After looking high and low for the perfect applesauce cake recipe, I went back to my trusty cookbook, The Lady & Sons Just Desserts, and knew I couldn't get any better. Miss Paula uses shortening for the most amazing crumb. I opted to leave out the ground cloves and raisins, since my step-dad, Burl, doesn't much care for either. You simply won't be able to wait for dessert once you catch a whiff of this goody baking in the oven, though... so I'm calling it snack cake. Miss Paula suggests you serve this with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, and who am I to disagree.
Applesauce Snack Cake
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
2 eggs
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped nuts (such as black walnuts)
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
Powdered sugar (optional)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 13 by 9 pan or line a muffin tin; set aside.
Sift together flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder and salt.
Using a mixer, cream shortening and sugar until creamy. Add eggs, beating thoroughly. Add flour mixture and applesauce alternately to creamed mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Stir in nuts. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 13 by 9 cake for approximately 45 minutes or until center is firm to the touch. For muffins, bake approximately 20 to 22 minutes (makes about 16). Sprinkle with powdered sugar, if desired, before serving.
Sunday, June 7, 2009
French Silk Chocolate Pie
I had the good fortune to taste this dessert last year and I've been thinking about it ever since... yes, it's that good. Is it any wonder. It comes from the very lovely Anne Mikkelsen, a friend of the family, who is also a classically trained French chef. You cannot help but love Anne. She fills the room with laughter and light, with her smiling Irish eyes and side-splitting yarns, and prepares food that could only come from her heart. I'm so looking forward to reading her forthcoming memoir and cookbook, which she is somehow finding time to write while caring for her husband, Mike, who suffers from Parkinson's disease. In the meantime, I'll be getting inspiration from her little collection of favorite recipes, "Prairie Grass Cooks."
French Silk Chocolate Pie
Crust
2 cups chopped walnuts
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons sugar
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Process ingredients until coarsely combined. Press into an 8-inch springform pan or pie pan. Bake crust for approximately 25 minutes. Allow to cool before filling.
Filling
3 oz. unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 whole eggs*
grated chocolate (optional)
Using a mixer, beat butter until smooth. Gradually add sugar, then cooled chocolate and vanilla. Begin adding eggs, one at a time, incorporating each before adding the next (all traces of yolk should be gone). Once mixture is light and fluffy, pour into prepared crust and refrigerate until ready to serve. Garnish with grated chocolate, if desired.
*Note: Anne says she has made this countless times using the freshest eggs, all without incident. Utilizing eggs pasteurized in their shell might put your mind at ease, however.
French Silk Chocolate Pie
Crust
2 cups chopped walnuts
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons sugar
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Process ingredients until coarsely combined. Press into an 8-inch springform pan or pie pan. Bake crust for approximately 25 minutes. Allow to cool before filling.
Filling
3 oz. unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 whole eggs*
grated chocolate (optional)
Using a mixer, beat butter until smooth. Gradually add sugar, then cooled chocolate and vanilla. Begin adding eggs, one at a time, incorporating each before adding the next (all traces of yolk should be gone). Once mixture is light and fluffy, pour into prepared crust and refrigerate until ready to serve. Garnish with grated chocolate, if desired.
*Note: Anne says she has made this countless times using the freshest eggs, all without incident. Utilizing eggs pasteurized in their shell might put your mind at ease, however.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Pimiento Cheese
Having not hailed from the South, I only recently discovered pimiento cheese. What a revelation... whether you spread it on freshly baked white bread (remove the crusts and you've got the perfect tea sandwich), celery sticks or your favorite burger. Yes, it's utterly indulgent. We all need to get in touch with our inner Southerner and live a little now and then, don't we? I assure you, this recipe, adapted from Y'all Come Eat, will leave you feeling most hospitable and longing for a tall glass of sweet tea.
Pimiento Cheese
4 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
2 cups medium cheddar or 1 cup each of sharp cheddar and Monterey Jack, shredded
1/2 cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons pimiento, chopped
1 teaspoon onion, grated
pinch of garlic powder (if desired)
salt and pepper to taste
Mix or process ingredients until smooth. Serve as desired.
Pimiento Cheese
4 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
2 cups medium cheddar or 1 cup each of sharp cheddar and Monterey Jack, shredded
1/2 cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons pimiento, chopped
1 teaspoon onion, grated
pinch of garlic powder (if desired)
salt and pepper to taste
Mix or process ingredients until smooth. Serve as desired.
