Raspberry Chocolate Crumble Bars

Crumb bars are easy-to-make, rustic dessert bars. These Raspberry Chocolate Crumble Bars might be the most sumptuous crumb bars I’ve ever made. They have a tender shortbread crust topped with a layer of raspberry jam, followed by chocolate chips, a generous crumb topping, then finished with a drizzle of icing. The raspberry jam and chocolate chips melt together in the oven creating a delicious filling that will remind you of raspberry truffles.

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Raspberry Chocolate Crumble Bars
Tender shortbread crust topped with raspberry jam, chocolate chips, crumb topping and a drizzle of icing
Servings
2-inch bars
Ingredients
Crust
Crumb Topping
Icing
Servings
2-inch bars
Ingredients
Crust
Crumb Topping
Icing
Instructions
Crust
  1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper leaving a couple of inches of overhang.
  2. In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the flour, powdered sugar, baking powder and salt until well combined.
  3. In a large bowl, beat the butter, with an electric mixer at medium speed, until smooth. Add the flour mixture and beat just until the dough comes together.
  4. Press the dough evenly into the baking pan. Bake until the surface is light golden born, about 20-23 minutes.
Crumb Topping
  1. Meanwhile, in a medium-size bowl, stir together the flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar and salt. Work the butter into the flour mixture with your fingertips until it looks like wet sand, with no large pieces of butter remaining Press the mixture together to form chunks. Set aside in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Filling
  1. Spread the raspberry jam evenly over the warm crust. Top with the chocolate chips. Sprinkle the crumb topping evenly over the filling. Return the pan to the oven and bake until the topping is golden brown and the filling starts to bubble, about 23-28 minutes. Let cool in the pan.
Icing
  1. In a small bowl, whisk the powdered sugar, butter, extracts, salt and 1 tablespoon of milk together. Add more milk as needed to reach the desired consistency. Whisk until smooth. Remove the cooled bars from the pan and drizzle with icing. Cut the bars into 2 inch squares.

I Love You Beary Much Cookies

"I Love You Beary Much" sugar cookies shaped like bears with bear cubs

Have you seen those cute Teddy bear cookies on social media with the bear holding an almond or a heart? I’m not sure where they originated but they’re sometimes called Pinterest cookies because so many people have found them there. I had an idea to have the Teddy bears hold baby bear cookies instead of nuts and I was going to save them for Mother’s Day. But then I thought they would also be so cute for Valentine’s Day. I made them in three different flavors to represent our beautiful human diversity.

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I Love You Beary Much Cookies
Teddy bear cookies with baby bear cookies in vanilla, cinnamon and chocolate variations
Course Dessert
Keyword cookies, sugar
Servings
cookies
Course Dessert
Keyword cookies, sugar
Servings
cookies
Instructions
  1. In a large bowl, beat the butter and cream cheese together, with an electric mixer on low speed, until smooth. Add both sugars and the salt and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg until well combined then beat in the extracts. On low speed, beat in the flour just until combined.
  2. Divide the dough into 3 equal portions, using a kitchen scale for accuracy. Mix the cinnamon into one portion of dough. Mix the cocoa powder into another portion of dough. Form the dough portions into disks, wrap them with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to overnight.
  3. Line 2 large cookie sheets with parchment paper. Roll the dough to a scant 1/4-inch thickness. Cut out 24 bears using a 3 1/2-inch cookie cutter* and 24 mini bears using a 1 3/4-inch or smaller cookie cutter.** (Re-roll the dough scraps as needed, letting the dough rest in the refrigerator until chilled before cutting again.) Place the bears onto the cookie sheets about 2 inches apart. Top each one with a mini bear. Fold over one or both arms of each bear. Chill in the refrigerator until firm, about 20 minutes.
  4. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Bake the cookies until set and the edges barely start to brown, about 9-11 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 2-3 minutes then transfer them to a cooling rack.
  5. Using food coloring and a toothpick, draw the bears faces. With a small food safe paintbrush apply luster dust to make rosy cheeks. Use a dab of icing or melted chocolate to apply the candy hearts.
Recipe Notes

*To find the bear cookie cutter I used, click here.

