Pumpkin Apple Bundt Cake

In an effort to use up a few more apples from our apple-picking excursion, I made this Pumpkin Apple Bundt Cake. I had bookmarked about four different apple cake recipes, but the thing that drew me to this one was that it had apple butter, which I knew, in my all-encompassing pumpkin obsession, I could substitute with pumpkin butter! Pumpkin AND apples?! Heck ya!

My mastermind idea didn't disappoint, either! The cake was definitely pumpkin, with bursts of apple throughout. I kept the walnuts in, but next time, I don't think I will. I think I'd like the pumpkin and apple to shine more without nuts getting in the way. The cake itself was moist and I ended up with just a light layer of powdered-sugar on top. 



Pumpkin Apple Bundt Cake
Adapted from Dorie Greenspan's "Baking: From my Home to Yours" 

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 sticks (10 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup pumpkin butter
2 medium apples, peeled, cored and grated
1 cup walnuts (optional)
Confectioners' sugar for dusting

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 12 cup bundt pan.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt.

Working with a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed, scraping the bowl as needed, for 3 minutes, or until the mixture is smooth, thick and pale. Add the eggs one at a time, beating for about 1 minute after each addition; you'll have a light, fluffy batter. Still on low, add the grated apples and mix to completely blend. Add the dry ingredients, mixing only until they disappear into the batter. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the nuts if desired. Turn the batter into the bundt pan and smooth the top of the batter with the rubber spatula.

Bake for 50 to 55 minutes, or until a knife inserted deep into the center of the cake comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a rack to cool for 5 minutes before unmolding and cooling the cake to room temperature. If possible, once the cake is completely cool, wrap well in plastic and let it stand overnight at room temperature to ripen the flavors.

Dust the cake with confectioners' sugar just before serving.

Caramel Apple Cheesecake Pie

Spice and I went apple picking several weeks ago. I had never been and was so excited to pick my own fresh apples! And not to mention all the goodies I was going to be able to make with all those apples! 



I ended up with about 14 pounds of apples and a bag almost too heavy to lug to the car. I had thoughts of apple desserts dancing around in my head on the way home and was faced with a HUGE stack of apple recipes I had printed out. What to try first?!

Well, it was not a very close contest with this dessert in the pack. Caramel? Check. Apples? Check. Cheesecake? Check. WELL! Don't mind if I do!



This dessert took a bit more time than some of my other desserts, but it was well worth it. There are several steps that take the extra time. The result is worth it! This pie was SO rich, with many flavors playing out in your mouth at once! I loved the cool, creaminess of the cheesecake mixing with the spicy apples and salty caramel. Let me talk for a second about this caramel...I have made caramel several times and never have I tasted such a perfect consistency and flavor. I will be using the caramel recipe for years to come. I had a lot left over after this dessert and have since used the leftover caramel for many recipes including cake balls and brownies. Definitely a great go-to caramel recipe.



Caramel Sauce
From Food Network Magazine October 2010

 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 cups sugar
5 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 cup heavy cream

Cook the sugar and corn syrup in a large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is dark amber, 7 to 10 minutes.

Reduce the heat to medium. Carefully add the cream and 4 tablespoons butter and cook, stirring, until combined, about 3 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and let sit 1 minute.



Caramel Apple Cheesecake Pies
Annie's Eats

For the crust:
1½ cups graham cracker crumbs
3 tbsp. sugar
½ tsp. cinnamon
5 1/3 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
½-¾ cup caramel
1 cup chopped pecans

For the apple filling:
5 tbsp. unsalted butter
½ cup light brown sugar, tightly packed
¼ tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
5-6 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced

For the cheesecake:
8 oz. cream cheese
¼ cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice

For the topping:
¾ cup heavy cream
3-4 tbsp. confectioners’ sugar
¼-½ cup caramel
Chopped pecans (optional, I didn't add any extra)

To make the crust, preheat the oven to 375° F.  Line the bottom of a 9-inch round springform pan with parchment paper.  In a medium mixing bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, cinnamon and melted butter.  Toss with a fork until all the crumbs are moistened and the ingredients are evenly mixed.  Transfer the mixture to the prepared springform pan and press the crumbs in an even layer over the pan bottom and about half to two-thirds of the way up the sides of the pan.  Bake for 6-8 minutes, until golden in color.  Let cool for about 10 minutes.  Pour a layer of caramel into the bottom of the crust and sprinkle evenly with the chopped pecans.  Refrigerate the crust while you prepare the filling.

To make the apple filling, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat.  Mix in the brown sugar, salt and cinnamon and cook for 1 minute, until bubbling.  Mix in the apple slices and toss well to coat.  Cook over medium to medium-high heat until tender and most of the liquid has been reduced, about 15-20 minutes.  Let cool for a few minutes and pour into the prepared pie shell.  Set aside.

