Whole Wheat Pumpkin Coffee Cake

My first pumpkin and fall-related post of the year! Oh yeah, let's hear it for fall!

I've made this cake several times for the family over the years. In the past, I've used half all-purpose flour and half white wheat flour. Recently I began using all white wheat flour. And no one noticed a difference.

The cake is sweet, but not too sweet. And so moist! Hubby like to have his with a cup of coffee, but I prefer milk. Nothing beats cake and milk together, in my humble opinion.

So here's what you'll need:

2 cups white wheat flour (you can sub out half the wheat for all purpose)
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 TBSP baking powder
1 teas pumpkin pie spice
4 eggs
1/2 cup melted butter or coconut oil
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup sour cream
1 TBSP vanilla
1 (15 oz) can pumpkin

For the topping:
1/2 cup melted butter
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 teas cinnamon

For the glaze (if desired, the cake is fine without it):

3/4 cups powdered sugar
2-3 TBSP milk

In a mixing bowl or the bowl of an stand mixer, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and pumpkin pie spice. Stir in the eggs, melted butter, milk, sour cream, vanilla and pumpkin. Beat on low for a minute, then beat on high for another minute. Batter will be thick. Spread the batter evenly in a lightly greased 9x13 pan

In a small bowl, mix the melted butter, brown sugar and cinnamon. Drizzle over the cake butter. Using a butter knife, swirl the cinnamon mixture into the batter. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 30 minutes.

Stir together the glaze ingredients. Drizzle over the cooled cake.

Pumpkin White Chocolate Chip Bars

It's the first week of November and I just realized I hadn't posted any pumpkin recipes yet this season! Pumpkin is one of my favorite things about fall. I love pumpkin pies, pumpkin cookies, pumpkin bars, you name it. This recipe produces a lovely pumpkin bar that's not too sweet and is simply delicious.

Here's what you need:

1 cup butter (2 sticks), softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 cup canned pumpkin
2 teas vanilla
2 cups flour (I used half unbleached and half white wheat)
1 TBSP pumpkin pie spice
1 teas baking soda
3/4 teas salt
1 pkg white chocolate chips

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar together. (You can use a hand-held electric mixer for this, too). Beat in the egg, pumpkin and vanilla.

In a small bowl, combine the flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda and salt. Add to the pumpkin mixture slowly, making sure everything is combined. Stir in the white chocolate chips.

Line a 9x13 pan with foil, leaving an overhang that you can use to pull the baked bars out of the pan. Brush the foil with a little oil or butter. Spread the batter into the pan. It will be thick and sticky.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely. Using the foil, lift the bars out of the pan and set on a cutting board. Peel the foil away, then use a pizza cutter or knife to cut into squares.

Pumpkin Squares

We like pumpkin pie around here. But when we have company, one pie isn't enough. So I serve these pumpkin squares instead. They have all the taste of pumpkin pie but there are more servings to go around. The nutty crust offers a nice crunch, too.

Here's what you need:

For the crust:
1 cup flour
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup quick oats
1/4 cup chopped nuts

Mix well and pat into a greased 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.

For the filling:
1 can (15 oz.) pumpkin - not pumpkin pie mix
1 cup evaporated milk
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla

Stir all the filling ingredients together and blend well. Pour over the baked crust. Return to the oven for another 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.

Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

I've seen variations of this idea floating around Pinterest for awhile now. I love anything pumpkin, so the notion of drinking what amounted to a pumpkin pie was very appealing to me. I wasn't so sure the kiddos would go for it, but they really liked it, too.If you like your smoothies really creamy, it's essential that you freeze the pumpkin before mixing everything up. So it does require a little forethought and planning, but the results are spectacular!

A few hours before you plan to make the smoothies, open a can of pumpkin and scrape it into a freezer container. Freeze until mostly solid. You don't really want one big chunk of frozen pumpkin, so make sure you can break it up before putting it in the blender.

