The Country Cook's blog is the place for poke cakes. I visited her blog today and it is pumpkin time there. I have tried several of her recipes and have been very pleased with the results...unlike my failure Saturday with my Nordic pan which I praised way too much. The failure was the pan, however, not the recipe for the brown sugar pound cake. In any event it is disappearing from my kitchen and I know it is not the dogs carrying it away. Here is the recipe I am trying next from the Country Cook. (By the way, dogs like pumpkin puree.)
Pumpkin Bread with Brown Sugar Glaze
Ingredients:
1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 can (15 oz.) pure pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
2 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup water
For the glaze:
1 tbsp. butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
3 tbsp. milk
1/4 cup chopped pecans (optional)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 325F degrees (350F if using a metal loaf pan). Spray loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.
In a medium bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and spices.
In a separate mixing bowl, mix together brown sugar, canned pumpkin, eggs, oil and water. Stir well to combine. Add dry ingredients to wet and stir just until blended together. Be careful not to over mix.
Pour into loaf pan and bake for about an hour to an hour and 15 minutes.
(It took about 75 minutes in my oven using a 8.5in. x4.5in. Pyrex loaf pan) Oven times will vary so just be sure to check your bread after the first 50 minutes. Insert a toothpick to test if it is completely baked through.
When bread is almost finished, start working on the glaze. In a small saucepan, whisk together butter, brown sugar and milk. Bring it up to a boil for about 2 minutes. Stir constantly so it doesn't burn.
When your bread is finished (while still warm), start poking a bunch of holes in it using a fork. This will allow some of the glaze to seep into the bread. Be sure to put a paper towel underneath your loaf pan too because once you start pouring the glaze, it may go a little over the edge.
Start pouring your warm glaze over the warm bread. Try to pour slowly to allow that glaze to seep in the holes you poked. Press chopped pecans (if you're using) into the top of the bread. Allow to cool before slicing.
www.thecountrycook.net (She is on Facebook as well as Pinterest and she is worth checking out. Thank you, Brandie.)
My struggle with pie crust continues, but I will try the country cook's recipe and directions because her instructions have worked for me so far:
Wham Bam Pie Crust
Ingredients:
1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tbsp. water
Directions:
In a medium bowl, combine flour and salt. Stir in oil and water.
Mix until combined. Then form it into a ball.
Spray your pie pan with nonstick cooking spray.
Put the ball of dough in the middle of your pie dish.
And start pushing down on your ball of dough and begin spreading it towards the sides.
Do as best as you can to evenly pull it up the sides.
You'll want plenty of dough up the sides too so you can crimp it at the top edge.
You can even get in there with your knuckles if you need to.
Make sure you also press down into the bottom rim of the pan too to spread out the dough and so it's not too thick.
And then you can start to go around and crimp the top edges of the crust.
Remember, this does not have to be perfect. It’s a bottom-only pie crust.
It's rustic and it's homemade. It should look that way.
Once it’s ready, fill with your favorite filling and bake according to your pie’s directions.
Cook's Notes: If you are using this crust in a recipe that calls for a pre-baked pie crust. Before baking, just make sure you use a fork and prick lots of little holes all over the crust. This will keep the crust from puffing up too much while baking.
One user of this recipe mixes the ingredients right in the pie dish.
Brown Sugar Pumpkin Pie
Ingredients:
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
1 can (15 oz.) pumpkin puree
3 Large Eggs
1 cup Heavy Cream
⅓ cup Sour Cream
1 Tablespoon Pumpkin Pie Spice
2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
Directions:
If you are using a frozen pie crust, you may need to partially bake it first. Check the back of the package for instructions. Most frozen crusts just require that you to sit it out on the counter for about 10 minutes before putting any filling into it.
Or, if you are using my Wham Bam Pie Crust, just make sure you prick the inside of the crust all around with a fork, then pop it into the fridge to chill while making the filling.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Using an electric mixer, mix the melted butter, brown sugar, pumpkin puree together until combined.
Add in eggs, heavy cream, sour cream, spices, and vanilla. Mix until thoroughly combined.
Pour batter into the pie shell, taking care not to overfill. You will have some batter left over.
Also, to keep pie edges from getting too dark, wrap edge of crust in aluminum foil.
Bake for 15 minutes at 425 degrees F, then reduce heat to 350 degrees F and bake for about 40-50 minutes.
Cool to room temperature for 2-3 hours (to allow the pie to finish setting up) then serve with whipped cream.
Cook’s note: Oven times vary, but basically the pie should be just a little jiggly in the middle when it is done. It is overcooked when the pie has totally set up in the oven. Also, pie mixture may look VERY thin compared to what you are used to, but don’t worry, it will thicken up in the oven. This recipe makes 2 regular-sized pies or one large deep dish pie (with a little filling leftover).
Pumpkin Coffee Cake
Ingredients:
For the Cake
1 cup pure pumpkin puree
¼ cup vegetable oil
1 tsp. vanilla extract
½ cup milk (2% or higher works best)
¾ cup sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
1 tbsp. pumpkin pie spice
2 cups all-purpose flour
For the Streusel Topping
2 tbsp. butter, melted
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 tbsp. cinnamon
2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
1/2 cup chopped pecans
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Spray an 8x8" pan with nonstick cooking spray.
In a medium bowl, combine pumpkin, oil, vanilla and milk until smooth.
(If using a stand mixer, remember to scrape the sides occasionally so it all gets incorporated).
Then stir in sugar, baking powder, salt and pumpkin pie spice. Mix until combined.
Finally, gently stir in flour. Mix just until combined. Don't over mix.
Batter will be a little lumpy. Pour batter into baking dish.
Now, to make the streusel topping.
In a small bowl, combine the melted butter with the brown sugar, cinnamon and flour.
Then stir in chopped pecans.
Sprinkle topping evenly all over coffee cake batter.
Bake for about 35-40 minutes (or until a toothpick comes out clean).
Slice up and serve.
Note: Using an 8x8 baking dish does make for a pretty thick coffee cake.
If you want thinner pieces of cake, use a larger baking dish and adjust the cooking time accordingly.