Reduce the heat of the oven to 350° F.  To make the cheesecake layer, combine the cream cheese and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat on medium speed until smooth, about 1 minute.   Mix in the vanilla, egg and lemon juice until fully incorporated and smooth, 1-2 minutes.  Spread the cheesecake filling into an even layer over the top of the cooked apples in the crust.  Bake until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes.  Remove from the oven, transfer to a wire rack and let cool to room temperature.  Refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

To serve, carefully remove the sides of the springform pan.  In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the heavy cream and confectioners’ sugar on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form (being careful not to overbeat.)  Spread gently over the top of the chilled cheesecake layer.  Top with dollops of caramel sauce and swirl with a knife to create a marbled effect.  Sprinkle with a handful of chopped pecans if desired.  Slice with a long, thin knife to serve.

You are NOT ready...

Look at this. I made this. Believe it. This my friends is homemade focaccia bread. I know it has been awhile since I have posted about my bread making adventures, and truth be told it's because I am lazy. These recipes do not only take about 2 days to complete, they also take about 2 hours to type up! So if you really want to know how to make it, I have to refer you back to the best book ever.



Taking this bad boy out of the oven was definitely one of those, 'Wow I did good!' moments. It was lovely and brown and full of olive oil goodness. I made this guy into a gorgeous strata (which I will get to I promise) and a pizza. Plus there was plenty left over for snacking.  I will be making this bread for years to come, it may take 2 days but it is well worth it!



To my lovely WWer's, this bread is a total splurge, 3 measly ounces is a whopping 8 points (its all the oil that goes on top). But if there ever was an excuse to break into your extra weekly points this is it!

Pumpkin Turnovers

I made these on a whim several weeks ago. With a hankering for pumpkin that just wouldn't go away and half a package of puff pastry in the freezer, I knew my calling for the evening.

And it really doesn't get any easier that this. Of course you could make it a bit more invasive by making your own puff pastry and making your own pumpkin puree, but for all intents and purposes, these did me just fine!

Pumpkin Turnovers

2 sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon cardamom
1 egg
cinnamon and sugar for dusting

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray 2 baking sheets with cooking spray.

In a small bowl, combine the pumpkin, brown sugar and spices.

Roll out the puff pastry sheets into a rectangle about 12 by 12 inches. Cut into 4-inch squares.

Spoon pumpkin mixture onto the center of one square, top with another square and seal the edges with a fork. Repeat with all squares.

Place sqaures on the baking sheets. Lightly beat the egg and brush over the top of each pastry. Lightly sprinkle cinnamon and sugar over.

Bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes, or until golden brown. Allow to cool on pan for 5 minutes before removing to wire rack to cool completely.

PW's Cinnamon Rolls

I've been wanting to make The Pioneer Woman's Cinnamon Rolls for awhile now. Pretty much since I saw that every comment on her post of them was a positive, OMG comment. Apparently, these cinnamon rolls could be used to cure world peace. Perhaps its all the butter...



This is definitely a great recipe to have in my back pocket for potlucks, friends and Christmas morning. The original recipe makes a crazy ton of cinnamon rolls, more than I would ever need in a lifetime, so I halved the recipe and wound up with two full 13 by 9 inch pans of rolls.



On top of the cinnamon-y goodness, I thought the icing was fall on the floor awesome. And good thing, too, because there was so much, I pretty much drowned the rolls in it!



The flaky and gooey inside was my favorite part, but I resisted going through and digging out the insides of all the rolls. Besides I had guests, and it would have been rude =)



Cinnamon Rolls of Wonder
The Pioneer Woman

1/2 quart whole milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup sugar
1 package Active Dry Yeast
4 cups (plus another 1/2 cup) all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 tablespoon salt
1 cup melted butter
1 cup sugar
1/8 cup ground cinnamon

1 pound powdered sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/4-1/2 cup milk
1/8 cup melted butter
1/8 cup brewed coffee
scant 1/8 teaspoon salt

Mix the milk, vegetable oil and sugar in a pan. Scald the mixture (heat until just before the boiling point). Turn off heat and leave to cool 30 to 45 minutes. When the mixture is lukewarm to warm, but NOT hot, sprinkle in the Active Dry Yeast. Let this sit for a minute. Then add 4 cups of all-purpose flour. Stir mixture together. Cover and let rise for at least an hour.

After rising for at least an hour, add 1/2 more cup of flour, the baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir mixture together. (At this point, you could cover the dough and put it in the fridge until you need it – overnight or even a day or two, if necessary. Just keep your eye on it and if it starts to overflow out of the pan, just punch it down).

When ready to prepare rolls: Sprinkle rolling surface generously with flour. Take the dough and form a rough rectangle. Then roll the dough thin, maintaining a general rectangular shape. Drizzle 1/2 to 1 cup melted butter over the dough. Now sprinkle 1 cup of sugar over the butter followed by a generous sprinkling of cinnamon.