Now here's what you need for the smoothie:

1 can (15 oz) pumpkin, frozen as directed above
1 cup plain yogurt
2-3 cups milk (I started out using 2 but added a little more to thin the smoothies out)
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 TBSP maple syrup
2 teas vanilla extract
2 teas pumpkin pie spice

Place all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

If you've ever made a pumpkin pie, you know that 1/3 cup of sugar isn't much sweetener, even if you add in some maple syrup. If this isn't sweet enough to your family's tastes, just add a little more brown sugar or syrup.

This recipe made enough for 4 servings as shown above. We'll definitely be enjoying these again soon!

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

Yesterday I shared a recipe for soft pumpkin cookies. All by themselves, these tender cookies are amazing. But when paired with a fluffy, buttery filling, they are simply phenomenal!

And the filling recipe couldn't be easier.

Here's what you need:

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
1 teas vanilla
1 jar (7 oz) marshmallow fluff or creme

In the mixing bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter and powdered sugar together until smooth. Add the vanilla. Then gently fold in the marshmallow creme until completely incorporated.

Find two soft pumpkin cookies of the same size and shape. Spread a tablespoon of filling on one cookie, then top with the other. Repeat for the rest of the cookies.

Store in an airtight container for a few days, if they last that long.

Soft Pumpkin Cookies

One of the reasons I love this time of year is pumpkins! I adore them. And I love to use pumpkin in baking recipes. I have made my own pumpkin puree in the past, but the easiest thing to do is just buy canned pumpkin (not the same thing as canned pumpkin pie mix which already has sugar and spices added).

These soft, moist cookies are a treat! My family loves them. I also use them to make pumpkin whoopie pies. I'll share that variation tomorrow, so stop by then and be prepared to drool!

Here's what you need for the cookies:

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, softened
1 3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 can (15 oz) pumpkin
3/4 cup evaporated milk
1 teas vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour (I used half unbleached white and half white wheat)
1 teas baking powder
1 teas baking soda
1 teas salt
2 1/2 teas pumpkin pie spice
1/4 teas ground ginger

In the mixing bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar together. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the pumpkin, evaporated milk and vanilla, mixing until well combined.

In another bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices. Slowly add to the pumpkin mixture with the mixer on low. Once the flour mixture has been added (and there's no danger of throwing flour everywhere), increase the mixer speed and beat until smooth.

Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Using a tablespoon, drop the batter onto the cookie sheets, about an inch apart. The batter will spread, so leave enough room that they don't get baked together. Bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes, or until the cookies are set and the tops spring back when touched. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a couple of minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack.

This recipe makes about 4 dozen cookies. Store them in an airtight container when they've cooled completely.

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bars

How about another pumpkin recipe this week? These pumpkin bars are really more cake-like than most bar recipes. The chocolate chips lend a little sweetness and complements the pumpkin flavor very well.

Here's what you need:

3/4 cup butter (1 1/2 sticks), melted
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 cup pumpkin puree (I used canned pumpkin)
1 teas vanilla
1 1/2 cup white wheat flour
1 teas cinnamon
1 teas pumpkin pie spice
3/4 teas baking powder
1/2 teas salt
1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped pecans

In a mixing bowl, combine the melted butter and brown sugar. Stir in the egg, pumpkin, and vanilla.

In another bowl, mix the flour, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder and salt together. Stir into the pumpkin mixture and mix well. Fold in the chocolate chips and pecans.

Spread into a greased 9x13 pan and bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool and cut into squares.

Pumpkin Quinoa Muffins

I've been trying out some new quinoa recipes lately. This one was sent to me by a reader, Deb from Not Inadequate. It combines my love of pumpkin with the the protein power house of quinoa. What's not to like about this recipe?

The kids really liked the muffins, but the person who liked them most was my husband. He declared that these not-too-sweet muffins were the perfect accompaniment to a hot cup of coffee. He drank several cups and ate several muffins just to prove it to me!

