Does the fall weather – and produce – inspire you to bake?  After a summer filled with “assembling” fresh fruits and vegetables into salads, slaws, and salsas, there is something satisfying about coming inside and turning on the oven.  

Here are two great cakes for fall celebrations. This fall, I’ve taken two recipes I’ve been making for awhile and tweaked them a bit.  

Cakes for Fall Celebrations: Cranberry Orange Yogurt Cake

One of the few baking projects I tend to undertake in the summer is a simple cake like this French yogurt cake, from Epicurious.  It provides the perfect base for summer fruit and a dollop of whipped cream – a less-fussy version of the flavors you get in a shortcake or trifle. 

But now it’s fall. So I’ve swapped the lemon zest for orange, and added a cup or so of cranberries (fresh or frozen will do) to create a moist, delicious cake, perfect for a wide range of fall celebrations.  Want to make it fancy? Simply swap your typical loaf pan for a small bundt pan and the celebration has started.  

Best Apple Cake with Salted Caramel Frosting

We have a small, old apple tree – that produces an inordinate amount of apples each year.  I take bags and boxes of them almost everywhere I go, hoping to pawn them off on others. But when push comes to shove, I usually just cook with them.  Apple crisp. Apple crumble. If I’m really ambitious – an apple tart or apple pie. But the large majority of them end up in a simple roasted applesauce.  

This “recipe” from Judy Rodgers of Zuni Cafe couldn’t be simpler:  diced, peeled apples on a sheet pan, with a pinch of sugar and salt, covered with foil.  Roast at 375 for 30-40 minutes before mashing (you should try a potato masher for this). You can freeze this in 1 ½ cup containers and use for almost anything.  You can serve with roast pork, stir into yogurt, or pour over vanilla ice cream with a drizzle of caramel sauce. Or you can make this applesauce cake.  

The cake is adapted from Food52 A New Way to Dinner:  A Playbook of Recipes and Strategies for the Week Ahead by Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubbs.  It is a moist, oil-based cake flavored with traditional baking spices, vanilla, and the unexpected kick of a bit of freshly-ground black pepper. 

For years I made the cake with the glaze they suggest – a boiled icing consisting of butter, brown sugar and cream. More recently, however, I have switched to baking the cake in a round, springform pan and spreading the top with the buttercream frosting from this New York Times apple cake recipe.  The kicker – generously sprinkle the entire frosted cake with flaky sea salt. Total apple perfection.  

Now that you have cakes for fall celebrations, looking for more fall treat recipes? Click here.

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Do You Need a Thanksgiving Menu Planner?

More than many other holidays, Thanksgiving tends to be a holiday steeped in tradition.  If you don’t have your aunt’s stuffing and your cousin’s pumpkin pie, then you might as well skip the whole thing.  But sometimes change can be good. Here is our approach to Thanksgiving – some of which never changes, and other menu items that change from year to year – depending on my mood – and my produce selection.  

Thanksgiving Menu Planner: What Doesn’t Change

A few items are always on our menu.  If I changed these, the family would have a fit – plus they are generally straight-forward to make and get on the table.  That’s a bonus on a day when kitchen and oven space are at a premium.  

• The Dip: Depending on how many people I’m hosting, I usually put out cheese and crackers, crudites and one or more dips.  Though I make both my artichoke and the roasted onion versions frequently, there is just something about this artichoke dip that fits the late fall, midday munching that happens on Thanksgiving.  I make it ahead of time and broil in my toaster oven just before serving.
• A Quick Turkey: If you like to cook, or have ever hosted Thanksgiving, you have likely engaged in a conversation about cooking turkeys.  During the holiday season there seem to be endless debates about nearly every aspect of the process – from purchase to carving.  I’ve tried nearly everything – fresh and frozen, brined and rubbed, low-and-slow and, finally, this (relatively) quick version, that ended the years of turkey experiments.  Now I just make this recipe. No more researching, no more discussion. I stay out of it. And the only time it was less than perfect was when a (nosy) family member urged me to put the bird in the oven hours before was necessary.  That year we had a perfectly cooked, yet nearly cold, turkey, as it had “rested” for almost three hours before we at
• White Cheddar Mashed Potatoes: You are probably learning that I am a fan of make-ahead meals.  So a make-ahead option on the busiest cooking day of the year? Yes, please – I’m in.  I started making this recipe because it was a make-ahead option for mashed potatoes – usually a must-do at the last minute.  By baking this sage-filled, cheesy concoction, you can mash ahead of time and save yourself some of the last-minute crazy. 
• Sweet Potatoes with Homemade Marshmallows: As a kid, this was by far my favorite dish, though my grandmother tended to channel her 1950s homemaker and use canned yams and store-bought marshmallows.  The only nod to our northern California bounty was the layer of dried apricots, sometimes even ones she had hand-dried on giant screens in the backyard. I have updated – and simplified – this dish, while keeping the essence the same. 

Thanksgiving Menu Planner: What Does Change

• The Bread: This year, it will be be Tartine bread.  I spent the summer figuring out how to make this work for me – and I’m getting the hang of it.  Plus, despite the intimidating sound of baking your own sourdough bread from scratch, the recipe has relatively little hands-on time.  
• The Salad: I love shaved cabbage/kale/broccoli with pumpkin seeds, cranberries and poppy seed dressing.  But I have also done spinach, arugula and numerous other versions, often with this Champagne Vinaigrette.
• The Vegetables: Whatever is in my produce box that week gets roasted, braised, or sautéed and served, usually with some Omnivore Salt.
• The Stuffing: I know this is a big deal for some people, but it’s not really my jam. I do make a version of it each year, though, including a Hawaiian version one time. Mostly, though, I just make something like this, and throw in whatever sort of sausage and/or vegetable seems appealing at the time.
• The Dessert: Yes, there is always something pumpkin, but there is also always something chocolate.  And, what, exactly, that is changed from year to year. Pumpkin has been in flan, creme brulee, and the ubiquitous pie.  Chocolate has been in mousse, in pie, and in cake. As long I as I have one of each on the table, I’ll pretty much make everyone happy! 

What is your Thanksgiving must-have? What new addition are you looking to add to the table? Are you going to try something from this Thanksgiving menu planner? I’d love to hear in the comments below.

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