**To find mini bear cookie cutters click here.

Fluffy Homemade Marshmallows


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Fluffy Homemade Marshmallows

Thick, soft and fluffy homemade marshmallows

Keyword candy, marshmallows

Servings
marshmallows


Ingredients

Keyword candy, marshmallows

Servings
marshmallows


Ingredients


Instructions
  1. Spray an 8-inch square pan lightly with nonstick spray. Wipe out any excess spray with a paper towel. Combine the gelatin powder with 1/2 cup (118ml) of water in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment.

  2. Place the granulated sugar, corn syrup, salt and the remaining 1/2 cup (118ml) of water in a medium-size saucepan. Stir gently to combine. Place the saucepan on the stovetop over medium heat. Cook, without stirring, until the temperature reaches 230ºF (110ºC) on a candy thermometer. Gently swirl the pan occasionally to help prevent hot spots.

  3. Turn the mixer on to low speed. Slowly and carefully pour the hot syrup mixture inside the mixer bowl along the side, away from the whisk. Keep beating until the gelatin is dissolved. Add the vanilla. Gradually turn the mixer up to high speed and continue whipping the mixture until it's glossy, thick and fluffy, about 10 minutes.

  4. Transfer the mixture to the pan, spreading it with an offset spatula. Let it sit uncovered at room temperate until it firms up, about 4 hrs.

  5. In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar and cornstarch. Sprinkle about 2/3 of the mixture over your work surface. Loosen the edges of marshmallow slab with a small offset spatula. Turn it out onto your work surface. Sprinkle it with the powdered sugar mixture. Cut it into 2-inch squares (or any size you want). Clean your knife after each cut. Toss the marshmallows in the powdered sugar mixture. Store in a covered container for up to 3 days.

Fudgy Chocolate Crumb Cake

Fudgy Chocolate Crumb Cake

This moist, fudgy chocolate cake with a generous amount of melt-in-your-mouth chocolate crumb topping and powdered sugar snow is perfect for frosty mornings with a cup of hot coffee or tea. It’s also perfect for a holiday breakfast or brunch served with fresh raspberries and/or raspberry sauce.*

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Fudgy Chocolate Crumb Cake
Rich, moist, fudgy chocolate cake with melt-in-your mouth crumb topping and sprinkled with powdered sugar.
Cuisine American
Keyword cake, chocolate, crumb
Servings
servings
Ingredients
Crumb Topping
Cake
Cuisine American
Keyword cake, chocolate, crumb
Servings
servings
Ingredients
Crumb Topping
Cake
Instructions
Crumb Topping
  1. In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, cocoa powder and salt until well combined. Work the butter into the flour mixture with your fingertips until it looks like dirt, with no large pieces of butter remaining. Press the mixture together to form chunks. Set aside in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Cake
  1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Line an 8-inch square cake pan** with parchment paper, leaving a couple of inches of overhang to serve as handles to lift the cake out of the pan. If you want to serve the cake directly from the pan, you can skip the parchment paper and simply spray the pan with nonstick spray.
  2. In a medium-size bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt together until well combined.
  3. In a large bowl, beat the butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar together, with an electric mixer at medium speed, until light and fluffy. Beat in the oil until combined. Beat in the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla in 3 separate additions, making sure each one is incorporated before adding the next.
  4. On low speed, beat the flour mixture into the batter in 2 additions, alternating with half of the sour cream after each addition. Beat just until combined. Gradually beat in the hot coffee just until smooth and well combined. Fold in the mini chocolate chips.
  5. Transfer the batter to the prepared cake pan. Top the batter evenly with the crumb topping. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes with a few moist crumbs attached (not wet batter), about 28-37 minutes.
  6. Cool the cake in the pan for 15 minutes, then remove the cake from the pan and continue cooling on a cooling rack. Sprinkle powdered sugar over the cooled cake.
Recipe Notes

*To find my raspberry sauce recipe, click here.

**To find my favorite 8-inch square cake pan, click here.

 

Sweet Potato Cake with Marshmallow Cream Cheese Frosting and Salted Caramel

This incredibly easy-to-make cake is like a sleeper that takes you by surprise. The two-ingredient frosting is an unlikely winner, but will end up pleasantly surprising you, especially when the salted caramel is added as a finishing touch. The combination of sweet potatoes and marshmallows is a classic pairing that will remind you of a sweet potato casserole in cake form. My family adores it and I think you will too. If you’re not a fan of marshmallows you can frost this cake with my silky cream cheese frosting instead. Click here for the recipe.

