I have a treat for you today! In addition to this scrumptious recipe of butterscotch pumpkin cake bars, I am excited to introduce you to my favorite new foodie AND fashionista! Luci from Luci’s Morsel is a fashion blogger with a passion for food especially delicious desserts (hello honey cardamon cake!!) and a chic eye for fashion. She is also a sweet Cali girl that I’ve been lucky to get to know over the past few months. She is here today to share with you a seasonal recipe I can’t wait to try. Here’s Luci:

It’s so exciting to be guest posting for Zainab here on Blahnik Baker! Bloggers who do both fashion and food (who actually develop their own recipes) are fewer and farther between than I ever imagined. When I do stumble on them, I do a happy dance and follow them everywhere. That’s what happened when I found Zainab on Instagram. I loved her blog name but failed to check out her blog – embarrassing, I know! As fate would have it, the blogging world had me stumble onto her site on a day when she shared a story about being a PhD student and blogger. Having just earned my PhD in History last summer, I had an instant connection. I left a comment and was soon graced with an email from Zainab saying hi. Many lengthy emails and quite a few texts later, Zainab and I are bonding about desserts, fashion blogging, and the very unique experience of being a doctoral student on an almost daily basis!

It seems only fitting that a post on Blahnik Baker be scrumptiously delicious. The holiday season is just beginning, but I think these pumpkin butterscotch cake bars are my favorite recipe of the season. It all started out as a pumpkin cake bar recipe from Martha Stewart. Then I remembered the butterscotch chips I had and decided they would make these bars truly perfect. As I reached into my cupboard for them, one of the many bags of sweetened coconut my sister recently unloaded on me caught my eye. I wasn’t sure but decided to sprinkle it on top, partly for color and partly for taste. And then the walnuts were just begging to be added. I love nuts in my baked goods and I think I’m incapable of baking in the fall and winter without adding a walnut or pecan. But can you blame me?!?  Anyway, the bars started baking in the oven and life started smelling sweeter. And when it came time for taste-testing, my fiance and I were kind of head-over-heels in love with them. Fortunately, or unfortunately, we had to save them for the dinner party we were going to that night, so we restrained ourselves from eating the whole pan. The butterscotch melts into the pumpkin and the toasted coconut rounds out the whole thing nicely. I’ve since bought butterscotch chips again to replace my stash and plan on making these more than once this holiday season. These will be great for Thanksgiving weekend and all those holiday parties!

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Butterscotch Pumpkin Cake Bars

These cake bars start with a moist pumpkin cake that is combined with ooey-goey butterscotch. 

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 50 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes

Ingredients

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• 1 Cup flour
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ⅜ teaspoon salt
• ¾ teaspoon cinnamon
• ¾ teaspoon ginger
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon allspice
• ¼ teaspoon cloves
• ¼ teaspoon cardamom
• ½ Cup butter, softened
• ¾ Cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• ½ Cup pumpkin puree
• ¾ Cup butterscotch chips
• ½ Cup shredded coconut
• ½ whole nuts (pecans or walnuts)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line bottom of square pan with parchment paper, leaving extra on the sides for easy removal.
2. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, and spices. In a stand mixer or large bowl, cream butter and sugar until smooth. Add in egg and vanilla. Beat in pumpkin until creamy. With mixer on a low speed, add in flour mixture. When combined, add butterscotch chips.
3. Spread batter in pan. Sprinkle coconut over top. Top with nuts. Bake 40-50 minutes until top toothpick inserted in the middle comes out with a few moist crumbs. Let cool completely before cutting and serving.

Making this Recipe?

Share it with us on Instagram using #aclassictwist so we can see what you are baking up in your kitchen!

Coconut and butterscotch in one treat? I’m in love!! Thank you Luci for this wonderful treat. You are a girl after my heart and I can’t wait to try these.

Be sure to visit Luci’s blog for more of her recipes and seriously chic outfits!

“A California girl with her PhD in History, Luci loves designer jeans, iced      coffee, homemade food, and smart humor. Luci’s Morsels is about fashion,  food, and frivolity – all from an approachable and fun perspective.”

