Tag Archives: Pinterest

Recipe: Shortcut Pumpkin Bread

26 Nov

One of the most pinned recipes on Pinterest has been the ‘two ingredient’ pumpkin muffins/cake/loaf. The recipe is basically a cake mix and a can of pumpkin. While it seems to be super popular, and I liked the concept (easy always wins in this house) I was skeptical that something without oil or eggs (read fat) could be tasty. Comments on several of the recipes seemed to agree with my hunch.

Yes, my version below takes slightly more effort than dumping a can into a cake mix but it’s sooooooo good. Super moist, spicy and when you throw on some cream cheese icing and a drizzle of caramel, pretty darned decadent.

Shortcut Pumpkin Bread


1 box spice cake mix
1 small (14-15 oz) can of pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling… just pumpkin)**
3 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Throw everything into a bowl and stir well until combined. You could get out the stand mixer and mix on medium for about 2 minutes, but that’s too much effort for something that’s ‘shortcut’. Spread the batter into a greased loaf pan and bake for 5o minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Cool the loaf on a wire rack before icing. I just used a tub of pre-made cream cheese icing, but it would be even better with homemade.

** If you only have a giant can of pumpkin, there’s a bunch of great pumpkin recipes online to use up the rest or you can put a few spoonfuls on top of your dog’s food for the week. They think it’s a great treat and it’s good for their digestion. Guinea pigs are also huge pumpkin fans!

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Recipe: Smores Pudding Cups

7 Aug

There’s a blight of ‘dessert in a mug’ recipes on Pinterest. Basically a few ingredients thrown into a mug and microwaved which is supposed to create something to satisfy your cravings. Any time I’ve tried one, it’s only made me angry because they all turn out like vaguely flavoured sponges. Blech. Need confirmation? Just ask Sonja from The Pintester:

And yet, sometimes you just need a little something sweet but you want to put in basically zero effort and you want it to be done almost immediately. Well, for those times there are smores pudding cups. It’s all of the great stuff about smores – crunchy graham crackers, tasty chocolate and gooey marshmallow without needing a campfire or really any heat at all.

Smores Pudding Cups


1 package of chocolate or chocolate fudge instant pudding mix
2 cups cold milk
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
3 tbsp butter, melted
2 tbsp sugar
marshmallow fluff
graham crackers
chocolate chips (optional)

Melt the butter in the microwave in a cereal sized bowl. Add the cup of graham cracker crumbs and the sugar and stir until combined. Pack a few teaspoons of the mix in the bottom of the dish you’re using, reserving a few crumbles for the top. You can use little plastic wine globlets like I did (nothing but class around these parts), or small bowls, or even a small casserole dish for a big version. Mix up the instant pudding as per package directions and pour it on top of your ‘crust’. Top with a couple of spoonfuls of marshmallow fluff, the remaining crumbles and if you’d like a chunk of graham cracker and chocolate chips.

Throw the cups in the fridge for about five minutes and after that they’re ready to enjoy. Virtually instant gratification.

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