Now, starting at the opposite end, begin rolling the dough in a neat line toward you. Keep the roll relatively tight as you go. Next, pinch the seam of the roll to seal it.

Spread 1 tablespoon of melted butter in a seven inch round foil cake or pie pan. Then begin cutting the rolls approximately ¾ to 1 inch thick and laying them in the buttered pans.

Let the rolls rise for 20 to 30 minutes, then bake at 375- 400 degrees until light golden brown, about 15 to 18 minutes.

For the frosting, mix together all ingredients listed and stir well until smooth. It should be thick but pourable. Taste and adjust as needed. Generously drizzle over the warm rolls.

OMG Apple Pie

Growing up, I had my fair share of apple pies. Even as an adult, I have been known to enjoy a delightful apple pie. This guy takes the cake, though (or pie if you want to get specific here). It was so good, that it was gone in 3 days and I only had two slivers. Even Spice, who is admittedly not a big pie-person, loved it and had several slices.

I'm always in a debate with myself about what type of apple pie to make. In my world, there is the overly syrupy apple pie that you often find at diners, where the apples don't have even a hint of crunch left and you have a pile of oozing cinnamon-spice goop on your plate. Then there is the apple pie that has very little sugar and is just apples, spices and crust.



I strove here for a happy medium and think I hit the nail on the head! This apple pie is definitely sweet, spicy but doesn't have a syrup-like sauce that dribbles out of it. In my world, that means its pretty darn perfect!

The crust I used was from New Best Recipe, always a winner. It was flaky and buttery and completely melted in my mouth!

I waited until the day after I made the pie to try it, and even then, the first slice was a bit goopy (see picture below). It only got better with age, though! So if you can, wait a full 24 hours before cutting into this! I won't judge you if you can't, though. =)



I will certainly be making this apple pie again. Probably soon since Spice and I just went apple picking this weekend! Pictures to come soon!



Apple Pie
Adapted from All Recipes and Crust from New Best Recipe

Crust:

2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup vegetable shortening, chilled
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
6-8 tablespoons ice water

Process the flour, salt and sugar in a food processor until combined. Add the shortening and process until the mixture has the texture of coarse sand, about 10 seconds. Scatter the butter pieces over the flour mixture; cut the butter into the flour until the mixture is pale yellow and resembles coarse crumbs, with butter bits no larger than small peas, about 1-second pulses. Turn the mixture into a medium bowl.

Sprinkle 6 tablespoons of the ice water over the mixture. With a rubber spatula, use a folding motion to mix. Press down on the dough with the broad side of the spatula until the dough sticks together, adding up to 2 tablespoons more ice water if the dough will not come together. Divide the dough into 2 balls and flatten each into a 4-inch disc. Wrap each in plastic wrap and refrigerate 1 hour or up to 2 days. 

Filling:

1/2 cup unsalted butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon corn syrup
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
8 Granny Smith apples - peeled, cored and sliced
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cloves
¼ teaspoon cardamom
Egg for brushing
Sugar for dusting

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in flour followed by corn syrup to form a paste. Add white sugar, brown sugar and water; bring to a boil. Reduce temperature and let simmer for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine apples, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and cardamom together in a large bowl.

Roll out one half of the pie dough and place in a lightly greased pie pan. Use a fork to poke several holes in the bottom of the dough.

Remove the sugar mixture from the heat and pour over the apples, mix to combine. Carefully fill the pie pan with the sugar-soaked apples, mounding slightly.

Roll out the second half of the pie dough and cover the apples. Close the sides and crimp as desired. Cut four lines in top of pie, slanting down.

Lightly beat the egg and brush over the top of the pie. Dust with sugar. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 45-50 minutes. Remove and let cool on a wire rack.

Chocolate Donut Holes

I really like frying things. I don't have a fryer, but the process of putting things in a huge pot of super hot oil gives me the warm fuzzies. Call me weird, I don't care!

These little dudes were no exception! They were very easy to make and didn't require a long resting process, so I was able to whip them up one day after work for some guests who were coming over.



As Smitten Kitchen did, I had some troubles with the stickiness of the dough, but I refrigerated it and rolled it out with lots of flour, and they worked perfectly. Mine didn't turn out as round as hers, but they certainly were delicious. Although I had leftovers (and ate them all up), I think these were a lot better the day I made them. As a last minute whim, I stuck a chunk of chocolate between two of the cutouts before frying and sealed it. They made for an extra chocolate treat! I'd definitely recommend trying it out.



