Apple and Calvados Cake from Normandy ~ #TheCakeSliceBakers

This Apple and Calvados Cake from Normandy has pieces of tart apples and earthy walnuts, nestled in a tender and buttery cake. With a hint of Calvados this French apple cake is the essence of simplicity.

Apple Cake with Honey-Bourbon Glaze ~ #TheCakeSliceBakers

 This Apple Cake with Honey-Bourbon Glaze is chock-full of apple and 

spice flavor and would be the perfect treat on a cold fall afternoon.

Amish Applesauce Cake Recipe ~ BundtBakers

This Amish Applesauce Cake is a wonderfully moist bundt cake that 

is full of deliciously warm spicy flavors.   

Apple Cake with Sage Caramel ~ #TheCakeSliceBakers

“Fall has always been my favorite season. The time when everything bursts with its last beauty, as if nature had been saving up all year for the grand finale.” – Lauren DeStefano

Apple Sharlotka ~ TheCakeSliceBakers

Apple Sharlotka Cake is a delicious combination of an apple cake and Ukrainian cheesecake.

French Apple Cake ~ #TheCakeSliceBakers

The most simple things can bring the most happiness.

Apple Zucchini Nut Mini Bundts ~ #BundtBakers

You know how they say to eat your fruits and vegetables?  I do it in bundt form with these Apple Zucchini Nut Mini Bundts.

Apple Cranberry Jammers ~ #CreativeCookieExchange

"If you are really thankful, what do you do? You share". W. Clement Stone.  These cookies are the perfect dessert to share.

Morning Glory Bundt Cake with Yogurt & Granola Topping ~ #BundtBakers

"I love breakfast, and I don't see any reason it has to be cereal and eggs and toast." Ruth Reichl.  I totally agree and this Morning Glory Bundt with Yogurt Granola Topping would be the perfect something else.

Danish Apple Cake - #CakeSliceBakers

#CakeSliceBakers have baked their first cake from our new book.  As soon as I received my book in  the mail I knew I was going to love it, and could not wait to get started.  There are so many great cake recipes from around the world.

Apple, Pear & Honey Cider Bundt Cake ~ #BundtBakers

Happy Fall, Y'all, that is the theme for this months #BundtBakers.  Fall, that magical time of year where the days start to get a little colder, the leaves turn to brilliant shades of red, orange, and yellow, and the Pumpkin Spice Latte is back.  The only one of these things that happens here in Hawaii is that yes indeed, Pumpkin Spice Lattes are back.

Apple Cranberry Crumble Bars ~ #CreativeCookieExchange

The October theme for #CreativeCookieExchange is Celebrate the season - Autumn, and we were asked to focus on seasonally appropriate ingredients for wherever you are for fall!

Apple French Cruller Bundt Cake ~ #BundtBakers

“Surely the apple is the noblest of fruits.” — Henry David Thoreau.  Apples are one of my favorite fruits, and I love using them in both sweet and savory recipes.  Perfect timing because our theme for #BundtBakers this month is apples.

Fruit and Veggie Quick Bread ~ #TwelveLoaves

The theme for #TwelveLoaves this month is Summer Fun!  I don't know about you but I am definitely ready for some summer fun and can't wait for the long weekend - although honestly my idea of fun may involve catching up on sleep.

Fresh Ginger Apple Chai Cake

Last week I made an amazing Classic Green Mint Chutney from Spices & Seasons, and this week I wanted to try something sweet from the book.  A couple of recipes caught my eye, but there was one I just could not resist - a Fresh Ginger Apple Chai Cake.

The Cake Slice Baker's November 2013 - Applesauce Spice Cake

I have been looking forward to this day for a while.  Not only is it time for a new cake from the Cake Slice Bakers, it is also time to reveal our new book for the upcoming year.  Can I have a drum-roll please - we all voted and the winning book was Great Cakes by Carole Walter.  Ms. Walter is a respected author, has over 30 years of teaching experience, and has been honored for her "Outstanding Commitment to the Culinary Arts.”  It would be an understatement to say that this woman knows her stuff.

Just to refresh your memory the Cake Slice Bakers consists of a dedicated group of bakers from all over the world and every year we bake from a different cake book. Each month a selection of cakes are presented and we vote on which cake to bake next from our current book. We then have a month to bake it in secret before we all blog about it on the same day each month – the 20th – never before. We never reveal to anyone outside of the group which cake it is until this date. There are a few rules that we follow but the most important one is to have fun and enjoy eating cake! We have a blogroll which is open to anyone to view and it lists all the members. We link to this at the end of our cake reveal posts each month and it can be also be found at The Cake Slice Blogroll. Please come and visit us!

Caramel-Stuffed Apple Cider Spice Cookies

A slight chill in the air, leaves changing color, pumpkin patch visits and trips to pick apples - these are all signs that Fall has arrived.  These are all signs that I never see.  Palm fronds do not change color and the only chill I feel in the morning is when one of my girls decides to turn on the hot water tap when I am in the shower.  Such is life, and although I miss these things each Fall, living in a tropical paradise is pretty darn nice too.

It was exciting to find out that this month's theme for the Creative Cookie Exchange was apples, the versatile fruit that works equally well in both sweet and savory dishes.  There are just so many great cookies that feature apple that it was hard to narrow it down to one.  I finally decided on a recipe that included a little caramel, a little cider, and a little spice.

