Spice up the season with pumpkin treats from your kitchen

Can you smell it? That spicy- sweetness is hovering in the air right now.

Pumpkin spice season is here.

Even before it’s cool enough to feel like fall, the warmth of pie spices starts to appear in coffee shops and on store shelves. Pumpkin spice lattes have given way to pumpkin spice in everything from pancake mix and donuts to hummus and crackers. In 2023, Nissin even made pumpkin spice ramen noodles.

But there’s something about pre- packaged, plastic-wrapped pumpkin products that just feels a bit — anticlimactic. The cinnamon-ginger-nutmeg-clove symphony of flavors isn’t just attractive because of the season — it is also the scent of Mom’s kitchen and Grandma’s oven.

With that in mind, its more satisfying to bypass the crinkly package of frosting-filled sandwich cookies and reach for the sugar and spices in your own cupboard instead.

The obvious starting places are pumpkin bread, pumpkin muffins and a custardy wedge of pumpkin pie. But aren’t they a little been-there, done-that? Let’s take a page from the vast array of commercial pumpkin offerings and think outside the gourd.

Pumpkin butter is the pure essence of the squash, sweetened with brown sugar and cooked down to a rich, jammy spread. Once it’s ready, it can be spread thickly on toast or bagels. It can also be a savory-sweet dip for pretzels or graham crackers.

Pumpkin doesn’t just partner with cinnamon. It’s also an unexpected ally with chocolate. Mixed into a Bundt cake batter, it turns a run-of-the-mill fudgy treat into an unmistakably autumn dessert. Finish with a pumpkin-spice cream cheese frosting to amp up the familiar flavor.

For something completely different, try turning another dessert into a pumpkin masterpiece — marry creamy tres leche cake with pumpkin. After soaking with the blend of milks, whip heavy cream with vanilla and spices to blanket the top.

The combination of pumpkin and spice is so much more than lattes and muffins. It’s the scent of September, the flavor of fall and a great way to bring the season into your kitchen.

Kristina Serafini | TribLive

Brown sugar pumpkin butter with bagels and pretzels.

Brown sugar pumpkin butter

1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie mix)

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ginger

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 cup apple cider

Mix all ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat. Reduce heat and cook over low, stirring regularly, for 20 to 30 minutes until homogeneously thick and sweet. This will burn if left unattended. Remove from heat and cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

Chocolate pumpkin Bundt cake

1 box chocolate cake mix

1 cup sour cream

1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie mix)

4 eggs

1/2 cup milk

1 tablespoon vanilla

1 stick butter, softened)

4 ounces cream cheese, softened)

3 cups powdered sugar

3 tablespoons pumpkin butter

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a Bundt pan. Set aside.

In a mixing bowl, combine cake mix, sour cream, pumpkin, eggs, milk and vanilla, beating until well-combined. Pour into prepared pan. Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until done through. Cool completely before flipping to remove from pan.

In another bowl, beat butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy. Add powdered sugar, beating until well combined. Add pumpkin butter and pie spice. Frost cake and serve.

Pumpkin tres leche cake

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup melted butter

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie mix)

4 eggs

1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk

1 12-ounce can evaporated milk

1/2 cup whole milk

1 teaspoon rum extract (or 1/4 cup rum)

2 cups heavy cream

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9 x 13 inch cake pan. Set aside.

In one bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt. In another mixing bowl, combine brown sugar, melted butter, oil, pumpkin puree and eggs. Mix in dry ingredients until well combined. Pour into prepared cake pan. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until done through.

Meanwhile, combine sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, whole milk and rum extract or rum. Stir until homogeneous. Poke holes over surface of warm cake with a fork. Slowly pour milk mixture over the cake little by little, allowing it to soak in. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Before serving, beat cream with powdered sugar, vanilla and pie spice. Spread over cake.