Pumpkin Bundt Cake with Caramel Drizzle

I know that the winter weather has gotten a jump-start on us this year, 

but I'm still hanging on to my fall harvest and Thanksgiving spirit for another week.

My snow covered pumpkins are still gracing my front step and 

the wreath on the door is still made up of orange and yellow leaves. 

So, in that spirit, I am sharing with you this decadent

pumpkin-shaped pumpkin cake with caramel drizzle.  

Start with 1-15 oz can of pumpkin puree, 

add to that 3 eggs, 2 cups of sugar, 3/4 cup canola oil and 1 tsp vanilla extract. 

Mix all of the 'wet' ingredients together well. 

While the mixing is getting started, the oven should be set to 350 F to preheat. 

Then add 3 cup of flour, 2 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp baking powder, 

1/2 tsp salt, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, 1 tsp ground nutmeg and 1/2 tsp ground ginger. 

All of that was mixed up by my fabulous little helper. 

After the pan was sprayed well, the cake batter was poured into the pan. 

Pop the cake into the 350 F oven for about 1 hour.  

Allow to cool in the pan before inverting to remove from pan. 

Now, if you want to bake a 2nd cake and make a pumpkin shape, 

the cake needs to be trimmed flat so that the two cakes align to form a pumpkin shape. 

The final step was melting the caramel along with a tablespoon or two of milk. 

And then slowly drizzling it over the cake. 

Pumpkin Bundt Cake with Caramel Drizzle
RECIPE

Prep Time : 30 minutes
Bake Time : 2 hours

Ingredients: (per cake)

1 15 oz can of Pumpkin Purée

3 eggs

2 cups of sugar

3/4 cup canola oil

1 tsp vanilla extract

3 cups all purpose flour

2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp ground ginger

Cooking spray

Caramel Bits
2 tbsp whole milk

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Add pumpkin, eggs, sugar, oil and vanilla to mixing bowl and blend well.  

Then add the rest of the dry ingredients, flour, baking soda and powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger and mix well.  

Spray bundt pan very well to ensure that the cake will release from the pan.  

Baking at 350F for 1 hour.  

Allow to cool.

Bake a 2nd cake.

After both have cooled, trim off the extra height that interferes with the pumpkin shape when stacked on top of each other.

Then, melt the caramel bits in a pan over medium heat with 2 tbsp of whole milk.
Drizzle over the top of the cake so that the caramel runs down the sides.

Caramel Apple Crisp

This healthy and delightful Caramel Apple Crisp is just one more reason to love cooler temperatures.  It is quick and easy with just 6 ingredients!

It is during these early fall days when we are all holding off on turning on our heat that I always opt for baking so that the oven can do double duty...warm our house and our tummies!  

There is nothing better than being warmed inside and out by the best tastes and scents of the season. 

Additionally, we had the boys' grandparents in town on Friday, so wanted to have the perfect seasonal dessert that would keep us all, both more and less young, at the table just a little longer.  

This apple crisp started with about 4 peeled and sliced Zestar apples that we picked up at the

 The Apple Barn in Elkhorn, WI last weekend.  

Tricky thing about knowing how much fruit was used was that once I started peeling and slicing, I had kids coming from all angles for a few slices of their own.  

That is one of the best things about fruit based desserts!  

I'm always happy for my kids to munch on fruit. 

The apples were topped with 1 tsp cinnamon and the juice from 1/2 of a lemon and gently tossed.

Since caramel topping was part of this dessert, I did not feel the need to add any sweeteners to the apples at this point, or any point, for that matter.  

As for the topping, 1/2 cup almond flour, for the gluten free option, 

or standard wheat flour will also work just fine, 

1/2 cup oatmeal, 1 tsp ground cinnamon and 1/2 stick of softened butter.  

Again, no sugar here, but if you aren't going to top with caramel or serve with ice cream, I wouldn't blame you for adding some sweetener to the topping as well.  

Using a fork, blend the butter into the dry ingredients until it crumbles.  

Sprinkle the topping evenly over the apples and bake at 375F for 30 minutes.  

Serve with ice cream and caramel sauce for the perfect fall dessert!  

RECIPE:

Ingredients:

4 baking apples - peeled and sliced

2 tsp ground cinnamon - divided

Juice from 1/2 of a lemon

1/2 cup flour, almond for gluten free, or wheat

1/2 cup oatmeal

1/2 stick of softened butter

Caramel Topping

Vanilla Ice Cream

Directions:

Peel and sliced at least 4 apples. They bake down, so looks can be deceiving. 

Layer into 9x13 baking dish, top with cinnamon and lemon juice. Toss gently. 

Mix flour, oatmeal and blend in softened butter. 

Sprinkle topping over apples. 

Bake at 375F for 30 minutes. 

Serve with caramel and ice cream. 

Almond Joy Caramel Bars

I'm so excited to share this recipe with you because it is a rare one where through the process, it evolved from something already very good to utterly amazing!

While baking last week, early one more whilst the kids were still asleep, I found myself short on butter.

Yep, you can see in the picture below there is hardly enough there to make anything tasty.

So, after all of the hullabaloo about coconut oil, I decided that I would try using that in the recipe in place of the butter I was short.

Not only is it good for you, it has similar properties to butter, as it is solidifies when chilled, as opposed to so many other oils which may get cloudy, but won't solidify.  So, I thought, what the heck!?!

Little did I know, these caramel bars would take on a whole new dimension with this awesome hint of coconut.

Let me present to you Almond Joy Caramel Bars.

These are the ingredients that I gathered from my pantry before starting the bars.  One last minute addition was some cocoa powder.  

Into a mixing bowl the following ingredients were measured and combined…1 cup flour, 1 cup oatmeal, 3/4 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup cocoa powder, 1/2 tsp baking soda and 1/4 tsp salt. 

Approximately 1/4 cup butter and 1/4 cup coconut oil were measured. 

Since there are not quite as many solids in coconut oil as butter, I did cut back on the total amount or the baked goods would not have the right texture. 

Mix the butter/coconut oil blend with the dry ingredients until the fats are fully dispersed 

and the mix is crumbly. 

Scoop 2 cups of the mixture into a sprayed 9x13 pan.

Pat the mixture to form a crust.

Then, pop it into a 350F oven for 8 minutes. 

While the first layer of bars are baking, 

melt the 1 1/2 cups (11 oz bag) of caramels along with 

1/3 cup whole milk over medium low to low heat.  

Stir the caramels often and be patient as scorched caramel will be brittle when cooled. 

This is by far the most tedious part.  

When completely melted, pour the caramel over the baked bottom portion

and sprinkle with 1 cup chocolate chips. 

Sprinkle the remaining dry mix over the caramel and gently pat down. 

Return to the oven to bake for 12 minutes. 

Cut the bars while they are still warm. 

Now, hide them unless you want them devoured immediately!

RECIPE:

Ingredients:
1 cup flour
1 cup oatmeal
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup coconut oil

1 1/2 cups (11 oz bag) of caramels

1/3 cup whole milk 

1 cup chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F. 

Measure first 6 ingredients into mixing bowl. 

Mix in the butter and coconut oil. 

Once will combined, add 2 cups of mix to sprayed 9x13 pan. 

Press down and bake for 8 minutes.

Melt caramels and whole milk over low heat. 

Pour over baked bars and sprinkle with chocolate chips before topping with remaining mix.

Pat down the topping and bake for additional 12 minutes. 

Cut while warm. 

**See how long you can make them last.**