Foolproof Pumpkin Pie

Well it's the end of Thanksgiving weekend here in the Great White North, which really only means one thing - pie! Though my weekend was spent with papers and books spread across the kitchen table in preparation for midterms this week, I am thankful that I was able to do said studying up at the cottage surrounding by trees, fresh air and my family.

I've never made pie from scratch before and this year I decided to give it a go rather than ordering from our usual bakery. Having glanced through this book so many times at my friend's house and at work, I decided to get myself a copy and put to test her foolproof pumpkin pie recipe. Ina was not kidding, it really was a simple recipe to follow and was a great addition to the end of our turkey dinner (though I ate fish). The book also includes a basic pie crust and rum whipped cream recipe, but I decided to use the crust recipe on the back of my Crisco tin instead. Here's the recipe for Ina Garten's foolproof pumpkin pie filling:

Ingredients

1 15oz can of pumpkin puree (appx. 2 cups)

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1/4 cup white sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup whole milk

2 tablespoons dark rum

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place your unbaked crust in the bottom of an 11-inch pie pan, and cover with parchment paper and dried beans (we actually used a bunch of muffin liners and river rocks, it worked okay?). Bake for 15 minutes. Remove the paper and beans, prick the bottom with a fork and bake for an additional 3-5 minutes, watch for browning.

Reduce the oven to 350 degrees. Combine the pumpkin puree, brown and white sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, salt, eggs, cream milk and rum with a whisk. Pour the mixture into your pie dish and bake for 50-60 minutes, until a knife comes out clean. Allow it to cool completely and serve with fresh whipped cream.


We've been enjoying the taste of pumpkin all weekend! We had some leftover crust and filling so we also made some mini pumpkin tarts in a muffin tin as well - delish! I'd have this breakfast, lunch, dinner and every snack in between if I could, it's really that good. Enjoy with loved ones, a warm fire and a good movie - three things that will definitely ensure you have a happy thanksgiving.

Chocolate Birthday Cake

Last Friday a few of us got together for my good friend Amanda's birthday to enjoy a night of guacamole, drinks and of course, cake. I can't imagine celebrating a birthday without cake, and even if it isn't in its traditional form there are so many cupcake and ice cream options! I decided to whip up one of my favourite chocolate cake recipes - this one by Ina Garten - and as much as I love chocolate on chocolate I always think it looks so pretty with white icing. I also attempted some decorations (A Beautiful Mess inspired) by melting some chocolate and piping it into Eiffel Towers (Amanda is a big France fan) and they looked great! Only problem was when it came to putting them on the cake they melted instantly and I lost all but four! Even those lonely four didn't make it very far, as soon as I stepped outside in the humidity their peaks collapsed - but lucky for me Eiffel Towers also look a lot like capital A's - win. I shaved some chocolate on the top and it looked just as nice. Here's the recipe:

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour

2 cups sugar

3/4 cups cocoa powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup coffee

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease two round cake pans and line with parchment, grease again and lightly dust with flour. In a large bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa, soda, power and salt. In a separate bowl beat together the buttermilk, oil, eggs and vanilla. On low speed gradually add the wet ingredients into the flour mixture until combined. Add in the coffee stirring just until mix and being sure to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl. Evenly pour the batter into each of the pans and bake for 30-35 minutes, until a tooth pick comes out clean. Allow to cool for at least thirty minutes before removing from the pans. Place them on a rack until cooled all the way through.

For the icing, I used a really old recipe from my Nana's collection that is a simple buttercream - sugar, butter and heavy cream. Either of the recipes from Ina or a Beautiful Mess will work great! The cake was enjoyed by all and their were many exclamations of "This cake is so moist!!" - which is completely true. Happy Birthday Amanda!