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.