Fall Baking

There is nothing better than fall in New England. For many of us, fall is our favorite time of year. Crisp, fresh air, vibrant leaves turning and apple picking. With temperatures dipping, it is time to think about heartier meals and baking.

With school activities and sports starting for the kids, it is nice to have something warm, delicious, and fresh out of the oven for them to enjoy.

 The first thing my kids ask when they come home after a hard-fought football game is, "what are we having for dinner?"

"Did you bake something?"

When preparing pies, tarts, crisps, and cookies, fall spices infuse a rich and savory flavor to give your baked goods an extra wow factor.

Here are a few of my favorite fall spices:

Cardamon: Cardamom comes from the same family as ginger and turmeric. Its orangey flavor works well in pies such as, pumpkin, custard and sweet potato.

Star Anise: Star Anise is the foremost ingredient in Chinese five-spice powder, and it also makes a delicious flavoring for poached fruits such as pears and plums.

Cloves: Cloves are the dried flower buds collected from a type of evergreen tree. Cloves appear in gingerbread, fruitcake and in mulled wine or on glazed hams.

Nutmeg: Nutmeg has a warm, sweet, musky flavor well suited for cakes, cookies and other baked goods. It is excellent in milky desserts and drinks.

An all time favorite dessert in my family is Warm-Carmel Apple Cake. It is delicious, and will be gone before you can say hooray its fall!

 Here is the recipe:

Warm Carmel Apple Cake

Topping:

1/4 cup butter 

2 tablespoons whipping cream                         

1/2 cup packed brown sugar     

1-2 large apple, peeled, thinly sliced

1/2 cup chopped pecans

Cake

1-box Betty Crocker Gluten-Free yellow cake mix

1/4 teaspoon apple spice or (cinnamon)

2/3 cup water

1/2 cup butter, softened

3-eggs

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. In medium bowl, microwave 1/4 cup butter, whipping cream and brown sugar. Pour into ungreased eight or nine inch square pan. Sprinkle chopped pecans. Top with sliced apples.

2. In large bowl, beat cake mix, apple spice, water, 1/2 cup butter and the eggs with electric mixer. Spread batter over apple mixture.

3. Bake 9-inch pan 50-55 minutes, 8-inch pan 60-65 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes. Loosen sides of cake from pan. Place heatproof serving platter upside down on pan and carefully turn platter and pan over. Let pan remain over cake 1-minute so carmel can drizzle over cake. Remove pan. Serve warm with whipped cream or vanilla ice-cream.

From: www.bettercrocker.com

Enjoy!