I have very little in common with people whose favorite season isn’t fall.

The colors, the cool, crisp air, the activities, the smells!

I would add candles to the list, specifically, but I gave up on my beloved fall food scented candles because come to find out they are quite toxic??? Shucks.

But really it’s the weather for me. I would blame it on the giant human in my uterus, but I’ve noticed this trend in me for a couple of years – I cannot STAND being hot. Like, even for a few minutes. If I know I’m going to be outdoors in the heat, I feel like I have to prepare – plenty of water, snacks, shade, etc. The fall gives me the very best reprieve. Like, in the mornings here in CO it’s so chilly – like 40s, 50s. By 2pm it’s 80 & I’m sweltering. I’m not OK with it. I need to hit that good good fall stride, ya know? Max of 65 on any given day is my sweet spot.

And then I’ll probably start complaining once winter actually comes.

Time: 1 hour (prep + baking) | Serves: 1 bundt cake

Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 cup of all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp. of baking soda
• 1 tsp. of S
• 2 tsp. of cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. of ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp. of ground ginger
• 2 cups of unsweetened applesauce
• 1 1/2 cups of brown sugar
• 1/2 cup of olive oil
• 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp. of vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup of vegan cream cheese
• 1/4 cup of vegan butter
• 1 cup powdered sugar

How to:

• Preheat oven to 350
• In a bowl, combine applesauce + brown sugar + oil + vinegar + vanilla
• Sift in flour + baking soda + S + cinnamon + nutmeg + ginger + whisk until combined
• Fill a greased bundt cake pan with the mix
• Bake 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean
• While the cake cools, combine cream cheese + butter + powdered sugar in a bowl
• Beat with a hand mixer
• Warm for 20 seconds in the microwave or until thick but pourable
• Once cake is cool, turn over + get it out of the mold
• Place cake on a rack over a lined baking sheet + pour glaze on top
• Serve warm or room temp
• Sit out on your deck with a slice of cake + a warm mug of something + just breathe in that beautiful, basic fall air + be blessed

Adapted from here!