Pumpkin Cranberry Poke cake

Instead of making a pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving I decided to leave the pies to someone else and went the cake route mostly because I have been wanting to make a poke cake for a while and this was as good a time as any.

When I told the mr I made a poke cake he had no idea what I was talking about, do you? A poke cake is exactly what it sounds like, a cake that had been poked. This cake that got poked was a simple but delicious pumpkin cake. Then all those poked holes got filled with cranberry sauce. and then frosted with a simple vanilla glaze situation.

A chunk of it was gobbled up within hours, the mr saying every time he ate a piece how good it was. I was trying to save at least half or it for family Thanksgiving but that didn’t happen. I ended up feeding it to a few more people. And they confirmed to me what I already knew…. It is delicious.

And now it is family Thanksgiving and I only have likes few pieces of the cake left…Good thing I have a brownie mix stashed somewhere in the pantry. Oops.

Now to the poke cake!

The stuff. Pumpkin puree, fresh cranberries, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. Some brown sugar and white sugar. Flour, baking soda, salt. A neutral oil, apple cider vinegar, plant milk. And powdered sugar, vanilla, and a little vegan butter.

Start with making cake. Mix brown sugar, pumpkin puree, apple cider vinegar, plant milk, and oil in a big bowl. Once mixed add in the flour, spices, baking soda and salt and mix until just incorporated.

Scoop batter into a well greased pan and pop into a preheated oven.

While cake is baking make the cranberry sauce. Cranberries go into pot with white sugar and some water. Bring the mixture to a boil then simmer for a few minutes until all the cranberries pop when stabbed. Remove from heat, let cool a minute, and then either with a hand held blender or regular blender, puree until semi smooth.

A gorgeous baked cake. Now let it cool a bit in the pan.

After cooling for a few minutes grab a wood spoon or something that has a dime size handle and well, poke a bunch of hole into the top of the cake. Go deep but not all the way through.

And now grab the craberry sauce and pour all over making sure the sauce goes into the holes.

And now for the frosting glaze situation. Just mix the powdered sugar, vanilla, plant butter, and a little plant milk together unit completely smooth. It should be the consistency of a really thick glaze.

Then pour/smooth the glaze on gently. And if you are feeling fancy, make a design with a little extra cranberry sauce.

Finished cake looking like a class act.

And then you eat it.

Have fun poking!

-C

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Pumpkin Cranberry Poke cake

makes a 10x10 cake

For cake

• 2 cups all purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 2 teaspoons cinnamon

• 1 teaspoon ground ginger

• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

• 1/2 cup of neutral flavored oil

• 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

• 1 cup pumpkin puree

• 1/4 cup plant milk

• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

  For Cranberry sauce

• 2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries

• 1/2 cup white sugar

• 1/2 cup water

  For Glaze

• 2 cups powdered sugar

• 1 teaspoon vanilla

• 2 tablespoons butter

• 1 tablespoons milk

Preheat oven to 375.

In a large bowl mix the brown sugar, pumpkin puree, apple cider vinegar, oil, and plant milk together unit completely combined. Next add in the flour, all spices, salt, and baking soda until just completely incorporated. Grease a 10x10 baking pan and scoop batter in. Level off and pop into the oven. Bake for about 35 minutes, until golden brown, but start checking for doneness at around 30 minutes.

While cake is baking make the cranberry sauce. Cranberries, sugar and water go into a pot. Place on stove and bring to a boil and once its boiling turn heat down and cook for another 3-5 minutes or until all the cranberries are soft and pop when stabbed. Remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes. Then with either a hand blended or regular blended, bend until semi smooth. Some chunks are good.

Once cake comes out of oven and has had a chance to cool down a little, grab a wooden spoon or something with a similar sized handle and poke a bunch of holes all over the top of cake. Go down deep but not all the way to the bottom. Now grab cranberry sauce and pour it all over the top of cake making sure it fills in all the holes. Smooth out the extra on top. Set aside and let cool and set.

