Pumpkin Caramel Poke Cake

This recipe made its way to my inbox and I just had to try it. Everyone LOVED it! Enjoy.

Find the original recipe here: https://www.melskitchencafe.com/pumpkin-caramel-poke-cake/

Pumpkin Caramel Poke Cake with Whipped Caramel Cream Frosting

Ingredients:

Cake:

• 1 15-ounce can (425 g) pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
• 1 cup (212 g) granulated sugar
• ½ cup (106 g) packed light brown sugar
• ⅔ cup (140 g) neutral-flavored oil, like canola or vegetable oil
• 3 large (150 g) eggs
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¾ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• 2 cups (284 g) all-purpose flour

Caramel Sauce: (Optionally, use a premade jarred caramel sauce.)

• 1 ½ cups (318 g) packed brown sugar
• ¾ cup (170 g) (12 tablespoons) butter, cut into pieces
• ⅓ cup (80 g) milk, preferably not skim (I use 2%)
• Pinch table salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Whipped Caramel Cream Frosting:

• 4 ounces (113 g) cream cheese, softened to room temperature
• 1 ½ cups (363 g) heavy whipping cream (see note)
• ½ to 1 cup toffee bits, for garnish (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9X13-inch baking pan with cooking spray. Set aside.
2. For the cake, in a large bowl, add the pumpkin, granulated sugar, brown sugar, oil, eggs, baking powder, cinnamon, vanilla, nutmeg, salt, baking soda, and ginger. Whisk until very well-combined.
3. Add the flour and mix until the batter is fully combined.
4. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan and bake for 28-32 minutes until the top springs back lightly to the touch. (Add time, as needed – exact baking time will depend on pan type and exact oven temperature; don't over bake or the cake will be dry.)
5. Remove from the oven and let cool until just slightly warm (it's ok if it cools completely, but the caramel soaks in better if the cake is still a bit warm).
6. For the caramel sauce (make while the cake bakes), in a medium saucepan, combine the brown sugar, butter, milk and salt. Heat over low heat until the butter is melted. Increase the heat to medium and bring to a boil. Boil for two minutes without stirring.
7. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Set aside to cool to warm room temperature. You'll use 1 cup of the caramel sauce for the cake and the remaining 3/4 cup caramel sauce for the frosting.
8. When the cake has mostly cooled but is still slightly warm, poke holes all throughout the top of the cake, making sure to poke all the way to the bottom of the cake. You can use a wooden spoon handle, chopstick, large knitting needle (my "utensil" of choice!) or anything else that you have on hand. The holes need to be large enough for the thick caramel to soak in (so don't use something as small as the tines of a fork).
9. Gradually drizzle 1 cup of the warm (but not hot) caramel sauce over the top of the cake and use a spatula to smooth and gently press the caramel into the holes. If the caramel is taking a while to sink into the cake, stop pouring the caramel sauce over the top, wait a few minutes to give the caramel time to drizzle down into the cake, and then proceed until the full 1 cup of the caramel has been used.
10. Let the cake and caramel cool completely before frosting. At this point, the cake can be covered and kept at room temperature for several hours before proceeding with the rest of the recipe.
11. For the whipped caramel cream frosting, in a bowl with an electric handheld mixer (or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment), add the cream cheese and remaining 3/4 cup caramel sauce (this portion of sauce should be completely cooled before using). Mix until well-combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
12. Add the heavy cream (see note before adding!), and mix on low speed until the mixture is evenly combined. Increase the speed to medium-high and mix until the frosting is thick and creamy (and can easily be spread like frosting).
13. Spread the frosting evenly over the completely cooled cake. Sprinkle with toffee bits, cut into squares, and serve.

Marsha's Notes:

I opted to use a jarred caramel sauce to make this recipe just a tad less complicated, and I thought it worked out beautifully. It also allowed me to use a lower sugar option.

Caramel Covered Apples

I watched this video tutorial and really LOVED how my apples turned out. If you don't have time to watch, I'll put the main pointers below.

