Apple Streusel Bars

We made these for Thanksgiving this year.  The recipe is easy to make and everyone seemed to really enjoy them.  I thought that it was very sweet and wonder if more apples and somehow less butter would help.  I halved the glaze recipe, which I'm glad I did as I drizzled just less than half onto the apple bars and it was a major contributor to the major sweetness.  But to each his own!

SWEET pastry:
2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup real butter
1 egg, beaten

Apple filling:
3 medium apples (4 cups) sliced, peeled baking apples {Granny Smith}
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp cinnamon

Glaze:
2 cups powdered sugar
3 T milk
1 tsp almond extract


Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt into a medium bowl.  Cut in the butter using a pastry blender or two knives until the crust is in pea-size crumbles.  Mix in the beaten egg.  Grease a 13x9 pan with non-stick spray and pat 2/3 of the mixture into the pan.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Peel and slice the apples.  Toss the sliced apples with flour, sugar and cinnamon.  Spread apples out onto the crust.  Sprinkle reserved crust mixture on top.  Bake for 40 minutes.  Cool completely and drizzle with the glaze to taste.  Allow the bars to harden and cut to serve.

Source: Jone, Kate and Sara Wells.  "Apple Streusel Bars".  Our Best Bites. 3. May 2009.

[Sorry, pictures to come later.  Ran out of storage space.]

Pink Lemonade Cupcakes

For Julia's third birthday, I made her pink lemonade cupcakes (with decorations!)  So far she's been eating just the frosting and candy!  The cupcake recipe is good but the frosting was hard to keep smooth.  P.S. I first made these when Julia was just a month old, and got rave reviews from Grandma Bonnie!

Cupcakes:
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup + 2 T vegetable oil
5 egg whites
3/4 cup frozen pink lemonade concentrate, thawed
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup + 2 T buttermilk
[red food coloring]

In a mixer with whisk attachment, combine sugar, oil, egg whites, pink lemonade and vanilla.  Mix until blended.  In a separate bowl mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Alternate adding the flour mixture and buttermilk (into thirds) into the creamed mixture.  Mix until blended (but don't over mix.)  Add optional red food coloring until desired color.  Pour cupcake mixture into cupcake liners-- 3/4 full.  Bake at 350 degrees for 15-18 minutes.  Yields 24.

Frosting:
1 cup butter
4 cups powder sugar
6 T pink lemonade concentrate, thawed
1/2 tsp vanilla
[red food coloring]

First whisk the butter until fluffy then add the remaining ingredients.  Add more water if the frosting is too thick.  If adding food coloring, mix in one drop at a time. 
[I found that I had enough frosting with half the recipe].

 colorful butterflies!

cute flowers!

Recipe from: "Pink Lemonade Cupcakes & Pink Lemonade Buttercream Frosting".  Let Them Eat Cake! {And Ice Cream}.  30 Jan 2012.

French Apple Cobbler

We have some Granny Smith apples on our counter.  Yesterday I thought, for fun, that I would make a cobbler.  I looked for a recipe online, found this one, and made it.  I like the idea of this cake topping.  It came out very sweet and the apples had a bit of a strange texture (I didn't peel them and I doubt that I cut them too small.)  Anyway, it was a nice change to have dessert.

Filling:
5 cups apples, peeled, sliced
3/4 cup sugar
2 T flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon [maybe make this 1 tsp?]
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract [maybe make this 1/2 tsp?]
1/4 cup water
1 T butter, softened

Topping:
1/2 cup flour, sifted
1/2 cup sugar [I wonder if 1/4 cup would be enough?]
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 T butter, softened
1 egg, slightly beaten

In a large bowl combine apples, sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt, vanilla, and water.  Dump into a lightly buttered 9x9 square baking dish.  Pat cut-portions of butter on top of the apples, evenly. For topping, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, butter and egg.  Cream until smooth, using a wooden spoon.  Drop batter on top of the apple filling, distributing evenly throughout as it will meld together during baking.  Bake at 375 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until apples are done and crust is browned.  Serve warm with cream or ice cream.

Source: Rattray, Diana.  "French Apple Cobbler Recipe".  SouthernFood.About.com

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

This is actually the third time I've made this cake-- the second time since the genesis of this blog.  The first time Julia was just three weeks old. I don't remember what kind of frosting I made for it. My uncle and mom suggested that it needed salt in the recipe (the original recipe didn't include it on the ingredient list.)  The second time was for Julia's 1st birthday, and I made cream cheese frosting sprinkled with colored sprinkles and shaped it into a flower, by cutting a 9-in. round cake into thirds and using cupcakes as the pedals. I'm kicking myself for not taking pictures of the party and food (Hawaiian Haystacks and this cake.)  I did record it though.  This time, for Thomas' birthday, I royally messed up the chocolate frosting... I didn't even read the directions!  Instead I just dusted powder sugar on top, next time I'll sift the powder sugar on each individual piece.  Nonetheless, he still loves it.  We keep going back for seconds!

