best-fall-recipes.jpgWhen fall hits is when the baking gear comes out in my house, and over the past month on Shelly’s Friday Favourites we’ve been talking about how to make pumpkin spice lattes, the best salted caramel recipes you can find, and even tossed in a few apple recipes to even things out.

Now is the time to focus on all of the goodies you can make in the fall, because before we know it the snow will start to fly and the supply of fresh fruit and vegetables dries up. That’s when you turn to sugar cookies, gingerbread houses, and mulled rum. I don’t know about you, but I’m not quite ready for that transition yet.

I’ll be spending some of my weekend whipping up a few of these treats. They’re great to have on hand if you’re having people over for Halloween, and the cheesecake is so good it’s become a yearly tradition to puree a pumpkin and make a cheesecake from scratch.

If you have a favourite fall recipe, be sure to share in the comments.

Apple Butter Spice Cakeapple-cake.jpg

Last week I shared a recipe for how to make salted caramel, and this week I’d like to give you something to drizzle it on. My best advice for this recipe is to never use margarine, and don’t skimp on the pecans. Photo and recipe from Allrecipes.com.

Ingredients:

Topping:

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 cup chopped pecans

Cake:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup butter, room temperature

1 cup white sugar

3/4 cup apple butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup whole bran cereal or wheat germ

1 cup sour cream

2 eggs, room temperature

 

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9×13-inch pan.

Prepare the topping by mixing together the brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and chopped pecans.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Beat butter and sugar together in a large bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy; add eggs one at a time, thoroughly beating each egg into the butter mixture before adding the next. Add apple butter, vanilla, and wheat germ or bran cereal. Add sifted dry ingredients alternately with sour cream; mix well after each addition.

Pour half the batter into the prepared pan; sprinkle with half of the topping. Pour remaining batter into pan and top with the rest of the topping.

Bake in the preheated oven until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about 40 minutes.

Cheesecake Factory Pumpkin Cheesecakepumpkin_cheesecake.jpg

If you haven’t been to a Cheesecake Factory, you really need to go. I’ll admit the main courses have never really blown my mind, but the sky high case of cakes and cheesecakes is really something everyone needs to see. I’ve had the Cheesecake Factory’s Pumpkin Cheesecake, and this recipe is a very close replica. Photo and recipe from food.com.

Ingredients:

1 12 cups graham cracker crumbs

5 tablespoon butter, melted

1 cup sugar, plus

1 tablespoon sugar

3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup canned pumpkin

3 eggs

12 teaspoon cinnamon

14 teaspoon nutmeg

14 teaspoon allspice

whipped cream

 

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Make the crust by combining the graham cracker crumbs with the melted butter and 1 T sugar in a medium bowl.

Stir well enough to coat all of the crumbs with the butter, but not so much as to turn the mixture into paste.

Keep it crumbly.

Put foil partway up the outside part of an 8-inch springform pan.

Press the crumbs onto the bottom and about two-thirds of the way up the sides of the springform pan.

You don’t want the crust to form all of the way up the back of each slice of cheesecake.

Bake the crust for 5 minutes, then set aside until you are ready to fill it.

In a large mixing bowl combine the cream cheese, 1 C sugar, and vanilla.

Mix with an electric mixer until smooth.

Add the pumpkin, eggs, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice and continue beating until smooth and creamy.

Pour the filling into the pan.

Bake for 60-70 minutes.

The top will turn a bit darker at this point.

Remove from the oven and allow the cheesecake to cool.

When the cheesecake has come to room temperature, put it into the refrigerator.

When the cheesecake has chilled, remove the pan sides and cut the cake into 8 equal pieces.

Serve with a generous portion of whipped cream on top.

Apple Pie Sundaes Cheddar Crust Shardsapple-pie-cheddar-sundaes.jpg

There’s something magical about cheddar cheese with apple pie. If you use sharp cheddar it gives you just the right amount of bite, and perfectly balances the sweet of the apple pie. Sundaes are a new take on the apple/cheese combo, but they’re one of my kid’s favourites. Photos and recipe from delish.com.

Ingredients:

Cheddar Shards

¾ c. all-purpose flour

kosher salt

4 tbsp. cold unsalted butter

½ c. shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

2½ tbsp. cold water

¼ tsp. cider vinegar

Sundae

6 tbsp. unsalted butter

6 large apples, such as Pink Lady or Granny Smith

¼ c. granulated sugar

2 tbsp. granulated sugar

¼ c. light brown sugar

2 tbsp. light brown sugar

½ tsp. cinnamon

.13 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg

kosher salt

2 pt. vanilla frozen yogurt

 

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a food processor, combine the flour with 1/4 teaspoon of Kosher salt. Coarsely grate the cold butter into the food processor. Pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the shredded cheddar cheese and pulse twice. Add the cold water and cider vinegar, and pulse just until the dough is evenly moistened. Turn the dough out onto a work surface and knead until it just comes together. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes or until chilled.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a 9-inch square and transfer to the baking sheet. Bake for about 40 minutes, until golden. Let cool.

In a large skillet, melt the butter. Add the apples and toss to coat. Add the granulated sugar, light brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg, and season lightly with salt. Cook over moderately high heat, stirring frequently, until the apples are tender and translucent, about 15 minutes.

Add 1/2 cup of water to the skillet and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat. Transfer half of the apples to a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. Scrape the puree into a bowl and freeze until it is cold, about 30 minutes.

Soften the frozen yogurt slightly and transfer it to a large bowl. Fold in the cold apple puree and freeze until the frozen yogurt is firm, about 30 minutes.

Scoop the frozen yogurt into 8 bowls and top with the sautéed apples. Break the cheddar crust into large shards and serve with the sundaes.

In the mood to do some fall weekend baking? Try these kitchen supplies:

 spring-form-pans.jpg
To make a cheesecake, you need a good springform pan
 kitchenaid-stand-mixer
Baking is so much easier with a kitchenaid stand mixer

 
spatula.jpg

Spatulas are a chef’s best friend

Main image from memd.com.


Shelly Wutke

By , Editor Appliances and Home & Lifestyle

From blenders to laptop computers, I like to take everything I write and put a personal spin on it. As a Vancouver freelancer for 5 years, I’ve written for the Globe & Mail, The Vancouver Province, Chicken Soup for the Soul (grab your hanky, that one is a tear jerker), and on too many websites to list. My personal website is at survivemag.com and if you like Twitter, come find me and chat at @kidswap. 


Shelly Wutke
Editor TV & Home Theatre
I'm a Vancouver freelancer and tech enthusiast. When I'm not writing you'll find me on my farm with my alpacas, chickens, and honeybees. Visit my website Survivemag