Pumpkin Spice Cake with Honey Frosting

It’s Tuesday! After a rocky start to the week (Monday is just not my strong suit), the day picked up with a trip to the gym, a Giants win (!), and Shaun cooking up tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches for dinner. This morning got me going with some maple cinnamon oatmeal, pumpkin spice coffee and planning what to make for Saturday’s Halloween party at my sister Kimberly’s.

Meanwhile, I hope you’re not sick of pumpkin just yet because today I’m serving up a pumpkin spice cake that’s moist and festive. When our friend Kristen celebrated her birthday a couple weeks ago, I knew a pumpkin cake would be just the ticket for a Fall soiree. Not to mention that a little bird told me that she was a fan of pumpkin. It was a no brainer. So when I stumbled up this Martha Stewart recipe for Pumpkin Spice Cake with Honey Frosting, I knew it was meant to be.

So I got to work planning the cake, making just a few changes to fit my own specifications that 1) I didn't have the proper baking pan and 2) wanted the frosting to have just a hint more sweetness than the original recipe called for. The result? A moist, slightly sweet autumn cake that was quick and easy to boot. Looking for a great Halloween or Thanksgiving recipe that will WOW your guests? Look no further, my friends.

Pumpkin Spice Cake with Honey Frosting
*Adapted from Martha Stewart
for the cake:
1/2 C unsalted butter, melted
2 1/2 C all purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice
2 large eggs
1 1/2 C sugar
1 15oz can pumpkin
for the frosting:
1/2 C unsalted butter, at room temperature
8 oz cream cheese
1/4 C honey
3/4 tsp vanilla extract
1 C confectioners' sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9x9" baking dish. Ok, I don't have a 9x9" baking dish. And I couldn't find a foil one last minute at Whole Foods either. So I decided to take a chance on my 8.5" round cake pan. I figured, why not? (Spoiler alert: it worked! sort of). In a mixing bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin pie spice. In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, sugar, butter and pumpkin puree. Add the dry ingredients and mix until smooth. Pour into baking dish.

Bake until a toothpick comes out clean, about 45-50 minutes. Cool 10 minutes and transfer to a wire rack. So remember how I said the cake pan sorta worked? Well here's how it turned out:

It's like my cake spawned a little baby on top. I'm assuming that this was caused by not using the correct pan. To remedy the situation, I simply sliced off the excess on top. Using a long bread knife, I very carefully evened out the top. I may have even got down on my knees to be exactly eye level with the cake top.

The moral of the story? Use the proper pan...and if you don't have it or can't find it, improvise. No one knew any different. Fortunately, this excess cake meant some sampling for the chef. You know, just to make sure it tasted alright.

Meanwhile, make the frosting. In a stand mixer, or with a hand mixer, combine the softened butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy. Add the honey and mix until completely combined, scraping up the bottom of the bowl to make sure it's all combined. That honey can pack some weight and sink right to the bottom. Though I'd never used honey in frosting before, it gave an extra layer of flavor that was the perfect complement to the pumpkiny goodness of the cake.

Mix in the vanilla and sugar, adding sugar 1/2 C at a time. Now frost that bad boy. I got the rustic look on mine by dumping a lot of icing on the top of the cake and spreading it over the edges and down the sides...carefully! Cake decorating is certainly not my specialty (though I'm not ruling it out down the road :)), so I used a slow and steady hand to spread the icing with a butter knife so it was just right.

To top it off, I added a thick layer of Halloween non-pareils sprinkles that I snagged at Target that very morning. Aren't they festive? And doesn't this simple sprinkle design (if you could even call it that) just scream this cake is for grown-ups, but still celebrates the season!?

I toted mine on a cute cake caddy that was gifted to me by my awesome Mom, hence the blue plate. Slice it up and bask in the oooh's and aaaah's from the crowd!

 

So there it is, a chic yet rustic and absolutely delicious cake that's perfect for any autumn occasion, especially you're upcoming Halloween fete! So what do you think? Are you over the pumpkin craze? Are you planning any fun desserts for upcoming Halloween parties? And bonus question: How did you get through you Monday yesterday?

Psst...missed the first part of Halloween week? Catch up here!

DIY Pumpkin Spice Coffee

It's Friday! We made it! Hurrah!

Now that our collective celebration is out of the way, let's get down to the fun stuff. Last night I baked a pumpkin pie (which I'm crossing my fingers that the crust cooked all the way through, but won't know for sure until it's go-time), made white turkey chili for dinner and curled up to watch Fringe. Is anyone else watching? It has been so outta control good this season. Plus, an hour of Joshua Jackson ain't so bad either. I'm so excited for spending time with friends and family this weekend and for getting to rock my brandy new Giants zip up on Sunday!

Anyhow, after two weeks of sipping on delicious pumpkin spice coffee, I thought it time to share my tale with all of you!

