Dessert

Is there any better part of a meal than dessert? Maybe...maybe not. Either way, here are six yummy deesserts to help you through the day, including Salted Caramel Brownies, Sheet-Pan Sweet Potato, Pecan and Pumpkin Pie, and Earl Grey Tea Cake w/Dark Chocolate and Orange Zest. Enjoy!

PUMPKIN LAYER CAKE WITH CARAMEL BUTTERCREAM

This is from Yossy Arefo in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Yossy wrote, "Warmly spiced pumpkin cake and toasty caramel are a natural pair in this fall showstopper. The cake is light and fluffy with just enough spice to highlight the pumpkin flavor, while a generous pour of caramel sauce between the layers adds richness. (Store-bought caramel sauce will also work, but expect a slightly sweeter result.) For an impressive presentation, top the frosted cake with a bit more caramel sauce, and let it trail down the sides. It’s just the thing for a fall birthday treat or the Thanksgiving table."

Yield: 10 to 12 servings; Time: 2 hours, plus cooling

This was featured in "Not Everyone Loves Pie. For Them, There’s Cake.", and can be viewed online at https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1019728-pumpkin-layer-cake-with-caramel-buttercream.

Ingredients

For the cake:

2-1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons cake flour

1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1-3/4 cups granulated sugar

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1-1/2 teaspoons ground cardamom

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1 teaspoon kosher salt

3 large eggs, at room temperature

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2-1/2 cups pumpkin purée, at room temperature

For the caramel sauce (see note):

1 cup granulated sugar

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup heavy cream, at room temperature

1 tablespoon whiskey or 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

For the buttercream:

4 large egg whites

1 cup granulated sugar

2 cups unsalted butter, softened and cut into tablespoons

Pinch of kosher salt

Preparation

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter three 8-inch cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper. Flour the pans and paper.

Sift the flour, baking powder and baking soda into a large bowl.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the sugar, butter, spices and salt. Beat on medium-high until very light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Stop the mixer occasionally to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing for about 20 seconds between each egg. Add the vanilla extract and pumpkin purée and mix until well combined, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl as necessary. The mixture will look curdled.

Set mixer to low, and add the dry ingredients all at once, stirring until a few spots of flour remain. Remove the bowl from the mixer, and use a rubber spatula to finish folding the dry ingredients into the batter. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl to ensure the batter is evenly mixed.

Divide the batter among the prepared pans (about 3 cups per pan), smooth the tops, and tap the pans on a countertop to release any large air bubbles. Bake the cakes until golden and puffed, and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes.

Cool the cakes in the pans on a rack for 10 minutes, then use the tip of a knife to loosen the edges and carefully invert them onto the rack to cool completely.

Meanwhile, make the caramel sauce: In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the sugar and 3 tablespoons water. Swirl the pan occasionally until the sugar dissolves, but do not stir. Continue to cook, swirling the pan occasionally to help the mixture brown evenly, until it is deep amber in color. At this point, don't walk away from the pot: The caramel will go from amber to burned in mere moments.

Remove the pan from the heat, and carefully whisk in butter and heavy cream. The mixture will expand and sputter before turning into a smooth sauce. Add the whiskey and salt. Carefully pour the caramel into a heat-safe container and cool to room temperature. You will have about 1-1/2 cups.

Make the buttercream: In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the egg whites and sugar. Set the bowl over a pot of simmering water, and whisk continuously until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is hot to the touch, 5 to 7 minutes.

Use the whisk attachment of the stand mixer to beat the egg white mixture until stiff, glossy peaks form and the mixture and bowl are cool to the touch, about 10 minutes.

Switch to the paddle attachment and reduce speed to medium. With the mixer running, add the butter a couple of tablespoons at a time and beat the buttercream until smooth and fluffy. During this step, the buttercream will likely break and look curdled; turn up the speed on the mixer for a few seconds, and it will come back together. Continue until all of the butter is incorporated then add the salt. Slowly add 1/2 cup cooled caramel sauce, and stir until well combined. If the buttercream is extremely soft or runny, put the bowl in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes, then whip until smooth.

