APPLEY, SPICEY, YUMMY!

The Cake Slice Bakers have a new book, it is The Cake Book by Tish Boyle, and it is wonderful - I can't wait to get my teeth into it (literally!), some really interesting recipes in there, along with  new versions of old favourites.

This month's recipe is perfectly seasonal, and offered the ideal recipe to use up the last of the apples from my mother's trees - they went to a good home, this cake is delicious, brim full of spices.  I'm not the biggest fan of cooked apple, when you can have crisp, crunchy and fresh apple why would you choose to have soft, sweet and tangy apple - that's not making a great argument is it? 

I had to abandon the recommended Cream Cheese Maple Frosting when my cream cheese didn't pass muster - I went back to the drawing board and just added some maple syrup to some sieved icing sugar - it matched perfectly.

Apple Cake with Maple Frosting

1 1/2 cups (181g)     plain flour
1 tsp                         baking powder
1 tsp                         ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp                      ground ginger
1/4 tsp                      ground cloves
1/4 tsp                      bread (bicarbonate of) soda
1/4 tsp                      salt
1/2 cup (113g)          softened butter
1 cup (217g)             light brown sugar
1 tsp                         vanilla extract
2                               large eggs
2/3 cup (160ml)        buttermilk
2 cups (120g)            peeled and chopped (1/2 inch pieces) Granny Smith apple (about 2 apples)
1/2 cup  (57g)           coarsely chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 180 C (350 F)
Grease bottom and sides of a 9" square baking tin, and dust with flour.

Whisk the flour, baking powder, cannamon, cloves, ginger, bread soda and salt together in a medium bowl - set aside.
Using the paddle attachment of an electric mixer beat the butter at a medium speed until creamy.
Gradually add the sugar and beat until light and creamy.
Add the vanilla extract and then the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition - remembering to scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl as needed.
Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour mixture in three additions - mix well until blended.
Stir in the apples and nuts and combine by hand.
Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.
Bake for  25 - 30 minutes until golden and a skewer comes out clean.
Cool the cake completely in the tin on a wire rack.

Enjoy.



A CAKE TO DIG INTO!

For the final bake from Lauren Chattman's "Cake keeper Cakes"  The Cake Slice Bakers have decided to each bake a cake that we have been drooling over during the past year of baking from the book.  I have to admit that I'm not too sorry to be moving onto another book - although there were some gems in there (particularly the Cranberry Cake) but I actually think that every cake in a recipe book should be delicious, and more importantly (because we all have different tastes) well tested - in different types of ovens by different people - I think that that's what you are paying for when you buy a book, testing, testing and then some more testing.

O.K. I'll get off my high horse now and tell you which cake I decided to go with, there were a number in contention - Espresso-Hazelnut Bundt Cake, Mississippi Mud Cake with Espresso-Bourbon Glaze and Peanut Butter and Jelly Crumb Cake to name a few - but I went with Nutella Swirl Pound Cake (with a bit of encouragement from my Nutella mad son!!!).

This cake has good and bad points - the bad point became very obvious when I took out a knife to cut it - the knife went so far and no further - I had to take out the big guns (!) to make it the whole way thought.  The Nutella had sunk towards the bottom (as it does in the photo in the book) and hardened - really hardened!  I know that I'm still on a learning curve with my new oven but I don't know what I could have done to prevent this happening - I wonder if I used about half the quantity of Nutella and put tiny amounts through the batter?

As for the good points - this cake is delicious, worth the risk to your dentistry!!! The texture of the cake part is perfect and it tastes buttery and scrumptious - well worth playing around with.

Nutella Swirl Pound Cake

4                  large eggs
2 tsp            vanilla extract
1.5 cups       plain flour
3/4 tsp         baking powder
1/4 tsp         salt
1 cup (8oz)  softened butter
1 400g jar     Nutella

Preheat oven to 180 C
Line a 9"x5" loaf tin with parchment paper

Combine the eggs and vanilla and beat lightly.
In a separate bowl sift in the flour baking powder and salt.
In another bowl beat the sugar and butter until light and fluffy, remembering to scrape down the sides regularly.
Add the egg slowly whilst the beater is running at medium-slow speed.
Turn the beater down to slow and add the flour slowly a 1/2 cup at a time.
Scrape 1/3 of the mixture into your prepared tin, then 1/2 the Nutella, followed by another 1/3 of the cake mixture then the other 1/2 of the Nutella and finally the remaining 1/3 of the mixture. Run a knife blade through the batter to create marbling.
Bake the cake until golden and a skewer comes out clean - about 1 hour 15 minutes.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the tin for 15 minutes.
After this time all it to cool completely on a wire rack.
Slice (with a good knife!!) and serve.

