Autumn Baking: Five Seasonal Bakes to Fill Your Kitchen With Warmth

As soon as the air turns crisp, the oven starts to feel like the heart of the home. Autumn is a brilliant season for baking, with orchards full of apples and pears, plenty of squash in the shops and warming spices that make the whole house smell inviting. Here are five seasonal ideas to inspire your next weekend bake.

Fruity Autumn Favourites

1. Apple Crumble

Few puddings are as comforting or as forgiving. Sliced cooking apples, a little sugar and a pinch of cinnamon sit beneath a buttery, golden topping. Add a handful of blackberries for colour, or stir oats and chopped nuts into the crumble mix for extra crunch. Serve with custard, cream or ice cream.

2. Pear and Ginger Cake

Pears and ginger are a natural pairing. Arrange thin slices of pear on top of a simple sponge or fold chopped pieces into the batter, then add ground or stem ginger for gentle warmth. It is lovely warm as a pudding or cold with an afternoon cup of tea.

Spiced and Seasonal Bakes

3. Pumpkin or Squash Loaf

Roasted and mashed pumpkin or butternut squash gives loaf cakes a moist texture and a beautiful colour. Mix in nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves for a cosy, spiced flavour – and use up any leftover pumpkin from Halloween at the same time.

4. Parkin

This sticky oat and treacle cake is a northern English tradition often baked around Bonfire Night. It actually improves if you wrap it and leave it for a few days before eating, making it a great bake-ahead treat.

5. Cinnamon Swirl Buns

For a slower weekend project, soft enriched dough rolled with butter, sugar and cinnamon is hard to beat. The kneading and proving take time, but the reward is a tray of warm buns and a kitchen that smells wonderful.

Whatever you choose, autumn baking is best shared. Invite friends round, take a slice to a neighbour or simply put the kettle on and enjoy the fruits of your afternoon.