01.06.2012 Apple Spice Cake with Brown Sugar Frosting

I've been having a mega apple crave lately. Not sure what the deal is, but I can't help but want to try almost every recipe I see with apples. Maybe I miss fall...Either way, this is a recipe that has been taunting me for quite some time now. I've been a little obsessed with my Sono Bakery cookbook and can't seem to find a recipe I haven't loved yet, so I had no problem committing to a new apple recipe to try. I hope you enjoy :)

Apple Spice Cake
2 cups AP flour
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp coarse salt
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 1/3 cups light brown sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs, room temp
2 cups grated peeled and cored apples (red, I used fuji)
2 tsp vanilla
2/3 cup toasted walnuts (optional, I opted to not use them in the cake and to decorate with at the end)


Brown Sugar Buttercream (I was very unhappy with this recipe initially and made some dramatic changes to get it right for me)
3 large egg whites
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1/8 tsp coarse salt
1 cup (2 sticks) plus 2 TB unsalted butter, firm but not chilled, cut into cubes
3/4 tsp vanilla

My additions consisted of a whole lotta powdered sugar and about 2 tsp maple syrup.

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare an 8-inch square cake pan
2. To make the cake: In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg; set aside.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, oil, eggs, grated apples, and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients and fold with a rubber spatula until the flour has been absorbed. Fold in the walnuts, if using.
4. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake 45-55 minutes. The recipe said 50 to 55, but mine was done at 45 minutes.
5. To make the buttercream: Bring about 1 inch of water to a simmer in the bottom of a double boiler ( I opted out on the double boiler thing and decided holding my pan an inch or two over the heat works just as well...) Combine the egg whites, brown sugar, and salt in the top of the double boiler. Whisk over the simmering water until the whites are warm to the touch and the sugar dissolves, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to the bowl of a standing mixer with whisk attachment, and beat until the meringue is glossy and stiff peaks form. With the machine running, gradually beat in the butter. By the time the butter is added, the mixture will break; keep beating - it will become smooth again. Continue to beat and add vanilla.
6. If you are like me and completely unhappy with the ridiculously buttery flavor and slimy consistency of the frosting, try adding powdered sugar. Add as much as you need to your liking. I wasn't measuring, but it must have taken me at least a cup to reach that creamy texture I'm used to. I also decided a hint of maple syrup was in order, but that was just my preference.

I'm not sure if it's my preference for apples or why I am even comparing this carrot cake, but I would eat this over the best slice of carrot cake any day. I highly recommend adding that hint of pure maple syrup. It makes all the difference and going with the cake perfectly.

01.03.2012 Red Velvet Cake

This is the best red velvet cake I have ever had. Try it. Enough said.

So, I know I have some pretty terrible photography skills and this cake doesn't look like anything special in particular, but I promise you it's wonderful

Red Velvet Cake

Adapted from The Sono Baking Company

The recipe was initially made to make 12 cupcakes, but I decided to double the recipe and make a taller 9X9 round cake. I prefer a delicious slice of cake to a a single cupcake. 

Ingredients

For the Cake

2 cups buttermilk

2 tsp vanilla

2 sticks unsalted butter, 1 cup

3 cups sugar

2 tsp coarse salt

4 oz red food coloring

4 TB dutch unsweetened cocoa powder

4 1/2 cups sifted cake flour

2 tsp baking soda

1 TB white wine vinegar

For the Frosting (I didn't double this one because I was low on butter)

3 TB AP flour

1 cup milk

2 sticks unsalted butter, 1 cup

1 cup sugar

Pinch of coarse salt

1 tsp vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare two 9X9 round cake pans
2. To make the cupcakes: In a medium bowl, combing the buttermilk and vanilla; set aside
3. In the bowl of a standing mixer with paddle attachment, cream the butter, sugar, and salt on medium high until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. 
4. In a small bowl, stir the food coloring and the cocoa powder together to form a paste. (I skipped this step and guessed on the amount of food coloring because I used a concentrated gel food coloring. I added mine directly to the mixture above. It's all about the taste anyway, right?) Add to the butter-sugar mixture.
5. Starting with the flour, alternate adding the flour with the buttermilk mixture in three batches, ending with the flour. Let stand for 15 minutes. 
6. In a small bowl, stir together the baking soda and vinegar. Let stand until foamy; fold into the batter. Divide among cake pans.
7. Bake 20 - 25 minutes. ( I THINK it took me about 22. I'm not really a fan of timers...) Let cool and transfer to wire rack to finish cooling completely.
8. To make the frosting: In a saucepan, whisk the flour with 1/4 cup of the milk, smoothing out any lumps with a rubber spatula. Gradually whisk in the rest of the milk. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, whisking, and cook for 1 minute. Set aside to cool. 
9. In the bowl of a standing mixer with paddle attachment, beat the butter, sugar, salt, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Add the cooled milk and but until it reaches the consistency of whipped cream, 7-10 minutes. 
10. Frost, eat, and enjoy!

12.12.2011 Cinnamon Roll Cake

Look at that gooey cinnamon swirl....

The first recipe post came as a bit of a struggle for me. You can ask anyone, I am one of the most indecisive people you will ever meet. My heart was set on baking homemade oreos, but I know I would fight eating every single cookie entirely by myself. In order to save myself from a massive stomach ache later down the road, I decided on something that my parents are more likely to devour before I have the chance to eat more than my usual sample slice. This recipe is INCREDIBLEEEE. Warm and gooey fresh out of the oven, this recipe beats a cinnamon roll any day. 

Hot outta the oven!

Soooo damn good with a cold glass of milk 

Cinnamon Roll Cake
from Cookin' Up North


Cake:
3 c. flour
1/4 tsp.salt
1 c. sugar
4 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 c. milk
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. butter, melted

Topping:
1 c. butter, softened
1 c. brown sugar
2 Tbsp. flour
1 Tbsp. cinnamon

Mix everything together except for the butter. Slowly stir in the melted butter and pour into a greased 9x13 pan. For the topping, mix all the ingredients together until well combined. Drop evenly over the batter and swirl with a knife. Bake at 350 for 28-32 minutes. (Unless you are like me and slightly forget to close your oven door all of the way for the first 5-8 minutes....then it might take longer)

Glaze:
2 c. powdered sugar
5 Tbsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla


While warm drizzle the glaze over the cake.
Oh, and don't forget a glass of cold milk :)