Spiced Apple Cake

Goodness, summer has flown by. I can't believe September is next week already! In two short weeks my little Walnut will be getting on the big yellow school bus and going to preschool. When did he turn 5 years old? What happened to ages 3 and 4? I must have blinked at some moment and life fast forwarded on me by about 3 years.

The breeze has started to change already and the first indications of fall are already in the air. The humid depressive days of summer are turning into cool, refreshing breezes and chilly, serene mornings with beautiful sun rises.

I couldn't be more excited for fall to come this year. Walnut starting preschool, growing into a strong independant little man.

Apples are also one of the wonders of fall in Minnesota. One tradition we always have in our house is to go to the apple orchard and take the tractor ride though the hundreds of apple trees...enjoying the breeze and sunshine on our faces. Here is a favorite recipe of mine when I bring my bags full of fresh apples home.

Spiced Apple Cake

2 cups plus 2 Tbsp all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp cloves
1/2 cup butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1-2 large apples, cored and sliced
1 teaspoon cinnamon and 2 tablespoons sugar mixed for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spay a 9×13 baking pan with an oil and flour baking spray.
In medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg. Whisk to combine well and set aside.

In bowl of stand mixer, combine sugars and butter and beat until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well to combine. Add vanilla extract and beat to combine.

Turn mixer on slow and fold in flour mixture a little at a time until just combined.
Spread mixture evenly into prepared pan. Layer top with apple slices so they all face the same way, and sprinkle top generously with cinnamon and sugar.

Place in oven and bake until cooked through, when top slightly bounces back to the touch, about 40 minutes, you may need an extra 5 minutes if it looks too soft.

Remove from oven and let cool completely before removing from pan, cutting and serving. Serve while warm from the over with a scoop of ice cream!

Enjoy!

Apple Pie

There is no better smell coming out of a hot oven than apple pie...crisp granny smith apples, melted cinnamon and sugar, with a flaky crust wrapped around it. There's something so classy to me about serving just a basic apple pie. If your having a more formal type of dinner you can put a lattice crust on top and sprinkle it with raw sugar. I had my parents over for dinner lastnight and decided to dress it down a bit so I made a flat apple pie, simply by rolling out the crust on a cookie sheet, placing the apples in the middle and then folding up the sides.

Apple Pie

For the crust:
From Betty Crocker, 1969
*if making a top for your pie...double ingredients for 2 crusts

1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup Crisco
3 to 4 Tablespoons cold water

Add flour and salt into a large mixing bowl. Whisk to combine. Cut in shortening with a pastry cutter or fork until there are no chunks left. Sprinkle in water, 1 tablespoon at a time until all flour is moistened and dough cleans from the sides of the bowl.

If your making a double crust, divide dough in half. On a floured surface, roll dough out somewhere between 1/4" and 1/8" so that it is 2" larger than your pie tin if your using one. Fold dough into quarters and transfer to pie tin or a cookie sheet for the flat apple pie.

Apple Filling:
adapted from Pioneer Woman

4-5 small peeled and sliced apples (Granny Smith work the best!)
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
juice from 1/2 lemon
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 stick butter

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Peel skin from apples and punch out core with an apple corer. Cut apples in half from top to bottom and thinly slice apples, about 1/4". In a large bowl, stir together apples, flour, lemon juice, sugars, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Pour apples into pie tin and add the top layer of crust, being sure there is some type of vent for steam to escape. Alternatively, place apples in the middle of crust rolled out crust for the flat apple pie and fold over edges.

Dot top of pie with butter and bake for 40 minutes, or until the filling is golden and bubbles.

Enjoy!!

Spiced Brown Sugar Body Scrubs

The bride and I made these delicious body scrubs for her bridal party. The are easy to make and add a special personalized touch. And the scent is out of this world nummy! I placed them in 16 ounce canning jars and placed labels with directions and a short poem on top of the lid. For a final touch we glued ribbon on top to the lid with a bow.

These body scrubs would make perfect Christmas gifts for friends or coworkers. They are cheap to make but very impressive.

Spiced Brown Sugar Body Scrubs
Adapted from C&H Sugar.com

1 cup - C&H® Dark or Light Brown Sugar
1 cup - C&H® Pure Cane Sugar
¾ cup - safflower oil
2 tsp. - cinnamon, powdered
2 tsp. - ginger, powdered
2 tsp. - nutmeg, powdered
1 16 oz. - glass container with lid

In a medium-sized bowl, combine all ingredients until thoroughly blended. Be sure to break up any lumps from the brown sugar or from the spices. Spoon into the glass container and secure with lid.
Directions for use: Scoop a teaspoon or two of the scrub on your hands and gently massage in circular motions onto your skin. Leave on for 3 to 4 minutes before thoroughly rinsing. The scrub will tighten on your skin.