Recipe:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1-3/4 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
[1/2 tsp salt]
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 cups shredded zucchini (I like to simply grate it)

In a stand mixer or large bowl, cream together butter, oil and sugar.  Once smooth, add eggs-- one at a time-- beating well after each.  Beat in vanilla.  In a separate bowl, combine flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and cloves.  Add the flour mixture into the creamed mixture alternately with the buttermilk.  Once incorporated, fold in the grated zucchini.  Pour into a greased 9-x13-x2-inch baking pan, bake at 325 degrees for 45-50 minutes or until done.  Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

If you'd like to try this frosting, I never have... but here it is!
1 cup flaked coconut
6 Tablespoons butter, softened
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup milk
{The recipe suggest to broil the frosted cake for 2-3 minutes or until golden brown.  Cool before serving.}

Recipe from: Holben, Lois.  "Chocolate Zucchini Cake".  Taste of Home Annual Recipes: 2007.  Ed. Michelle Bretl.  Greendale, WI: Reiman Media Group, Inc (Taste of Home Books), 2006.  131.

Banana cake with chocolate frosting

I had this idea to make a "half" cake for Julia's half birthday.  The problem was that it didn't turn out picture-perfect.  The cake was also just barely cooked through and the frosting didn't whip up very well (I need to let the butter soften to room temperature next time.)  So all in all, I'll just make bread or muffins out of ripe bananas....

Banana cake
1/3 cup oil
1 cup sugar or 3/4 cup honey
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup banana (3 mashed, ripe bananas)
1 cup buttermilk or sour milk
2 cups wheat flour {I used 1 cup all-purpose and 1 cup pastry wheat}
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Mix together oil, sugar, egg and vanilla.  {Stir mashed bananas with baking soda}; add other ingredients into batter.  Pour into a greased 9-inch round pan or 9x13 cake pan.  Wait five minutes before putting in a 350 degree oven for 25-30 minutes.

Chocolate frosting

1 stick butter
3 cups powder sugar
2/3 cup cocoa powder
1/3 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla

Mix together until desired consistency. {I halved this recipe.}

Recipe sources:

• Merrill Jane P. and Karen M. Sunderland.  "Banana Cake". Set for Life.  Salt Lake City, UT: Sunset Publishers, 1995. 249.

• Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa Can: chocolate frosting

Strawberry Shortcake

This cake didn't turn out as I anticipated, but it was pretty good.  At the party, Thomas remarked that it will taste like a biscuit, so a couple people teased me saying that it was a tasty biscuit.  It wasn't very thick, so I didn't cut it in half, but it would probably be doable. 

For strawberries:
1/4 cup sugar
6 cups fresh strawberries, sliced
Mix together in a large bowl

Cake:
1/4 cup sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 cup butter
1 egg, beaten
2/3 cup milk

Whipped cream:
1 cup whipping cream
beat until creamed

 Fanchy schmancy greasing- shortening and dusting of flour
Use an 8 inch round baking pan

Stir together 1/4 cup sugar, 2 cups all-purpose flour and 2 tsp baking powder

 I learned some great tips here on "cutting in butter."  First, cut the butter into cubes.

 Then cover the butter chunk with the flour mixture. Use a pastry blender to combine the butter into the flour mixture until butter is like coarse crumbs.

Whisk together 1 beaten egg and 2/3 cup milk

 Mix the dry and wet ingredients together

 All stirred and incorporated

 Bake for 15-18 minutes in a 450 degree oven.  Let cool for 10 minutes.

You can split the cake in half and spread the strawberries and whipped cream on the first layer, add the top layer and top with remaining whipped cream and strawberries.  Or just top the cake with store-bought whipped cream and strawberries. :)

{From: Better Homes and Garden Cookbook. 12th ed. Des Moines, IA: Better Homes and Gardens Books, 2002. 246-247.}

Pumpkin Roll

I'm on a pumpkin roll... that is baking with pumpkin.  Oh, how I crack myself up!  This is my favorite recipe.  I tried one last November that wasn't too impressive.  For method, you can see my post on making a Butternut Squash Roll.

Pumpkin Cake portion
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup pumpkin
1 tsp lemon juice
3/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp ginger
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Frosting Filling portion

1 cup powder sugar
1 (8 oz) pkg [low fat] cream cheese
4 T. softened butter
1/2 tsp vanilla

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.  Beat eggs on high speed for 5 minutes until voluminous.  Gradually add sugar, then stir in pumpkin and lemon juice.  In another bowl, combine flour, nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon, baking powder and salt.  Fold the flour mixture into the pumpkin mixture with a rubber spatula.  Place parchment paper on a baking sheet, use the spatula to scrape out the batter onto the parchment paper and smooth over to make the batter even on all sides.  Bake for 15 minutes.  Clean counter space and lay out a dish towel, sprinkling with powder sugar.  Take the baking sheet out of the oven and transfer the pumpkin cake onto the dish towel.  Roll up the towel and cake, let cool.
To make the filling, combine the cream cheese, powder sugar, butter and vanilla.  Mix until smooth.
Unroll the towel and spread the pumpkin cake with the cream cheese frosting.  Roll up the cake: now it's officially a pumpkin roll!  You can either wrap it in plastic wrap and foil to freeze, or place it on a serving platter for a crowd, or in a 9x13 casserole dish (like I do) to store in the fridge while eating it at a slower pace.  Chill for at least two hours before cutting the first slice.

