Then, there are the desserts that look unassuming and unexceptional, but they blow the popular choices out of the water. These mini-bundts are in that category. You know, the how-is-this-so-good-I-can’t-stop-eating-it category.

And they’re pretty healthy, too! These pumpkin cakes might be a baking miracle. They have no butter (I’m not counting the icing here) and they’re gluten-free. Let’s do a happy dance!

I’d like to do a shout-out here to my fellow bloggers who also work full-time on top of blogging. I’m not sure if anyone really takes the time to think about what it takes to essentially work two jobs. Every day, those of us who blog on the side engage in a crazy balancing act.

In case you think this is one of those my-life-is-crazier-than-yours assertions, it’s not. I’m not living your life, so I can’t speak to your stress level or the amount that you need to get done on a daily basis. Honestly, our modern lives dictate that we all engage in way too much at the same time. Every friend of mine is a professional when it comes to multitasking.

So as you observe these pumpkin mini-bundts that are not just smothered with lovely maple icing, but that are also gluten-free, remember that I probably baked them in the dead of the morning before rushing off to my day job wrangling teenagers. That will make them more delicious, right?

This my favorite pumpkin cake recipe, bar none. The fact that it’s gluten-free is just an accidental bonus. Kenny, who dislikes all things pumpkin, loves this recipe. He gobbles it up every time. And even better, there’s no mixer required. It’s just adding dry ingredients to liquid in a bowl. Simple!

What makes this pumpkin cake so irresistible is the oat flour. I know I’ve been promoting oat flour ever since this blog began, and it’s not because Bob Red’s Mill is paying me (they’re not, but I wouldn’t mind). It’s because gluten-free oat flour gives a special consistency to cake, making it even denser and more moist than cake baked with flour. If you haven’t tried it, in the name of all things holy, do it now.

And as for the maple icing, I strongly prefer an easy stovetop icing to a glaze. Glazes are nice, but this is much thicker and has more of a strong maple flavor, providing a perfect complement (yes, it’s spelled that way in this usage) to the pumpkin.

Well, kids, I gotta vamoose. I have a bazillion things to do because, well, I have two jobs and three small kids on the side. But I’ll catch you next week!

With the exception of one twisty road trip through the mountains where I drank a cup of cider right after and things didn’t go well, I’ve always been a fan of apple cider. Not apple juice. Cider. Totally different animal. The alcoholic version is nice, too.

And donuts are just a natural next step. You may have had a fried apple cider donut before, but have you tried the healthier baked version? With a maple cinnamon glaze? Step right up!

So the other day, I was sharing some of my thoughts about body image and the challenges that most (not some, most) women face when it comes to accepting and loving ourselves. And then this morning as I was doing my workout, I started thinking about where women develop our shared insecurities.

How many of you were made fun of as children? Just wondering. Because I was mercilessly teased. For whatever reason, I never got the cool memo, the one that signals the popular girls to let you alone. So of course, I spent a majority of my childhood thinking that I was ugly, that I was somehow wrong, and that I was missing whatever elusive piece it took to be part of the in crowd.

That probably explains why as an adult, I’ve always been very careful about all the external stuff, like fashion and appearance. It’s a self-defense mechanism to prevent people from making fun of me. That might sound silly, but the younger version of me still exists somewhere, and she’s afraid of being teased or left out.

We all have a backstory, and I’m insatiably curious about everyone’s stories. So if you ever want to share, put it in the comments! Did you have an experience that shaped the way you view yourself as an adult? If it’s private, ignore me. If not, then just stop to consider that as long as women continue to operate under the mistaken assumption that other women who seem fine on the outside are perfectly content with themselves all the time, nobody is benefiting from that kind of charade.

I’m all for sisterhood, and we can bond over childhood trauma or over donuts. Or both. Because both legitimately deserve to be discussed.

Donuts are evolving along with every other treat under the sun, and I’m glad. As delectable as a fried donut can be, it doesn’t exactly help your heart stay healthy. And it’s not even a sacrifice to  go the baked route when a donut is this good!

These have a lovely apple cider kick, not to mention a perfect maple cinnamon coating. The glaze is made from sugar that gets pureed in the blender to be somewhere between granulated and powdered sugar. The result is a topping that is a hybrid of a traditional donut glaze and an equally delectable cinnamon-sugar topping. Who says you can’t have it all?

We never stop being who we were as kids, and that’s a mixed blessing. Even painful experiences can become empowering after the fact. And along the way, we can gather good friends and good donuts to help us on our journey.