fall dessert

<em>The trick to burnt sugar cake is to use burnt sugar syrup as its main flavor. Make sure you prepare the burnt sugar syrup ahead of time so that it can properly cool and thicken. While you're at it, prepare the <a href="http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/homemade-salted-caramel-recipe/" rel="noopener">salted caramel</a> ahead of time too.</em>

Burnt Sugar Cake

(200 grams) granulated sugar

(180 milliliters) boiling water

baking powder

baking soda

salt

(1.5 sticks; 170 grams) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature

(120 milliliters) cooled burnt sugar syrup

egg whites,

(120 grams) sour cream,

vanilla extract

(120 milliliters) whole milk,

(2 sticks; 230 grams) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature

(480 grams) confectioners’ sugar

Tablespoons (30 milliliters) whole milk or heavy cream

Homemade Salted Caramel, cooled

(50 grams) chopped pecans*

For best success, read the recipe in full and watch the video tutorial in the post above before starting.

Prepare the burnt sugar syrup

first so it has time to cool. Make sure you have boiling water at the ready. For the burnt sugar syrup, place sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Best to use a 3 quart heavy-bottomed quality saucepan. Stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, cook until the sugar has completely melted and is amber brown, about 8-10 minutes. If the sugar is clumpy, break up the lumps with your wooden spoon. A candy thermometer is not necessary, but if you&#8217;re using one, the sugar temperature should reach about 300°F (149°C) when it&#8217;s ready. Turn the heat to low and very carefully and slowly drizzle in the boiling water, a little at a time. Stir after each addition and stand back, as the mixture will rapidly sizzle and bubble. After all of the boiling water is stirred in, stir and cook the sugar syrup for 3 more minutes on low. Turn off the heat and let it cool completely, overnight preferred. It&#8217;s imperative that the sugar syrup is completely cool. You will have about 1 cup of syrup.

Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease two 9-inch cake pans, line with parchment paper, then grease the parchment paper. Parchment paper helps the cakes seamlessly release from the pans.

Whisk the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. Set aside.

Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the butter and sugar together on high speed until creamed, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. With the mixer running on medium speed, pour in 1/2 cup of the cooled burnt sugar syrup. Beat until combined. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl as needed. Beat in the egg whites, sour cream, and vanilla extract. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients just until combined. With the mixer still running on low, slowly pour in the milk until combined. Do not over-mix. The batter will be slightly thick.

Pour batter evenly into prepared cake pans. Bake for 23-25 minutes or until the cakes are baked through. As a result of the burnt sugar syrup cooking inside the cake batter, the cakes brown nicely on top and on the sides. To test for doneness, insert a toothpick into the center of the cake. If it comes out clean, it is done. Allow cakes to cool completely in the pans set on a wire rack.

As the cakes cool, I suggest making the salted caramel. The salted caramel adds necessary flavor. We&#8217;ll use it as a filling and garnish. When ready to use in step 9, make sure the salted caramel isn&#8217;t too hot anymore. If it&#8217;s too hot, it will melt the frosting. If it&#8217;s too cool, it won&#8217;t drizzle. Let it cool for at least 30 minutes before using. If you prepared the salted caramel ahead of time and it became too cool or too thick, microwave it for 5-10 seconds or JUST until it&#8217;s drizzle-able again. (It won&#8217;t be too hot at this point.) You can also toast the pecans during this time, too. See recipe note.

Make the frosting

In a large bowl using a hand-held mixer or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy, about 1-2 minutes. Add confectioners&#8217; sugar, remaining 1/2 cup of cooled burnt sugar syrup, vanilla extract, milk/cream, and salt. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds, then increase to high speed and beat until completely combined, about 2 minutes. Add more confectioners&#8217; sugar if frosting is too thin or more milk/cream if frosting is too thick. Taste. Add more salt if desired. (I usually use 1/2 teaspoon of salt total. I like this frosting salty/sweet.)

Assemble and frost: 

First, using a large serrated knife or cake leveler, slice a thin layer off the tops of the cakes to create a flat surface. Discard (or crumble over ice cream!). If you have any leftover burnt sugar syrup, drizzle over leveled cakes. I usually don&#8217;t have any leftover, but this is a great place to use any last drops if you have some. Place 1 cake layer on your cake stand or serving plate. Using a large icing spatula, evenly cover the top with frosting. Drizzle 1/4 cup of salted caramel on top of the frosting. Top with 2nd cake layer. Refrigerate the cake for at least 30-45 minutes before finishing the frosting and garnish. The caramel inside the cake must &#8220;set.&#8221; After chilling in the refrigerator, spread the remaining frosting all over the top and sides. Run a bench scraper around the cake to smooth out the sides, if desired. Garnish with toasted pecans and more salted caramel. Slice and serve.

