As previous iterations on this blog indicate, s’mores are great. And seeing how I currently reside in a place obsessed with seasonality, why not cheekily join the trend and unite the beloved s’more with one of autumn’s best symbols – a humble pumpkin? It truly is amazing how versatile a pumpkin can be, easily stepping up to either savoury or sweet dishes. Along with carrot and zucchini, it’s a great way to increase one’s produce intake and make desserts at least a little bit healthier.  Obviously – and especially during this time of the year – there are countless inspirations and interpretations all over the web, but here is my take on pumpkin s’more cupcakes.

Mascarpone has to be one of the greatest inventions. I always forget (and frankly, don’t want to accept) it’s actually classified as cheese because it’s missing all the traditional cheese taste notes. There is nothing savoury or sour, which is what you normally and generally expect when eating cheese. Instead it just tastes like very thick and rich cream. And because of those qualities, I think mascarpone gets as close as humanly possible to being a single ingredient dessert. Which is why it’s also so easy to make something great involving mascarpone. We have previously used it in this summery crowd-pleasing creation. Today, a slightly more traditional tiramisu.

I have developed a weakness for complicated cake recipes. The ones with multiple components and varying degrees of preparation required. Something involving a cake base, some sort of filling, possibly an interesting syrup, maybe even a separate crunch layer and at least two types of cream or frosting. You know, the kind of recipes that read almost like a novel and leave you mildly exhausted. Those recipes excite me in a “challenge accepted!” kind of a way. One might even say I am slightly obsessed and keep actively seeking more complexity. But sometimes, simplicity has to take centre stage. Just like in this brown butter cake.

So, as you must have gathered by now, we really like s’mores around here. Which is ironic since we currently live in a climate where most of the year you wouldn’t even want to step outside, let alone light a fire to toast some marshmallows. Perhaps that’s why we have so many alternatives to the traditional s’more in various dessert forms. It’s lucky that this is such a winning combination and the presentation possibilities are almost endless. This no bake s’more cake is just one more interpretation of the classic. And if you are still not convinced, then keep in mind that my husband, who constantly complains about being “sugared and caked out” – as if such a state even exists, claimed this entire cake for himself.

After blogging for about a year, I can safely say that this is the most difficult part of it. Coming up with some light conversational preamble smoothly integrating into the recipe. In fact, it feels so challenging that it’s often been the main reason the updates have been so scarce. Somehow, finding the time to photograph and write up a recipe seems easier than having to briefly lead up to it in a paragraph or two. While I have possibly hundreds of recipes I would happily share, I dread needing to introduce them with some sort of non-committal banter. Frankly I am not sure it’s even a necessity to begin with. I personally tend to skip right to the actual recipe because if I wanted to read, I would normally get a book (apologies, fellow bloggers). This is also why I have been trying to keep introductions brief and to the point. So then, here is a Black Forest cake recipe.