Once Upon a Plate: Spices

Thursday

Pumpkin & Spice Mini-Cakes with Brown Sugar Icing (Reprise by Request)

I'm reposting this one by request.

Hi Everyone, I've received several requests for this recipe/method during the past couple of weeks. Rather than continuing to copy it for each email ~ I'm reposting.

I originally posted this before I had a separate recipe blog ~ so I've updated it with a link to the printable recipe. Hope you enjoy!

~*~*~*~*~

Perfect for this time of year, I just adjust my ages- old favorite quick-bread recipe, using canned pumpkin and spices for these, then iced with an old fashioned Brown Sugar Icing.

Pumpkin-Spice Cakelettes

with Brown Sugar Icing

For PRINTABLE copy, see LINK at bottom of POST.

Preheat oven to 325-degrees F

Ingredients:

3/4 cups sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup canned, unflavored pumpkin

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, or freshly ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:In a mixing bowl, combine the sugar, oil and eggs; mix well. Stir in pumpkin and and vanilla. Combine flour cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt; stir into liquid ingredients just until moistened. portion into greased pan, filling cups just a bit more than 1/2 full.

Bake at 325 F for about 15 to 18 minutes, until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Cool on baking rack for 10 minutes before removing from pan.

All to cool completely before adding icing.

Before assembling cut any domed tops from little cakes using a serrated knife (Cook's treat!) so they will fit together flat side to flat side.

Brown Sugar Icing:

1/2 cup butter (1 stick)

1 cup brown sugar (a little more if you like thicker icing)

1 tablespoon cream or half & half

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

pinch of salt

Melt butter over medium heat, stir in cream, salt and sugar. Stir well until blended. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Beat with a spoon until the icing cools and thickens a bit. Spoon over bottom halves of 1/2 of the cakelettes (reserving 1/2 for assembly); place tops on each one then spoon icing over tops, and allow to drip down sides. Decorate as desired. Allow icing to firm up a little before covering loosely for storage.

I've served them at Halloween parties, on the Thanksgivings Dessert Buffet table and even as treats for autumn birthdays, with a birthday candle where the stem of the pumpkin would be.

Since I have a few grape vines, I just use tiny grape leaves and a couple of tendrils for pumpkin leaves, but you could use fondant leaves, or pipe icing leaves and tendril, or just leave them plain.

You can also decorate them with maple cream icing, cream cheese icing, even chocolate icing if you would prefer.

This recipe will make about a pan and a half the little cakes (depending upon how full you fill each cup) using the mini-bundt Nordicware pan ~ shown below.

You need 2 half cakes for each pumpkin.

Here is the pan you'll need:

(You can make cupcakes, mini-bundt cakes, and brownies in them, too.

Soo CUTE!!)

For a PRINTABLE copy of the recipe, it's HERE on my recipe blog.

Come join us: Designs by Gollum for Foodie Friday

Friday

Boursin Roast Beef Sandwiches

One of my favorite little snack sandwiches; it's fabulous made with slices of beef filet but it's also perfectly acceptable made from leftover roast beef or thin sliced roast beef from the deli (as I did here.)

Big, overstuffed sandwiches certainly have their place and you can pile the roast beef on as high as you like, but if given a choice I prefer a smaller sandwich.

If the meat is sliced thinly I like to shape the slices into waves, or cone shapes, as shown here, rather than just laying them flat. Of course, it's up to you!

For the spread you can simply spread your favorite type of bread with the Boursin, but I like to blend an equal amount of sour cream and good quality mayonnaise in (about 1 tablespoon each of mayonnaise and sour cream to about 1/4 cup of Boursin cheese), with a few drops of red wine vinegar. Makes enough for a couple of sandwiches.

On top of the spread I arrange layer thinly sliced red onion, and a few leaves of green (baby spinach, arugula, spring greens or your favorite leafy green), then a few roast beef slices.