pumpkin Archives - East of Eden Cooking

2016/11/202018/03/23

Pumpkin Pie Inside a Chocolate Cake

A Spectacular Thanksgiving Dessert

“Cal turned down Alisal Street, went into the post office, and looked in the glass window of box 632. It was empty. He wandered back home and found Lee up and stuffing a very large turkey.”

East of Eden, John Steinbeck

Inspiration

You know how the election went, I want to tell you about the dessert I made that fateful day. A dessert that would make a spectacular Thanksgiving statement and keep both the pumpkin and chocolate lovers happy. I’d seen magical pie inside a cake desserts on-line before. Crazy, intoxicating, a dessert that would change any conversation. It was election day and I needed to keep busy. In need of a diversion that would calm my nerves and settle my mind, I baked. I bought a pumpkin pie at the grocery store and buried it inside a chocolate cake. I spread a thick layer chocolate ganache all over the Pumpkin Pie Inside a Chocolate Cake. I cut the cake while it was warm and some of the ganache melted. I took photos anyway. I watched an election that was messy, imperfect, with mind blowing, spectacular results. I found that a bright orange pie hiding inside a dark chocolate cake was lots of spectacular, a bit messy and imperfect too. A perfect metaphor for the election, and life really. READ MORE . . .

2016/10/302018/03/23

Pumpkin Carrot Cake Cupcakes

Baking my way to November

“He was not alone in his preoccupation with the future. The whole valley, the whole west was that way. It was a time when the past had lost its sweetness and its sap.”

East of Eden, John Steinbeck

Inspiration

I’ve baked my way to November! Finally, it’s almost election day here in the United States. It has been a wild ride. Soon we’ll be obsessed with the outcome. I’m fairly certain I’ll just keep baking as my personal stress relief. READ MORE . . .

2015/11/162018/01/03

Pumpkin Almond Cake with Almond Butter Frosting

The Pumpkin Chapter

“The rain started late in the afternoon. Adam huddled under his oilskin, waiting for the dark to come, and when it did he walked through the dripping night into the town of Valdosta. His black hat was pulled down over his eyes and his yellow oilskin was strapped tight against his throat.”

East of Eden, John Steinbeck

Inspiration

It rained again! And snowed in the high Sierras! Our garden has soaked up every last drop, the trees are dropping leaves and it is much colder at night. This dramatic change of seasons has me baking and cooking warm and comforting recipes. Here is a sweet little pumpkin cake that has found a special place on my fall “must-bake” list. (Disclaimer, this list does not include fall pies. For pies there is no list, they are all worthy of making.) There are three cakes I make each fall: Spiced Cranberry Buttermilk Bundt Cake, Brown Sugar Pear Pound Cake and this Pumpkin Almond Cake with Almond Butter Frosting. What sets this cake apart from the abundance of seasonal pumpkin recipes is the almond butter frosting. I would have never thought to pair pumpkin with almond but Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito did and pumpkin cakes will never be the same. The recipe can be found here. READ MORE . . .

2014/11/242014/11/24

Yeasted Pumpkin Bread with Cranberries, Pecans and Browned Butter

With Gratitude and Thanksgiving — What We Have Forgotten

“Lee apologized for the dinner like an old fool. He blamed the gas oven which didn’t heat like a good wood stove. He blamed the new breed of turkeys which lacked a something turkeys used to have. But he laughed with them when they told him he was acting like an old woman fishing for compliments.”

East of Eden, John Steinbeck

Inspiration

Home cooking and the gender of who cooks these meals is buzzing in the media. It’s not a new discussion though. Ever since women started working full-time outside the home, cooking breakfast, lunch and dinner has been a timely topic. There’s lots more too, budgeting, planning, shopping and clean-up. Even a bold essay about not cooking at all. I’ve wanted to comment on each of these blog posts, but my response is long and conflicted. I’ve had spurts of enthusiasm with cooking too. I still do. READ MORE . . .

2014/04/282014/04/28

Homemade Dog Treats

Finding Zeus

“Suddenly he knew joy and sorrow felted into one fabric. Courage and fear were one thing too.”

East of Eden, John Steinbeck

Inspiration

Like so many of my neighborhood adventures, it began on my morning walk. With a bag of foraged lemons nestled over my shoulder I found myself smiling at a large black dog across the street from me. The woman with him acknowledged me and we both kept walking. At one point, she thought I had spoken to her and she invited me over to meet the dog. I started to learn about Zeus. He was a Chow-Chow, four months post-rescue from the local animal shelter. He had been surrendered to be euthanized. Covered in sores and malnourished, Zeus had been living in the dirt under a shed for all of his ten years. Denice told me he was adoptable through Animal Friends Rescue Project. She was a volunteer in the program and Zeus was the 21st dog she was rehabilitating. I returned home and went about my day. Only later did I find Zeus on the AFRP website and emailed his photo to Mr. R and picky daughter. READ MORE . . .