Having three children, I’ve read a lot of kids’ books in the past decade. There is so much great writing and beautiful artwork to enjoy in children’s literature. But an example of the best seasonal book, in my opinion, is Ray Bradbury’s The Halloween Tree:

Eight boys are meeting their friend Pipkin to celebrate Halloween; Pipkin is swallowed up by a dark Something, and his friends enlist the creepy and mysterious Mr. Moundshroud to help chase Pipkin through space and time to ensure his return. Along the way the boys learn all about the roots of Halloween:

Quite philosophical stuff for a childrens’ book! Needless to say there’s not much here in the way of food, except the mention of candy… but we can always eat apples in autumn. It’s the atmosphere that we’re looking for here! Not necessarily a specific recipe….autumn is a feeling. Apples fit the bill.

As a child apples were never my favorite, but as I’ve gotten older I’ve come to appreciate a nice tart/sweet Envy or Cosmic Crisp. Everyone knows fall is the best time for apples; last year around this time I did an entry on Robert Frost poems that included a really delicious apple cake.

Here is my favorite applesauce cake that I created from a few different recipes I tried. This time around, I added a cheesecake topping. You can also add raisins or dried cranberries if you like. This cake is very light and flavorful and only lasted 2 days at our house.

Delicious Cheesecake-Topped Applesauce Cake

9 inch cake pan, greased and floured

1/2 cup softened butter ( I stick)

1 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon molasses

1 egg

1 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup applesauce, smooth or chunky- but I like chunky!

And for the topping:

4-6 tablespoons cream cheese

2-3 teaspoons sugar

1 egg yolk

Preheat oven to 350

Mix dry ingredients well in a small bowl.

Cream butter and sugar for about 4 minutes, add egg and molasses, beat until blended. Slowly add the flour mixture until incorporated. Add applesauce and dried fruit, if using, and beat on lowest setting until just blended. Pour batter into greased and floured cake pan.

Beat cream cheese and sugar till fluffy, add egg yolk until combined. Spoon on top of cake and swirl through the batter with a knife, until you have a pretty swirled top and it’s got a cheese- to- batter swirl ratio that you like.

Batter with the cream cheese swirled through. I added a few dried cranberries to this batch and sprinkled the top with sugar.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes; check on it at the halfway mark or so. This cake doesn’t take long.

While you are working try listening to Chopin, whose music is haunting and atmospheric and perfect for fall. If you’re not inclined toward the classical, you can also try Rachel Unthank and the Winterset, for some witchy/folk/acoustic vibes. And for some beautiful jewelry to complete your seasonal vibe, check out my friend Susie at https://www.hemlockandroses.com/. She also has an Etsy shop! All of her pieces are hand-made in New Mexico, the Land of Enchantment.

…And this is my little Halloween Lady, hanging out on a candle. Isn’t she cute?