Cover leftover cake tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

I made this recipe exactly as written. It is seriously the best cake I’ve ever had in my life. There are so many wonderful flavors and textures blended together - the deliciously rich cake, smooth frosting, salty sweet caramel and the crunchy toasted pecans. It is heaven. The cake does not taste burnt! It tastes like caramel. It adds an extra dimension to the sponge and the frosting so it doesn’t taste like plain vanilla. It tastes somewhere between vanilla and caramel. I highly recommend.

This cake is absolutely delicious! I am a caramel lover and this was AMAZING. I’ve never made salted caramel before and couldn’t believe I was able to do it! Thank you for all your recipes. They are incredible!

Hi Sally,

I absolutely love your detailed recipes. I tried this cake a few days ago! It tasted heavenly! The only problem was that when I started frosting it, it started crumbling. I tried to cool it in the refrigerator for some time hoping I'd be able to frost it properly but was really tough to do that. What could have gone wrong?
Thank you

Made this cake exactly and loved the flavors and textures. Took me two tries with both the syrup and caramel ....so worth starting over. Learning curve!

If you don't see the video, you may need to switch to another browser. For example, Brave wasn't displaying it so I switched to Safari and it was there.

This cake, and recipe, is everything I've been looking for. I do want to ask, could the milk in the icing be substituted for something non dairy (water, simple syrup, corn syrup, increased burnt sugar syrup, for example) so the cake doesn't need to be refrigerated and can be wrapped and kept on the counter?
Thanks for sharing your recipes.

Hi Sally, 
Congratulations on your new addition to your family your girls are beautiful. I am deeply sorry for the  loss of loving Jude. Another winning recipe Sally. I made this cake on Sunday for my coworkers and it disappeared  way before 11:30 am  I kid you not I did not get a chance to taste the cake myself but, I heard it was awesome. Thanks Sally for always making our tummies happy  much ❤️

Hi Sally,
Is there any way to incorporate the burnt sugar caramel flavor into your chocolate cake?

Oh my goodness - this is the best!!  While it is a little labor  intensive, the instructions are very clear.  I made the recipe over 2 days.  My husband and I agree this could be our new  most favorite cake. 

I made the Upgraded German Cake just before this and everyone raved. 

Love your recipes. Wish I could figure out how to avoid cooking meals and just bake!!

Beautiful cake! Moist and fragrant. Salted caramel was delicious and easy to prepare as well. I divided the layers into four so that I could add more frosting and salted caramel in between. Topped it with pretzels and cake scrap crumbles

I followed this recipe to the letter and didn’t make any substitutions but my cakes did not rise at all. :(

My Grandmother made burnt sugar cake and used a wooden spoon my Grandfather carved by hand while cooking the syrup.  I made one in memory of them; using the same spoon.   It turned out AMAZING!  Your directions made it “doable”.  THANKS for the memories.

https://content.jwplatform.com/videos/rYChUhZL.mp4

It’s soft, buttery, and totally worth every minute of prep time.

Burnt Sugar Caramel Cake

This is the BEST Pumpkin Cheesecake recipe! No water bath required and topped with a homemade cinnamon whipped cream. Recipe includes a video just below the instructions showing you how I make this pumpkin cheesecake at home!

Pumpkin Cheesecake

graham cracker crust

oz cream cheese (softened

brown sugar (packed (150 grams))

sugar ((100 grams))

sour cream ((80 grams))

pumpkin puree¹ ((244 grams))

pumpkin pie spice

eggs (lightly beaten, room temperature preferred)

heavy cream ((175 milliliters))

sugar ((30 grams))

cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350F (175C)².

Prepare graham cracker crust in a 9" springform but do not bake.&nbsp; Place in refrigerator to chill while you prepare your cheesecake filling.

In a stand mixer (or in a large bowl with a hand-mixer), beat together softened cream cheese and sugars, scraping down the sides with a spatula occasionally to ensure ingredients are mixed well. (beat on medium-speed about 1-2 minutes, scraping down side occasionally).

