Fall For These Autumn Harvest Favorites
Published October 5, 2020
Gone are the days of watermelon and rosé. Like it or not, it's officially pumpkin spiced everything season. And as you might have guessed it - I'm all in. It could not have been a more perfect October weekend to gather a crowd of friends outside, soak up the fall sunshine, and enjoy an assortment of colorful autumn flavors to savor. I served up some of my favorite festive snacks alongside homemade wood fired pizza, courtesy of our good friend, and pizza connoisseur, Dave. Let the fall baking begin...
Pumpkin Cheese Ball
16 oz Cream Cheese Softened
1 ½ Cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese
2 Tbl Mild Salsa
3 Tbl Minced Yellow Onion
2 tsp Ground Cumin
2 Snack Size Bags of Doritos – crushed with rolling pin
1 Pepper Stem from Orange Pepper
Beat Cream Cheese, Cheddar Cheese, Salsa, Onion and Cumin in a large bowl. Place on a sheet of plastic wrap and form into a ball. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Remove from Fridge 30 minutes before serving and coat with crushed Doritos. Garnish with stem and serve with veggies and chips.
Fall Harvest Snack Board
Thanks to Trader Joes, I was able to assemble a snack board full of fall harvest colors and flavors.
Pumpkin Bread - Cut into Cubes
Dried Apricots
Dried Figs
Praline Pecans
Maple Flavored Cookies
Sweet Potato Chips
Beet Chips
Pita Chips
Honey Pretzel Twists
Cheddar Cheese Slices
Fontina Cheese Cubed
Swiss Cheese Cubed
Orange Pepper – Sliced
Bag of Multi Colored Pears – Sliced
Honeycrisp Apples - Sliced
Multi Colored Carrots
Clementines - Garnished with Cilantro Leaves (to resemble pumpkins)
Apple Cider Spread
Caramel Dip
Fall Harvest Cake
One of the easiest chocolate cakes in my recipe book, this decadent fall harvest scratch cake is filled with a flavorful pumpkin cream cheese center and draped in a velvety chocolate ganache. It has been a staple recipe served to family and guests every fall season for over 12 years, and never disappoints.
Cake
1 Cup Buttermilk
1 Cup Water
2/3 Cup Oil
2 Cups Sugar
2 Eggs
1 tsp Baking Soda
½ tsp Salt
2 Cups Flour Sifted
¾ Cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
Preheat Oven 350°. Grease and flour two 9” round pans. Mix Buttermilk, Water, Oil, Sugar, Eggs, Soda and Salt. Whisk well. Add Cocoa and Flour. Pour equally into two pans. Bake 30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Let cool.
Filling
8 oz Cream Cheese Softened
1/3 Cup Canned Pumpkin
¼ Cup Sugar
¼ tsp Ground Cinnamon
Whisk well and layer between two cakes.
Ganache
½ Cup Whipping Cream
4 oz Semisweet Chocolate – Chopped (Ghirardelli recommended)
Boil cream and remove from heat. Add chocolate to pan and let sit for 5 minutes. Stir well. Let sit for another 15 minutes or until slightly thickened. Pour over cake and garnish as desired before glaze sets.
Carrot Cake with Ginger Mascarpone Frosting
Ina Garten can do no wrong in my eyes. Her Carrot Cake with Ginger Mascarpone Frosting will win your guests over just like it did mine. Click here for the details and give it a try.
Ooey Gooey Pumpkin Bars
For those pumpkin lovers out there, this will be your new favorite pumpkin infused dessert. Better than any pumpkin pie you've tried, and easier to eat and serve in cute bite sized squares. Thanks to William Sonoma for this recipe, this dessert was a hit!
For the crust:
1 Package (1 lb. 2 oz) Spiced Pecan Pumpkin Quick Bread Mix
1 Egg
8 Tbs Unsalted Butter, melted
For the filling:
1 Package 8 oz Cream Cheese, softened
1 Jar (13.5 oz) Pumpkin Butter
3 Eggs
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
8 Tbs Unsalted Butter, Melted
1/2 tsp Ground Cinnamon
1/4 cup Confectioners’ Sugar
Preheat an oven to 350°. Grease a 13 x 9 inch baking pan. To make the crust, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, combine the Quick Bread Mix, Egg and Melted Butter and beat on low speed until the ingredients come together, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan and spread out evenly. Press the crust down until it feels compact. To make the filling, in a clean mixer bowl, combine the Cream Cheese and Pumpkin Butter and beat on medium speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Add the Eggs, Vanilla, Melted Butter and Cinnamon and beat until combined, about 2 minutes. Add the Confectioners’ Sugar and beat well, about 2 minutes. Spread the filling over the crust. Transfer to the oven and bake for 40 to 50 minutes. Do not overbake; the center should still be a little gooey. To test for doneness, gently shake the pan; you should see a slight jiggle in the center. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool for at least 20 minutes, then cut into squares.
Enjoy!
Renée Meuse Lovley