Pumpkin Bars
Who says you have to wait for the holidays to enjoy the taste of pumpkin? I also served these at my sister's little soiree, and they were a hit, even in the merry month of May. This recipe appears in a couple of cookbooks I've perused recently, and will likely become a mainstay for those of you who appreciate fall flavor any time of the year.
Pumpkin Bars
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 eggs, lightly beaten
15 oz. can pumpkin
1 2/3 cups sugar
1 cup Canola oil
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 15 x 10 or 13 x 9 dish with baking spray; set aside.
In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda and salt.
In a stand mixer, beat together eggs, pumpkin, sugar and oil. Add in flour mixture and continue beating until well-combined.
Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the sides of the cake pull away from the pan and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting.
Cream Cheese Frosting
1/4 cup butter, room temperature
4 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract (or more to taste)
2 cups powdered sugar, sifted (or more to taste)
In a stand mixer, beat butter and cream cheese on medium speed until smooth. Gradually add powdered sugar and vanilla, beating until smooth. Frost as desired.
Pumpkin Bars
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 eggs, lightly beaten
15 oz. can pumpkin
1 2/3 cups sugar
1 cup Canola oil
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 15 x 10 or 13 x 9 dish with baking spray; set aside.
In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda and salt.
In a stand mixer, beat together eggs, pumpkin, sugar and oil. Add in flour mixture and continue beating until well-combined.
Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the sides of the cake pull away from the pan and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting.
Cream Cheese Frosting
1/4 cup butter, room temperature
4 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract (or more to taste)
2 cups powdered sugar, sifted (or more to taste)
In a stand mixer, beat butter and cream cheese on medium speed until smooth. Gradually add powdered sugar and vanilla, beating until smooth. Frost as desired.
Buttermilk Brownies (aka Texas Sheet Cake)
Last week, I had the privilege of serving several desserts at the official launch of Little Farm in the Foothills, my sister's memoir. She wanted to showcase ingredients from our community, including locally milled flour produced by Fairhaven Flour, fresh butter and buttermilk from Breckenridge Farm in Everson and rich chocolate from Bellingham's very own Chocolate Necessities. This recipe, adapted from a Better Homes and Gardens collection, produced cake-like brownies that simply melted in your mouth. We like to think the best ingredients had a little something to do with that. Folks down South would probably call this Texas Sheet Cake...hopefully, you'll call them delicious.
Buttermilk Brownies
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter
1 cup water
1/3 cup cocoa powder
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 15 x 10 dish with baking spray; set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda and salt.
In a medium sauce pan, bring butter, water and cocoa powder to a slow boil. Remove from heat. Add the chocolate mixture to the flour mixture. Beat with a mixer until well-combined. Add the eggs, buttermilk and vanilla, mixing for another minute. Pour thin batter into prepared pan.
Bake cake for approximately 25 minutes or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool slightly before frosting.
Chocolate Buttermilk Frosting
1/4 butter
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
3 tablespoons buttermilk
2 cups powdered sugar, sifted (or more to taste)
1/2 teaspoons vanilla
Bring butter, cocoa powder and buttermilk to a low boil in a medium sauce pan. Remove from heat. Beat in powdered sugar and vanilla until frosting reaches desired consistency. Frost while cake is still warm.
Buttermilk Brownies
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter
1 cup water
1/3 cup cocoa powder
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 15 x 10 dish with baking spray; set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda and salt.
In a medium sauce pan, bring butter, water and cocoa powder to a slow boil. Remove from heat. Add the chocolate mixture to the flour mixture. Beat with a mixer until well-combined. Add the eggs, buttermilk and vanilla, mixing for another minute. Pour thin batter into prepared pan.
Bake cake for approximately 25 minutes or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool slightly before frosting.
Chocolate Buttermilk Frosting
1/4 butter
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
3 tablespoons buttermilk
2 cups powdered sugar, sifted (or more to taste)
1/2 teaspoons vanilla
Bring butter, cocoa powder and buttermilk to a low boil in a medium sauce pan. Remove from heat. Beat in powdered sugar and vanilla until frosting reaches desired consistency. Frost while cake is still warm.
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