Banana Oreo Delight

So, I needed a dessert I could throw together at the office today during my lunch break for my boss's birthday. This is actually the same as an Oreo Dirt Cake but with Golden Oreos and pudding. And you know what? It tastes just like banana creme pie! So I suppose we could make this Cheater Banana Pie too! No baking required and obviously easy enough to assemble anywhere.

Banana Oreo Delight

1 Package Golden Oreos
1 Large package Instant Banana Pudding
1 - 8 ounce package Cream Cheese
2 - 8 ounce tubs Cool Whip
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup melted butter

Place Oreos in a gallon baggie and crush with a rolling pin into fine bits. Put 1 cup aside. Mix remaining Oreos with 1/2 cup melted butter and press into the bottom of a 9x13 pan. With a mixer, blend cream cheese until smooth. Add 1 1/2 tubs of Cool Whip and powdered sugar. Spread over Oreos. Make banana pudding according to package directions and spread pudding over top of cream cheese mix. Spread the rest of the Cool Whip on top of the pudding. Last, sprinkle the rest of the Oreos on top. Allow to refrigerate for an hour before serving.

Enjoy!!!

Crowd Pleasing Potato Salad

I've been making a lot of potato salad lately...primarily for graduations or groom's dinners...and this recipe was passed to me from a dear friend who is 75. It was her mother's recipe and it is definitely a crowd pleaser. Add your favorite vegetables or mustard for a personalized flavor. I make the recipe times 4 for the graduation party...which fed about 50 people! Hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Potato Salad

1 egg
1/3 cup vinegar
1 tablespoon corn starch
1/3 cup sugar
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon mustard
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup heavy cream or half and half

5 medium potatoes, boiled and cut into bite size pieces
4 eggs, hard boiled
2 stalks celery
1/2 red onion
6 large radishes

Cut potatoes in half and place in a large pot with boiling water. Allow to boil about 20-30 minutes depending on the size of your potatoes until the potatoes are tender when poked with a fork. The fork should easily slide into the potato.

In another sauce pan, place 4 eggs and cover with water. Put on a medium high heat until water starts to boil. Turn off heat and let eggs sit in water for 20 minutes.

In a sauce pan, whisk 1 egg. Add vinegar, corn starch, sugar, salt and pepper, mustard and water. Whisk together and turn heat onto medium. Continue to stir for about 5-8 minutes until mixture starts to thicken. Take off heat and allow to cool. Once sauce is cool, whisk in cream or half and half and put in refrigerator to cool and set.

Chop potatoes into bit size pieces. Also chop onion, radishes, celery and eggs and add everything into a large bowl. Pour sauce mix over the top and stir until everything is well coated. Chill before serving.

Enjoy!

200 Cupcakes and a Gorgeous Wedding!

Guess what? I baked 200 cupcakes in two days...then I frosted and decorated 200 cupcakes in 4 hours and put them out on a table for 150 guests...and I lived to tell about it!


I never would have guessed how much work goes into planning a wedding and how much preparation goes into planning one's cupcake display.

I think I tested about 10 different cake batters to find one that would be just right...and I gained about 10 pounds doing it...oh the sacrifices a person makes for their profession!



I wanted to do a few different cupcakes to ensure there was something for everyone at the wedding...some people prefer chocolate...others vanilla...

I ended up making four different cakes: Lemon and Lemon Creme Frosting, Angel Food Cake with a pudding center and Blueberries, Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting and a Shortbread Cake with Crushed Nilla Wafer Crust, Raspberry Cream Filling and a Mascarpone Cream Cheese Filling.

My kitchen has a permanent layer of powdered sugar on it now. I think I will be scrubbing for days to get everything clean again.

On Thursday I did the shopping and baked the lemon, chocolate and shortbread cupcakes and ended up completely gutting my fridge to make room for them. On Friday I baked the angel food cakes, whipped up and bagged the frosting and fillings and decorated the cake stands.

Saturday I went to the reception hall and started decorating! I think I slept a total of 8 hours over 3 nights and the only thing that kept me away was adrenaline and Caribou Coffee!



I've already posted the Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Cream Cheese frosting...you can find that here. For the wedding I just sprinkled shaved chocolate on top of the frosting.

As for the rest of the recipes...I will get them into their individual posts tonight hopefully!

Have a happy day!!