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Sweet Potato Cake with Marshmallow Cream Cheese Frosting and Salted Caramel
Soft moist, single layer sweet potato cake topped with a luscious 2-ingredient frosting and drizzled with salted caramel
Course Dessert
Keyword cake, sweet potato
Servings
servings
Ingredients
Sweet Potato Cake
Marshmallow Cream Cheese Frosting
Course Dessert
Keyword cake, sweet potato
Servings
servings
Ingredients
Sweet Potato Cake
Marshmallow Cream Cheese Frosting
Instructions
Sweet Potato Cake
  1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Line the bottom of an 8-inch square cake pan with parchment paper. Grease and flour the insides.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger and nutmeg until well combined.
  3. In a large bowl, beat the granulated sugar, brown sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla, with an electric mixer or whisk by hand until smooth and well combined. Stir in the sweet potatoes until incorporated. Mix in the flour mixture just until combined.
  4. Transfer the batter to the prepared cake pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 23-28 minutes. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes then remove the cake from the pan and transfer it to a cooling rack.
Marshmallow Cream Cheese Frosting
  1. In a large bowl, stir the cream cheese with a spatula until smooth. Add the Marshmallow Fluff and beat with an electric mixer just until smooth and well combined. Don't over beat. Over beating can cause the cream cheese to curdle.
  2. Spread the frosting over the cooled cake. Drizzle the caramel over the top of the cake or top each piece of cake with a spoonful of caramel.
Recipe Notes

*It's okay to use canned sweet potatoes if you don't have fresh ones. Make sure to rinse them before using.

Cranberry Orange Crumb Cake Cookies

Cranberry Orange Crumb Cake Cookies

When you combine cranberry orange crumb cake with white chocolate chip cookies, you get these delicious, unique cookies that are perfect for the holiday season. They make a festive addition to your holiday cookie platter. I came up with these delightful cookies when I was looking for a way to use up leftover cranberry sauce. If your family is like mine, it’s rare for us to have leftover cranberry sauce because we love it so much. Click here to view my Cranberry Sauce recipe. Don’t worry, you can certainly use store bought whole berry cranberry sauce for this recipe and the cookies will be just as delicious.

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Cranberry Orange Crumb Cake Cookies
Orange scented vanilla cookies with white chocolate chips, topped with cranberry sauce, crumb topping and orange icing
Course Dessert
Servings
cookies
Ingredients
Crumb Topping
Icing
Course Dessert
Servings
cookies
Ingredients
Crumb Topping
Icing
Instructions
Crumb Topping
  1. In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar and salt until well combined. Work the butter into the flour mixture with your fingertips until it looks like wet sand with no large chunks of butter. Press the mixture together to form chunks. Set aside in the refrigerator while you make the cookie dough.
Cookies
  1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Line 2 large cookies sheets with parchment paper.
  2. In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt until well combined.
  3. In a large bowl, beat the butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar and orange zest, with an electric mixer at medium speed, until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and egg yolk in two separate additions, making sure each one is incorporated before adding the next. Beat in the vanilla extract. On low speed, beat in the flour mixture into the batter, just until combined. Stir in the white chocolate chips.
  4. Form the cookie dough into sixteen 2-tablespoon size balls. Place them about 3 inches apart onto the cookie sheets. Press a 1-inch wide indentation into each cookie using your thumb or a pastry tamper. Fill each indentation with a generous teaspoon of cranberry sauce. Top each one generously with the crumb topping. Gently press the topping into the cookies.
  5. Bake until the topping and the edges start to turn light golden, about 11-13 minutes. (Be careful not to over bake to avoid drying out your cookies.) Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 1 minute, then transfer them to a cooling rack.
Icing
  1. In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, salt, lemon juice and 1 tablespoon of orange juice until well combined. Add additional orange juice as needed to achieve your desired consistency. Whisk until smooth. Drizzle the icing over the cooled cookies.

Double Chocolate Marble Cookies

Double Chocolate Marble Cookies

If you like marble cookies, you’ll love my amazing deluxe version. They have crisp edges with soft, chewy centers and plenty of chocolate which makes them the best marble cookies ever! I used a combination of dark chocolate pieces and milk chocolate chips for the perfect balance. Set aside some of the dark chocolate pieces for the tops for the most beautiful, decadent pools of melted chocolate.

