fall

Spiced Muscovado Chocolate Sheet Cake

October 18, 2019 by Melina Thompson Leave a Comment

Everyone should have a quick and easy chocolate sheet cake recipe on hand and this one is my absolute favorite. Why? Because it has a rich chocolate flavor, is suuuuuper easy, has simple ingredients, and the texture is super spongey and fluffy. Which is not always the case with one-bowl cake recipes. And best of all, I swapped the brown sugar for muscovado sugar and I am telling you, I am never going back! I also added some cinnamon and a hint of cardamom… I just can’t help it this time of year!…

Hazelnut Apricot Rolls

December 10, 2018 by Melina Thompson Leave a Comment

One of my personal favorites for an extra special holiday breakfast is cinnamon buns. Soft and buttery yeast dough filled with whatever your heart desires. These here are filled with hazelnuts and apricot jam and are super easy to make, and you can even prep them a day ahead! Simply place the finished buns in the fridge overnight and let them rise in the morning. Bake, done, enjoy!

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Spiced Pear Streusel Bars

October 24, 2018 by Melina Thompson 1 Comment

The fall season has officially started and I am so excited about all the fall baking ahead. With warm spices like cinnamon, ginger, and cardamom, these one-bowl Spiced Pear Streusel Bars are the perfect recipe for this cozy season. And, best of all, they are so quick and easy to make! The secret to this super easy recipe: both the streusel and the bottom of the bars are made from the same dough. So all you need is a couple of simple and straight-forward ingredients such as oats, flour and Challenge Butter, one bowl, a whisk, 30 minutes of time, and you’re all set. Served warm with vanilla bean ice cream, they make a super delicious – and impressive – dessert, even for Thanksgiving! Because let’s be honest, with all the Thanksgiving cooking, who has time to bake a pie?…

Golden Vanilla Pumpkin Bread

September 25, 2018 by Melina Thompson 1 Comment

Holy pumpkin what a game changer: Golden Vanilla Pumpkin Bread. Actually, it is so incredibly moist and fluffy, I should call it a loaf cake rather than a bread (more on that below). You know when cake is so moist that when you squeeze it it makes that moist squishy sound? Yep, exactly that. Now, I am a huge fan of pumpkin spice, don’t get me wrong, and I love me some classic pumpkin bread. But I also love, LOVE vanilla – probably one of my absolute favorite flavors – and this pumpkin bread is made with a whole vanilla bean instead of pumpkin spice. That’s right. NO pumpkin spice here. The flavor of the vanilla bean (and don’t skip the whole bean, vanilla extract won’t do, sorry) is so intense and goes insanely well with the pumpkin….

Banana Cake with Pecans & Walnuts

September 8, 2018 by Melina Thompson 3 Comments

This super quick and easy banana cake with pecans and walnuts is gluten-free (made with almond and oat flour) and a healthier version of a comfort cake – just what we all need now that fall is soooo close! This is one of my all time favorite cakes and I’ve been making it for years now. It’s everything you want in a cake: fluffy, moist and airy. And with warm spices like cinnamon, ginger, all-spice and nutmeg – paired with the pecans and walnuts – it is just perfect for this time of year. Which of course does not stop me from making it all year long… oh no, if you just leave out those spices, this cake will make a great addition to a summer picnic….

Baked Pumpkin Brioche Donuts

October 20, 2017 by Melina Thompson Leave a Comment

It is finally that time of year again when pumpkins are popping up everywhere, leaves are turning, the weather is getting cold and pumpkin spice is in the air. Well, sort of. It definitely is if you are making these Baked Pumpkin Brioche Donuts with Vanilla Cream Cheese Icing! These yeast donuts are baked but can be fried, if you’re up to it. Brioche donuts contain significantly more eggs and a whole lot more butter than regular yeast donuts which makes them richer and just, well, more delicious in my opinion. These babies here also contain pumpkin and pumpkin spice – the perfect treat for Halloween and Thanksgiving, or, really any time during this cozy season. …

Honey Hazelnut Cupcakes with Milk Chocolate Frosting

September 28, 2017 by Melina Thompson Leave a Comment

Ok, first of all, this cake batter is the bomb. Fluffy, moist and super delicious. It is originally a vanilla cake recipe (my go to vanilla cake recipe, to be exact), and I tweaked it to make these Honey Hazelnut Cupcakes with Milk Chocolate Frosting by replacing some sugar with honey and adding some hazelnut flour. Second, this cream cheese frosting is fabulous! Milky chocolate flavor with the taste of delicious fresh cream cheese. And, hazelnut plus milk chocolate is unbeatable anyway, am I right?…

Spiced Red Pear Pie with Honey

September 18, 2017 by Melina Thompson 1 Comment

I might be getting a little ahead of myself here, but I am in super fall mode. It was still a blazing 95F here in Dallas this weekend but that did not stop me from starting my fall baking with this Spiced Red Pear Pie with Honey. Yuuuum! I will always prefer a pear over an apple and will always pick pear pie over apple pie – as much as I love apple pie. Red anjou pears are my favorite although they taste almost like the green anjou pears, but I tend to think their flavor is more intense and sweet. Of course, you can substitute with any pear you’d like. And the combination of the pears with ginger, cinnamon and honey is soo yummy and super fall-y….

Pumpkin Hummingbird Cake with Maple Buttercream

November 16, 2015 by Melina Thompson 4 Comments

As if there’s not enough food during the Thanksgiving holiday, I’m gonna add this super decadent Pumpkin Hummingbird Cake with Maple Buttercream to the menu. Can never have enough cake, right? This is a fally twist on the classic replacing the banana with pumpkin and adding maple sirup to the buttercream!
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Honey Gingerbread Bundt Cake

November 11, 2014 by Melina Thompson 11 Comments

I m so excited the christmas season is finally approaching! I just can’t wait. So I kicked off my christmas baking a littler sooner than last year and as usual, with something gingerbread. Last year, I started the season with these Gingerbread Petits Fours and this year I am gushing over this Honey Gingerbread Bundt Cake….