Assemble the cake: If necessary, use a serrated knife to trim the cooled cake layers so they are flat and even. Add a small spoonful of buttercream onto a cardboard cake round or serving plate, and place the first layer of cake, cut side up, on top.

Spread about 3/4 cup buttercream on top of the cake. Drizzle the buttercream with 1 tablespoon of caramel sauce. Be careful not to drizzle the caramel all of the way to the edge so it doesn’t spill out the sides.

Place the second cake layer on top and repeat with buttercream and caramel. Place the final layer on top, cut side down, and spread the top and sides of the cake with a thin, even layer of buttercream. Refrigerate the cake until the buttercream is firm, about 30 minutes.

Spread the remaining buttercream in an even layer over the cake. If you’d like to add a caramel drizzle, refrigerate the fully frosted cake until firm then carefully spread about 1/3 cup of room temperature caramel sauce over the top of the cake. Use an offset spatula to gently ease it towards the edges so it drips down the sides. Serve at room temperature. Store leftover cake in the refrigerator, but bring to room temperature before serving. Leftover caramel sauce can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Tip

You could use store-bought caramel sauce instead of making your own, but expect a slightly sweeter result. You’ll need approximately 1 1/2 cups.

SHEET-PAN SWEET POTATO, PECAN AND PUMPKIN PIE

This is from Jocelyn Delk Adams on the Today website. It begins, "This is a fun recipe that will please everyone, even the pickiest people, on holidays! You can have three different flavors of pie all in one, so everyone is satisfied.

"Swap option: You can use canned sweet potato and canned pumpkin. Also puff pastry is a fun sub for refrigerated pie dough."

Prep Time: 60 minutes; Cook Time: 60 minutes; Servings: 16

To view this online, go to https://www.today.com/recipes/sheet-pan-sweet-potato-pecan-pumpkin-pie-recipe-t200661.

Ingredients

Crust

2 boxes refrigerated rolled pie crust (4 crusts total)

1 egg plus 1 teaspoon water, whisked together

Pumpkin Pie Filling

1 1/2 cup pumpkin puree

1/4 cup evaporated milk

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

1 large egg, room temperature

Pecan Pie Filling

2/3 cup light brown sugar

1/2 cup light corn syrup

4 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1 egg

1 egg yolk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 pinch kosher salt

2 cups pecans, roasted and roughly chopped

Sweet Potato Filling

2/3 cup granulated sugar

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

1 large egg

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 2/3 sweet potato, fully cooked and mashed

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup evaporated milk

Preparation

For the crusts:

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Unroll 3 of the pie crusts on a lightly floured work surface. Stack them on top of each other. Roll out the thick, layered dough to a 15- by 21-inch rectangle. Press into a rimmed baking sheet so that the crust comes up the sides and hangs over slightly. This will be the bottom crust.

Chill until ready to use, at least 30 minutes.

For the pumpkin pie filling:

Whisk together the pumpkin, evaporated milk, sugar, salt, pumpkin pie spice and the egg in a medium bowl until smooth. Cover and set aside.

For the pecan pie filling:

Whisk together the brown sugar, corn syrup, butter, eggs, vanilla and salt in a medium bowl until smooth. Fold in the pecans, cover and set aside.

For the sweet potato pie filling:

Using a handheld mixer, beat together the sugar and butter until fluffy, then carefully mix in the egg and vanilla. Once combined, add mashed sweet potato, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. As the mixture begins to smooth out, gradually pour in the evaporated milk. Mix until fully incorporated, cover and set aside.

To assemble:

Remove the prepared baking sheet with dough from the refrigerator. Using a fork, poke the pie crust about a dozen times, going all around the dough (except for the crust).

Using a large spatula, carefully scoop, spread and smooth each filling onto the crust. On the left side, start with the sweet potato and allow it to only take up 1/3 of the pan. Next, scoop out the pumpkin pie filling on the opposite right side leaving just the center open then add the pecan filling to the center (because there is a bit more liquid in the pecan mixture, it will spread a bit, do your best to control it by quickly scooping, spreading and smoothing).