Enjoy.

If you are interested in joining The Cake Slice Bakers have a look at Katie at Apple and Spice for all the details.

I would like to thank you all for your beautiful and kind comments on my last post - I cannot tell you how much I appreciate them.

CAKE SLICE BAKERS

After a long absence, and with apologies to my fellow Cake Slice Bakers, I am back for the penultimate cake from Lauren Chattman's "Cake Keeper Cakes",  this month the bakers voted for her Hungarian Coffee Cake (aka Monkey Bread) - a coffee free cake (I'm always caught!!) rich in cinnamon (well my version was anyway!) and fun to make.

I was excited to bake my first "Monkey Bread", but found this cake to taste much more like scones coated in a buttery, sweet cinnamon glaze - delicious, but not what I had expected, and not really pull-apartable!

We really enjoyed this cake on the day it was made, but it doesn't  belong in a book with "keeper" in the title as on the second day (like scones) the cake had dried out and lost it's lovely soft texture - nice but not nearly as nice as on day one.  This cake would be perfect for a coffee morning with a gang of friends - just make sure you invite enough to eat it all in one go!!!!

The recipe as I made it:

Hungarian Coffee Free Coffee Cake

Topping

1/2 cup (110g)    butter, melted and cooled
3/4 cup                light brown sugar

Cake

1/2 cup               granulated sugar
3  tsp                  ground cinnamon
9 tbsp (117g)     chilled butter - actually frozen is best.
3 cups                plain flour
1 tbsp                caster sugar
1 tbsp                 baking powder
3/4 tsp                bread (bicarbonate of) soda
3/4 tsp                salt
1 cup                  buttermilk (maybe more)
1/4 cup               pecan nuts

Preheat the oven to 180 C/350 F
Butter and flour a non-stick bundt cake tin

Whisk the melted butter together with the light brown sugar and put to one side.
Combine the granulated sugar with 1 tsp cinnamon in a plastic bag.
Grate the frozen butter with a coarse grater.
Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt,2 tsp cinnamon and 1 tbsp caster sugar in a large bowl.
Add the grated butter and combine with a spoon.
Stir in the buttermilk, adding more if necessary to combine.
Scoop up small balls of dough (slightly smaller than a golf ball) and toss in the sugar cinnamon mixture.
Layer the balls of dough in the bundt tin, scattering in the chopped pecan nuts as you go.
When all the balls of sugared dough are in the tin, pour the cooled butter and sugar mixture over them.
Bake in the oven for 35 - 40 minutes or until firm to the touch.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the tin on a cake rack for 10 - 15 minutes.
Invert onto a serving plate and serve at once.

Enjoy.

CAKE NIRVANA

I have an admission to make, I adore coffee cake so when the Cake Slice Bakers selected the Coffee-Heath Bar Crunch Cake from Cake Keeper Cakes by Laura Chattman, (after I initially read it as Coffee Health Cake and jumped for joy!!!!), I despaired for my healthy eating plan!!  I knew that I would have to play around with the recipe or,  as the only coffee cake lover in the house, every time I walked into the kitchen I would be tempted by the delicious cake in the corner, seductively calling  "eat me, eat me, you know you want to"!!!!!!

I didn't make many alterations, I just reduced the coffee from 1 tbsp to 1 scant tsp, and then added a heaped tbsp of cocoa, added chopped dark chocolate to the batter and replaced the plain flour in the topping for whole meal - and I have to say that this cake is just magic.  The melted toffee bars on top have alternating textures, from soft and chewy to light and crunchy - so very, very moreish.  Luckily so, as it was polished off in no time (before I had a chance to add more inches to my hips!!).