Add sour cream and stir well, pausing once to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.

Add vanilla extract, pumpkin puree, and pumpkin spice and stir until well-combined.

Add eggs, one at a time, beating until just mixed after each addition (and scraping down the sides after each addition).

Spread cheesecake batter evenly over prepared crust.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Transfer to oven and bake on 350F for 40 minutes or until center of cheesecake is set and bounces back to the touch.

Allow pumpkin cheesecake to cool to room temperature and then transfer to refrigerator and chill for 6 hours or overnight.

Before serving, prepare your cinnamon whipped cream.

For the cinnamon whipped cream topping, combine heavy cream, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and ground cinnamon in a clean medium-sized bowl.

Use an electric mixer to stir on low-speed.  Gradually increase speed to high and beat until stiff peaks form.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Pipe or dollop whipped cream over chilled cheesecake. Slice, serve, and enjoy!&nbsp;

Cinnamon Whipped Cream³

https://embed.mediavine.com/videos/k1hyfd1igfzntplwieho

An easy, creamy pumpkin cheesecake that’s made completely from scratch, and there is no water bath required!

This cranberry curd tart uses a press-in shortbread crust inspired by one Alice Medrich uses in everything. This one has a bit of orange zest and powdered sugar to keep it tender. The cranberry curd itself is a riff on one I've been making for years that's rounded out with a generous splash of vanilla, some freshly squeezed orange juice from the orange you just zested, and an optional splash of any orange liqueur you like (but don't bother going out to buy Grand Marnier or Dry Curacao just for this). The tart crust can be made and baked up to two days ahead, and the curd can be cooked and chilled up to a week in advance, you can then assemble and bake the tart on the day (or day before) you want to eat it. The meringue is totally optional, but because the tart leaves you with extra egg whites from the curd, it's easy to go that extra step and add the meringue. The amount of meringue isn't as much what you would typically do for a towering lemon meringue pie, but it's plenty for piping decoratively on the top (and enough to cover the whole top with dots like you see pictured if you wanted to do that). You'll need a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom for this recipe.

Cranberry Curd Tart

all-purpose flour

sugar

(1 stick, 113 grams) unsalted butter

orange

cranberries (fresh

eggs

orange liqueur,

cream of tartar

water

Preheat oven to 350°F. Add the flour, powdered...

Preheat oven to 350°F. Add the flour, powdered sugar, and salt to a small bowl and whisk together. Melt the butter in a small saucepan (or in the microwave), add the vanilla extract and orange zest to the butter and stir, then pour into the dry ingredients and stir together until thoroughly moistened. 

Press the dough evenly along the bottom and...

Press the dough evenly along the bottom and sides into a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Place the tart pan on a baking sheet and bake until the crust is golden brown, about 20 minutes.

Heat the cranberries and orange juice in a...

Heat the cranberries and orange juice in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat until the cranberries split. Strain through a food mill or fine mesh sieve and discard the skins.  

Return the strained cranberry mixture to the saucepan...

Return the strained cranberry mixture to the saucepan and add the sugar, eggs, egg yolks, butter, vanilla, and orange liqueur (if using) to the pan and give everything a good stir. Heat gently over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens and registers 170°F on an instant read thermometer (this usually takes about 8-9 minutes). Immediately strain through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl (ideally with a pouring spout) and then pour into the prepared crust. Bake (still at 350°F) until the curd is set (it should jiggle but not slosh), about 10 minutes.

Let cool at room temperature for about 1...

Let cool at room temperature for about 1 hour, then transfer to the refrigerator to chill. You can serve this chilled or at room temperature.

Add egg whites and cream of tartar to...

Add egg whites and cream of tartar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Heat sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium high heat. When the sugar mixture registers about 220°F turn on the mixer and begin beating the egg whites on medium speed. When the sugar mixture registers 240°F remove from heat and carefully pour into the mixer over the egg whites. Increase the mixer speed to high and beat until the egg whites form stiff peaks. Transfer to a piping bag (or zip top bag) and pipe onto cooled tart as desired. If you want, torch the meringue with a kitchen torch. (But since it is cooked, this is totally optional).

With big flavor, crisp edges, mega chewy centers, and maple icing, these maple brown sugar cookies are a definite favorite. Chilling the cookie dough is imperative, so set aside 2 hours or prepare the cookie dough the day before.