Source: My mom, source is a mystery

Butternut Squash Roll

I'm eating this right now.  It's even been a couple of days and it's even better after chilling!  Butternut Squash Roll is only a bit different than a Pumpkin Roll, but it's just as delicious!  Maybe even, dare I say... better!?

List of Ingredients:

3 eggs

1 cup sugar

2/3 cup mashed cooked butternut squash

3/4 cup flour (If you like, you can use 3/4 cup wheat flour.  I used 1/2 cup wheat and 1/4 cup all purpose.)

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 cup finely chopped walnuts (optional)

powder sugar

Mix three eggs in a large bowl

Gradually beat in 1 cup of sugar

Add 2/3 cup of butternut squash

Combine until well mixed

Mix together 3/4 cup flour, 1 tsp of baking soda and 1/2 tsp of cinnamon

Combine with the squash mixture and mix well.
Line a 15x10x1 baking sheet with parchment paper.  (You may want to grease and flour it).  Spread squash roll batter onto the sheet.  If you want to add crushed walnuts, do so now. 

Bake in a 375 degree oven for 13 to 15 minutes.
Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes

Dust clean kitchen towel with powder sugar

Turn over the cake onto towel and peel off the parchment paper

Roll it up

Unroll the cake when you're ready to fill it with icing

Greek Yogurt Icing
(This makes a little too much.  It would be better to try 3/4 cup Greek yogurt and 1/2 cup powder sugar)
Ingredients:
1 cup Greek yogurt
1/2 cup powder sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Measure out 1 cup of Greek yogurt

Mix with 1/2 cup powder sugar and 1 tsp vanilla

Spread evenly onto cake

Roll it up and place it in a nice dish.  Chill before serving.

Here is the final result of yumminess!

Usually the filling consists of cream cheese, which is the best, but I wanted to try something different.  My first attempt failed because I didn't use Greek yogurt; I only used vanilla no-fat yogurt.  No good, the Greek yogurt is a must because it's thicker. 

Butternut Squash Cake Roll is from the Taste of Home Annual Recipes, 2007.  The icing is from the Cupcake Project: "Greek Yogurt Frosting- A Healthy Frosting".

Erdbeer Torte (Strawberry Cake) part 2

This yummy Erdbeer Torte is a staple in Germany, but the strawberry topping is harder to make here in the US without the thickening packets that they have in Germany.  So I can't guarantee that the topping will turn out.  Sad... but here is what the recipe says, and you could very well experiment with adding some unflavored gelatin with the cornstarch for some cake success.

Take the cake out of the oven, turn over to a cake plate and let it cool off for an hour.  Meanwhile, wash the strawberries, hull them, and place in a bowl.  Sprinkle 1/2 cup of sugar over them. After about an hour, drain the reserved strawberry juice that were naturally extracted from the strawberries. Place the strawberries on the cake starting from the middle and working outward.  (We cut our strawberries in half).

Mix 1/3 cup sugar, drained strawberry juice (add water or juice, e.g. cranberry to make 1 cup), and bring to a boil.  Make a thickening paste with 3 teaspoons cornstarch and 2 T water (here is where you would add a bit of gelatin as well) and add to the boiling strawberry juice.  Stir constantly until thickened.  Boil for one minute longer and take off heat.  (You can add food coloring as well, but we never do).

Spoon the thickened strawberry juice over the strawberries on the cake.  Again start in the middle and quickly work your way to the edges, covering all the fruit.  The picture shows Thomas quickly spreading the juice; he says that it thickens quickly and the amount just barely covers the cake.  Refrigerate for at least 1/2-1 hour before serving.
You can also use any other kind of fruit.  Last year for my birthday we used raspberries!

Garnish with whipped topping.  Enjoy this beautiful, simple, delicious cake!

Erdbeer Torte (Strawberry Cake) part 1

My favorite German cake to make with Thomas' help!  This batter recipe is so easy, but the strawberry topping part is another story (but that's part 2, so we'll deal with that part later).  This recipe comes from the book Aunt Cate gave me Authentic German Home Style Recipes by Gini Youngkrantz (4th ed, 1994).

 Grease and flour a 12 inch tart pan
Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees

Beat 3 eggs, 1/2 cup sugar and 1tsp vanilla for 10 minutes.  Yes, I used a HUGE bowl but the smaller ones were not available...

Look how thick yet light and airy the batter is!  This picture doesn't give it justice with the bad lighting.  I mixed it with a hand mixer.  I haven't tried it with my stand mixer yet.

 

Mix 1/3 cup flour, 1/3 cup cornstarch, and 1/2 tsp baking powder

Combine the flour mixture with the egg mixture. 

Fold together until combined thoroughly

Bake for 20 minutes (350 degrees F)

Now, that was the easy part!  Tomorrow I'll attempt to explain the second part, adding the fruit topping.