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Double Chocolate Marble Cookies
Double chocolate marble cookies with crisp edges and soft, chewy centers. Chocolate dough with dark chocolate pieces is swirled together with vanilla dough with milk chocolate chips.
Instructions
  1. Line 2 large cookie sheets with parchment paper. In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until well combined.
  2. In a large bowl, beat the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar, with an electric mixer at medium speed, until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, egg yolk and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract in 3 separate additions, making sure each one is incorporated before adding the next. Add the flour mixture and mix just until combined.
  3. Divide the cookie dough in half, using a kitchen scale for accuracy. Place half of the dough in a separate bowl. Add the cocoa powder into half of the dough, mixing just until combined. Set aside several pieces of dark chocolate for the tops of the cookies, then fold the remaining dark chocolate pieces into the chocolate dough.
  4. Add the cornstarch and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract to the other half of the cookie dough, mixing just until combined. Fold the milk chocolate chips into the vanilla dough.
  5. Divide each type of dough into 28 portions, approximately 1 tablespoon each. Roll them into balls. Take two balls of each type of dough (4 total) and arrange them in a checkerboard pattern then roll them together to form a large ball. Repeat this process to make 14 large dough balls. Cover the dough balls and chill them in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
  6. Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Place the dough balls 3 inches apart onto the cookie sheets. Top each one with 1 or 2 pieces of the reserved dark chocolate. Bake until the edges are golden brown and the centers are set, but still soft, about 10-14 minutes. Do not over bake. The cookies will spread a bit. Remove the cookies from the oven and immediately use a large round cookie cutter to shape the hot cookies. Place the cookie cutter onto the cookie sheet over each cookie and slide it around each one a couple of times to achieve perfectly round cookies. Work quickly before the cookies set. Let the cookies cool on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack.
Recipe Notes

To find dark Dutch process cocoa powder, click here.

Brown Butter Monster Cookie Bars

Brown Butter Monster Cookie Bars

If you’re looking for an easy, delicious and cute Halloween bake, Brown Butter Monster Cookie Bars are perfect for you. These spooky bars are crisp and golden on the outside, buttery, soft and chewy on the inside. They’re loaded with milk chocolate M & M’s and semisweet chocolate pieces which makes these the best Halloween cookie bars ever! I used a chocolate bar broken into pieces, rather than chocolate chips because the chocolate pieces melt into generous, silky pools of chocolate. The fun part is adding the spooky candy eyes. You can even create expressions with sprinkle eyebrows.

Print Recipe
Brown Butter Monster Cookie Bars
Crisp and golden on the outside, buttery, soft and chewy on the inside with M & M's and chocolate pieces. The best Halloween cookie bars ever!
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword bars, monster cookie
Servings
bars
Ingredients
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword bars, monster cookie
Servings
bars
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. In a medium-size light-colored saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter and cook until it's deep golden and fragrant. When brown specks start to appear, remove it from the heat and immediately transfer the butter with the brown specks to a large bowl. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
  2. Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Line an 8-inch square baking pan*** with parchment paper, leaving a couple of inches of overhang.
  3. Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium-size bowl until well combined. Set aside.
  4. Add the brown sugar, granulated sugar and vanilla extract to the cooled brown butter and stir until combined. Add the egg and egg yolk and stir vigorously for 1-2 minutes, until smooth and well combined. Stir in the flour mixture just until combined. Set aside a few of the larger chocolate pieces for the top. Gently fold the remaining chocolate pieces and the M & M's into the dough.
  5. Transfer the dough to the baking pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Arrange the reserved chocolate pieces on the top. Bake until the top is set and light golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the bars comes out with a few moist crumbs on it, about 20-25 minutes. Add the candy eyes and sprinkles while the bars are still warm. Let the bars cool in the pan.
Recipe Notes

*To find candy eyes, click here.

**To find green sprinkles, click here. Alternately, if you have rainbow sprinkles, you can take the  green ones out to use for your cookies bars if you don't want to purchase green sprinkles.

***To find the 8-inch baking pan I used, click here.

Maple Blueberry Buckle

Maple Blueberry Buckle

A “buckle” is a single layer cake made with fruit. It often has a crumb topping similar to a crumb cake or a coffee cake. My version of a buckle is made with blueberries and maple icing. Although blueberry desserts are typically made when blueberries are in season, this delicious cake can be made year around, because the recipe also works well with frozen blueberries. The maple flavor pairs beautifully with the blueberries and brown sugar in the cake and gives it a cozy autumn feeling.