Chocolate Donut Holes
From Smitten Kitchen

2 3/4 cups (12 3/8 ounces or 352 grams) all-purpose flour
1 cup (3 ounces or 90 grams) unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa
2 teaspoons (about 3/8 ounce or 10 grams) baking powder
1/2 teaspoon (about 1/8 ounces or 4 grams) salt
4 large eggs
1 1/2 (10 5/8 ounces or 300 grams) cups sugar
1/3 cup (2 7/8 ounce or 84 grams) sour cream (what I used) or buttermilk or you can make your own
3 tablespoons (1 1/2 ounces or 42 grams) butter, melted and cooled a bit
Your fat of choice for frying (solid vegetable shortening or canola, peanut or vegetable oil are popular choices)

Whisk flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt together in a large bowl. In a medium one, whisk eggs, sugar, sour cream or buttermilk and butter. Stir wet ingredients into dry until well blended. Chill batter until cold, at least 1 hour and up to 3.

Flour your counter generously and scrape dough onto it. Flour dough. Flour your hands. Gently pat dough out until it is 1/2-inch thick. Dip a 1 1/4 to 1 1/2-inch round cutter into a dish of flour and cut rounds from dough. Pat scraps of dough together and cut them again. If your dough or doughnut holes have gotten too soft to easily pick up, put them on a floured or parchment or waxed paper-lined tray and put them in the freezer for a few minutes, until they’re firm enough to gently handle again.

Fill a 5 to 6-quart with 4 inches of oil. Heat to 375°F (190°C). You can fry 6 to 12 doughnut holes at a time, about one full minute on each side. The trickiest parts will be visualizing when the doughnuts are done — since they’re chocolate, the color change will be subtle; I suggest practicing with scraps of extra dough first — and keeping your oil at an even temperature, if you’re not using a deep-fryer. Make sure you bring the oil back to 375°F after each batch.

Drain doughnut holes on a stack of paper towels. Once cool, roll in glaze (below) and let drain and dry on cooling racks.

Doughnut Glaze
8 ounces powdered sugar
3 tablespoons water, milk or buttermilk (what I used, highly recommended)
1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract

Whisk together until smooth. If you need it thinner, add more water, milk or buttermilk, a few drops at a time.

BBQ Chicken

BBQ Chicken is one of my favorite meals. When I went through a particularly picky eating period in my life, my dad had to make me either BBQ chicken or lemon chicken every night for dinner. What a boring existence! I also had to have the chicken be boneless and skinless (which I still prefer, even with BBQ chicken). In college, I had limited access to my obsession and it quickly fell out of popularity for me.

Good thing this popped up on Eating, etc. awhile ago. I have since been making it quite regularly and this summer was no exception, although I am just now getting around to sharing it. Spice and I both agree this makes the most tender, flavorful BBQ chicken we've ever eaten. As a native Syracus-ian, Spice always has Dinosaur BBQ Sauce around, so we use that most of the time when we make this.

BBQ Chicken
From Eating, etc.

1lb-2lb chicken pieces

favorite spice rub, to taste

salt & pepper, to taste

1 large onion, sliced

3/4c port wine ( we use any red wine)

favorite bbq sauce

Rub chicken pieces with spice rub, salt, & pepper to taste.

Sear chicken on preheated grill on each side for 5-15 minutes (10-30 minutes total, depending on whether using bone-in or boneless chicken).

Preheat oven to 325°F.

Transfer chicken pieces to oven-proof covered pot (we use a cast-iron dutch oven), adding sliced onion, port wine, & barbecue sauce.

Bake at 325° for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Homemade Granola Bars

If I could help it, I would not be a granola bar type of person. I'd much rather eat whole/real foods than fake, processed, sugary bars. Unfortunately, between running from dance classes to the gym and to work and to all other things in between, its hard to not just grab a granola bar and go.

Thankfully I found Lara Bars, which have no preservatives and are made strictly out of real food. Not to mention they are really quite tasty, too! Unfortunately, which an almost $2.00 price tag per bar, its not something I could readily afford. So glad I thought of creating my own! Now I can make them as big or small as I'd like and just throw it in my bag for when the going gets tough and the tough get hungry!

You can really use any combination of dried fruits and nuts in these. I will definitely be experimenting in the future. You can add nut butters if you'd like, or honey, maple syrup and chocolate chips for sweetness. Its pretty hard to screw these up, so try some new combos and let me know how they turn out!



Homemade Granola Bars

1/2 cup dried apples
1/2 cup dried cherries
1/2 cup chopped dates
1/2 cup almonds
1/2 cup almond butter
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup flax seed
1 teaspoon vanilla

Line an 8 by 8 inch baking dish with plastic wrap. Combine all ingredients in a food processor and process until combined. I found it a bit easier to let the fruits blend for a bit and then add the nuts and so forth. Spread the misture into the baking dish and press it into place. Cut into bars of any size/shape you would like and wrap in plastic wrap individually. Store in the refrigerator in a large plastic bag.