Finally, decorate the outside pie dough that is hanging over and brush the outside of the pie crust with your egg wash.

Bake until all pies are set and the crust is golden-brown and crisp, about 50-60 minutes.

Remove the pie from the oven and allow it to completely cool, about 1-1 1/2 hours. Tightly cover the top with nonstick aluminum foil (or plastic wrap) and transfer to the refrigerator to set for at least 4 hours. Overnight is best.

Allow the pie to sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before serving. Slice, serve and enjoy!

GRANDMA'S CREAMY PEANUT BUTTER FUDGE

This is from AllRecipes, and begins, "This old-fashioned style of peanut butter fudge is not that easy to find out there. The ones I tend to run across always seem to be the soft, creamy version, which is not what I'm into. If it's going to feel like peanut butter in my mouth, then what's the point? No, I want something that feels dense and firm in my fingers but will almost instantly liquefy in when it hits my tongue."

Prep Time: 15 minutes; Cook Time: 5 minutes; Additional: 1 hour; Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes; Servings: 64; Yield: 64 small cubes.

To view this online, go to https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/276663/grandmas-creamy-peanut-butter-fudge/.

Ingredients

1 pound powdered sugar

1 1/4 cups unsalted butter

1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions

Sift sugar through a fine-mesh strainer into a large bowl.

Heat butter and peanut butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk to combine and cook until bubbles appear on the edges, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in salt and vanilla extract. Pour over powdered sugar in the bowl. Mix together using a spatula until smooth.

Spread mixture into an 8x8-inch baking pan lined with plastic wrap. Wrap fully and refrigerate until firm enough to cut but not too hard, 1 to 3 hours.

Unwrap fudge and cut into small cubes. Let warm up on the counter before cutting if needed.

Chef's Notes:

This technique will work with other nut butters, smooth or chunky, like almond or cashew.

Use 1/4 teaspoon fine salt instead of kosher if desired.

CHUNKY CHOCOLATE-JAM BARS

This is from the infamous long-since-forgotten emailing list, though it looks like it's probably originally from Kraft.

Prep Time: 20 min; Total Time: 50 min; Makes: 32 servings, 1 bar each

Ingredients

1-1/2 cups flour

1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1 tsp. CALUMET Baking Powder

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

1-1/2 cups quick-cooking oats

1/2 cup BAKER'S ANGEL FLAKE Coconut

1/2 cup PLANTERS Chopped Pecans, toasted

5 squares BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate, coarsely chopped

1 jar (12 oz.) raspberry jam

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Mix flour, brown sugar and baking powder in large bowl. Cut in butter with pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add oats, coconut and pecans; mix well.

Press half of the crumb mixture firmly onto bottom of greased 13x9-inch baking pan; sprinkle with chopped chocolate. Spoon jam over top; sprinkle with remaining crumb mixture.

Bake 25 to 30 min. or until lightly browned. Cool completely on wire rack. Cut into 32 bars.

Kraft Kitchens Tips

How To Toast Nuts

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spread nuts in single layer on baking sheet. Bake 5 to 7 min. or until lightly toasted.

Great Substitute

Substitute apricot jam for the raspberry jam for a great apricot-chocolate bar.

EARL GREY TEA CAKE WITH DARK CHOCOLATE AND ORANGE ZEST

This is from Samantha Seneviratne in The New York TImes cooking page. Samantha wrote, "Loose Earl Grey tea stirred into buttery cake batter adds a sweet, floral essence that’s subtle but lovely. A little dark chocolate and orange zest makes this cake extra special. While you could use chocolate chips, using chocolate chopped from a bar produces the best result: The varying sizes of chopped chocolate blend in nicely without overpowering the delicate tea flavor."

Yield: 8 to 10 servings; Time: 1 hour, plus chilling

To view this online, go to https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1021062-earl-grey-tea-cake-with-dark-chocolate-and-orange-zest.

