This Week
Autumn Equinox Reflection
The Second Harvest Produce
A Recipe for Pumpkin Cream Cheese Coffee Cake
Good morning friend,
Can you believe it?! Autumn is OFFICIALLY two days away! Now, I know that doesn’t translate to colder weather immediately but it does mean it’s on the way. And of course the days getting shorter, which for this girl is perfect because I have a pretty strict 7pm bedtime that feels acceptable when the sun is already set. To celebrate this annual turning of the page, I made a Pumpkin Cream Cheese Coffee Cake and I’ll share the recipe with you down below. Pair this with the Apple Spice syrup (from last week) in your coffee and you’ll be in Equinox bliss, baby.
I hope you’ve been able to get yourself outside this past week to enjoy the subtle changes happening in the atmosphere. Here on the coast, I am relieved to have the temperatures slowly dropping and the mornings once again feeling slightly cooler. Ellie has recovered fully, back to being her spunky self and I am so thankful. On our walk, we came across these mushrooms that were almost neon yellow in color, which I had never seen before. I felt like a little gnome trying to capture a good picture of them. If there are any fungi experts out there, I am curious to know what kind these glowing babies might be.
Little beauties I might have missed if I were in a rush
These are the little parts of my morning that have become so important to me. The slowing down to notice has done more for my whole body and mind than any self-help book has. I think it’s important to give ourselves permission to take just one extra second with the little gifts we come upon, while we can ( even if we have to schedule it). The next day, these mushies had disappeared…
The Equinox is when the day and night are equal length; balanced. This is a natural theme for this time of year. It’s time to take stock of what we harvested and take note of what changes we want to make for ourselves…what new seeds do you intend to plant going forward? This is the perfect time to pause and tune in…what does your spirit whisper to you?
My heart (and taste buds) flutter with delight when I sync up to the season by using it’s corresponding yields in my weekly menu. Here are the foods reaching peak ripeness during Autumn:
Squash - Acorn, Butternut, and Pumpkin
Leafy Greens - Kale and Brussel Sprouts
Roots - Carrots, Beets, Sweet Potatoes, Turnips
Fruits - Apples, Pears, Figs, and Pomegranates
And what better way to celebrate the Autumn Equinox than to have a seasonal treat made from some of it’s early harvest: pumpkins!
PUMPKIN CREAM CHEESE COFFEE CAKE
INGREDIENTS
Struesel Topping
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup ap flour
½ cup pecans, chopped
1 tsp cinnamon
3 Tbsp butter, melted
Cake
2 cups ap flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
½ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp ground ginger
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
½ cup sugar
½ cup brown sugar
1 cup pumpkin puree
½ cup butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 ounces greek yogurt
2 large eggs, beaten
Cream Cheese Filling
6 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 egg yolk
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
3 Tbsp sugar
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease your pan. If you are making muffins line your muffin tin with parchment.
combine all the ingredients for your streusel until crumbly
Add your flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, spices and sugars together in a bowl and whisk until combined
Combine your pumpkin, melted butter, yogurt, eggs and vanilla in another bowl until blended.
Add your wet ingredients into your dry and fold until combined without over mixing.
In another bowl add your cream cheese filling ingredients and use a standing mixer or handheld mixer to whip the filling together.
spoon half your cake batter into your prepared pan (or muffin tin). Add a spoonful of cream cheese filling on top of the batter and then top the cream cheese with the rest of the batter.
Sprinkle your streusel evenly over the top of your batter
Bake for 30-35 minutes and check for doneness with a clean toothpick. When the toothpick comes out clean your cake is done. Allow to cool for 15 minutes.
This will make your house smell incredible and will certainly get you in the Autumn spirit.
I hope you pick one thing this week that helps you to slow down and tune into the season, whether that be baking this recipe, going for a walk, decorating your house for fall…something that feels good to you. I’m looking forward to meeting back here…
Same time next week.
— Sara
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