Happy Halloween sweet Sifters. As adult women who look like children, love to “play dress up”, and are completely and utterly addicted to sugar, Halloween is one of our favorite holidays. Sadly, we are too old to trick or treat and chances are you probably are, too. What’s a millennial, clinging desperately to any shreds of their youth, to do? Watch Lizzie McGuire on Disney+ for the umpteenth time this month? Buy another planner in the hopes of recreating that back-to-school rush? Debate if low-rise jeans are really back or Gen Z is just trying to kill us? Sure, all of above will do, but nothing hits like some nostalgic sweets. If you don’t feel like crying into a pack of Dunkaroos, read on for three recipes that transport us back to the days of pizza parties and pillowcases full of candy, plus an exclusive chocolate cake recipe that received rave reviews including “The best cake I’ve ever had”, and, “Even better than my wedding cake.” Pretty sweet!
Apple Cider Doughnut Loaf: I have good news about this cake and I have bad news about this cake. The good news is it tastes exactly like an apple cider doughnut. The loaf is buttery and cinnamon sugar-coated, and each slice manages to be light and airy but also rich and dense. The bad news is that it asks you to do annoying things like reduce apple cider, vigorously whisk together eggs and sugar and to emulsify butter into said egg mixture. Covering the cake in cinnamon sugar is one of the messiest tasks I’ve ever taken on in my kitchen — I still feel the sweet, sandy, sticky sugar on my counter sometimes from last fall’s loaf. All that’s to say, you should absolutely make this autumn-y cake before your cravings start shifting from apples and pumpkins to eggnog and gingerbread.
Oatmeal Candy Cookies: You might be too old to trick-or-treat, but you’re never too old to walk into CVS and take the bag of your favorite fun size candy straight to a self-checkout register. But instead of housing my favorite Halloween candies (Mounds, Milky Way Midnight, 100 Grand, Butterfinger) on their own, I opted to turn my haul into a batch of chunky, chewy, Levain-style (read: underbaked) oatmeal cookies via this perfect recipe. One thing to note is that the dough really does age like fine wine — if you can wait two or three days to bake them, the sweet, cultured, caramelized flavors that develop are well worth it.
Worms in Dirt: For those of you clinging to your youth with an iron death grip like me, Worms in Dirt is a familiar face from childhood parties past. But for those uninitiated, 1. So sorry 2. It’s neither soil nor invertebrates. Rich chocolate pudding (usually from a box) topped with chocolate cookie crumbs (usually Oreos) and gummy wormsw (typically in neon shades with disturbing detail set in gelatin). My reluctant adult self chooses to make my own chocolate pudding with a recipe from chocolate expert Richard Sax, or our favorite blender mousse. If you must reach for a box I beg you to buy the almighty My-T-Fine over Jello’s artificially-flavored crap. As for the cookies, I’ll remake my favorite iteration of Oreo’s: Maman’s perfectly salty chocolate sandwich cookies or just these equally salty-sweet intensely cocoa-laced cookies. There is simply no gourmet substitute for gummies, but at my age and level of dental insurance I opt for these or these lower-sugar varieties. Layer up, chill in the fridge until the cookies crumbs are *just soggy* and dig in. Never grow up!
#mealprep
BBOTW (BEST BITES OF THE WEEK):
In case you missed it, Sifted recently turned 1, and in case you missed this too, we had a birthday party last week to celebrate. Tanya, the baking brains behind the account Will This Make Me Happy’s antidepressant confections blessed us with the greatest gift ever — layers of dark chocolate cake, malted pastry cream and espresso cream cheese frosting. I’m finishing the last cold, creamy bites as I type this, and I’m absolutely positive that they’re my best of the week, and possibly the best of any cake I’ve ever put in my mouth. Lucky for us, for you, and for everyone who loves cake, Tanya shared the recipe with us. Yep, she spilled how to make all three components (the plush cake, the silky pastry cream, the tangy frosting!!!!) in your very own kitchen — cancel your plans and preheat your ovens!
Photos by Ava Fallon
What’s your favorite nostalgic treat to bake up at home? Drop the recipe here.
Have something specific you need Sifted’s help with? Send us any and all embarrassing questions and spooky situations here.