Maple Brown Sugar Cookies

(115 grams; 1 stick) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature

(200 grams) packed dark brown sugar*

egg,

(80 milliliters) pure maple syrup*

maple extract*

(130 grams) chopped pecans*

Tablespoons (30 grams) unsalted butter

maple syrup

cup (112 grams) sifted confectioners’ sugar*

salt,

Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl. Set aside.

Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and brown sugar together on medium speed until smooth, about 1-2 minutes. Add the egg and beat on high until combined, about 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Add the maple syrup, vanilla extract, and maple extract, then beat on high speed until combined.

Pour the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, then mix on low until combined. Add the pecans, then beat on low speed until combined. Dough will be creamy and soft.

Cover and chill the dough for 2 hours in the refrigerator (and up to 3-4 days). If chilling for longer than a few hours, though, allow to sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before rolling and baking because the dough will be quite hard.

Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line 2-3 large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. (Always recommended for cookies.) Set aside.

Roll cookie dough into balls, about 1.5 Tablespoons of dough per cookie. This cookie scoop is helpful. Bake each batch for 12-13 minutes until lightly browned on the sides. The centers will look very soft.

Remove from the oven. If your warm cookies look puffy, lightly bang the pan on the counter when you remove it from the oven. That will help slightly deflate the cookies, creating lovely cracks as you see in the pictured cookies. Cool cookies on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Make the icing

In a small saucepan over low heat, melt the butter and maple syrup together, whisking occasionally. Once the butter has melted, remove from heat and whisk in the sifted confectioners’ sugar. Taste. Add a pinch of salt, if desired. Drizzle over cooled cookies. Icing will set after about 1 hour.

Cookies stay fresh covered at room temperature for up to 1 week.

Made these for thanksgiving and they were a huge hit, soo delicious! Will definitely make again!

wow! yum! (kind of tastes like a handheld pancake ;)   very very very sweet though... i don't know how anyone could omit the pecans!- i think they are needed to help cut the sweetness; in fact, next time i think i'll toast the pecans first.  such a good cookie!!

You were right, Sally. These ARE the best cookies ever! Awesome recipe.

I don't normally leave comments, but I HAD to for these cookies. First of all, my baking experience is almost nonexistent. This was the first homemade cookie I've ever made (and I'm in my 30s). I took some to Thanksgiving at my MIL's house. Every phone call she received that day, she talked about the "maple cookies"! We also just had a baby shower by mail and I sent out a batch of these cookies with my thank you cards. I've had so many people offer to pay me to make them another batch! lol I'm planning on just sending everyone another batch for Christmas!

I just wanted to tell you this is the absolute, most amazing cookie I have ever eaten! lol I will make this many, many times in the future! Definitely a staple cookie for my family!

I made these cookies recently and thought they were great, but since I only had grade A maple syrup, the dark brown sugar was overpowering the maple flavor. Is it possible to make the cookies with half dark brown sugar and half light brown sugar? Do you think that will give it more maple flavor as well?

A. M. A. Z. I. N. G.  Hands down, my most favorite cookie right now.  Thanks so much for the fantastic recipe!

I made this for our Christmas get together, as maple is my eldest son's favorite flavor.  These were possibly the best cookies I've ever made, and that's in a family of chocoholics.   I made them without the pecans, and they were sensational.  I will be doing these again in short order.

Thank you for this tremendous recipe.

Made with all purpose gluten free flour (King Arthur) and earth balance margarine and they were amazing. Used light brown sugar plus 1 T molasses and added extra maple extract to the icing. We used the leftover icing on some gluten free cinnamon rolls for Christmas morning. Thank you, Sally! These were a favorite among our family this year along with your double chocolate crinkle cookies.

I love maple everything!  Since I was a kid (decades ago) we've made our own pancake syrup with Mapleine extract.   Not sure if you are familiar with it but can't wait to put it in these cookies!

These cookies are fantastic. I made them several months ago, and I can't get them out of my head. I keep coming back to this recipe.
My question is: I want to make a couple of batches to take to work, but I have a couple of vegan co-workers. I can use Earth Balance or another plant-based butter, but what would you suggest that might work well to replace the egg?

Already left a rave reviews. Now I needed to know calories. I found an easy site for entering recipes to get nutritional analysis. These are about 144 cal. each with icing. www.verywellfit.com/recipe-nutrition-analyzer-4157076

This moist cinnamon-spice Applesauce Coffee Cake recipe is made with homemade applesauce and topped with a sweet, crunchy walnut streusel.

