Gluten Free Spiced Bundt Cake with Cranberries & Orange Glaze

Happy Halloween! Can you believe another month of 2020 is gone? Though Halloween is definitely not my favorite holiday (go here to read more on that!) I really enjoy the flavors of fall. And while I may not be in a witch’s hat, scaring small children that are looking for full-size candy bars, I do enjoying having baked goods that feel festive.

These past two months, I have not been able to spend as much time in the kitchen as I would like. My mom, sister, and I have been putting the rubber to the proverbial road, as we are chairing the largest Christmas market in Dallas. Due to Covid, we have pivoted the Market to be completely online. It has been a challenging and rewarding experience, taking a 43-year-old Market, and bringing it into a world of unknowns—all while raising money for the 14 beneficiaries that the Market supports. The hard work is worth it because the Chi Omega Christmas Market is going to open for the “12 Days of Christmas” on November 10th and over 100 small businesses will get to sell their wares! Our goal is to spread Christmas cheer across North Texas and we are so excited to share the online Market with the community.

But, as I mentioned before, I had to trade my apron in for my blue light glasses, as I stared at my computer, plugging away at my Market to-do list. I knew I missed the kitchen when, a few weeks ago, I had a dream about a bundt cake that had all of the flavors of fall. What—you don’t dream about baked goods, too? Inspired, I knew I had to carve out some time in the kitchen and to save some time with trial and error, I implemented a gluten-free cake mix and elevated it with spices, dried fruit, sugar, and applesauce! This perfectly spiced cake with dried cranberries and orange glaze and zest was the result. And I will even give you a few tips on how to get your bundt out of your pan without losing the top of the cake!

Ingredients:

Cake:

• 1 box Simple Mills Vanilla Almond Flour Cake Mix (gluten-free)

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

• 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice

• 1/2 teaspoon ground clove

• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

• 2 tablespoons sugar

• 2 teaspoons orange zest

• 1/4 cup dried cranberries, chopped

• 3 eggs

• 3 tablespoons butter, melted (cooled slightly)

• 2 teaspoons vanilla

• 1/4 cup applesauce

Glaze:

• 3 tablespoons butter, melted

• 5 tablespoons powdered sugar

• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a large bowl, combine cake mix, salt, baking powder, spices, sugar, zest, and cranberries. Mix until well incorporated.

3. In another bowl, mix eggs, vanilla, applesauce, and melted butter, that has been cooled. You don’t want to scramble the eggs!

4. Pour dry ingredients into wet and mix together.

5. In a well-greased bundt pan, pour cake batter into the pan and bake for 25-30 minutes.

6. Once an inserted knife or toothpick comes out clean, take out of the oven and let cool for 10 minutes.

7. Now let’s get that cake out of the pan: After letting sit for 10 minutes, take a knife or an offset spatula, and run it along the sides and center of the bundt pan, releasing the cake from all sides of the pan.

8. Place a rack or plate on top of the cake bottom, and turn over. Hold breath while you uncover and discover your prayers have been answered!

9. Once the cool cake is cool enough to touch, let’s work on that glaze! In a bowl, whisk together: butter, powdered sugar, and orange juice.

10. Pour glaze on to cake—get into those crevices! Top with more cranberries and orange zest for garnishing, cut, and serve!

Pumpkin Pie Chiffon Bars

As the leaves begin to turn, I feel like my Instagram photo feed changes from "the last bbq of summer" to pie, pie, and more pie. I like pie, but just okay. Frankly, I think pie dough is a little boring (gasp!) and takes away from the overall dish because I find it so flavorless and dull--like a beige rug lining the bottom of the pie dish. I like pie, but I don't understand why the flavor and experimentation should end at the filling?! Not in my kitchen; I decided it was time for a pumpkin pie makeover, and it is pretty safe to assume that the first thing I changed was the crust!

