When I crack open a can of pumpkin purée, I want to make sure to use it all up instead of letting it get weird in the fridge. With the exception of the iconic pie, pumpkin recipes tend to call for just a small amount of the actual squash to achieve their texture and color, so there’s nearly always some leftover. And that, my internet friends, is how we’ve ended up with three pumpkin recipes in a row.
I mean, you can freeze leftover pumpkin purée, but wouldn’t you rather have a wedge of Flourless Pumpkin Almond Cake?!
This simple cake is a seasonal spin on a classic Flourless Almond Cake. It begins with blanched almond flour, brown sugar and pumpkin spice, then gets some richness from egg yolks, pumpkin purée, and melted butter. The cake gets its moist, springy texture because it’s lifted with whipped egg whites (and the tiniest spoonful of baking powder for extra stability).
It bakes up thick and rustic, with a crumb that is somehow both airy and pleasantly damp (a weird but accurate descriptor). I find it to be somewhere between cake and a pumpkin pie filling, just without the crust. It’s a perfect non-pie dessert for Thanksgiving (or any fall occasion), and has the added benefit of being gluten- and grain-free. I will always love a dessert that can feed more of my people, especially if it involves copious amounts of fresh whipped cream.
On a separate note, I’m feeling a little more consistent in my baking and blogging as we get toward the holidays, so expect to see more of me. I’ve been sharing my daily baking adventures (the highs and the lows) over on my Instagram stories. I’ve been loving the feedback and learning what y’all want to see from me. It’s all fall Maine content for this weekend, but I’ll be back in the kitchen next week. Come follow along, if you like.
Flourless Pumpkin Almond Cake
makes 1 8-inch round cake, about 8-10 servings
4 large egg whites, room temperature
3 large egg yolks, room temperature
1/3 cup pure pumpkin purée
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups blanched almond flour (measured by spoon & level)
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon Kosher or sea salt
For serving:
whipped cream
Preheat oven to 350F. Grease an 8-inch round pan. Line the bottom with parchment and grease again. Set aside.
Separate egg yolks from whites. Reserve 3 egg yolks for this recipe; set 1 egg yolk aside for a different use. Reserve all 4 whites in a very clean, dry bowl, for whipping.
Combine almond flour, light brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Use an electric mixer on low speed to mix the ingredients together—this will take all of 15 seconds. Add 3 egg yolks, pumpkin purée, melted butter, and vanilla, then mix until combined. The mixture will be very thick.
Wash and dry mixer attachments, along with a medium mixing bowl. I also like to wipe down the equipment with vinegar, just to ensure that everything is completely clean before I add the egg whites. There is no way to salvage this recipe if the egg whites are contaminated with oil, yolk, or even water.
Transfer 4 egg whites to the very clean, dry medium mixing bowl. Use the very clean, dry electric mixer to whip them until stiff peaks form, about 2-3 minutes.
Stir 1/3 of the whipped egg whites into the almond mixture. Gently fold half the remaining egg whites into the mixture, followed by the other half.
Transfer batter to prepared pan. Scatter sliced almonds over the top. Bake for 28-30 minutes, or until firm in the center and not visibly damp.
Let cool in the pan for 30 minutes before running a thin, flexible knife around the edge of the cake. Invert cake onto a clean plate. Remove parchment. Revert onto a serving plate or cakestand. Let cool completely before slicing. Serve with whipped cream, if desired.
Leftover cake will keep covered at room temperature for up to two days or in the refrigerator for up to five. It tastes good on the first day, but the flavors deepen over time.
I first had Brownie Pie at an Easter brunch almost twenty years ago, but I’m here to tell you to make it for Thanksgiving. Yes! You may not realize it with everything going on, but Turkey Day is twenty days out. Twenty days! I started off the festive foods with Wednesday’s 
Brownie Pie? Like brownies *in* a pie? You better believe it. We’re talking dense, chewy, fudgy, crackly-topped brownies baked up in a flaky 
Now, Brownie Pie not quite as simple as baking brownie batter in a pie crust…but it almost is. You just have to partially blind-bake (bake without filling) the pie crust first, lest your bottom crust stay raw. Don’t worry, it’s not as terrifying as it sounds.
To partially blind-bake, begin by rolling out your dough, then fit and crimp it in a pie plate like you normally would. Next, give it a good chill before lining it with parchment, filling it up with your weights of choice (pie weights, dried beans, rice) and baking for 20 minutes. Then simply lift the parchment and weights out of the crust, dock it with a fork and bake for another 10 minutes, until it starts to brown.
After that—which, again, is much less of an ordeal than it sounds—it’s as simple as pouring the brownie batter into the crust and baking it off. I used my trusty 
Brownie Pie’s final bake is 30-35 minutes. Ideally, you should let it cool completely for the cleanest slices, but I don’t want to be that person who tells you not to eat warm brownies, so you decide when to slice your pie. Follow your heart and all that. Whatever you do though, don’t skip the vanilla ice cream and 
I’ve somehow blogged my way through five Thanksgivings without ever posting an apple pie. There was one 
I kind of feel like I should preface this recipe by saying that I know there are a million and a half apple pie recipes and that this is nothing revolutionary, but
In terms of flavoring, there’s all sorts of good stuff in here. The apples are tossed in a mixture of granulated sugar, light brown sugar, and apple cider vinegar before being left to macerate (sit and release liquid) for an hour. After that, a mixture of ground cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves is stirred in, along with some cornstarch for thickening and salt for balance. Mmhmm.
The filling—accumulated liquid and all—is piled high into a pie crust before being topped with another crust. I went for a classic lattice and a couple of braids here, but feel free to do a whole top crust (make sure to cut some vents!) or whatever makes you happy. Then brush that thing with egg wash, sprinkle it with coarse sugar and bake the crap out of it.
When you read through this recipe, you’ll notice that there are a lot of pauses and chills and that this pie bakes for more than an hour. Pie takes time, y’all. There’s no way around it. If I wrote a chill in there, it’s because I think it’s important. I don’t want to put anymore time between you (or me!) and that first slice than absolutely necessary.
As for baking, this pie is a bit of a diva, but aren’t they all?! In apple pie’s case, you’ll need to preheat a rimmed baking sheet when you heat the oven. This serves two purposes: protecting your oven floor from overflow and helping ensure that the bottom crust doesn’t wind up completely raw. Also, this pie starts baking at 400F for fifteen minutes and finishes at 375F for 50-60 more. It’s a long time, but this is a big pie! Try to be patient, and don’t forget to tent with foil as necessary. You want that golden top!
I promise all this work will be worth it when you slice this thing up. Homemade apple pie always is.
e2 bakes brooklyn 