Applesauce Coffee Cake Recipe

tbsp butter

flour

brown sugar

walnuts (chopped finely)

tsp baking powder

tsp baking soda

tsp salt

apple sauce (see Note below)

vanilla

In a bowl, cream the flour and butter together using a fork or pastry cutter.

Stir in the rest of the ingredients and set aside.

For the Streusel Topping

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F for 9x13 inch baking pan, or 350 degrees F for 8 x 8 inch baking pan. Grease pan with nonstick spray. (See Note below)

In a bowl, cream the butter and flour together using a pastry cutter.

Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well.

Pour the batter into the baking dish and level off the batter.

Drizzle on the streusel evenly over the top of the batter.

Place in the oven and bake on center rake in oven. Begin checking for doneness at 30 minutes with a toothpick that has been inserted in the middle of the cake and comes out clean. Keep in mind that a deeper pan (8x8) will take longer to bake, so allow for an increase of bake time accordinging.

Once done, remove cake from the oven and allow to cool 10 minutes before slicing. Enjoy!

For the Coffee Cake

This Jewish Apple Cake is a wonderfully dense and moist cake batter studded with tons of cinnamon-sugar coated apples. It's the perfect fall dessert for any occasion!

Jewish Apple Cake

apples

all-purpose flour, sifted

vegetable oil

orange juice

Tube pan

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 10-inch tube pan.

Prepare the Apples: In a large bowl, toss the chopped apples with the sugar and cinnamon. Set aside.

Prepare the Cake Batter: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, vegetable oil, orange juice, and vanilla extract. Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture and stir to combine with a spatula or wooden spoon.

Add the eggs to the mixture one at a time, mixing well after each addition (the batter will start out very thick, but will get looser and easier to mix as you continue to add the eggs). Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure that all of the ingredients are fully incorporated.

Add a thin layer of the cake batter to the bottom of the pan, then add one-quarter of the apples on top of the batter. Ribbon one-quarter of the remaining cake batter over top of the apples; the batter should not completely cover all of the apples (it will spread when baking). Repeat three more times with the remaining apples and cake batter, ending with a layer of cake batter, but again it will not totally cover the apples, that's okay!

Bake for 1 hour 30 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool to room temperature before serving. Leftovers can be stored at room temperature for up to 5 days.

https://embed.mediavine.com/videos/idqztQtn5

This Jewish Apple Cake is a wonderfully dense and moist cake batter studded with tons of cinnamon-sugar coated apples. It’s the perfect fall dessert for any occasion!

Cranberry crumble is a quick, easy to make dessert full of jammy cranberries and a whole grain crumble topping.

Orange Cranberry Crumble

all-purpose baking mix

oats

coconut sugar sugar

coconut oil*

cranberries

cornstarch

orange zest

Preheat the oven to 400 (200C) degrees.

Combine all ingredients for the topping in a bowl, using a fork or your hands to blend the mixture until it forms moist clumps.

In a saucepan, stir together all the ingredients for the filling except for the orange zest and place over medium heat. Bring to a simmer, then cook just until the cranberries begin to soften and pop, stirring frequently. Remove from the heat and stir in the orange zest.

Transfer the cranberry mixture to a 9-inch pie or baking dish. Sprinkle the crumble topping evenly over the cranberries.

Bake 20 minutes, or until the juices are bubbling and the topping is golden brown.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

These Halloween Cookies are soft, fluffy, and made with just 4 ingredients. The sprinkles lend some Halloween fun and using cake mix makes it so easy. It&#x27;s a simple recipe for a spooky night!

Halloween Cookies

(15.25

Halloween sprinkles (if desired)

Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, silpat mat, or lightly coat with cooking spray. Set aside.

In a large bowl, stir the cake mix, oil and eggs together until thoroughly combined. Fold in the sprinkles, if desired.

Shape dough into rounded balls and place onto prepared baking sheet, leaving at least an inch of space between ball.

Bake for 8-10 minutes or until edges are set. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes, then move to wire rack to cool completely.

Sweet, crunchy apples and grapes in a creamy yogurt and cream cheese sauce topped with crushed walnuts and brown sugar are the perfect fall treat or dessert.

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The most viewed fall dessert recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine