OK, so maybe the ingredients here aren’t so much secrets as they are surprises. Squash stands in for pumpkin in a classic Thanksgiving pie, chocolate and zucchini pair up in a nutty quick bread, and a truly unexpected ingredient puts one chocolate cake in the running for the best you’ve ever had.
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RecipeSweet Potato Spice Cake
This cake, topped with a tasty pecan streusel, is incredibly moist, thanks to the sweet potato, and the fresh ginger adds a vibrancy that other spice cakes can only dream of. -
RecipeChocolate-Nut Zucchini Bread
Chocolate and zucchini, together? You bet. When you’ve got more zucchini than you know what to do with, turn it into this sweet, tender quick bread. -
RecipeCarrot Layer Cake with Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting
There’s no hiding the vegetables in this classic cake; it’s chock full of finely grated carrots, and since the cake’s flavor only improves with time, it’s the perfect make-ahead dessert. -
RecipeBaked Plantains with Brown Sugar & Rum
More similar to a vegetable than a fruit, plantains are often fried into chips or cubed and added to stews. In this Cuban dessert, fully ripe plantains at their sweetest are baked until golden brown and tender. -
RecipeSweet Potato Pie
Because of its similar texture, sweet potato is a natural stand-in for pumpkin in this spin on the traditional Thanksgiving pie. -
RecipeBrown Butter Pumpkin Layer Cake
Sure, we’ve all had pumpkin pie, but the fresh pumpkin incorporated in this stunning layer cake make it moist, flavorful, and a 5-star must-make holiday favorite among FC readers. -
RecipeButtermilk Cake with Spiced Vanilla Icing
The "secret ingredient" in this moist, tender cake is grated butternut squash, which is folded into the batter just before baking. -
RecipeChocolate-Beet Layer Cake
You can’t taste the roasted beets in this recipe—there’s no earthy, beety flavor—but they make the cake moist, dense, and rich. Without them, this dessert would be nowhere near as delicious. -
RecipeParsnip Buttermilk Pie
This may look like pumpkin pie, but it tastes nothing like it—it’s sweet and tangy, with a delicate mousse-like texture. -
RecipeRed Grape, Polenta & Olive Oil Cake
You’ve probably had polenta served as a side, paired with saucy main courses like beef stew, short ribs, or chicken fricassée. Here, it adds flavor and texture to a fragrant grape-studded cake. -
RecipeBrown Sugar Squash Pie
Squash purée combines with brown sugar, cream, and warm spices in a rich custard that’ll win over even die-hard pumpkin pie fans. -
RecipeSpiced Carrot Cakes with Candied Carrots & Pistachios
You won’t find any carrots in this innovative twist on a classic; a sweet carrot juice reduction flavors these tempting little cakes. -
RecipeSweet Potato Cupcakes with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting
Sweet potatoes lend moisture and complexity to these tender, lightly spiced cupcakes. A tangy maple-syrup-infused frosting serves as both the topping and filling. -
RecipeSweet Corn Cake with Blueberry-Lavender Compote
Here's another use for all that fresh summer corn. A lavender-scented topping lends an elegant touch to this rustic cake. To cook the corn, boil it in lightly salted water until tender—3 to 5 minutes, depending on how fresh the corn is. You can skip sifting the cornmeal if you’d like a coarser texture in the cake.