To make glaze just mix the powdered sugar, plant butter and milk, and vanilla together unit smooth.It should be the consistency of almost frosting but still thin enough to pour. If it is to thick add a tiny more milk. o thin, more sugar. Once the cake is cooled and the cranberry sauce has had a little time to set up on the cake, pour glaze all over cake. And if you are feeling fancy and have a little cranberry sauce left in the pot you can make a little pattern in the glaze.

And then that is it. You eat it.

Cake is fine in airtight container out at room temperature for a couple of days but after that should be stored in the fridge for up to a week but really, who makes a cake and doesn’t eat it all right away?

Fall Spiced Banana Bread

I am not going to call a spice mixture pumpkin spice when there is no freaking pumpkin involved in the spice at all. If there is in fact some pumpkin in the whatever you are eating and or drinking, well then sure. But people need to stop referring to things as pumpkin spice if the pumpkin is not there. It is very misleading and it drives me nuts.

Sorry (not sorry) if you disagree, but friend, you know I am right.

With that said, I offer you a warm fall spiced (because there is no pumpkin here) banana bread. It is your basic, fantastic, banana-y bread with a good kick of warm fall spices to make it just a tad more fantastic. A loaf to celebrate the cool and cozy season to come. And a great way to use up all the bananas that we (me) might have forgotten were in the fridge.

And really, who doesn't want to turn on the oven now that it is a bit chilly these days, no? Banana bread will keep you warm while baking and make your house smell amazing. Win win win!! (Third win is because you get to eat banana bread.)

Now to the spiced banana bread!

The stuff. Really ripe bananas, flour, baking powder and soda, salt, brown sugar, oil, apple cider vinegar, an spices. Cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, ginger, allspice, and a touch or black pepper.

Banana bread basics. Mash bananas in a big bowl until a small chunky goop. Add in sugar, oil and vinegar and mix until combined. Whisk together the dry ingredients in a small separate bowl then add to the wet. Gently fold the dry into the wet until the mixture is completely incorporated but then stop, do not over-mix.

Pour batter into a well greased loaf pan and sprinkle the tip with sugar then pop that bad boy into the oven to bake. After about an hour, once it loos all nice and dark brown and a tester comes out clean, remove pan from oven. Let cool a minutes then pop the bread from pan and place on a wire rack to cool for a little bit.

Once cooled (or cooled enough), slice it up and eat it. Make sure the slices are nice and thick, then pour yourself a hot drink (I recommend coffee or strong black tea) and go sit someplace warm and cosy and enjoy yourself a nice fall moment.

-C

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Fall Spiced Banana Bread

makes 1 loaf

• 2 cups all purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg*

• 1/4 teaspoon clove*

• 1 teaspoon ground ginger*

• 1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon*

• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper *

• 1/4 teaspoon allspice*

• 4 very ripe bananas (about 2 cup mashed banana)

• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar

• 1/2 cup neutral oil

• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

• 1 tablespoon raw or brown sugar (to sprinkle on top. Optional)

*Note. If you already have a spice blend like pumpkin spice, you can just use a tablespoon of that.

Preheat oven to 375.

Grab a big bowl and throw in unpeeled bananas. With a fork or potato masher, mash bananas up until kinda smooth (some chunks are good). Add in brown sugar, oil, and vinegar and mix together. Add flour, baking powder and soda, salt, and all the spices into a separate bowl and whisk together. Then gently fold the dry mixture into the wet until completely combined but do not over mix.

Pour batter into a well greased loaf pan then sprinkle the top with raw or brown sugar (optional). Place pan in oven and bake for 55- 60 minutes or until the top is a deep golden brown and when a test poke comes out clean.

Remove pan form oven and carefully remove bread from loaf pan. Place on a wire rack to cool for at least 15-20 minutes before cutting into it, but when you do, cut thick slices and eat warm or cold or whatever.

Store bread at room tepature in a airtight container for 3-4 days or in fridge for a week. Individual pieces can be wrapped and frozen as well, but you probably will just eat it all before that needs to happen.

Sweet Corn and Blueberry Cake with Lemon Blueberry Glaze

Do you really need a reason to make cake other then you want cake or you just want to bake something? Nope. Cake is a anytime event. Make it when you want it, or like me, want to not think about anything other than that. Making cake.