Tutorial: https://www.facebook.com/TheStayAtHomeChef/videos/280060177305047/

Caramel Covered Apples

Ingredients:

• 4 fresh, firm apples (I used Honeycrisp)
• 1 bag 11 oz. caramel bits
• toppings
• Sticks

Directions:

1. Wash the apples in warm water to remove wax. 
2. Heat caramel bits up in a pan until they are between 160-180 degrees (or follow directions on bag). 
3. Dip apples in warm caramel. 
4. Wipe excess dips from bottom with a spoon or spatula. 
5. Then turn the apple upside-down (holding on by the stick) while caramel continues to cool and set. 
6. Apple is ready to set down on a lined cookie sheet when the coating become matte in color and no longer shiny.

Marsha's Notes:

• If caramel is too hot, it will slide off the apple.
• If caramel is too cold, it will clump up and be too thick.
• You can put caramel in a crock pot to keep it warm on low setting.
• If you are putting toppings on the apples, press the topping into the caramel coating while it's still warm. You can roll the apple in your toppings, or use your hand (possibly gloved) to press the topping in place.
• If you are double-dipping your apples in chocolate, make sure the caramel is completely cool and set before dipping.
• You can make an "apple pie alamode" by double-dipping a caramel apple in white chocolate and then sprinkle the while chocolate with cinnamon sugar while the chocolate is still warm and setting-up.

These are the caramel bits I used. You can also use individually-wrapped caramel squares, but you will need to add 1/8 cup water or milk to the caramel when melting. 

You can also make your own caramel for dipping. Try this recipe from the tutorial:

Ingredients:

• 1 cup unsalted butter
• 1 can 14 oz sweetened condensed milk
• 1 cup corn syrup
• 2 cups brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp. salt

Directions:

1. Melt butter over medium heat. 
2. Then add the rest of the ingredients and stir constantly until it simmers. 
3. Scrape the bottom and sides of the pan to prevent burning. 
4. Stir constantly until it reaches 235 degrees (or softball stage). 
5. Remove from stove and stir until it cools to 160-180 degrees.

Chocolate Chip, Oats 'n Caramel Cookie Squares

I found this recipe years ago and am now copying it here from our family cookbook binder. Enjoy!

Chocolate Chip, Oats ‘n Caramel Cookie Squares

Ingredients:

• 1 roll (16.5 oz.) refrigerated chocolate chip cookie dough
• 1 cup quick-cooking oats
• Dash salt, if desired
• 2/3 cup caramel topping
• 5 Tbl. flour
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3/4 cup chopped walnuts (opt)
• 6 oz chocolate chips (1 cup, which is often 1/2 a bag)

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.  
2. In large bowl, break up cookie dough.  Stir or knead in oats and salt.  
3. Reserve ½ cup dough for topping.  
4. In a 9 inch square pan, press remaining dough mixture evenly in bottom to form crust.  
5. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until dough puffs and appears dry.  
6. Sprinkle walnuts and chocolate chips evenly over crust.  
7. In small bowl, mix caramel topping, flour and vanilla until well blended.  
8. Drizzle evenly with caramel mixture.  
9. Crumble reserved ½ cup dough mixture over caramel.  
10. Bake 20 to 25 minutes longer or until golden brown.  
11. Cool 10 minutes.  Run knife around sides of pan to loosen bars.  
12. Cool completely, about 1 hour and 30 minutes.

Caramel Apple Squares

I found this recipe years ago and am now copying it here from our family cookbook binder. Enjoy!

Caramel Apple Squares

Ingredients:

• ¾ cup butter, softened
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup old-fashioned oats
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 finely chopped pecans (opt)
• 3 cups chopped apples, 2 medium
• 3/4 cup caramel topping
• 1/4 cup flour
• vanilla or cinnamon ice cream (opt)
• additional caramel topping (opt)

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.  
2. Grease bottom and sides of 13x9 inch pan with shortening.  
3. In large bowl, beat butter and brown sugar with electric mixer on medium speed until well mixed.  
4. Beat in 1 cup flour, the oats, cinnamon, baking soda and pecans until well blended and crumbly.  
5. Press half of the crumbly mixture in bottom of pan to form crust.  
6. Spread apples over crust in pan.  
7. In 1 qt. sauce pan, heat ¾ cup caramel topping and ¼ cup flour to boiling, stirring constantly.  Boil about 1 minute, stirring constantly, until slightly thickened.  Drizzle over apples.  
8. Sprinkle with reserved crumbly mixture.  
9. Bake 35-45 minutes or until top is golden brown. Cool 30 minutes before serving.  Top with ice cream and additional caramel topping.

