Maple Pecan Cake

This is a perfect dessert for the fall with lots of maple syrup and pecans. It’s not overly sweet, so I recommend serving it with a little spiced whipped cream. You could also mix some bourbon into the batter for an extra treat!

You will need:

• 1/2 c unsalted butter
• 1/3 c + 2 T brown sugar, divided
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 1/4 c all-purpose flour
• 2 pinches of salt, divided
• 2 t baking powder
• 1/2 t ground cinnamon
• 1/4 t ground cloves
• 1/4 t ground nutmeg
• 1 t vanilla extract
• 1/2 c milk
• 1 1/2 c pecans, chopped
• 1/2 c maple syrup
• 2 t cornstarch
• 1/2 c boiling water

Then you will…

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9-inch souffle pan.
2. In a large sauce pan, melt the butter over low heat. Remove from the heat.
3. Mix in 1/3 cup of the brown sugar. Stir in the egg, flour, a pinch of salt, baking powder, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, vanilla extract and milk.
4. Fold in the pecans.
5. Spread in the prepared pan.
6. In a large bowl, stir together the remaining 2 tablespoons of brown sugar with the maple syrup and cornstarch.
7. Stir in the boiling water.
8. Pour over the cake batter. It will look like a lot but it will all work out. I promise!
9. Bake for 35-45 minutes or until set in the middle.
10. Allow to cool for 15 minutes before spooning out to serve.

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Sage Cornbread

D and I made this cornbread as a side dish for some chili. It comes together really quickly, and I loved the unusual taste from the sage. There’s a small bit of honey in the dough too, which makes it slightly sweet.

You will need:

• 1 c cornmeal
• 1 c all-purpose flour
• 1 T baking powder
• 1 t salt
• 3 T chopped fresh sage
• 1 c milk
• 1/2 c honey
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1/2 c unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Then you will…

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Place a 10-inch cast iron skillet in the oven to warm up for 10 minutes.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, salt and sage.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk, honey, egg and melted butter.
4. Stir the egg mixture into the cornmeal mixture.
5. Spread the dough into the skillet.
6. Bake until browned on the edges and set in the middle, about 20 minutes.
7. Allow to cool in the skillet for 10 minutes before cutting and serving.