By LYDIA BOLEN

November is autumn at its finest here in Mississippi. Vibrant fall colors are everywhere you look. With cooler temperatures, I love to pull out old family recipes or try new versions of the old ones.

My mother and her sisters baked Pineapple Upside Down Cake in an iron skillet. I used to think how fun it was to watch them make this cake. You can’t go wrong trying this recipe in an iron skillet.

What’s better in the fall than good Pecan Pie? My daughter shared this new version of pecan pie in the form of a muffin. If you love Pecan Pie, you will love these muffins!

Pumpkin recipes appear on many dining tables in November. I especially enjoy the old-fashioned Pumpkin Roll. It is pretty and festive, and great to give as a gift or have as a different dessert at your Thanksgiving meal.

 

Pecan Pie Muffins

• 1 cup pecans, chopped
• 1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup butter, melted

Combine first three ingredients in a large bowl.

Beat eggs until foamy. Stir together eggs and melted butter; add to dry ingredients stirring until moistened.

Place foil baking cups in muffins tins. (It’s pretty to use seasonal baking cups.)

Spoon batter into cups until 2 / 3 full. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

Remove from pans immediately and cool on wire racks. Best served warm.

Yields: 8 regular muffins or 12 mini muffins.

 

 

Pumpkin Roll

• 3 eggs
• 2/3 cup canned pumpkin
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
• Confectioner’s sugar, for dusting

Filling:

• 2 tablespoons butter, softened
• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup confectioners’ sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 15”x10”x1” baking pan and line with parchment paper. Grease and flour the paper.

In a large bowl, beat eggs on high for 5 minutes. Gradually add sugar and pumpkin. Add flour, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda. Spread batter evenly in prepared pan. Sprinkle chopped walnuts on top if using.

Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes. Immediately turn cake out onto a linen towel dusted with confectioners’ sugar. Peel off paper and roll cake up in the towel, starting with the short end. Let COOL.

Mix confectioners sugar, vanilla, butter, and cream cheese together until smooth.

Carefully unroll the cake. Spread the filling mixture over cake to within 1 inch of edges. Roll up again. Cover the pumpkin roll and chill until serving. May dust with more confectioners sugar right before serving.

 

 

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

• 1/3 cup butter
• 1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
• 1 can (20 oz.)sliced pineapple, drained (Reserve juice for sauce)
• Maraschino cherries
• Pecan halves
• 1 and 1/3 cups sifted all-purpose flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup soft shortening
• 2/3 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon flavoring
• 1 egg

Melt butter in a heavy 10-inch cast iron skillet. Spread brown sugar evenly over butter. Arrange pineapple slices in attractive pattern on the sugar. Put cherries in center of slices, and fill in spaces with pecan halves.

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a mixing bowl. Add shortening, milk, and flavorings. Beat 2 minutes at medium speed in mixer. Add egg. Beat 2 more minutes.

Pour batter over fruit. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 to 50 minutes or until cake tests done. Cool cake in skillet for 10 minutes. Turn upside down on a cake platter.

SAUCE:

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon flour
• Juice from pineapple
• Chop up any leftover pineapple

Add flour to melted butter and sugar; stir in juice and pineapple pie pieces.

Heat until slightly thickened. Serve warm over the cake.