Chocolate and Coffee-Curly Wurly Bar Crunch Cake

For the strusel topping

4              Curly Wurly Bars (my replacement for the Heath Bars) from the fridge.
1.5 tbsp    packed light brown sugar
2 tbsp      wholemeal flour
1 tbsp      softened butter

For the cake

1.5 cups    plain flour
1 tsp         instant espresso coffee powder
1.5 tbsp    cocoa powder - Green and Black is good
1.5 tsp      baking powder
4 oz          softened butter
1 cup        packed light brown sugar
1              large egg
1              large egg yolk
1.5 tsp     vanilla extract
1 cup        milk
2oz           dark chocolate - chopped finely

Preheat the oven to 180 C
Grease and line the bottom of a 9" round springform tin.

To make the topping

Chop up the toffee and chocolate bars.
Place the butter, flour and sugar in a bowl and combine with your fingers to resemble crumble topping,
Add the bars and leave in the fridge until the cake is ready.

To make the cake

Combine the flour, coffee powder, sifted cocoa and baking powder in a mixing bowl.
In another bowl combine the butter and sugar and cream until light and fluffy.
Slowly mix in the eggs and vanilla.
Keeping the mixer on low speed add 1/3 of the flour mixture and the 1/2 the milk, repeat until everything is combined being sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl regularly.
Add the chopped chocolate pieces and combine.
Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth out.
Scatter the topping evenly over the cake.
Bake until the cake is golden and a skewer comes out clean - about 45 - 55 min
Allow to cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes.
Then remove to the wire rack to cool completely.
Serve on it's own or with your favourite accompaniment.

Enjoy.

IS IT A CAKE, IS IT A BAR?

It's  The Cake Slice Bakers post time again - seems to have rolled around really quickly this month for some reason.  I actually made this "cake" during the Christmas holidays - and brought it down to my sister's house.  I can't actually remember the exact occasion now (old age hitting?!!) but I do remember that I had to grab a corner as I was leaving so I could report on the taste to you guys - you can thank me in flowers!!!!!!!!

The reason I write "cake" is that the finished article while delicious, was nearer a traybake type bar than a cake - to be blunt, it was  flat - not quite as flat as a pancake (!) but far too flat for a cake.  If I make it again (and I think I will) I intend to make double the cake mixture in the same size tin - should result in a more worthwhile eating experience!

I thought that the cake was delicious, and the fact that it used ground digestive biscuits (graham crackers in the States) in place of most of the flour (only .25 cup of flour in the recipe) made it really interesting.  The cake had a lovely grainy texture and wasn't too sweet - which was a good job because the frosting certainly made up for that!  The chocolate chips married well with the biscuity flavour of the cake, with a bit of fiddling this could be great.

Once again my stockpiling trips to Harvey Nicks paid dividends, as Marshmallow Fluff was called for in the frosting, and I haven't seen it anywhere else here in Ireland.  I made a half quantity of the frosting (I always find that there is too much icing/frosting in recipes - must be the fact that I don't have a sweet tooth!!!!!) and this was plenty.  I chose to ice my cake with the frosting rather than dollop it on each slice as stipulated in the recipe, this made it easier to transport and I just prefer it that way!

Here's the recipe (as I made it) it's worth a try!

Chocolate Chip Snacking Cake
adapted from Lauren Chattman's "Cake Keeper Cakes"



CAKE

1 cup            ground digestive biscuits
.25 cup         plain flour
1 tsp             baking powder
.25 tsp          salt
6 tbsp/3oz     butter
.25 cup         sugar
1                   large egg
1                   large egg yolk
1 tsp             vanilla extract
.25 cup         milk
.5 cup           chocolate chips (I used milk chocolate chopped up)


FROSTING

.25 cup/1 oz butter
.25 cup         icing sugar
.25 cup         Marshmallow Fluff
.5 tsp            vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 180 C/350 F
Grease an 8"/20cm cake tin and dust with flour.