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Maple Blueberry Buckle
Tender maple brown sugar cake topped with blueberries, crumb topping and maple icing
Servings
servings
Ingredients
Crumb Topping
Cake
Icing
Servings
servings
Ingredients
Crumb Topping
Cake
Icing
Instructions
Crumb Topping
  1. n a medium-size bowl, mix the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. Work in the butter with your fingertips until the mixture looks like wet sand with no large pieces of butter remaining. Press together to make 1/2-inch chunks. Set aside in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Cake
  1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Line a 9-inch square cake pan* with parchment paper, leaving a couple of inches of overhang.
  2. In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg until well blended.
  3. In a large bowl, cream the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar, with an electric mixer on medium speed, until light and fluffy. Beat the eggs into the butter mixture in two separate additions, making sure each one is incorporated before adding the next. Beat in the extracts until combined.
  4. In a small bowl, whisk the milk and sour cream together. On low speed, beat the flour mixture into the batter in three additions, alternating with the milk mixture. Mix just until combined.
  5. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan. Smooth the top with a spatula. Set aside 1/4 cup (38g) of blueberries. Top the cake batter evenly with the remaining blueberries, then the topping mixture. Top with the reserved blueberries. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 25-30 minutes. Do not over bake. Cool the cake in the pan. Remove the cake from pan and transfer it to a serving platter.**
Icing
  1. In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, maple syrup, butter, maple extract, salt and 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of milk until well combined. Add additional milk as needed to reach the desired consistency. Whisk until smooth. Drizzle the icing over the cooled cake.
Recipe Notes

*To find the 9-inch square cake pan I used, click here.

**To remove the cake from the pan, tilt the cake pan and lift one end of the cake using the parchment paper as a handle. Gently slide the cake onto a serving platter or cutting board. You can also serve the cake directly out of the pan if you prefer.

Apple Cinnamon Mini Muffins

Apple Cinnamon Mini Muffins

These delicious little two-bite muffins are the apple version of my viral Pumpkin Cinnamon Mini Muffins. They have fresh apples in the batter which helps to make them soft and moist. They’re rolled in cinnamon sugar after baking, which gives them a subtle crunch on the outside. These delightful mini muffins have the flavor and texture of cake donuts. They’re perfect on their own, but I love to serve them with caramel sauce for dipping which takes them over the top.

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Apple Cinnamon Mini Muffins
Soft, tender apple mini muffins rolled in cinnamon sugar
Cuisine American
Keyword apple, cinnamon, muffins
Servings
muffins
Ingredients
Muffins
Cinnamon Sugar
Cuisine American
Keyword apple, cinnamon, muffins
Servings
muffins
Ingredients
Muffins
Cinnamon Sugar
Instructions
Muffins
  1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Grease and flour a 24-serving mini muffin pan.* Do not use muffin liners. (The muffins need to form an outer crust. This prevents them from absorbing too much melted butter in the last step.)
  2. In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg.
  3. In a large bowl, whisk the granulated sugar, brown sugar, oil, egg and vanilla extract together until smooth and well combined. Stir in the puréed apples. Stir in the flour mixture just until combined. The batter will be thick.
  4. Transfer the batter to prepared pan, filling the muffin cups about 2/3 full. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffins comes out clean, about 9-11 minutes. Do not over bake! Be diligent, since over baking can happen very quickly with mini muffins. Let the muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Turn the muffins out and place on a cooling rack.
Cinnamon Sugar
  1. Whisk the cinnamon and granulated sugar together in a shallow bowl until well combined. Briefly dunk the warm muffins in the melted butter, then roll them in the cinnamon sugar.
Recipe Notes

*To find the mini muffin pan I used, click here.