Luci’s Morsels | Facebook | Pinterest | Instagram

The post Butterscotch Pumpkin Cake Bars {Luci Morsel’s Guest Post} appeared first on A Classic Twist.

We spent all of last week on some sort of apple fest here. I should have declared it apple week. In case you missed it, there was apple with goat cheese crescents, followed by freakily delicious spiced apple cupcakes with the best maple marshmallow frosting and we ended the week with a dessert mashup that is a combination of apple pie and cookies aka caramel apple pie cookie cups. Apple fest indeed!!

But it’s time to showcase the other love of the fall! Pumpkin!!! I bring you pumpkin pecan cheesecake with salted caramel sauce. The hubs like everyone else is a huge fan and has been asking for everything pumpkin since the start of September but I figured, we have all of November still to get our pumpkin on. How much pumpkin can one consume really? He seems to believe unlimited!!

I used my favorite cheesecake base that’s creamy, tangy and just rich. Starting with a pecan crust, this cheesecake is filled with warm spices, creamy pumpkin flavor and topped with a salty caramel sauce. I love adding small twists to classics as they sometimes takes our classic favorites to a whole new level. This totally applies to this cheesecake. The addition of salted caramel to a traditional pumpkin cheesecake is just like WHOA!! Not kidding!

Now just tell me you don’t want a bite of that??

Happy Monday!

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Yield: 1 9-inch cheesecake

Pumpkin Pecan Cheesecake with Salted Caramel Sauce

Your classic pumpkin cheesecake is taken to a whole new level with crunchy pecans and sticky salty caramel sauce while still bursting with creamy pumpkin goodness!! 

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Ingredients

For Crust:

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• 1 ½ cup graham cracker crumbs (about 20-25 cookies)
• ½ cup pecans
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• ½ cup unsalted butter, melted

For Filling:

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• 24 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature
• 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• ¼ teaspoon allspice
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• a pinch of nutmeg
• a pinch of salt
• ¼ cup maple syrup
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature

Topping:

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• ½ cup salted caramel sauce
• ½ cup toasted pecans, chopped

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Wrap the entire outside of a 9-inch springform pan with two sheets of foil.
2. Using a food processor, combine the graham cracker crumbs, pecans, and sugar. Pulse into a fine crumb. Add the melted butter and process until combined.
3. Transfer the crumbs to the prepared pan and evenly spread it. Use a flat bottom cup and press down on the crust to create an even layer. Bake crust for 10 minutes. Let cool while you prepare the filling.
4. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees F.
5. In the bowl of an electric mixer set on medium speed, beat the cream cheese on medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar and spices. Add pumpkin puree and sugar mixture to cream cheese and beat until well combined, another 2-3 minutes, scraping down bowl as needed. Add in maple syrup and mix well on medium-low speed. Reduce speed to low and add eggs in one at a time, mixing until combined. Mix filling until smooth for an additional minute.
6. Pour filling into the prepared springform pan with crust. Place the springform pan into a much larger baking pan or roasting pan. Add hot water into the larger baking pan to reach halfway up the side of your spring-form pan.
7. Bake at 325 degrees F for one hour. Then turn off the oven and leave the cheesecake in the oven for additional 45 minutes. Remove cheesecake from oven and allow to cool at room temperature for at least an hour before chilling. Chill for 6 hours or overnight.
8. When ready to serve, remove the sides from the spring-form pan and pour the salted caramel on top of the cheesecake. Smooth evenly. Top with toasted pecans.
9. Store covered in refrigerator.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

• 
  Honey Maid Graham Cracker Crumbs (13.5-Ounce Box)
• 
  Pyrex Glass Mixing Bowl Set (3-Piece)
• 
  Nordic Ware Leakproof Springform Pan, 9 Inch

Making this Recipe?

Share it with us on Instagram using #aclassictwist so we can see what you are baking up in your kitchen!

Are you mad for PUMPKIN? Check out my Pumpkin Madness board on Pinterest!

The post Pumpkin Pecan Cheesecake with Salted Caramel Sauce appeared first on A Classic Twist.