Something Sweet on Sunday/Pumpkin Dump Cake

Fall is here!!!, and I am so very happy. I truly love this time of year, the cool temperatures, the changing colors of the leaves. It's a time of year that seems absolutely magical. 

Family heirlooms have always been important to me. I have the most eclectic collection of things that belonged to my family. There's a crochet hook that my great-uncle whittled for my grandmother. An old dime store ring that my grandfather gave to my grandmother when they were dating. A quilt that my grandmother made when she was 15 years old. That quilt hangs on the wall in 1 of my guest rooms. Another quilt that my great-aunt made when she was only 9 years old. Both of these quilts mean the world to me. There are many other items like this. They have no real value, other than my knowing that when my hands touch these items, the hands of those I have loved have touched them as well. I also have a cast iron griddle that belonged to my great-great-grandmother. And, another cast iron skillet that belonged to my great-grandmother. Cooking with these 2 pieces is like cooking with history. Such an honor! 

I came across a recipe for an unbelievably easy cake that uses a skillet. The recipe said to use a non-stick skillet, but my cast iron skillet is so well seasoned that nothing sticks to it! You literally mix everything in the skillet and then bake the cake. So easy. It's called;

   Deep Dish Pumpkin Snack Cake  

This is not a diet recipe by any means, but a small slice is quite satisfying.

Begin by melting the butter in the skillet.

Add the brown sugar and the white sugar, and stir well to combine. Such a pretty color.

Mix in the pumpkin.

Then the flour, spices and baking soda.

The final ingredient was chocolate morsels. I was tempted to leave them out, but I am happy that I didn't. You could also add chopped walnuts or pecans for an even more decadent cake.

Place in a 350 degree oven for approximately 30 minutes, and you have a delightful, delicious cake. 

You can find the recipe HERE on the Colorado Country Life website. You can also find another dump and go cake recipe HERE for a Gingerbread Apple Cake. I just made a huge pot of fresh applesauce, so I will be giving this recipe a try this week! 
Enjoy!

Rhonda

Something Sweet on Sunday/Pumpkin Torte with Cookie Crust

For those who celebrate Thanksgiving, most will have pumpkin pie for dessert. Truth be told, I am not the biggest fan of pumpkin pie. So, this year, I decided to try a little something different, and it was a hit! In fact, my husband loved what I did so much that he asked me to make it again for his birthday, which is today :) 

My husband loves Pecan Sandies made by Keebler. He had brought home a bag that was rather crumbled. As I looked at the crumbs the thought came to me that they might make a great crust. 

So, I began with an entire bag of cookies that I crumbled.

The cookie crumbs were mixed with 5 tablespoons of melted butter and 5 tablespoons of flour. All were mixed and pressed into the bottom of a spring form pan. the crust was baked at 375 degrees for 12 minutes. 

While the crust baked, I mixed up the filling, 
2 eggs
1 can of pumpkin,
1 can of evaporated milk
3/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

Once the crust had baked, I poured the filling over the cookie crust. The filling was baked at 425 degrees for 20 minutes.

While the filling baked, I made a batch of candied pecans. You can find the recipe HERE. 

I chopped up about 1/2 cup.

I removed the torte from the oven and sprinkled it with the chopped, candied pecans. The torte was put back into the oven and baked at 375 degrees for 40 minutes. 

The ring was removed from the torte and allowed to cool. The result is a lighter than air, and if I may say so, a very delicious torte. 

Pumpkin Torte with Cookie Crust

Crust ingredients;
1 pkg. Pecan Sandies crumbled
5 tablespoons melted butter
5 tablespoons flour


Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Mix all ingredients together and press in the bottom of a spring form pan. Bake for 12 minutes or until golden brown.

Filling ingredients;
1 15oz. can pure pumpkin
3/4 granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 12oz. can evaporated milk

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Mix all ingredients with an electric mixer. Pour over baked cookie crust. Bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes. Remove pan from oven and sprinkle with 1/2 cup of candied pecans. Reduce oven heat to 375 degrees and continue to bake for 40 minutes or until torte is set.

   
If you give the torte a try,I hope you like it as much as my husband did! :)
It really makes a lovely fall/winter dessert, and it can be made a day ahead of time, so all the better.

Enjoy!
Rhonda