Here's what you need:

1 1/4 cups white wheat flour
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1 teas pumpkin pie spice
1 teas baking powder
1/2 teas baking soda
1/2 teas sea salt
3/4 cup cooked quinoa
4 TBSP butter, melted
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup milk
2 teas vanilla extract
additional brown sugar and cinnamon for the topping, if desired

In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, pie spice, baking powder, baking soda and sea salt. Add the cooked quinoa, mixing with a fork to separate the grains.

In another bowl, whisk together the butter, eggs, pumpkin, milk and vanilla until smooth.

Gradually stir the pumpkin mixture into the dry ingredients just until combined. Don't overmix.

Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups with batter. If desired, sprinkle the batter with a mixture of brown sugar and cinnamon. I keep a spice jar with the cinnamon sugar mixture on hand. This will give it a nice, sweet crunch on top.

Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in a muffin comes out clean. Remove from the muffin pan and cool on a wire rack.

I really love that these muffins are healthy. There's not too much sugar and they're full of protein. It's a perfect way to start the day!

See the little light-colored "dots" in the muffin? That's the quinoa!

Deb, thanks so much for sharing your recipe with me! It's already a family favorite!

Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Bars

I had some leftover canned pumpkin from another recipe, so I decided to play around with my snickerdoodle bar recipe and see if adding pumpkin would work. I replaced one egg with a cup of pumpkin and increased some spices. And the results are amazing! They turned out more cake-like than bar-like, but still, amazing!

Here's what you need:

2 cups brown sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 egg
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 TBSP vanilla
2 2/3 cups flour
2 teas baking powder
1 teas cinnamon
1 teas pumpkin pie spice
1 teas salt
2 TBSP sugar mixed with 1 teas cinnamon and 1 teas pumpkin pie spice

In a bowl, beat brown sugar and butter together. Add the egg, pumpkin and vanilla. Beat until smooth.

In another bowl, combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. Add to pumpkin mixture and stir until well-blended. The batter will be thick like cookie dough. Spread into a greased 9x13 pan with a greased spatula or your hands. Sprinkle the sugar and spice mixture evenly over the top.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool, cut into squares and serve.

Pumpkin Pancakes

I can't get enough pumpkin. Really, I can't. Until a few weeks ago it was difficult to find canned pumpkin in the store, so I had to raid my stash and was down to my last two cans of pumpkin. Ackkk! I decided to make this yummy pancake recipe for dinner one night, and it was a hit. Paired with a simple cinnamon syrup, it was like eating dessert.

Here's what you need:

1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup pureed pumpkin
1 egg
2 TBSP oil or melted butter
2 TBSP white vinegar
2 cups flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 teas baking powder
1 teas baking soda
1 teas cinnamon
1 teas pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teas ground ginger
1/2 teas salt

In a bowl, mix the milk, pumpkin, egg, oil or butter, and vinegar. Mix the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl. Stir the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until no lumps remain. If the batter is too thick, blend in a little water.

Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan. It's hot enough when you can sprinkle a few drops of water on it and it sizzles. Use approximately 1/4 cup batter for each pancake. When bubbles form on the top of the pancake and it appears dry around the edge, flip over and continue cooking until done.

Serve warm with syrup. Here's the cinnamon syrup recipe if you're interested, though maple syrup is extremely yummy with these pancakes, too.

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1/4 cup water
1 teas vanilla
3/4 teas cinnamon

Combine the sugar, corn syrup and water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and cook for 2 minutes, or until thickened. Stir in the evaporated milk, vanilla and cinnamon. Serve warm over pancakes.

Pumpkin Cream Pie

If you like pumpkin pie but want something a little different, this creamy pie is for you! It's got all the taste of pumpkin pie with a smooth pudding-like texture you'll love. It's particularly good with homemade whipped cream slathered on top! And it doesn't require any baking time, so it's super easy.