I went with a Biscoff cookie, and I love the crunch that it brings to the otherwise soft texture. But I didn't stop there I also wanted the pie to be fluffy! So, I decided to add gelatin and whipped egg whites. This filling's texture is like a whipped pumpkin mousse (in a word: Y-U-M!). I also modernized the presentation and decided to do away with the pie dish and instead used a square-shaped pan, serving bars instead of slices. If you love having a traditional pie shape, you can still follow this recipe—just use your preferred pie dish. I completed the look with a little fresh whipped cream and garnished with some nutmeg and leftover Biscoff cookie crumbs. Are you ready to meet your new pumpkin dessert? It’ll have you falling for Fall and pumpkin all season long!

Ingredients:

For crust:

• 25 Biscoff Cookies

• 1/4 cup sugar

• 1/4 tsp kosher salt

• 6 tbsp melted butter

For Filling:

• 1 envelope unflavored gelatin

• 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice

• 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon

• 3/4 cup sugar, divided into 1/2 and 1/4 measurements

• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

• 3 large eggs, separated into yolks and whites

• 3/4 cup whole milk

• 1 15oz. can pumpkin puree (pure pumpkin)

• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

For Topping:

• 1 cup heavy cream

• Optional: 1-2 tablespoons sugar

Method:

For Crust:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pulse Biscoff Cookies in a food processor until broken down into fine crumbs (you should have just over 1 1/4 cups). Add sugar and salt and pulse just to combine. Stream in butter while pulsing until mixture is the consistency of wet sand, and holds shape with pushed together.

2. Transfer to into a greased and lined 9x9 pan. Using a measuring cup (I found 1/4 cup to be easiest), press crumbs firmly onto bottom until even. Bake crust until fragrant and edges just start to take on color, about 10 minutes. Set aside to let cool.

For Filling:

1. In a small saucepan combine: gelatin, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, a 1/2 cup of sugar, salt and place on stove top with no heat (yet!). In a small bowl, whisk egg yolks, milk, and vanilla to combine, then whisk into saucepan mixture to combine and place over medium heat.

2. Whisk mixture frequently, until mixture begins to thicken and coats the back of a spoon (but do not let it boil), about 5 minutes. Stir in pumpkin purée and remove from heat. Transfer to a large bowl and chill in the fridge until cool, about 10 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat egg whites in a large bowl until soft peaks form. While beating, gradually add about a 1/4 cup sugar and continue to beat until stiff peaks form, 5–7 minutes.

4. Mix half of egg white mixture into chilled pumpkin mixture until smooth. Gently fold remaining egg white mixture into pumpkin mixture until just combined.

5. Pour filling into crust and smooth top. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours or overnight.

For Topping & Serving:

1. Beat or whisk cream in a large bowl until medium peaks form, add in 1-2 tablespoons of sugar, if so desired.

2. Once peaks hold, turn out onto bars, and place back into fridge to chill until serving, if not serving immediately.

3. And finally, cut, serve, and enjoy!

   **Can top with crushed Biscoff Cookies and nutmeg for serving.

Pumpkin-Spiced-Oatmeal-Chocolate-Chip Cookies

I warned y’all that I was on a fall kick. May I introduce you to my latest creation? Presenting Pumpkin Spiced Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies! All the savory goodness of pumpkin spice and the flavors of fall, but with the perfect sweetness of a chocolate chip cookie. Also, for all you vegan bakers out there did you know that you can swap canned pumpkin for eggs or fat in a recipe? The ratio is 1/4 of a cup of pumpkin for every egg the recipe calls for, or to swap the fat (the butter or oil), simply use an equal amount of canned pumpkin.

Either way, these cookies are like a warm hug.

