Pumpkin Sweets Make Great Fall Treats!

Pumpkin Spice Cake

Okay, okay, stop laughing.  As incredibly corny as that title is, it's true; pumpkin is a great baking ingredient, and it can be used in so many different things! Pie, cake, muffins, pancakes, bread... you name it, and there's a recipe out there somewhere. So what is the one downfall to pumpkin? It's seasonal - in more ways than one. Not only are fresh pumpkins only available in most areas during the Fall season, but who makes anything with pumpkin any other time of year? Even those of us who love pumpkin, it's just not something you want in spring or summer. So it is important to get your fill now while you still can!

Luckily, I have been baking my way through every pumpkin recipe I have found recently.  My first experiment came from my best friend's mom, who posted a link on facebook to a recipe for Pumpkin Spice Cake with Maple Frosting [found at: http://aspicyperspective.com/2011/10/pumpkin-spice-cake-with-maple-frosting.html].  It looked absolutely incredible! Since I had a dinner party coming up, I decided to give it a shot.  While the entire baking, cooling, and frosting process did take a couple of hours all together, the result (as you can see above) was well worth it. Everyone at the dinner absolutely loved it, and I recieved a ton of compliments.  It is a huge cake, though, so I definitely recommend baking it when you can share with friends and family.

Pumpkin Cookies

After I made the pumpkin spice cake, I had extra frosting left in the fridge. Trying to think of something I could use it for, I asked for suggestions. My best friend told me to try pumpkin cookies, and gave me the recipe [found at: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/iced-pumpkin-cookies/detail.aspx]. Always up for more pumpkin, I decided to try them out. The ingredients were simple, and mixing up the batter was very easy. Baking time is also quick, taking only about 13-15 minutes, (depending on your oven.) To make these look just a little bit better, I also mixed up some cinnamon and sugar and put it into a clean salt shaker, which I sprinkled on top of the cookies after I had finished frosting them.  The cookies already taste great, but using the frosting from the pumpkin spice cake made this recipe even better!  For those of you who are looking for an easy recipe with that great pumpkin flavor, I highly recommend trying these out.

The last experiement on my list for the moment is Pumpkin Spice Pull-Apart Bread.  This is a fairly time consuming recipe, and I probably wouldn't recommend it for inexperienced bakers (unless of course you have more patience than I do!) It is worth the effort, though, for those of you willing to put in the time to give it a go. [Found at: http://willowbirdbaking.wordpress.com/2011/09/18/pumpkin-spice-pull-apart-bread-with-butter-rum-glaze/]  The glaze for the bread is made with rum, although the recipe does not list a specific kind. Personally, this part seems to be purely preference.  You can use any kind of dark rum, spiced rum, or even vanilla extract if you prefer not to use any liquor or do not have any on hand.  Some people also add more rum than others for an extra kick; again, it's all up to what you like.  Overall, this is not a recipe I would make on a regular basis due to it's time-consuming nature, but it tastes great and can be well worth the time and effort.

Now, for those of you out there who also enjoy a great pumpkin drink (and are 21!) I have also been sampling pumpkin beer as well.  So far, I have found that many "pumpkin spice" beers are all spice and no pumpkin, which completely misses the point of having it be a pumpkin beer. If you are looking for a drink that actually tastes like pumpkin, though, there are a few I highly recommend.  First, of course, is the Weyerbacher Imperial Pumpkin Ale.  This beer (at 8% ABV) tastes just like pumpkin pie, with just a hint of beer flavor hiding underneath.  It is by far the best pumpkin beer I have had, but unforunately seems to also be hard to find in certain areas.  So those of you who can get your hands on it, feel lucky!  My second favorite pumpkin beer, and a little more common, is the Dogfish Head Punkin Ale (and no, I didn't spell that wrong.)  At 7% ABV, it is another great beer with actual pumpkin flavor, and a mild beer undertone (which is great for people who aren't typically fond of beer.)  Then there is the Cottonwood Pumpkin Ale, which is made by the Carolina Beer Company.  Although much lower in ABV at only 4.5%, it is still another great beer.  Finally, there is the Pumking, made by the Southern Tier Brewing Company.  This beer weighs in at a whopping 8.6% ABV, the highest of the pumpkin beers I have found.  Also having a great pumpkin taste, I recently discovered that some people drink this beer with a shot of Goldschlager mixed in.  I must say, I was quite turned off by this idea until I tried it, and actually, it isn't too bad.

Now that you have ideas for great pumpkin treats this Fall, I'll also recommend a few more sites you can check out for recipes:
http://www.bhg.com/thanksgiving/recipes/pumpkin-recipes/
http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/toasted_pumpkin_seeds/
http://allrecipes.com/HowTo/pumpkin-recipes/detail.aspx
http://www.pumpkinnook.com/cookbook.htm#recipe
Enjoy!