhole milk (I used to 2%)

3 Tb instant tapioca

1/4 tsp. kosher salt

3 Tb. unsalted butter
2/3 cup brown sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 cup toffee bits (such as Skor)

1/2 cup whipping cream

2 tsp. sugar

toffee bits and shaved chocolate for garnish

Warm the evaporated milk in a saucepan until it comes to boiling point. Reduce the heat to low and keep it warm.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolk, milk, tapioca and salt. Let stand 5 minutes.

Melt the butter in a saucepan on medium heat, add the brown sugar and cook until the sugar melts and starts to foam, about 4 minutes.

Slowly whisk in the warm evaporated milk, stirring until smooth. Be careful as it will bubble like crazy.

Add the tapioca mixture and bring the pudding to a gentle boil. Cook, stirring constantly for an additional 3-4 minutes. Remove from the heat. Stir in the vanilla.

Pour half the pudding among 4 serving dishes, divide the toffee bits evenly on top, pour the remaining half of pudding. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing it to the surface as to prevent a skin from forming. Let stand or chill until serving time. Whip the cream to soft peaks with the sugar and garnish the puddings with it. Garnish with toffee bits and shaved chocolate.
Serves 4