Sweet Thanksgiving treats from Nova Eatery

All About Food | November 18th, 2025

By Mandy Dolney

This cake will be on the menu at Nova Eatery through Thanksgiving served with maple crème anglaise Ice cream. It uses pumpkin pie pumpkins grown locally at Ladybug Acres and local apples grown by Becky and Arland from Valley City.

For those up for trying their hand at making it at home, I suggest maple nut or vanilla ice cream. Whipped cream would be great too!

Upside down apple and pumpkin cake

Topping:

12 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 cup brown sugar

½ tsp vanilla extract

4 apples, cut into quarter inch slices

Cake batter:

2 cups all purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking power

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 ½ teaspoons cinnamon

½ teaspoon ginger

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

⅛ teaspoon ground cloves

⅛ teaspoon ground allspice

1 cup oil

4 eggs

1 cup brown sugar

½ cup sugar

15 ounces pumpkin puree

1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare topping first; combine butter and brown sugar together in a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk occasionally until butter has melted. Cook, whisking constantly, for 1 minute as mixture thickens. Remove from heat and whisk in the vanilla extract. Pour into a greased 9’’x13’’ cake pan lined with parchment paper. Arrange the apple slices neatly on top of butter mixture, overlapping apples if necessary. Place the pan in the refrigerator while you prepare the cake batter.

In a medium size bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, clove and allspice. Set aside. Whisk oil, eggs, sugars, pumpkin and vanilla together until combined. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and beat by hand or with a mixer until everything is combined. The cake batter will be thick.

Pour cake batter on top of apples carefully and evenly. Bake for 45-50 minutes, tenting cake with foil halfway through to prevent the cake from getting too dark. Cake will be done when a toothpick that is inserted comes out clean. Let the cake cool for 15 minutes.

Invert the cake onto another sheet pan that is lined with parchment paper. The cake can be sliced when it’s slightly warm or cooled.

Caramelized Cinnamon Toast Crunch

5 cups Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal

½ cup nonfat milk powder

3 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon salt

9 tablespoons butter, melted

Preheat the oven to 275 degrees. Place cereal in a medium bowl. Add milk powder, sugar, and salt; toss to combine. Add butter and stir until everything is coated. Place mixture on parchment lined sheet pan and bake for 20 minutes, stirring halfway through. Cool.

Mandy Dolney is pastry chef at Nova Eatery.

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