Combine the biscuit crumbs, flour, baking powder and salt in a mixing bowl.
Cream the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until fluffy and light (about 3 minutes), remember to scrape down the sides as you go.
Add the egg, egg yolk and vanilla with the mixer turned down to low - beat until smooth.
Keeping the mixer on low add  1/3 the flour mixture then 1/2 the milk, repeat, ending with the flour until well combined - again remember to scrape down the sides as you go.
Stir in the chocolate chips/pieces with a spoon.
Spoon the batter into the cake tin and smooth out.
Bake until a skewer comes out clean - about 35 minutes.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the tin for 10 minutes.
Cool completely on a wire rack.

To make the frosting -
Beat the butter until creamy and smooth.
Add the sugar slowly with the mixer on low (otherwise you will be breathing in a sugar cloud!!).
Stir in the vanilla and Marshmallow Fluff and beat until smooth.

When completely cooled spread the frosting on the cake and serve.

Enjoy.

BACK ON TRACK!

This is the latest selection from The Cake Slice Bakers, this year we are baking from Cake Keeper Cakes by Lauren Chatman, and I have to say that it is a misnomer - there is no way you will be able to keep this cake - it will be gobbled up in no time!!!

This is a fantastic recipe - the tart ruby cranberry nuggets spread through  the sweet soft cake add up to sweet perfection!!  I loved the streusel on top, the crunch contrasting nicely with lightness of the cake.  All is forgiven Lauren!

I made the Cranberry Cake on the first day of the recent snow, and couldn't resist trying to take a photo of the cake+snow+cake keeper  - but I wasn't willing to get my toes cold, so just took the photo from the back door!!!!!

                                             
Cranberry Cake

Streusel

1 cup            sliced almonds
2 tbsp           melted butter
2 tbsp           packed light brown sugar

Cake

2 cups          plain flour
1 tsp            baking powder
1/4 tsp         salt
3                  large eggs
2 cups          granulated sugar
3/4 cup/
6oz              butter, melted and cooled
1 tsp            vanilla extract
12 oz           cranberries (I used frozen)

Preheat oven to 150 C
Line or butter a 10" round springform tin.

Streusel

Combine the butter, almonds and sugar,  Use your fingers to form large crumbs.
Set aside.

Cake

Beat the eggs and sugar together in a large bowl, until light and at least doubled in volume - this will take about 5 minutes.
Turn the mixer to low and add the melted butter slowly, turn up the mixer to medium and beat for another 2 minutes.
Add the vanilla.
Combine the flour, baking powder and salt.
Gently fold the flour mixture into the batter, 2 tbsp at a time.
Fold in the cranberries.
Place the batter into the prepared tin, and sprinkle with the streusel.
Bake the cake until a skewer (I use uncooked spaghetti) comes out clean.
The recipe specifies 60 - 70 minutes, mine took about 90 minutes.
When cooked remove tin to a wire rack and allow to cool for 10 minutes.
Then take the cake out of the tin and cool completely on the wire rack.

If you are very lucky this cake will keep for up to 5 days (not in my house though!!)    

    Pretty from any angle



CINNAMONTASTIC ... MAYBE NOT!

This is the second cake from "Cake Keeper Cakes" by Lauren Chattman which is The Cake Slice baking group's latest book.  As an signed up member of the cinnamon appreciation society, I was delighted when the Cinnamon Pudding Cake was chosen as November's recipe. 

I had read that some of the members were having dryness issues with the cake and took preventative action  - I decided to be very clever (huh!) and add sultanas (knowing that this would prevent me lashing in, I'd have to pick around them) which I soaked in cinnamon and water.  I added these plump, moist morsels to the mixture in the hope that they, along with using twice the specified amount of butter would help deliver a delicious moist cake. 

I hoped in vain - what I should have done was add an egg or two and then mix some of the topping through the cake mixture - you live and you learn.  I have to admit that I won't bother trying these alterations - as far as I can remember this is the first time I have thrown out a half a cake - ever, I won't revisit it.

On the positive side the topping, sank through the cake perfectly, leaving a lovely rich caramel which( because I used the cinnamon water I had soaked the sultanas in) had a lovely spicy flavour.

Not sure if you want it but here's the recipe - may be worth a try if you make all the alterations!