This cake. Made it with what I have too much of at the moment, which is corn. And while I love fresh corn on the cob, I, as one person, cannot eat the 12 ears that I have been getting weekly at farm share. So besides trying to eat as much of it myself, (the mr won’t eat corn on the cob and the little haven’t been over in a bit cause they are sick) so I give it to people or I make it into things, like cake.

Add in blueberries and a bright pinkish purple lemony glaze and you got yourself a cake that is all sorts of delicious. Fresh corn makes itself known without being overly corny. The blueberries are, as always, right there to taste like a good berry should. Then it’s topped with a nice bright lemony blueberry glaze. A cake fit for a party or a bbq or a good old sit on the back porch while hiding from the world while eating cake, type of cake. Eat it for breakfast, eat it for lunch, eat it whenever the heck you want because, well because you can. And should.

Now to the cake!

The stuff. Fresh corn and frozen but thawed blueberries. Flour, baking soda and powder, salt, and cornmeal. Oil, plant milk, sugar, and apple cider vinegar. And lastly powdered sugar, a little plant butter, and a lemon.

Start by cutting the corn off the cob.

Dump corn and milk into a pot. Bring to a boil then cook for a few minutes. Let cool for minute then puree the mixture. It might be slightly chunky but thats all good.

Pour warm corm mixture into a bowl with the oil, sugar and vinegar. Mix until combined.

In a large bowl mix together all the dry ingredients. Toss in the blueberries and coat with the mixture then fold in the wet mixture until everything is incorporated.

Pour batter into a well greased bundt pan and pop into the hot oven.

After 45-50 minutes it be done. Once cooled enough to handle, pop cake out of tine and place on a wire rack to cool.

In the meantime make the glaze. Powdered sugar, zest of the lemon, and a little of the juice left over from the defrosted blueberries. Mix until completely combined and the glaze is pourable but not too thin.

Once cake is cooled, pour on the glaze. And yes, you want to you it to drip down the sides cause it looks cool.

And then you eat the cake.

-C

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Sweet Corn and Blueberry Cake with Lemon BLueberry glaze

makes a bundt cake

The cake

• 2-3 cobs of fresh corn (2 cups corn kernels)

• 2 cups all purpose flour

• 1/2 cup cornmeal

• 1 cup plant milk

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2 cup neutral oil

• 3/4 cups white sugar

• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

• 1 cup frozen and thawed and stained blueberries (reserve the juice)

  the glaze

• 1 1/4 cup powdered sugar

• 1tablespoon vegan butter

• zest from a lemon

• juice left from frozen blueberries

Preheat oven to 375

Remove corn kernels from cobs until you have 2 full cups. Place corn into a pot with the milk and bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and cook for about5 minutes. Turn heat off and let cool a few minutes then either pour mixture into a blender or use as hand blender and blend until semi smooth.

In a medium bowl mix the sugar, oil, vinegar, and warn corn mixture together until completely incorporated.

In a large bowl mix together all the dry ingredients. Toss the drained blueberries into the dry mixture until covered then pour and fold in the wet mixture until everything is just incorporated. Do not over mix!

Grease a 10-12 inch bundt pan then pour mixture in. Level it out with a spatula the n pop the bundt into the oven to bake for about 45-50 minute or until a nice deep golden brown and when poked with a tester, it comes out clean. Once bakes, remove from oven, let cool enough to handle, then pop cake from bundt tin and place on a wire rack to cool.

In the meantime make the glaze. Mix together the soft butter, powdered sugar, zest from the lemon, and a tablespoon or two of the blueberry juice until completely combined and is of a pourable, but not to thin consistency. It too thin, add a little more powdered sugar. Too thick, a little more blueberry juice.

Once cake is cooled, drizzle the glaze all over the top, letting it drip down the sided.

And that is that, You eat it now.

Store left overs in airtight container or cake dish for 3-4 days at room temperature. If it is busting hot out, maybe stick in the fridge.

Pear Cobbler

My neighbor has a couple pear trees and every year, for a few weeks in August, every time I pass his house (I walk by it like 5 times a day) he jumps out at me asking if want some pears. I always say yes, even if it is just one or two. How can I pass up free pears?

