Pumpkin Spice Latte Cheesecake

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Pumpkin Spice Latte Cheesecake

Pumpkin Spice Latte Cheesecake

When I wake up in the morning to a cool house, all I want to do is wrap myself up in blankets with a warm drink in my hands. Over the past few weeks, I've had my fair share of Pumpkin Spice Lattes. In fact, I love my homemade version of this coffee house favorite so much that family and friends have asked me to whip up a batch here and there simply because I couldn't stop talking about it. If you made one of these yourself—without those $5 bills to knock you down—I think you'll find the very same words coming out of your mouth.

The words simply can't be stopped.

Pumpkin Spice Latte Cheesecake

So, when my mother informed me a couple weeks ago that she was inviting over 20 of her closest friends for a little wine and cheese party, those darn pumpkin spice lattes popped into my head first. What can I say? I have lattes on the brain. Nevertheless, I put that thought aside and worked out a menu. As it so happens (and this should come as no surprise to you), I think in the language of desserts so the wine and cheese party quickly turned into one for wine and cheese(cake).

Yet, I couldn't get those pumpkin spice latte thoughts out of my head. Pumpkin cheesecake had found a place on the menu, but who was to say I couldn't turn that into something more? When I stumbled across this recipe from Sprinkle Bakes, I was instantly sold.

Pumpkin Spice Latte Cheesecake Pumpkin Spice Latte Cheesecake Pumpkin Spice Latte Cheesecake

I made a few desserts for that evening, but this Pumpkin Spice Latte Cheesecake stood out as the clear winner (and I don't think it was the wine talking). My mother and I loved it so much, we hoarded the leftovers and kept them all to ourselves.

This cheesecake is really a great occasion dessert (think holidays and special evenings). It can't help but impress those who take a bite (plus, it's surprisingly light, which is something everyone can love).

Pumpkin Spice Latte Cheesecake

This Pumpkin Spice Latte Cheesecake combines two great delights—your favorite autumn coffee house drink and cheesecake. This cheesecake honestly tastes like a pumpkin spice latte, with deliciously strong flavors. The cheesecake crust is made from almonds spiced with cinnamon. A rich, but surprisingly light cheesecake filling is poured on top before it heads into the oven. The pumpkin spice flavor is prevalent when the first bite hits your tongue, followed by subtle tones of espresso. I think the most gorgeous part of this cheesecake is the representation. This is a perfect holiday or weekend treat.

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Pear & Almond Chocolate Spice Cake

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Pear & Almond Chocolate Spice Cake

Pear & Almond Chocolate Spice Cake

Fall is in full swing. The air is brisk and the season of long knit scarves is here. Some days I feel as if I need to wear two just to keep my insides warm and toasty. I don't mind the chill of fall; as a matter of fact, I love the cool frost of autumn just until the leaves finish changing and fall, crumpled, at the bottom of the tree. Fall begins to wear on me as soon as the weatherman starts bringing up a certain four letter s-word.

You know, snow.

Pear & Almond Chocolate Spice Cake Pear & Almond Chocolate Spice Cake Pear & Almond Chocolate Spice Cake

When the ground is littered with autumn leaves, I'm always reminded of my favorite fall flavors. Certainly pumpkin, ginger, and cinnamon top the list, but another, perhaps more subtle flavor, captures my heart. I am, of course, talking about pears. Early fall marks the beginning of pear season. Although pears are available year round, October is the month where pears truly start to radiate with beauty.

Recently, I have fallen in love with Bosc pears. They remind me of still life paintings—forbidden to touch, but beautiful to admire. I was afraid for many years to hold them (as silly as this sounds), because they didn't look real to me. The color, a natural cinnamon kissed brown, and the shading was just so. They stuck out in the supermarket like a sore thumb, fantasy juxtaposed against a consumer reality, and I danced around them, choosing the Bartlett or Green Anjou instead.

Pear & Almond Chocolate Spice Cake

Last fall, while perusing a farmer's market, I came across a newly ripened batch. The necks and stems were long and graceful, with no unsightly marks in sight. I was drawn to these pears and they followed me around the market, as if they knew it was time we both sat down at a table together. I bought them, wrapped them carefully against the cold, and gave them a home on my kitchen counter. It was love of the edible sort.

Pear and chocolate have consistently been one of my favorite combinations. When I saw this cake from Honey & Jam, I knew I had to make it. When inspiration strikes, it strikes hard. Less than a few hours later, I could be found at the store, admiring the selection of pears, no longer afraid to reach for the alluring Bosc.