Today's recipe is a result of my plight of righteous indignation over expensive coffees and other coffee-laden drinks. You see, all summer I've had an injured wrist. After finally having it looked at by none other than a hand specialist, I found out that the problem was all stemming from a cyst - aka a giant egg on the top of my wrist. After a not-so-pretty shot and a splint, I was sent on my way. And since I was such a good patient, I felt that my inaugural pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks was just the ticket as a reward for my good patient behavior. You know, like I'm an eight-year-old.

Imagine my outrage that a Grande Pumpkin Spice Latte was nothing short of $5.17. I mean...seriously? Ok for a once in a while splurge, but how could I possibly justify over $5 per day to get my pumpkin spice fix? There had to be a better way.

And that's when I came across a yum-inducing recipe for Coffee Shop Pumpkin Syrup on Savvy Eats. Bingo. I altered the recipe a bit to eliminate more sugar and overall, this recipe really hits the mark for a super delicious autumn coffee. Oh and minus all the extra calories of a latte!

DIY Pumpkin Spice Coffee
*Adapted from Savvy Eats
2 tbsp canned pumpkin
1/4 C Splenda Brown Sugar Blend
1/2 C + 2 tbsp water
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground cloves (or leave out altogether if you have an aversion to its pungency)
ground coffee (as much as you want to make)
half and half or milk of your choice

In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine pumpkin, Splenda, water, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves.

Stir together until ingredients have melted together. Continue cooking until the mixture thickens, resembling syrup, but making sure that it doesn't get too thick. Stir frequently so that it doesn't burn. This entire process took about 5 minutes. I had many reservations about the Splenda's ability to syrupify, but it worked! Hurrah for not wasting calories! I poured mine into that pretty saucer you see above to cool and then transferred it to a plastic container and stored in the fridge.

Now it's morning and time to put it altogether! Get your coffee grounds and make your coffee as usual...

I store my Dunkin' Donuts original blend in this pretty mason jar that I scooped up for just a few buckaroos at Michael's. Isn't it so much nicer than dealing with that awful and annoying bag that coffee comes in?

Since the syrup has a tendency to sink to the bottom, I mixed a teaspoon of the syrup with a bit of half and half (ok, more than a bit...I like my coffee creamy! You see why I don't have calories to spare on extra sugar) in a mug and microwaved it for about 20 seconds so that the syrup could dissapate into the cream. Yum!

Not to mention that adding warm cream to the hot coffee makes all the difference in the world! I carry mine around in a sweet tumbler that I bought at Target a couple of years ago. Add any further sweetner that you deem necessary and you're set with your cheap DIY Pumpkin Spice Coffee! Now do the happy dance because you are saving mucho moola with this creation.

So there you have it. A cheap and easy way to enjoy an autumnal favorite. What do you think? Do you ever prefer to DIY things in the name of saving a few bucks? Am I the only one outraged by the prices of Starbucks and other specialty coffee shops? And bonus question, what are you most looking forward to this weekend?

Fallified Table

We've made it to hump day and I've officially decided that every week should be a 4 day work week. Last night Shaun and I feasted on leftover spaghetti and meatballs from Sunday dinner at my parents house and then watched Castle from Monday night (even though I fell asleep midway through the ep). This morning feels oh-so-Fallish here in NYC so I thought it was the perfect time to share my autumn updates around my Avid Kitchen. Or just outside of it, I should say.

Last week I broke out our small collection of Fall decorations! And by small collection, I mean a couple of table runners, a $3 light up pumpkin from Target and a collection of fake yet very pretty leaves and...well, that's about all she wrote. I'm all for keeping things simple, but this year I wanted to take it up a notch. So when my mom and I took on a curtain sewing project (and by my mom and I, I mean that she sewed while I supervised), we also picked up some fabric to make a DIY autumn table runner. With a couple yards of orange burlap and some faux leaves, we Mom was in business for a sweet runner that took my plain jane dining table from just another piece of furniture to a truly adorable statement maker.

Oh and my red and white leaf dishware is just about the perfect addition to a Fall table! While they aren't as classic as plain ol' white, they somehow manage to go with every season - especially Fall! Add a few mini pumpkins on my gorgeous Tiffany plate (a precious engagement gift from dear family friends) and the space was transformed. Oh and we snapped up those little guys for a mere $5 total at our local A&P.

A closer look at the fine craftmenship by my amazing, domestic goddess of a Mom.

And so that my coffee table didn't feel left out, I also picked up a little pumpkin to sit on top of a sweet table runner that I got at Kohl's last Fall. I added our cheap-o, industrial chic plant and a candle holder to round out the setting.

So what do you think? Doesn't the coffee table look totally hors d'oeuvres worthy? I just can't stop staring at the pretty runner made by my awesome Mom! But what I want to know is, how do you deck out for Fall? Do you change over your kitchen? Dining table? Do you whip up inspired eats?