Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Pancakes

I'm always looking for ways to feed the kids vegetables that they might not actually know they're eating. Besides V-man and his love for carrots, and C's love for home-canned green beans, they're not the best at eating veggies. Now fruits...they could eat those all day, every day!

Pancakes are the best way I know to throw a bit of vegetable in. Now I know they're not getting a ton of nutrients from pancakes filled with chocolate chips and covered in syrup...but hey, it's more than they would get WITHOUT the pumpkin! I've totally made pancakes using shredded carrot and/or shredded zucchini and those were a hit as well.

Technically, I think pumpkin may be a fruit...but I'm going to stick with my veggie argument :)

I used Cooking Classy's recipe for pumpkin pancakes; I just used a tad less ginger and added, of course, chocolate chips.

For a printable recipe, click here

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Pancakes

Ingredients:

• 2 c. flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 3/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp. ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1/4 c. packed brown sugar
• 1 c. pumpkin puree
• 1 1/2 c. buttermilk
• 3 Tbsp. butter, melted
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 3/4 c. chocolate chips

Instructions:

1. Preheat a non-stick electric griddle to 375 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. Make a large well in center of mixture and set aside.
2. In a separate bowl, combine the brown sugar, pumpkin, buttermilk, melted butter, eggs, and vanilla. Pour into well in dry mixture and whisk just until combined - don't overmix. Fold in the chocolate chips.
3. Spray griddle with non-stick spray and pour batter about 1/3 c. at a time onto griddle. Spread pancakes outward just slightly with bottom of measuring cup. Cook until bubbly on top, then flip and cook opposite side until golden on bottom. Repeat process until all of the batter has been used. 
4. Serve warm with butter and syrup
5. Enjoy!

Tres Leches Pumpkin Cake

I decided to go with a big cake to share for our annual Halloween festivities this year. Last year we did pies; I made my famous Caramel Apple Pie and it was a huge hit! This, my friends, was a huger hit! At least for me. If you want a silky smooth bite of cinnamony, pumpkin goodness topped off with a mouthful of whipped cream, this is the cake for you!

I started with the Pumpkin Cake recipe from Six Sister's Caramel Pumpkin Poke Cake. I knew my tres leches was going to be phenomenal from the moment I smelt this cake baking in the oven. Can you say Fall? It was the perfect base cake to doctor up.

We had a couple families over for dinner and trick-or-treating on Halloween and this was the dessert we enjoyed after the kiddos collected buckets-full of candy. I'm pleased to say that it did not disappoint - good reviews all around!

I'm a huge fan of tres leches. Specifically tres leches for flavored cakes. When I was in high school, my sisters and I would scarf down cake after cake during lunch break - as long as Mom would continue to replenish them - and then run it all off after school in track, cross-country, or basketball. Good times! Oh to be as fit as I was back in high school...

Our version of tres leches is a combination of sweetened condensed milk and evaporated milk poured over a warm cake and then topped with whipped cream, or in my case with the pumpkin cake, Cool Whip. So. Good. Every. Time. Try it out with this pumpkin cake, or get creative and try it with your favorite cake! I love a good chocolate tres leches.

 

For a printable recipe, click here.

Tres Leches Pumpkin Cake

Ingredients:

• 4 eggs
• 1 2/3 c. sugar
• 1 c. vegetable oil
• 1 (15-oz) can pumpkin puree
• 2 c. flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 (14-oz) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 (12-oz) can evaporated milk
• 1 (8-oz) container Cool Whip (or homemade whipped cream for legitimate "leche")
• 2 Heath bars, chopped into bits, optional.

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Grease a 9x13-in pan with spray.
3. In a mixing bowl, beat together the eggs, sugar, oil and pumpkin.
4. Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon; add to wet ingredients, mix thoroughly and pour into prepared baking pan.
5. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
6. Remove from oven and, using the handle of a wooden spoon (or something of size), poke holes in the entire surface of the cake, all the way down to the bottom of the pan. Whisk together the evaporated milk and the sweetened condensed milk and pour over the whole cake, being sure to get along the edges well. Let cool in refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
7. When cake is completely cool, spread the Cool Whip or whipped cream on. Top with the chopped candy bar, if using.
8. Enjoy with friends and family - this cake is rich and decadent!

I will definitely be making this again real soon. I have a slice left in the fridge right now and after I post this, I think you know where I'll be heading...

Enjoy!