I need an excellent Thanksgiving dessert!

November 15, 2013 11:12 AM

I need a Thanksgiving-related, autumn-inspired dessert to bake. I would like something with some manner of fall seasonings like ginger or cloves that will make the house smell like the holidays. I am not looking for pumpkin pie (other pumpkin recipes are welcome though).

I'm hosting Friendsgiving tomorrow. I am a seasoned baker. Last year I made a persimmon chiffon pie, which was great, but I want something warm to bake in our oven while people are eating dinner.* I am not a huge pie fan mainly because making the crust gets the kitchen messy. I'd rather make the batter ahead of time, dump it into a round pan as everyone sits down to dinner, and have it fully baked and cooled by the time we've digested. However, if you have an AMAZING Thanksgiving-esque dessert that demands pie crust, I will consider it.

Thank you!

*Our boiler is broken and it's getting chilly, so baking in the kitchen/eating area has the added bonus of warming up the house.

posted by Viola to Food & Drink (25 answers total)

This is the time of year that my thoughts turn to bread pudding.
posted by scody at 11:16 AM on November 15, 2013 [1 favorite]

Applesauce Spice Cake or Gingerbread are favorites favorite of mine....

Serve with Cocoa, or Chai Tea. I used to make spiced tea by boiling water with cinnamon sticks, cloves, orange peel and allspice, then add tea bag. Mmmm.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 11:17 AM on November 15, 2013

Gingerbread! My favorite fall dessert.
posted by skycrashesdown at 11:19 AM on November 15, 2013

I've had this on my "To Bake - Holidays" list for years but haven't gotten around to it:
Povitica – Croatian Sweet Walnut Chocolate Bread ("for Daring Bakers"!)
posted by lovableiago at 11:21 AM on November 15, 2013 [1 favorite]

I just posted this in the pie thread (even though it's not a pie!), but I like this autumn apple cheesecake recipe as a base. You can make some changes according to your own preferences (I add some fresh lemon, walnuts instead of pecans, and nutmeg to the apple topping). However, the catch with cheesecake is that it's eaten cool, so you'd have to make it the day before :-\
posted by raztaj at 11:25 AM on November 15, 2013

Pear upside down cake?
posted by anya32 at 11:33 AM on November 15, 2013 [1 favorite]

Cranberry upside-down cake.
posted by headnsouth at 11:35 AM on November 15, 2013 [1 favorite]

Baklava is our new favorite Thanksgiving dessert since we started keeping bees and harvesting honey. I use pecans (so much better than pecan pie) but feel free to use walnuts if you like them. Or both. The Pioneer Woman's recipe is very similar to the one I use. I think the nuts and honey are sort of autumn-y. But you would want it to be done before guests arrive, I think, as you do want to put the syrup on right when it comes out of the oven and then let it sit. So ... oh. Never mind.
posted by evilmomlady at 11:36 AM on November 15, 2013

OMG CHAI SPICE CAKE DO IT DO IT.

Here's my take on the recipe.
But here's the thread that started it all.
posted by phunniemee at 11:37 AM on November 15, 2013 [3 favorites]

I have received (tongue-in-cheek) marriage proposals with this Bourbon-Pumpkin Cheesecake. Needs to chill for 4 hours, though, so doesn't quite meet your 'bake during dinner' requirement. But so delicious and perfect for fall!
posted by Empidonax at 12:01 PM on November 15, 2013 [2 favorites]

Best answer: Gingerbread, but not just any gingerbread. Gramercy Tavern Gingerbread. Gingerbread never sounds that appealing to me in the abstract but this cake is so delicious you simply will not believe it. The only thing is that it's really better made a day or two ahead of time, which doesn't meet your smell requirements. Definitely you can't bake it during dinner. But I view that as a huge advantage, one less thing to deal with on the big day. I think this is the ultimate non-pie holiday dessert. Make sure you have lots of delicious whipped cream to go with it.
posted by HotToddy at 12:06 PM on November 15, 2013 [17 favorites]

Tarte tatin never fails to please.
posted by Dr. Wu at 12:10 PM on November 15, 2013

I made an apple and cranberry oatmeal crisp with ginger this week, and it smelled amazing. Crisps aren't particularly glamourous, but straight out of the oven with ice cream, they're delicious. You could play around with the filling (see: pear & ginger, pear & dried cherry with nutmeg, apple & fig, cranberry & apple with maple, etc.) until you find one that's as holiday-themed as you'd like. Bonus: you can usually mix the filling and topping up (separately) in advance, then assemble and toss in the oven quickly at whatever time is best.
posted by rebekah at 12:29 PM on November 15, 2013 [2 favorites]

This is a little involved, but pumpkin pie cheesecake is my favorite thanksgiving dessert. Instead of using 24oz of cream cheese, I use 16oz of mascarpone and 8 oz of cream cheese.
posted by inertia at 12:33 PM on November 15, 2013

Sweet potato tarte tatin.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 12:40 PM on November 15, 2013 [1 favorite]

I also just heard this NPR story on Indian pudding and was thinking of making it soon--it would be just about perfect for your requirements.

And it's a bit complex for what you want (baking time is on the long side), but I was just lamenting the fact that I won't be able to make Sweet Potato Chocolate Nut Cake until after Thanksgiving. It is my favorite cake ever.
posted by tchemgrrl at 1:00 PM on November 15, 2013 [1 favorite]

This pumpkin soufflé is without a doubt the best Thanksgiving dessert I've ever had. And definitely don't forget the bourbon molasses sauce!
posted by emilyanemone at 2:02 PM on November 15, 2013

I second the bourbon pumpkin cheesecake. If you're doing all the other Thanksgiving things, the smell of something baking may just get lost anyway...and people start salivating when I just *mention* this recipe. Here's Smitten Kitchen's take on it.
posted by leitmotif at 2:41 PM on November 15, 2013

i have made smitten kitchen's pumpkin bread pudding many times. it's easy, quick, and crazy tasty.
posted by koroshiya at 3:11 PM on November 15, 2013 [1 favorite]

I've made this pumpkin bread two times in the last two weeks, my coworkers fight over the last piece each time I bring it in, and my landlord told me it smelled like Fall.

It is also of the "dump batter in pans and leave to smell great in the oven for a long time" variety.

I used a lot of the substitutions mentioned in the comments (e.g. Melted butter instead of oil, apple cider instead of water, some brown sugar instead of all white sugar)...so it's a good recipe for a seasoned baker to tweak.
posted by hellogoodbye at 4:28 PM on November 15, 2013

Dammit. I was also coming to rec the Gramercy Tavern gingerbread. Amazingly good. Add chopped crystallized finger to push it over the top.
posted by purenitrous at 6:31 PM on November 15, 2013

I have received rave reviews for the pumpkin cinnamon rolls from Smitten Kitchen here: http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2012/10/pumpkin-cinnamon-rolls/
(Sorry, posting from my phone). I make them smaller so there are more savings.
posted by shortskirtlongjacket at 7:59 PM on November 15, 2013

Add chopped crystallized finger to push it over the top.

Pro tip: Use your mandoline without the finger guard, makes it super easy!
posted by HotToddy at 8:03 PM on November 15, 2013 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: The Gramercy Tavern gingerbread was unbelievable! Thanks everyone!
posted by Viola at 7:47 AM on December 20, 2013

Yaaay, glad you liked it!
posted by HotToddy at 11:03 AM on December 20, 2013