The little kitchen that could: Daring Bakers, take one!

If you had told me a year ago that I would be writing a blog I would have looked at you like you had 17 heads and then asked you for a definition of a blog...

And again, if you had added that I might be using my oven to make sweet things as part of a baking club I would have really thought you had fallen off your rocker.

Well my friend, the times they are a changin'.

This month I had my first foray as a daring baker. What is a daring baker, you ask? Is this merely a ploy to get out of grading papers and writing up research? (How dare you!)

Pumpkin Bostini Goodness

The daring bakers is a lovely group of folks started by one of my favorite blog friends Lis of La Mia Cucina and her adorable parter in crime Ivonne of Cream Puffs in Venice. These lovely ladies became friends through the pages (that's web pages to you) and guided each other through their first daring bake off, pretzels, waaaay back when. And the rest, as they say, is history.

So now, once a month the group gets together to make one (seemingly complex) recipe at the same time. I never knew I could look forward to a virtual bake-off and yet...here I am!

The recipe this month is a take on Boston Cream Pie and calls for homemade custard(don't ask me how many eggs, just eat it!), a slice of orange chiffon cake, and a drizzle of chocolate glaze.

Well, we aren't supposed to *change* the recipe, but I cannot entirely follow the rules so.... mine became a pumpkin chiffon cake with salted pumpkin seeds. A puree of pumpkin was made from fresh farmers' markets pumpkins and the seeds were toasted and salty, super delicious with the creamy sweet custard.

In this final picture you can see I even used a pumpkin cookie cutter for the chiffon cake. Or maybe you can't? Either way, this recipe was over the top and such fun to make. Stay tuned for next months endeavor!

For the recipe, click here!

...And I almost forgot! Please check out the rest of the gorgeous takes on this classic dessert at the daring bakers blogroll :)
Happy salivating!