Botanical Pumpkin Loaf Bread

When the weather starts to get a bit chilly I always seem to get the urge to make my favorite pumpkin bread.   My baking vessel of choice is Nordic Ware's Botanical Pumpkin Loaf Pan.   I absolutely love it!  [And no, they are not sponsoring this post.]  I bought this pan a while ago at Williams-Sonoma but unfortunately they don't sell it anymore.  They do sell something very similar though.  Luckily you can still find this  pan here on the Nordic Ware site.   

My go-to pumpkin bread recipe yields two loaves so I think that's the perfect excuse for me to buy another pan, don't you think?

Pumpkin Spice Rolls

It's beginning to look a lot like autumn.  I, for one, love this time of year.  The air is crisp and cool and I can finally break out the thick sweaters from storage.  My baking shifts to warmer undertones as well - spices like  cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves prevail.

Pumpkin is hands down my favorite fall ingredient.  Pumpkin bread and pumpkin pie...LOVE THEM!!  So when I saw Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls posted on Martha Stewart's Instagram I knew I was going to make them this weekend.

I started with Martha's recipe but modified it with a few tweaks of my own - replacing the cinnamon with pumpkin pie spice and filling the rolls with granulated sugar rather than brown sugar.   Icing is the best part of a great cinnamon roll and I used my go-to recipe which is made with heavy cream, melted butter and powdered sugar.

Tropical Carrot Cake

Here's another great recipe from Gretchen's Bakery - Tropical Carrot Cake.   I am a fanatic when it comes to pineapple and the addition of my favorite fruit in this cake really sends it to the next level.  The recipe calls for brown butter which makes the cake very moist and flavorful.   

Everyone loves cream cheese frosting and this version isn't too sweet, another big plus in my book.  I've made this cake twice in the last week and I'm planning to make it again soon for my Mom's birthday.  I have a feeling she's going to love it!

Chocolate & Peanut Butter Cupcakes

Chocolate and Peanut Butter.  What flavor combination could be more All-American than those two?  Little did I know that it's popularity extended beyond the borders of the red, white and blue.   

Case in point: Before heading to a work conference in Basel this past summer I had asked my co-workers if they wanted anything from the US.  How surprised was I when they requested Reese's Peanut Butter Cups?   Really....Reese's?   Ironic since they live in a country that produces some of the best chocolate in the world.    

So I dedicate these Chocolate & Peanut Butter Cupcakes to my friends and colleagues in the CH.  The cupcakes are super easy to make (no mixer required) and the addition of sour cream in the batter makes the crumb really tender.  For an extra treat I put a miniature Reese's peanut butter cup in the center before baking.   As for the frosting, I could have gone the cynical route and made Swiss meringue, but instead I opted for fuss free American style buttercream.