The Fruits Of Fall: 10 Recipes For Baking With The Bounty Of Autumn

Autumn is an exciting season, if you’ve got the right perspective. Forget about shorter days, rainy weather or the looming winter, and embrace the season with long hikes in the crisp autumn air, followed by cosying up with a steaming drink and a homemade treat. Don’t limit yourself to the ubiquitous pumpkin spice everything: autumn is synonymous with so much more! Here, we give you ten ideas for incorporating the seasonal harvest into your everyday baking.

Apple Crumble Muffins

Soft and fluffy with a rich, crumbly topping: these muffins will make you feel like you’re having apple pie for breakfast – but you can indulge in them any time of day, really. Fresh apples abound in autumn, and you should use a juicy, crisp, firm type of apple for baking. Granny Smiths are on the tarter side, while a Honeycrisp is juicy but sweeter. Freeze your muffins after baking for whenever that sweet craving strikes: let them fully cool before wrapping each one individually in plastic wrap, then in a freezer bag. If you prefer a vegan version, try this recipe from Rainbow Nourishments.

Baked Pears

Compared with apples, pears are highly underrated. You might forget that this fruit is also at its peak during the autumn season, but you should certainly make use of it. We love a minimalist recipe, such as these baked pears that are great for dessert with a lovely balance of sweetness, tanginess and spice; fabulous with some ice cream, mascarpone or (plant-based) vanilla yoghurt. Baked pears also shine in a savoury recipe, stuffed with blue cheese and walnuts.

Cranberry Orange Scones

Zesty, moist and buttery: these scones are a yummy afternoon pick-me-up, but they work equally well as an indulgent weekend breakfast. You can make the sticky dough the evening before, store in the refrigerator, and then bake the scones fresh in the morning. They explode with bright flavours of orange extract, orange zest, tart fresh and dried cranberries, and a sweet orange glaze.

Tangerine Upside-Down Cake

While it’s still citrus season, use the juiciest, sweet-tart tangerines you can find for this incredibly simple tangerine upside-down cake. It takes just five to ten minutes to put together: halve the tangerines and place them face down in a baking pan. Then pour a tangerine-based batter over it, bake, and present your guests with a fresh treat. Once you master the recipe, try it with different citrus fruits: mandarins, clementines, blood oranges, tangelos…

Persimmon Bread

Either you love or hate persimmons (aka kaki), but when you do, embrace their season by making this moist, sweet persimmon bread. Use the pulp of ripe, squishy-soft persimmons: their slightly tangy, sweet flavour matches well with the baked texture. Add some chopped walnuts for crunch.

Quince Crumb Cake

The ‘secret fruit’ of autumn, quinces are in the same family as apples and pears but aren’t as well known. In its raw form, it’s hard and acidic, but baking the fruit reveals its true complex floral flavour. In France and Spain, quinces are mostly used to make a firm, sweet paste that is served alongside cheese, but you’ll also find them incorporated into baked goods. This warm, pudding-like clafoutis with long-poached quince is super simple and irresistible, ideally served with a dollop of mascarpone and a sprinkle of chopped walnuts. Pâtissier Bruno Albouze offers a more elaborate quince tart recipe, for more experienced bakers.

Pecan Fig Tarts

In the US, National Fig Week at the beginning of November kicks off the holiday season. This fruit is, in fact, an inverted flower, and it’s great for baking because it naturally holds in moisture. These cute two-bite fig tarts look impressive, but take little skill to prepare. You top puff pastry with a buttery-nutty pecan spread, fresh figs (or pears), followed by a drizzle of a tangy balsamic reduction. If you want to awaken your inner pâtissier, try this elegantly decorated fig tart with fig-leaf-infused cream, again by pastry chef Albouze. 

No-Bake Pomegranate Chocolate Fudge Tart

Are you a sucker for the combination of dark chocolate and red fruit? Try this decadent fudge tart, which is not baked but has all the scrumptious qualities of a baked good. It features a foundation of dates and walnuts, topped with a rich cacao-based filling, and is sprinkled with tart pomegranate pearls. And, it’s free of dairy, gluten, grains, eggs and refined sugar. If you prefer a ‘traditional’ baked version, try Honeysuckle’s recipe.

Italian Grape Cake

Grapes don’t immediately come to mind when you think of baking with fruit, but in Italy, where fresh grapes abound, they’re often used in cakes. This classic harvest cake combines fresh grapes, olive oil and a hint of orange zest and cinnamon. If you’ve ever visited Italy, you know that having cake for breakfast is absolutely acceptable, but this is a great treat any time of the day.

Pumpkin Pie Bars

Botanically speaking, a pumpkin is a fruit, but from a culinary standpoint, we see it as a vegetable… but then again, it’s a vegetable that’s often used in sweet recipes. Since pumpkin pie is an autumn classic, we had to conclude this list with it, although disguised as a bar version; the shortbread crust with creamy filling is a perfect grab-and-go treat. If you prefer a somewhat healthier version, try these from the channel Clean and Delicious.