Cinnamon Pudding Cake

Topping

1 cup + 2tbsp       packed light brown sugar

3/4 cup                 water (if adding sultanas use the soaking water)

1 tbsp                   butter

Cake

2 cups                 flour

2 tsp                   baking powder

2 1/2 tsp             ground cinnamon

2 tbsp                 softened butter (I'd use 4 tbsp)

1 cup                  granulated sugar

1 cup                  whole milk

1 tsp                   vanilla extract

1 cup                  sultanas (my addition, soak in water with 1 tsp of cinnamon added)

1                         egg (not in original recipe)

Preheat oven to 175 C

Spray an 8" tin (not loose bottomed) with nonstick cooking spray (I used a 9" tin) 

Make the topping by boiling the water, brown sugar and butter in a saucepan, whisking occasionally.

Put to one side to cool.

Sieve flour, baking powder and cinnamon into a mixing bowl.

Cream the butter and granulated sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.

Turn the mixer down to low and add some flour followed by some milk until both combined.

Add the sultanas if using.

Scrape the batter into the prepared tin.

Pour the topping over the batter.

Bake for 35 - 45 minutes -check with a skewer. (the recipe stated longer, another reason for the dryness)

Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the tin for 15 minutes.

Invert onto a serving plate with a rim.

Best served warm.

MY PRECIOUS PUMPKIN!!!

I really enjoy Katie's blog Apple and Spice and have loved following her adventures with the Cake Slice baking group.  I decided to sign up when she mentioned that the group would be starting a new book in October and were open for new membership.  The book is Cake Keeper Cakes by Lauren Chattman, and I'm really looking forward to baking my way through it.

That said my heart sank a little when I read that the first months cake was Pumpkin-Chocolate Chip Pound Cake.  Why you might (reasonably) ask?  I have plenty of history with vegetable based cakes - I could be described as (an almost .... well perhaps an actual) chocolate fiend, where could the problem be??  Well, the problem was with the pumpkin, you see it is incredibly difficult to get canned pumpkin here, and I had managed to source a can earlier in the year (in Harvey Nicks if you don't mind!!!) and was guarding it fiercely for Halloween, I have read so many wonderful pumpkin pie recipes on American blogs that I had been looking forward to choosing my favourite and giving it a go.

A good friend and fellow book-club member had sneaked a significant birthday past us (very bold!!) but her sister let the cat out of the bag, so T and I decided that we should convert a scheduled coffee morning into a Birthday celebration - and what better occasion to use my precious pumpkin!!

The cake went down so well that I nearly didn't manage to get a photo of it sliced!!  It tasted beautifully moist, with a very pleasant light spicy back note that combined well with the chocolate, nuts and of course the pumpkin. 

 




The precious (!) canned pumpkin - fresh cooked pumpkin just doesn't have the correct texture (too wet!).

Pumpkin-Chocolate Chip Pound Cake


1 3/4             cups flour
1 tsp              baking powder
1 tsp              bread (bicarbonate of ) soda
1 tsp              ground cinnamon ( I ground my own because I had run out of the ground stuff!!!!)
1/2 tsp           salt
1/4 tsp           ground cloves (thankfully I had these!!)
pinch             nutmeg (I grated this!)
4 oz/110g      soft butter
1 1/4             cups sugar (I used soft brown muscavado)
3                    large eggs
1 cup             canned pumpkin puree
1 tsp              vanilla extract
1/3                cup milk
1                   cup dark chocolate chips (I chopped up a bar of Lindt 85%)
1                   cup walnuts (reserve some for the top then chop the rest)


Preheat oven to 180 C/350 F
Line a 19 cm round tin with parchment paper
(the original recipe is for a loaf tin but I think round is more celebratory)

Sift the flour, baking powder, bread soda, spices and salt together  into a large bowl.
Cream the butter and sugar together with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.
Add the eggs one at a time at a medium speed, be sure to scrape down the sides while mixing.
Stir in the pumpkin puree, vanilla and milk.
Stir the flour in gradually and gently.
Add the chocolate chips and chopped walnuts - combine well.
Pour the batter into the prepared tin.
Bake for approx 50 minutes until a skewer comes out clean.
Allow to cool in its tin on a wire rack for 10 minutes.
Then place on the wire rack and cool completely.