Sunday Paper Recommends—Week of October 19, 2025
This week at The Sunday Paper, we're sharing a series, a podcast, a book, and a recipe that we believe will add inspiration to your days. We hope these suggestions open your heart and mind and encourage you to come together for meaningful conversations.
What We’re Watching
Looking for your next binge-worthy series? The Diplomat on Netflix is a sharp, witty political drama centered on Kate Wyler, a newly appointed U.S. ambassador navigating global crisis while her marriage and personal life teeter on the edge. Watch for three gripping seasons of leadership dilemmas and relational chaos. Now is the perfect time to dive in—the season 3 finale premiered this week, and season 4 has been confirmed!
What We’re Listening To
Looking for a heartfelt podcast? Thoughts About Feelings, hosted by friends Blair Imani and Mychal Threets, explores mental health, personal stories, and more. The isn't sponsored and instead is brought to you by self-care reminders, like drinking a glass of water or taking a deep breath. Every episode is filmed in a library or bookstore, pairing Mychal’s love of literacy with Blair’s insights, to create a thoughtful space where vulnerability and community meet.
What We’re Reading
Toxic Grit by Amanda Goetz—CEO, CMO, and single mom—is a bold rethinking of what ambition looks like. With personal stories and science-based tools, Goetz addresses burnout and how to find a way forward by reclaiming joy. This read is a powerful invitation for anyone tired of the hustle!
What We’re Making
Cocoa-Swirled Pumpkin Bundt
Makes 12 servings
Make sure that you choose pure pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling, which is sweetened and spiced. While there are different versions of pumpkin puree available—many supermarkets have their own brands—if you can, I suggest you buy Libby’s. It is the most consistent, it has a beautiful color and, most important, it’s not watery—it always bakes well.
Ingredients:
For the Swirl:
· 3 tablespoons sugar
· 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
· Pinch of fine sea salt
· Pinch of group cinnamon
· ¼ cup (50 grams) finely chopped dark chocolate or mini dark chocolate chips
For the Cake:
· 3 cups (408 grams) all-purpose flour
· 2 teaspoons baking soda
· 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
· 1 ½ teaspoons ground ginger
· 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
· 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
· 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
· 1 cup (240 ml) neutral oil
· 1 ½ cups (300 grams) sugar
· 1/2 cup (100 grams) brown sugar
· 3 large eggs, at room temperature
· 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
· 1 can (15 ounces; 425 grams) pure pumpkin puree
Directions:
To make the swirl:
· Mix the sugar, cocoa powder, salt, cinnamon and chocolate together in a small bowl and keep at hand.
To make the cake:
· Center a rack in the oven and preheat it to 350 degrees F.
· Coat the interior of a 12-cup Bundt pan with baker’s spray or butter it, dust with flour and tap out excess.
· Working in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, beat the oil and both sugars together on medium speed for a couple of minutes to blend well—the mixture should look slushy, like wet sand.
· Still beating on medium, and scraping the bowl and beater(s) early and often, add the eggs one at a time, beating for about a minute after each one goes in. The mix will continue to look iffy until that last egg is in and then, as if by magic, it will become satiny.
· Reduce the mixer speed and blend in the vanilla and pumpkin puree.
· Turn the mixer off, add one-third of the dry ingredients and pulse the mixer on and off to get the blending going and to help prevent the counter from getting showered with flour.
· Working on low speed, mix until the dry ingredients are almost incorporated. Turn off the mixer, scrape and add half of the remaining dry ingredients. Pulse, mix on low, stop and scrape again, then add the last of the dry ingredients, mixing on low until fully blended. Give everything a few last turns with a flexible spatula.
· Scrape one-third to one-half of the batter into the pan and smooth it with the spatula.
· Spoon the cocoa swirl over the batter—you can try to make an even layer and prevent the swirl from touching the sides of the pan, but it’s almost impossible, so relax.
· Add the rest of the batter—it will only half fill the pan, but it will rise considerably in the oven.
· Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, or until the cake is beautifully puffed, is cracked around the top and pulls away from the sides of the pan when gently tugged. A tester poked into the center of the cake should come out clean—make sure you don’t hit the gooey swirl.
· Transfer the pan to a rack and let the cake rest for 10 minutes, then turn it out onto the rack and allow it to cool to room temperature.
· Once the cake is cool, you can dust it with confectioners’ sugar, or you can glaze or ice it.
Recipe from Dorie’s Anytime Cakes by Dorie Greenspan. Copyright 2025 by Dorie Greenspan. Used with permission by Harvest, an imprint of HarperCollins. All rights reserved. llustrations by Nancy Pappas.
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