Caramel Apple-Topped Waffles

I found this recipe years ago and am now copying it here from our family cookbook binder. Enjoy!

Caramel Apple-Topped Waffles

Ingredient:

• 2 tablespoons butter or margarine 
• 3 medium eating apples, peeled and sliced (3 1/2 cups) 
• 1/4 cup caramel topping
• 2 cups Original Bisquick™ mix
• 1 1/3 cups milk 
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 egg, if desired

Directions:

1. To make caramel apple topping, melt butter in skillet over medium heat. Stir in apples.  Cook about 3 minutes, stirring frequently, until tender.  
2. Pour caramel topping over apples.  Heat, stirring frequently, until warm.  Keep warm.  
3. Heat waffle iron; spray with non-stick spray.  
4. Stir remaining ingredients until blended.  
5. Pour batter by slightly less than 1 cupful onto center of hot waffle iron.  
6. Bake about 5 minutes or until steaming stops.  Carefully remove waffle.  Serve with caramel apple topping.

Chocolate Caramel Pretzel Rods

I found this recipe years ago and am now copying it here from our family cookbook binder. Enjoy!

Pretzel Sticks

Ingredients:

• 10 large pretzel rods 
• 1 pkg. (5 wraps) Caramel Apple Wraps
• 1/2-1 cup milk chocolate chips, melted
• 1/4-1/2 cup white chocolate chips, melted 

Directions:

1. Melt milk chocolate chips in a bowl and white chips in another separate bowl.  
2. Cut caramel apple wraps in half so you end up with 10 half circles of caramel (be sure you don’t buy the tub of caramel apple sauce/dip by mistake).  Make sure caramel wraps are room temperature so they wrap around pretzels easily.  
3. Take one pretzel stick and line up one end of the length of the stick along the cut edge of caramel wrap.  Wrap caramel around pretzel stick.  (Now one end of pretzel should be wrapped in caramel and one end is free to use as a clean handle to hold the stick.)  
4. Hold on to handle of pretzel and place caramel end of pretzel in the melted milk chocolate chips.  
5. Take a spoon and coat the outside of the caramel end in chocolate, leaving a little bit of the caramel wrap showing near the pretzel handle to be decorative.  
6. Place pretzel on a cookie sheet covered in wax paper.  
7. Repeat for remaining pretzels.  
8. Take melted white chips and dip a fork in them.  Then rapidly moving back and forth to create spatter, drizzle white chocolate decoratively over all the pretzel rods on the cookie sheet.   You may cover the candy coated part of the pretzel or the entire handle as well if desired.

Soft Caramel Popcorn

I found this recipe years ago and am now copying it here from our family cookbook binder. Enjoy!

Caramel Popcorn

Ingredients:

• 1 bag microwave popcorn  
• 1 stick butter
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 8 large marshmallows 

Directions:

1. Pop popcorn according to package directions.  Dump whole bag into a large bowl.  (To get rid of un-popped pieces:  By handfuls, transfer popcorn from that bowl into another large bowl, leaving “old maids” at the bottom of the original bowl.)  
2. In a saucepan, over medium heat, melt butter, sugar and marshmallows.  Stir until well blended and then pour immediately over popcorn.  
3. Gently stir mixture until popcorn is well coated.

Marsha's Notes:

The longer you cook the sugar mixture, the harder the caramel will be when it cools.

Marsha's Caramel Brownies

Scott drives in a carpool for work and one of the fellows that rides along mentioned how delicious he thought my caramel brownies were. It's been (probably) years since Scott took a batch of my brownies to work with him, so it was particularly flattering that he would remember. In honor of his praise, I thought I would share with everyone.

It's another one of those recipes that calls for pre-made ingredients (cake mix and caramels), so I am a big fan.  You just can't go wrong when someone else does half the work for you. Enjoy!

I can't remember where this recipe originally came from, but there are many similar ones on the Internet.