Ingredients

For the Frosting:

3/4 cup heavy cream

2 teaspoons loose Earl Grey tea

1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar

1/2 cup mascarpone or softened cream cheese (see Tip)

For the Cake:

1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick), at room temperature, plus more for greasing the pan

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon loose Earl Grey tea

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup granulated sugar

2 teaspoons freshly grated orange zest (from 1 large orange)

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1/2 cup whole milk, at room temperature

1/4 cup chopped dark chocolate

Preparation

Prepare the frosting: In a small saucepan, bring 1/2 cup heavy cream to a simmer over medium-high heat. Stir in the tea, remove from the heat, cover and let stand for at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour. Strain the tea through a fine-mesh sieve, discarding the solids, and chill the remaining cream until completely cold, at least 1 hour.

Prepare the cake: Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8-inch round cake pan and line with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, tea, baking powder and salt.

In large bowl, beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer on medium until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the orange zest and beat to combine. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until combined, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary. Beat in the flour mixture on low, until just combined, then beat in the milk. (Don’t overmix.) Add the chocolate and fold it in using a spatula. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake just until a toothpick comes out with moist crumbs attached, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool for about 15 minutes. Then tip the cake out onto the rack to cool completely.

To finish the frosting, add the remaining 1/4 cup/60 milliliters cream and the confectioners’ sugar to the tea cream. With an electric mixer on medium, beat the cream mixture until medium-stiff peaks form, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the mascarpone and beat just until stiff peaks form. (Do not overmix.) Top the cake with the frosting to serve. Store leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 3 days; let come to room temperature before serving.

Tip

If using cream cheese instead of mascarpone, because it has a thicker consistency, whip the cream cheese with the confectioners' sugar first, then add the whipped tea cream.

SALTED CARAMEL BROWNIES

This comes from Seattle's (Washington) Macrina Bakery's monthly email. It I ever have the chance to take a road trip around the U.S., this is one place I plan to visit.

This recipe begins, "With Valentine’s Day on the horizon, we thought it was an excellent time to send out the recipe for this decadent treat. For chocolate lovers, there’s not much better than the densely-textured, fudgy taste of a brownie. These brownies marry sweet, salty and bitter better than nearly any dessert we’ve tried. Bitter ground coffee finds balance in the caramel, as does the semisweet chocolate in the sea salt. The caramel cream cheese may have you wondering just how many brownies are too many. The caramel sauce is simple to make, but Fran's Caramel Sauce is an excellent substitution if you're in a rush."

Makes nine 3 X 3-inch brownies

Ingredients

Brownies

1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks)

4 oz unsweetened chocolate

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup brown sugar

1 Tbsp ground coffee

1/2 tsp kosher salt

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

4 eggs

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

4 oz semisweet chocolate chips

Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting

8 oz cream cheese, room temperature

1/2 cup caramel sauce, room temperature

2 Tbsp brown sugar

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 tsp coarsely ground Himalayan or Hawaiian pink sea salt

Brownies

Preheat oven to 325°F.

Line the base of a 9-inch square baking pan with parchment. Brush the pan sides with canola oil and lightly dust with flour, so the brownies release easily.

Place a stainless steel bowl over a medium saucepan filled with 2 inches of boiling water to create a double boiler. Add the butter and unsweetened chocolate to the bowl. Melt until combined and remove from the heat. Add the sugars, coffee, salt and vanilla. Whisk until well combined.

Add the eggs one at a time, whisking until each is fully incorporated before adding another. Using a spatula, fold in the flour and semisweet chocolate chips until just combined.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 30 to 35 minutes. A toothpick should come out dry when the brownies are set.

Let cool for 30 minutes. Remove from pan.

Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the cream cheese. Beat on medium speed for 3 minutes. Add the caramel sauce, brown sugar and vanilla. Cream until smooth and without any lumps.

Spread the frosting evenly over the cooled brownies and sprinkle with pink sea salt. Cut into 9 pieces. Enjoy!