Ingredients:

-2 sticks (or 1 cup!) of butter (softened)

-1 cup brown sugar

-1 cup of sugar

-2 eggs

-1 T. vanilla

-2 1/2 cups of oats

-2 cups of flour

-1/2 t. salt

-1 t. baking powder

-1 t. baking soda

-1/3 cup of canned pure pumpkin

-1 T. pumpkin pie spice

-1/4 t. ground cinnamon

-12 oz chocolate (dealer’s choice of wafers, morsels, chips, or chopped chunks!) **This recipe used dark chocolate morsels

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. In a stand mixer, cream together sugars and butter, add in eggs one at a time until well combined, and then add vanilla and pumpkin. Combine.

3. In a food processor combine oats, flour, salt, baking soda and powder, pumpkin pie spice, and cinnamon, pulse until oats are powdery and well combined.

4. Turn the stand mixer back on a gentle stir and slowly add in the dry ingredients. Once combined, add in the chocolate of your choice and mix in!

5. Shape into golf ball size dough balls and place onto baking sheet.

6. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until done to your liking. I found that the 15-17 minute mark ensures the gooey center and crunchy top—also known as the perfect cookie.

Sweet Potato Soup

It seems that the color orange is my favorite food group during the month of October. From pumpkin spiced everything to sweet potatoes, it feels like my plate wants all in on the fall flavors and colors. One of my favorite things that falls into the orange food group is this brightly-colored soup. When I was in college at Baylor, one of my favorite places to take a break from campus was a small community just north of Waco, called Homestead Heritage.

It belongs an agrarian-based, Christian community that makes all of their own clothes, furniture, grow their own food, even has their own blacksmiths and kiln. In fact, if you have ever been to Rise No. One in Dallas, if you turn their pottery over, you will see that their pieces are stamped Homestead Heritage. One of the coolest parts of the community (besides the most gorgeous, handmade coffee tables with turquoise inlays!) was the restaurant onsite, and often had a 30+ minute wait on the weekends. Don’t worry you can peruse the stores across the way and walk the property while you wait for your table. Everything in the restaurant is homemade in the kitchen, and more often than not, grown on and supplied from the farm on site. While everything on the menu delicious, homemade, and fresh, their sweet potato soup is out of this world! Literally liquid gold. When my husband, then boyfriend, would fly down to visit me he would often request a visit to the Homestead so that he could order this soup. Once we got married, I knew it was a recipe I needed in my arsenal, so this is my interpretation of the Homestead’s glorious, liquid gold, Sweet Potato Soup.

Ingredients:

• 1 large onion, chopped

• 3 large cloves of garlic, smashed

• 5 large sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped

• 2 tbsp of butter

• 1 tbsp of oil

• 2 quarts of chicken broth

• 1 tbsp kosher salt

• 3/4 cup of heavy cream (optional)

• 2 tsp fresh cracked pepper

• 2 tbsp ground cumin

• 2 tsp chili powder

• 6 slices of bacon (this recipe used Pederson’s), chopped

• 1 handful of cilantro, chopped

• A dollop of sour cream or Greek yogurt

• 2 tsp turmeric (optional)

Method:

Serves 6 for dinner, 8-10 as an appetizer

1. Set the oven to 415 degrees and place 6 slices of bacon on a baking sheet. Cook bacon for 15-20 minutes, or until cooked through.

2. In a large pot, melt the butter or spray pot with enough oil to coat the bottom of the pot (about 1 tbs of oil) I used avocado oil.

3. Once oil/butter is heated, add smashed garlic and cook until fragrant. Add onions and cook until translucent, adding a pinch of salt to draw out their water. Cook about 5-7 minutes.

4. Add sweet potatoes and broth. Stir, cover, and bring to a boil.

5. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer. Simmer until potatoes are fork tender.

6. When potatoes are done, blend with an immersion blender until smooth consistency is reached. (Hence why you can be lazy and not mince the garlic!)

7. Add in salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder, and, if so desired, cream and turmeric. Simmer for 15-20 minutes more. Taste, add more seasoning, salt, and pepper, if needed.

8. Chop bacon and cilantro for garnishing.

9. Serve immediately, topping with bacon, cilantro and sour cream/yogurt.

10. Enjoy!