The last batch of pears I got from him were a little on the meh side, like at the point were you wouldn’t really enjoy eating them raw but are still good for baking which is fine by me and the reason I made a cobbler. Well that and the mr asked me to. (#1 girlfriend here!)

So here is it. A pretty basic pear cobbler which is to say a pretty fantastic pear cobbler. It is like a pear pie but with a biscuity top instead of a pie crust. And thats it, nothing fancy, just straight up pear goodness.

You know you want it so just make it.

Now to the cobbler.

The stuff. Pears, flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, plant milk, oil, noise sugar, cinnamon and alittle more flour, apple cider vinegar, and little plant butter.

clean, core, and slice up pears.not to small and roughly the same size.

Butter a baking, dump in the pears and toss with sugar, cinnamon, and a little flour. Place in oven while preheating to start the pears cooking.

Now biscuits. Mix all the dry together then add in the oil and milk, Gently fold just until the wet and dry are incorporated . Place mixture in fridge while pears cook.

Once the oven is preheated and the pears have had a time to cook a bit, grab the cold biscuit dough from fridge and carefully grab the pears from the oven.

Drop biscuit dough on top of the hot pears, sprinkle with the raw sugar, and pop it the whole shebang back into the oven for another half hour or so.

Out of the oven looking all fine and shit.

And the you eat it.

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Pear Cobbler

serves 6ish people

For filling

• 4 large or 6-7 smaller pears

• 1/4 cup brown sugar

• 1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

• pinch salt

• 2 teaspoons flour

• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

• 1 teaspoon vegan butter (to grease pan)

  for biscuits

• 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour

• 2 teaspoon baking powder

• 3 tablespoons white sugar

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/3 cup neutral oil (or olive if you want)

• 2/3 cup of plant milk

• 1 tablespoon raw sugar

Clea, core and slice up pears. Grease a square ( 8x8 or a little larger) baking pan with the butter and dump the pears in. Add the vinegar , brown sugar, 2 teaspoons flor, and the cinnamon into the pan and toss around until the pears all all coated. Place the pan into the oven and start to preheat to 425 degrees.

Once pears are in oven, make biscuits. Mix all the dry together then add in the oil and milk. Gently fold the wet with dry just until incorporated (don’t over mix or they will be tough). Place dough in fridge,

One oven is preheated, let pears cook for about another 8ish minutes the carefully remove pan from oven. Grab biscuit dough from fridge and carefully drop clumps of dough on top of hot pears. Sprinkle with the raw sugar n then pop pan back into oven, redoing heat to 400.

Bake for 30-35 minutes or until biscuits are a nice deep golden brown.

Remove from oven, let cool far a few minutes, then dig in.

Left overs can be stored in the fridge, covered, for a few days and eaten cold or reheated.

Fudgesicles

If you haven’t started making your own frozen treats at home yet, what are you even doing?

Last week I shared a few of the favorites (and I fully expect you to have made at least one of them) but this one is for sure to make the favorite list. Fudgesicles. Creamy cold and chocolatety goodness. A perfect reprieve from all the stinkin hot ass f weather. It’s like chilled happiness on s stick.

So if you like cold chocolate treats, this one is for you.

To the fudgesicles!

The stuff. A can of full fat coconut milk, some cocoa powder, maple syrup, vanilla extract, flax seed, and a pinch of salt.

Dump it all into blender or jar (if using a hand blender) and blend until smooth.

Pour pinot molds and thats it, stick them into the freezer to freeze.

Don’t forget the sticks if using! (Pull the fudgsicles out after about an hour and they should hold a stick without it sinking).

Once completely frozen, well then they are completely ready to eat.

Stay cool. Eat Fudgesicles!

-C

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Fudgesicles

makes about 6

• 1 can full fat coconut milk

• 1/3 cup cocoa powder

• 2-4 tablespoons maple syrup (greater amount for sweeter fudgsicle)

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• pinch of salt

• 1 tablespoon ground flax seed (optional)

Place all ingredients into a large jar or blender and blend until smooth. Pour mixture into popsicles molds and place in freezer util frozen. If using wooden sticks, pull the fudgsicles out after and hour or so and insert before they completely freeze.

Once froze, remove from mold and eat.