Pear & Almond Chocolate Spice Cake Pear & Almond Chocolate Spice Cake

This Pear & Almond Chocolate Spice Cake holds the essence of fall in each slice. Chocolate cake batter is spiced with cardamom, cinnamon, and nutmeg, before diced pears and chopped almonds are folded into the batter. The cake bakes up with a fragrant smell that will linger long after the cake leaves the oven. As the cake cools, a pear cider glaze is poured over the top, which gives the cake a brilliant sheen and a flavor that soaks deep into the cake. If you love pears as I do, this cake will leave you feeling warm and content after a walk in the cool outdoors.

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Red Wine Chocolate Cake

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Red Wine Chocolate Cake

Red Wine Chocolate Cake

I've always had a vision of myself as a great connoisseur of wines—to be able to tell the subtleties between grapes grown from varied regions or, more rarely, the minute differences in the same wine year to year. I'm not a great connoisseur of wines. In fact, the word I and connoisseur don't belong in the same sentence. While I love a full-bodied glass of wine, I'm hopeless when it comes to actually describing what I'm drinking. Shamefully, I must admit the way I can tell wines apart (and if I enjoy them) is whether or not they taste like "church."

Now that is certainly nothing to brag about.

Red Wine Chocolate Cake Red Wine Chocolate Cake

Nevertheless, while visiting the Tuscan countryside in Italy a few years ago, I decided a wine tour was absolutely necessary. If I couldn't be an actual wine connoisseur, I could at least fake it. There is no place better to pretend to have the fine skills of a sommelier than the true heart of wine country, right?

My friend and I ended up choosing a wine tasting combined with a bike tour of the countryside. At the time it seemed like the perfect idea. With the sun on our faces, we could bike between vineyards with the smell of growing grapes lingering in the air. We would stop only for a glass of the finest wines, while we explored the intricacies of a working winery. Our plan was flawless.

However, reality was much different from our daydreams, but no less of a story to tell.

Red Wine Chocolate Cake

The day started out bright and fresh. We rode our bikes, weaving between vineyards and gorgeous Tuscan villas. Our daydreams truly came to life as we stopped at a castle to taste wines and sample infused olive oils on freshly baked bread. Another ride through the countryside brought us to a small, quiet trattoria where we stopped for lunch. With our bellies absolutely stuffed full of salad, wine, pasta, wine, decadent desserts, and more wine, we settled back in our seats, never more pleased, with our eyes beginning to close from sheer bliss.

Then, to snap us out of our wine induced euphoria, we were told the hardest part of the ride was yet to come. The Tuscan countryside was full of gentle rolling hills, yes, but we had not anticipated climbing a hill so long and steep it could put mountains to shame (well, not quite, but to our alcohol addled minds it might have well been Everest).

After a bit of whining and complaining, we returned to our bikes for the uphill battle. Perhaps a little tipsy and our bikes a tad more wobbly, we trudged forward. The hill has a 17% percent grade in a few points, we were told. But only a few! Nevermind the fact that small hills put me and my biking skills to shame, I was determined to climb the hill.

Red Wine Chocolate Cake

It's safe to say I walked my bike up the entire mile long hill, treading so slowly I was easily the last to arrive. I later argued I got to see more of the countryside this way (that's my story and I'm sticking to it).

While the wine and bike tour was not quite what I imagined it to be, it was perfect for me—the ideal mixture of sun, sights, wine, and absolute ridiculousness. I didn't become a wine connoisseur, but I learned I can walk up a really big hill with a belly full of wine. Something tells me that might just come in handy again.

Red Wine Chocolate Cake Red Wine Chocolate Cake Red Wine Chocolate Cake

This Red Wine Chocolate Cake embodies the beauty of a glass of wine in a rich chocolate cake. Using red wine instead of buttermilk brings a deep red hue to the cake as well as a rich flavor. While you may not be able to pinpoint the wine exactly, it adds an extra touch that gives the chocolate cake a rounded flavor. The cake itself is not terribly sweet (I really wanted the darkness of the chocolate cake to complement the wine), but the honey mascarpone whipped cream adds a touch of soft sweetness to the overall picture. The flavors in the cake develop more overnight, making the cake even better on day two.

This is an adult cake. The oven does not bake out all of the alcohol from the wine, so keep this cake away from the kids (finally a treat just for you!). While the cake does contain alcohol, it is not enough to make you tipsy (or anywhere near there). A glass of wine with a slice of this cake will do that for you.

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