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.