Marsha's Caramel Brownies

Ingredients:

• 14 oz. bag caramels
• 2/3 cup evaporated milk (5 oz. can)
• 1 pkg. German Chocolate cake mix
• ¾ cup melted butter
• 1 cup chocolate chips

Directions:

1. In a saucepan, stir together caramels and half of evaporated milk.  Melt over stove and keep warm.  
2. Grease and flour a 9x13 pan.  
3. Mix butter with cake mix and rest of evaporated milk.  
4. Press half of cake mixture into bottom of 9x13 pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes or so.  
5. Spread caramel over top of cooked cake mix.  Then layer with chocolate chips.  
6. Finally crumble remaining cake mix over top of chocolate chips.  
7. Bake for 20 more minutes or until done.  
8. Run a knife around the edge of pan to loosen caramel before it cools completely.

Marsha's Notes:

The trick to these brownies is figuring out the perfect amount of time to bake the bottom layer of brownies.  They need to bake long enough that the caramel can't seep through to the very bottom of the pan (or else you get an extremely HARD bottom crust), but not too long so the bottom burns before the top layer of brownie is cooked through... so experiment and see what works best for you! 

Taste of Home's Dulce De Leche Cheesecake

The picture and recipe came out of one of my Taste of Home magazines.  You can see in the picture where I marked this recipe as "yummy" in my magazine.  :)

Dulce de Leche Cheesecake

Ingredients:

• ½ cup plus 1 Tbl. heavy whipping cream, divided
• ½ cup firmly packed brown sugar
• ¼ cup sweetened condensed milk
• 12 oz. cream cheese, softened
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 Tbl. flour
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• ½ tsp. grated lemon peel
• 1 egg
• 1 ready-made shortbread crumb crust

Directions:

1. In a heavy saucepan, combine ½ cup cream and brown sugar. Cook and stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Bring to moderate, steady boil. Boil, uncovered, about 5 minutes or until mixture is reduced to ½ cup, stirring occasionally. Stir in sweetened condensed milk; refrigerate.
2. In a small mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar and flour on medium speed until fluffy. Add remaining cream, vanilla and lemon peel. Beat until combined. Add egg, beating until just combined. Place crust on baking sheet. Pour filling into crust. Drizzle with half of brown sugar mixture. Gently swirl with knife.
3. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes, or until center is almost set. Do not over cook and burn crust. Cool on wire rack for 1 hour. Refrigerate at least 4 hours. Before serving, in a small saucepan, cook and stir remaining brown sugar mixture over low heat until warm. Cut cheesecake into wedges. Drizzle with warm brown sugar mixture.

Marsha's Notes:

OR! Skip the hassle of making your own dulce de leche and just use caramel ice cream topping instead. That's all that boiling brown sugar mixture is supposed to be anyway.

Pillsbury's Dulce De Leche Bars

A little history. Do you know what Dulce De Leche is? First of all, I had to learn how to say it right, but I think I finally have it. It's pronounced something like "dewel-say deh lay-chay." You also have to think Spanish and not French or something. Anyway, it's translated as, "The sweet of milk."

Basically, it's a special kind of caramel that Scott could get very easily on his mission. It's starting to pick up popularity in the United States now too.  Here is one of our favorite dulce de leche recipes.  Everyone I have served these to loves them.  Anything that calls for a "pre-made" ingredient (like cookie dough or cake mix) is always a winner for me because it takes some of the guess work out of baking.  The picture and recipe are from the Pillsbury website.

Dulce De Leche Bars

Ingredients:

• 2 rolls (18 oz.) Pillsbury sugar cookie dough
• 1 ¾ cups quick-cooking oats
• 2/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• 1 bag (14 oz.) caramels, unwrapped
• ½ cup butter
• 1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk
• 3 Tbl. Caramel topping

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Break up cookie dough into a large bowl. Add oats, brown sugar, and vanilla. Mix well. With floured fingers, press half of mixture evenly in bottom of greased 15x10x1 inch baking pan to form crust. Bake 10 minutes or until light golden brown (do not over cook!). 
2. Meanwhile, in heavy saucepan, heat caramels, butter and condensed milk (not evaporated!) over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until caramels are melted and mixture is smooth. Removed partially baked crust from the oven. Spread caramel mixture evenly over crust. 
3. Crumble remaining dough mixture evenly over caramel. Return to oven; bake 18-22 minutes longer, or until light golden brown (do not over cook or bars are hard). Cool 15 minutes. Run knife around sides of pan to loosen caramel before it hardens. Cool completely, about 2 hours. Using small spoon, drizzle caramel topping over bars. Serve slightly warmed, if desired.