Here's what you need:

1 cup canned pumpkin
2 cups cold milk
2 boxes instant vanilla pudding (3.5 oz size)
1 teas pumpkin pie spice
1 cup whipped cream (Cool Whip or homemade)
Graham cracker crust

Combine all the ingredients (except the crust) in a mixing bowl and mix on low for one minute. Increase the speed to medium and continue mixing for two more minutes until thick. Spread the filling into the graham cracker crust. Cover and refrigerate until set. Mine was ready after about an hour or two, but I left it in the fridge overnight. Fantastic!

Pumpkin Fudge

If you love pumpkin pie, you're going to love this fudge. The princess says it's pumpkin pie candy. And she's right. It's smooth and spicy (as in pumpkin pie spicy, not hot spicy). I could probably eat the entire pan myself, but then I'd be sick.

Here's what you need to make it:

Self-control...oh, wait. That's just me.
1 1/2 c
ups sugar
1/2 cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)
3/4 cup evaporated milk
2 TBSP butter
1 1/2 teas pumpkin pie spice
1/4 teas salt
1 pkg white chocolate chips
2 cups mini marshmallows
1 teas vanilla

Line a 8x8 pan with foil, leaving some foil hanging over the sides. Grease the foil well with non-stick spray or olive oil.

In a saucepan, stir together the sugar, pumpkin, milk, butter, salt and spice.


Stirring constantly over medium heat, bring the mixture to a boil. Continue stirring and boiling for 12 minutes. This will get tedious, but the results are worth it!


Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the white chips, marshmallows, and vanilla. Keep stirring until the mixture is smooth. This might take a few minutes, but keep stirring. When everything has melted together, pour into the foil-lined pan.



Cover and refrigerate until set, about 2 hours. Remove from fridge and invert onto a cutting board. Peel off the foil, then cut into small pieces.

I used a pizza cutter for this, and it worked beautifully! Hey, why is there a piece missing? Hmmmm....

Store in the fridge. For a printable recipe, click here.

For more yummy recipes, head over to Blessed with Grace's Tempt My Tummy Tuesday.

Pumpkin Pie Cupcakes

You will never find an easier recipe for cupcakes. Ever.

There are only two ingredients, three if you decide to frost them. Four if you count the sprinkles.

Here's what you need:

1 spice cake mix
1 (15 oz) can pumpkin

That's it!

Combine the cake mix and pumpkin. The easiest way to do this is to use a mixer. Divide the mixture among 18 paper-lined muffin cups. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-18 minutes. Let cool then frost if desired. Dip in sprinkles if you want!

I used cream cheese frosting and it was delectable! I had some fall leaves/orange sprinkles that I poured into a shallow dish, then dipped the tops of the cupcakes into the dish . It's so much easier to dip than to shake the sprinkles onto the frosting. More sprinkles stick that way, too!


The muffins were so moist and delicious. You could use a yellow cake mix instead of spice cake, but note that you'd have to add pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon to the batter.


The frosting is optional, but not really. Have you ever eaten cupcakes without frosting? I think they're called muffins if you eat them that way!

Pumpkin Pie Pudding - in the crockpot!

This is one of my family's favorite desserts. It tastes just like pumpkin pie without a crust. I love it because I simply pour the ingredients into the crockpot on Sunday morning and have dessert ready when we get home from church.

On a busy holiday, such as Thanksgiving or Christmas, this is a great alternative to baking a pumpkin pie. It frees up your oven for other things and saves a few calories, too.

Here's what you need:

1 (15 oz) can pumpkin
1 (12 oz) can evaporated milk
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup Bisquick
2 eggs, beaten
2 TBSP butter, melted
2 1/2 teas pumpkin pie spice
2 teas vanilla extract

In a large bowl, whisk all the ingredients together until well blended. You don't want any lumps. Pour into a greased crock pot. I use a 5-quart for this.


Cover and cook on low for 3-4 hours or until set. The pudding will pull away from the sides of the crock and there might be a crack or two on top. That's okay.

Scoop out and serve in bowls. Whipped cream is yummy on this!

