An Old Favorite and a New Favorite: Pumpkin Blondies and Almond Cake

By: Jill

Pumpkin is one of my favorite ingredients to work with and I always have a supply of canned pumpkin on hand in my pantry. When cooking with pumpkin you can, of course, make your own blend of spices, but I really like the simplicity of buying "Pumpkin Pie Spice" and it's something I always have on hand as well.

Shockingly, some people proclaim themselves not to be "dessert people" (scary, I know). I've found, though, that this "old favorite" is something that even people who don't normally indulge in desserts will absolutely love. These yummy bars include both white chocolate pieces and butterscotch chips to create a gooey, caramel taste within the pumpkin bar. The recipe is from Annie's Eats, a fantastic blogger that I follow.

These bars are light, fluffy, and full of flavor which make them popular with both adults and kids. My friend Emily loves these bars and her five-year old son Mateo has requested I make some more!

This is definitely a recipe that I keep at the beginning of my recipe book because it never gets old. I'll continue to make this recipe even with all the new things I am baking!

My "new favorite" is a dessert I've been thinking about non-stop since I made it for a cook-out recently. I'm constantly asking myself when the next occasion is so I can make it. (Even if there isn't an occasion, I'm considering making one for myself!) This cake is different because it is made entirely in the food processor in order to completely combine the almond paste. This cake also contains some more expensive ingredients (almost paste, almond extract, etc.) but it is well worth it! The recipe is from David Lebovitz.

Almond paste is similar to marzipan in taste and the way it looks. This cake is moist and incredibly flavorful. All is needs is some powdered sugar on top and the cake has enough flavor on its own.

It's also a cake that stays yummy for days after you make it if you keep it in the fridge. I enjoyed some of it with coffee during the week. I'm always searching for something a little different to make and this cake is a winner.