**If your applesauce is very watery, drain the excess liquid before measuring.

Morning Glory Cake

You may have tasted Morning Glory Muffins at your local bakery or coffee shop. They date back to the 1970’s and originated at Nantucket’s Morning Glory Cafe. The original muffins contained carrots, apples, coconut, raisins and nuts. Over the years I’ve tasted many versions of the hearty breakfast muffins with countless variations of nutritious add-ins. I was inspired to make a cake version using fall harvest ingredients. I replaced the coconut with zucchini and omitted the nuts. But you can certainly add in your favorite toasted chopped nuts, such as pecans or walnuts. Whether or not you like raisins, you’ll love the golden raisins I used in this recipe. They’re soaked in juice prior to baking and they taste like juicy little jewels, nothing like traditional raisins. I also added a brown sugar glaze, but the cake is equally delicious without the glaze.

Print Recipe
Morning Glory Cake
Moist tender single layer spice cake with carrots, apples, zucchini and golden raisins topped with brown sugar glaze
Cuisine American
Keyword apple, cake, carrot, zucchini
Servings
servings
Ingredients
Morning Glory Cake
Brown Sugar Glaze
Cuisine American
Keyword apple, cake, carrot, zucchini
Servings
servings
Ingredients
Morning Glory Cake
Brown Sugar Glaze
Instructions
Morning Glory Cake
  1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Line the bottom of an 8-inch round cake pan** with parchment paper. Grease and flour the insides.
  2. In a small heat proof bowl, combine the raisins and apple juice, making sure the raisins are submerged. Heat in the microwave for 10-15 seconds until the raisins are plump and hydrated. Set aside to cool to room temperature, then drain the raisins.
  3. In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg until well combined.
  4. In a large bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, granulated sugar, orange zest, oil, eggs and vanilla until smooth and well combined. Stir in the flour mixture just until combined. Fold in the carrots, apples, zucchini and the drained raisins.
  5. Transfer the batter to the prepared cake pan. Bake until the top is deep golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 28-35 minutes. Cool the cake in the pan for 10 minutes then turn the cake out and transfer it to a cooling rack.
Brown Sugar Glaze
  1. In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, melt the butter and brown sugar together, stirring until the sugar dissolves and the mixture starts to bubble. Let it bubble gently for 30 seconds, then remove it from the heat. Stir in the heavy cream and salt until smooth. Whisk in the powdered sugar until smooth and well combined. Spread the glaze over the cooled cake.
Recipe Notes

*Wrap the shredded zucchini  in a clean kitchen towel or a sturdy paper towel and squeeze out the excess liquid.

**To find my favorite 8-inch cake pans, click here.

To find parchment cake rounds, click here.

Mocha Pumpkin Spice Bread

Mocha Pumpkin Spice Bread

It wouldn’t be fall without PSL’s and pumpkin bread. This ultra moist, deluxe version of pumpkin bread has mocha batter swirled though it and a rich chocolate glaze that takes it over the top. It’s dangerously delicious and nearly impossible to eat just one slice. I think this will become your new favorite fall baking recipe.

Print Recipe
Mocha Pumpkin Spice Bread
Soft, ultra moist pumpkin spice bread, swirled with mocha and topped with a shiny chocolate glaze
Servings
loaf
Ingredients
Mocha Pumpkin Spice Bread
Chocolate Glaze
Servings
loaf
Ingredients
Mocha Pumpkin Spice Bread
Chocolate Glaze
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Line the bottom of a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper. Grease and flour the insides with a mixture of equal parts unsweetened cocoa powder and flour.
  2. In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda and salt until well combined.
  3. Set aside one tablespoon (15ml) of the oil. In a large bowl, beat the remaining oil, the sugar, brown sugar, eggs, evaporated milk and vanilla extract until smooth and well combined. Beat in the pumpkin purée until incorporated. Stir in the flour mixture just until combined.
  4. Place one cup (237g) of the batter in a separate medium-size bowl. Add the cocoa powder, espresso powder and the reserved one tablespoon of oil. Mix until incorporated.
  5. Place half of the pumpkin batter into the baking pan. Scoop the mocha batter into the pan, alternating with scoops of the remaining pumpkin batter. Swirl the batter with a skewer. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs attached (not wet batter), about 35-45 minutes. Let the loaf cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn the loaf out and continue cooling on a cooling rack.
Chocolate Glaze
  1. Melt the butter, chocolate, and corn syrup together in a medium-size heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water, making sure the water doesn't touch the bottom of the bowl. Stir gently until smooth. Set aside to cool slightly then spoon the glaze over the cooled loaf and let it drip down the sides.
Recipe Notes

To find the 9 x 5 inch loaf pan I used, click here.