Pumpkin Spice Dessert

In continuing with my pumpkin obsession, I came across this recipe and tweaked it a bit to spice it up. And by spice it up, I mean I used a spice cake mix instead of a yellow cake mix. Believe me, the spice cake mix took this dessert from being good to fabulous!

Here's what you need:

1 (15 oz) can pumpkin

1 (12 oz) can evaporated milk

3 eggs

1 cup sugar

2 teas pumpkin pie spice (if you use a yellow cake mix, increase this to 3 teas)

1 spice cake mix

3/4 cup butter, melted

1 cup chopped nuts

In a large bowl, combine pumpkin, milk, eggs, sugar and spice. Mix well and pour into a greased 9x13 pan.

In another bowl, combine the cake mix, melted butter and nuts. Drop by spoonfuls over the pumpkin mixture.


Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.


Cut into squares and serve. This is really yummy with vanilla ice cream or whipped topping!

Pumpkin Scones with Cinnamon Glaze

Since the beginning of fall, I've had an overwhelming taste for all things pumpkin. So when I came across a recipe at Family, Stamping and FOOD, I knew I had to try it. I tweaked it just a little bit and used a different glaze.

The results were amazing! I followed Candi's advice and used a fork to blend the ingredients. It could not have been easier.

Here's what you need:

2 cups flour (I used half unbleached white and half wheat)
1 TBSP baking powder
1/4 teas salt
1 teas cinnamon
1/2 teas nutmeg
1/4 teas ginger
6 TBSP brown sugar
6 TBSP cold butter, cut into cubes
1/3 cup canned pumpkin (or your own puree)
1/3 cup half and half cream

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, spices, and brown sugar. Using a fork, work in the butter until the mixture is like crumbs.



Add the pumpkin and cream, stirring with the fork until just combined. The batter will be lumpy. Don't overmix it.


Dump the mixture onto a lightly floured surface. Use your hands to press the dough together into a disk. Knead the disk a few times, then form into another disk, about 1 inch thick and 10 inches wide.



Using a pizza cutter, slice the disk into 8 wedges. Carefully move the wedges onto a greased baking sheet.


Bake at 400 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until the scones are puffed and lightly browned. Drizzle with cinnamon glaze.



To make the cinnamon glaze, combine 1 cup powdered sugar, 2-3 TBSP milk and 1 teas cinnamon. Drizzle over cooled scones. Just don't count the number of scones in the picture.


These are flaky and not too sweet. Perfect with a cup of coffee! Enjoy!

For more yummy recipes, visit Tempt My Tummy Tuesday being hosted today At the Well.

Pumpkin Butterscotch Muffins

It's fall, so time to bring on the pumpkin! Only I'm sure you've noticed, there's hardly a can of pumpkin to be found at the grocery store. That's because of the Pumpkin Shortage of 2009. I read about the poor harvest last year and stocked up during Thanksgiving and Christmas, so I still have a couple of cans. Hopefully this year's crop will be better and canned pumpkin will reach store shelves within the next month or so!

Update on 9/27/10 - Canned pumpkin spotted at WalMart!

If you're fortunate enough to have some canned pumpkin, here's a great recipe to try. You'll need:

1 cup unbleached white flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup sugar (I use turbinado)
1 teas cinnamon
1 teas baking soda
1/2 teas salt
1/2 teas ground ginger
1/2 teas nutmeg
1/4 teas baking powder
1/2 cup melted butter or vegetable oil
1 cup canned pumpkin
2 eggs
1 cup butterscotch chips

In a bowl, sift together the dry ingredients. In another bowl, whisk together the butter, pumpkin, and eggs.


Mix the flour mixture and pumpkin mixture together. Stir in the butterscotch chips. The batter will be thick.


Divide the batter among 12 paper-lined muffin cups. Bake at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of a muffin comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.


I've also used the batter to make mini-muffins. Lower the oven temp to 350 and bake for 10-12 minutes.

For more great recipes, visit Blessed with Grace's Tempt My Tummy Tuesday.