Category: Baking

Baking · Do-ahead

Easy chunky apple cake

Belinda

This is delicious and so easy.

Ingredients for the cake

1/2 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract (real)
2 large eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
6 cups chopped, peeled tart apples (I use granny Smith)

Butterscotch sauce

1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup butter, cubed
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

Directions

1/ Preheat the oven to 350F and grease a 13 x 9 x 2 baking dish with butter

2/ Cream butter, sugar and vanilla in a large bowl. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

3/ Combine flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and baking soda in another bowl. Gradually add to the creamed mixture and mix well. The batter will be stiff. Stir in the apples until well combined.
Spread it into the prepared pan. bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until the top is lightly browned and springs back when lightly touched. Cool for 30 minutes before serving.

4/ Meanwhile combine the brown sugar and butter in a small saucepan. Cook over a medium heat until the butter is melted. Gradually add the cream and bring to a slow boil over medium heat, stirring constantly until it turns the caramel/butterscotch color and is smooth. Remove from the heat.

Serve with the cake. Yield 12 to 14 servings

 

Baking · Do-ahead · Nuts

Apricot, white chocolate and cashew nut slice

Belinda

This is a great KIWI recipe. Kids love this and it’s fairly good for you too! (Sorry about the metric ingredients, NZ has been that way for years!)

Makes about 18 bars

For the base

4 oz grams butter, melted
8oz grams graham crackers, crushed
2 cups raw cashew nuts, lightly chopped

For the topping

1 1/2 cups white chocolate morsels or chips
1 cup chopped dried apricots
3 cups long strand coconut
16 fl oz sweetened condensed milk

Grease an 8 by 12 inch slice or Swiss roll tin, line with baking parchment and set aside.

Mix the crushed cookies, chopped nuts and melted butter together and press into the tin.

Mix the chocolate, apricots, coconut and condensed milk together and press over the base.

Bake at 325F for approximately 25 to 30 minutes or until lightly browned on top. Take care not to overcook as the finished slice should be sticky, chewy and slightly moist.
If you find that the slice is browning too quickly cover with a piece of baking paper until finished cooking .

Leave until cold before slicing.

Baking · Chocolate · Do-ahead · Egg based

The New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookies!!

Belinda1 Comment
I am posting this direct from another blog called Red Spoon, as they are so outrageously good.
Adapted to use milk chocolate instead of bittersweet, as it’s more gooey!
Makes 1 1/2 dozen 5 inch cookies
2 cups minus 2 tbsp (8 1/2 oz) cake flour
1 2/3 cups (8 1/2 oz) bread flour
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp coarse salt
2 1/2 sticks (1 1/4 cups) unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups (10 oz) light brown sugar
1 cup plus 2 tbsp (8 oz) granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp natural vanilla extract
1 1/4 lbs milk chocolate disks or feves
sea salt
Sift flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Set aside.
Using a mixer with a paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars together until very light, about 5 minutes.  Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
Stir in the vanilla extract. Reduce the speed to low, add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined, 5 to 10 seconds. Drop chocolate pieces in and fold them in without breaking them. Press plastic wrap against the dough and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours. Dough may be used in batches and can be refrigerated for up to 72 hours.
When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat. Set aside.
Scoop 3x 1/2oz mounds of dough (the size of generous golf balls!) onto the baking sheet, making sure to turn horizontally any chocolate pieces that are poking up; it will make for a more attractive cookie.
Sprinkle lightly with sea salt and bake until golden brown but still soft, 18 to 20 minutes.
Transfer the baking sheet to a wire rack for 0 minutes then slip the cookies onto another rack to cool a bit more.
Repeat with remaining dough,  or reserve dough, refrigerated, for baking remaining batches the next day.
Eat warm with a big napkin and a very tall glass of milk
Baking · Do-ahead · Nuts

Pumpkin-Apple Streusel Coffee cake

Belinda

This is from the food blog, “One Perfect Bite” and is gorgeous!

Apples
3 tbsp unsalted butter
4 cups diced peeled cored Granny Smith apples (about 4 large)
3 tbsp sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon

Cake
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup firmly packed golden brown sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces, room temperature
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup toasted chopped walnuts
3/4 cup canned pure pumpkin
1/3 cup sour cream
2 tbsp sugar
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp baking soda
2 large eggs

Prepare the apples; Melt butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add apples; saute until apples begin to brown, about 5 minutes.
Add sugar and cinnamon and saute until golden brown, about 3 minutes longer. Cool.

Prepare cake;  Preheat the oven to 350 F. Butter a 9 inch diameter springform pan. Combine flour, brown sugar, butter and salt in a large bowl. Using the electric mixer beat until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Place walnuts in a small bowl. Add 2/3 cup of crumb mixture to nuts and set aside.
Beat pumpkin, sour cream, 2 tbsp sugar, spice and baking soda into remaining flour mixture, beating just until smooth.
Beat in the eggs. Transfer the batter to the pan. Scatter the apples evenly over the top.
Sprinkle reserved topping over the apples.

Bake the cake;  Transfer pan to the oven and bake until the topping is golden brown and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 1 hour 10 minutes.
Cool cake in pan on rack for about 20 minutes. Run a knife around the pan sides to loosen cake. Release the pan sides from the cake. Transfer the cake to a platter.
(Can be made 6 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature)
Serve warm or at room temperature with ice cream.

Serves 6 – 8

 

 

Baking · Do-ahead

Lemon-lime basil shortbread cookies

Belinda

These are very simple as everything goes in the food processor. Also the flavors are really refreshing and lighten the shortbread.
Makes about 12 cookies.  90 calories each.
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup powdered sugar plus some raw sugar to sprinkle on before cooking
1/2 cup (or 1 stick)chilled, unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
2 tbsp sliced fresh basil leaves
1 heaped tsp finely grated lemon zest plus 1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 heaped tsp grated lime zest
1/4 tsp kosher salt

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees

Place the flour, powdered sugar, butter,basil, both zests, lemon juice and salt into a food processor.
Pulse until large moist clumps form.
Measure a level tablespoons of dough, roll between your palms to form balls.
Place on a large baking sheet, spacing 2″ apart.
With the bottom of a flat measuring cup, press down to form 2″ rounds, dusting the bottom of the cup with powdered sugar to prevent sticking.
Sprinkle tops of cookies with raw sugar crystals.
Bake until edges are brown, about 20 mins.
Transfer to a wire rack to cool and enjoy. They’re lovely to serve with ice cream after a meal.

Baking · Do-ahead

Easy Irish Soda Bread (brown)

Belinda

Screen shot 2014-06-01 at 8.28.35 PM
3 cups whole wheat bread flour (as coarse as possible)
1 cup unbleached white bread flour (I use King Arthur brand)

Pinch of salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 3/4+ cups buttermilk

2 ounces butter (preferably Irish Kerrygold,available at Trader Joes)

1 egg
Melt the butter over gentle heat.
In a medium-sized bowl lightly beat the egg and then gradually add the buttermilk all the while stirring to incorporate the egg. Beat in the butter.
In another bowl sift and mix the dry ingredients and then stir in the buttermilk mixture. 
If you are using a baking tin the mixture should be on the wetter side – ( like a thick brownie mix, something you could pour into the tin, not scoopable by hand really). If your dough is too dry, mix in small splashes of buttermilk until it is the right consistency.
Cook at 400F for 50 minutes on the middle rack. You want to hear a sort of hollow sound when you knock on the bottom of the tin. Resist the urge to take the bread out too soon, or the middle of the bread won’t get cooked through.
Makes 1 loaf.