Baking pies and cookies in fall has always been my favorite autumn activity, and warm desserts always help on a chilly day. This fall, I decided to try a new recipe, pumpkin spice cake balls, and an old family favorite, pecan pie squares.
Pumpkin spice cake balls
Fall has arrived and with it, a barrage of pumpkin-themed foods and drinks, including the ever-so-popular Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte. Have you ever wanted to have this delectable drink in the form of a cake ball? Well, look no further than this recipe.
Recipe
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Mix a box of spice cake mix, 1 cup of water, 3 eggs, ½ a cup of vegetable oil, 15 ounces of pumpkin puree (not pie filling) and 1 ¾ teaspoon of powdered espresso. Bake for 30 minutes.
While that bakes, mix 8 ounces of vanilla frosting and 1 teaspoon of the powdered espresso. Set aside for later use.
Let the cake cool completely. Take a big bowl and smash the cake into a fine crumble. Mix the cake crumbles and the bowl of frosting and espresso together. Then form about 18 to 20 golf-ball-sized spheres from the mixture. Freeze the balls for five minutes.
While the cake balls are in the freezer, take meltable white chocolates and melt them in a bowl. Take the cake balls out of the freezer, dip them in the white chocolate and sprinkle with powdered espresso as a garnish. Enjoy!
Pecan Pie Squares
Pecans are a fall staple, especially since pecans lead to pecan pie. Now you can take that pie, transform it into squares and take away the crust, thus creating delectable pecan pie squares for all to enjoy.
Recipe
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In a bowl, mix yellow cake box mix, ½ a cup of melted butter and 1 egg. Remove ⅔ cup of the mixture and set it aside. Spread the mixture into a 9-by-13-inch pan and place in the oven for 15 minutes.
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Next, take the cup that was set aside and mix in a bowl with ½ a cup of brown sugar, 1 ½ cups of Karo syrup, 3 eggs, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and 1 cup of pecans. After the mix in the oven is finished, remove it and spread the new mixture over it. Sprinkle one cup of chopped pecans over the pan. Bake for an additional 30 minutes, then dig in!
I hope you enjoy these fall recipes as much as I do! Baking is the perfect way to pass time and desserts make a great addition to any study session.
Elizabeth Secor is a freelance reporter at the Daily Lobo. She can be contacted at culture@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @DailyLobo
Elizabeth Secor is a freelance reporter for the Daily Lobo. She can be contacted on Twitter @esecor2003