The recipe for caramel-stuffed cookies has been around for quite some time, but after a little research I settled on one and then started making some changes. The recipe called for regular Alpine Apple Cider Instant drink mix, but I decided to use the Caramel Apple version. Since the drink mix is very sweet I cut the sugar down to ½ a cup. A little extra spice never hurts in a cookie so I added a little apple pie spice -which is a wonderful blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, ginger, cloves and cardamom.  I thought that apples pieces in the cookie would be nice too. Granny Smith are my usual apple of choice when baking because they hold up well and are a little tart, and I decided to grate them so the pieces were not too big.  With these changes I found that I also had to add a little more flour so that the cookie mix was not too wet to work with when placing the caramels in the middle.

Tate's Bake Shop: Baking For Friends, Apple Crumb Muffins & a Giveaway!

Winner Update - The winner of the Tate's Bake Shop Cookie and Bar Tower
is Carolsue.  Congratulations!  Please check your email and reply within 48 hours to confirm your mailing address and prize will be mailed by Tate's Bake Shop.  Thanks for visiting my blog and entering my giveaway.


I have a confession to make - I been stalking my mailman (actually lady).  Waiting not so patiently for a package to arrive, and wondering each day if today would be the lucky day?  What was I waiting for you may ask? It was the latest book by Kathleen King, the founder and owner of Tate's Bake Shop - Tate's Bake Shop: Baking for Friends.  I was like a kid at Christmas when it arrived, ripping the package open and flipping through the pages - and this was before I even got through my front door.  And I am doing a giveaway too!

  

A couple of years ago I was lucky enough to win a copy of her first cookbook Tate's Bake Shop Cookbook and some amazing cookies.  The book was wonderful and the cookies were gone in a few days. I even kept the box that the cookies came in because it was so pretty.  I think that the cookies were so good because of the philosophy of Kathleen King, which is use the freshest, preservative-free ingredients possible - real butter, all-natural chocolate, farm-fresh eggs. With her no-nonsense approach to baking it is no wonder that she has won numerous awards and her store is regarded as a "must-visit" when in the area.  And seriously, how cute is the bakery itself; how could you not feel welcomed when visiting and enjoying a cookie, brownie, or any of their other delicious treats?

Once I opened the package I just knew I was in for a treat.  The cover looks so inviting and I couldn't wait to sit down and enjoy reading it with a good cup of coffee.  I am like that - I read cookbooks like they are a novel.  Reading the introduction usually gives me a good insight into the person behind the book.  As I read through it I found myself nodding in agreement with things like "I loved to see the joy on people's faces as they bit into those cookies", "life can get hectic", and "don't be too concerned about making a picture-perfect dessert".  My favorite quote is at the end of the introduction - "...it's also about sharing - connecting with the people in your life.  Let them inspire you, and enjoy the process."  There are also some great tips when it comes to baking the recipes themselves.

The book is divided into seven chapters and has over 120 recipes for amazing muffins, scones, quick breads, pies, cookies, and so much more.  There were so many recipes that caught my eye whilst reading through the book that I kept wondering how I was going to choose my first one to try.  In the end I decided that there is no better place than to begin than at the beginning, and chose the first recipe in the book, Apple Crumb Muffins.  I decided that I am going to work my way through the recipes in the book from start to end.  It may take a while, but I have a feeling that it is going to be very enjoyable.

As mentioned at the beginning of the recipe the ingredient list may seem a little long, but I found that there were a few common ingredients between the topping and the muffins, so measuring didn't take long, and the rest came together very quickly.  I loved the consistency of the crumb topping.  To me it seemed a little more moist than usual but it made an outstanding crunch on the top of the muffins. Do make sure you measure your chopped apple because you may need more than one.  My apples - Granny Smith's - were a little small and I needed two of them to get the right amount required for the recipe.  I followed the recipe exactly as written and it did make 10 beautifully plump muffins. 

The smell from the oven as these were baking was intoxicating, and I was glad that they were ready in 20 minutes.  The hard part was waiting for them to cool.  I couldn't resist picking the topping off of one of the muffins to try.  It was crunchy, crumbly, cinnmony and oh-so-good but I don't know if that was the best idea since it made the wait for the rest of the muffin even harder.  I have to be truthful and tell you that I only waited a few minutes for it to cool so I wouldn't burn my fingers too much. It was a little hard to get out of the pan and that is why you should wait.  Just call me Mrs. Impatient but that muffin was worth it.  As I was enjoying it I was thinking that these would be an excellent muffin on Thanksgiving morning, especially with a handful of cranberries thrown in to the batter.

The recipes in the book are very well set out and easy to follow. Some of the names are really cute - who could resist Chubby Tates or "Church Lady" Vanilla Icing, and there is such a great variety of recipes including some for health & lifestyle baking.  I also loved the photographs in this book taken by Alexandra Rowley.  There are very few props in the photos making the baked goods the star.  She highlights the goodies in a way that makes you want to reach out and grab one to enjoy.  Tate's Bake Shop is offering readers of this blog $5.00 off Tate's Bake Shop: Baking for Friends - and it is an autographed copy!  All you have to do is visit TatesBakeShop.com and enter the discount code BAKEOFF.  Also, check out the Baking for Friends Bake-Off contest on Facebook.  The Grand Prize is $1000, and 5 winners will receive a KitchenAid stand mixer and a copy of Tate's Bake Shop: Baking for Friends.

And it gets even better.  I am doing a giveaway with a great prize!

Main Entry
To enter the giveaway all you have to do is visit Tate's Bake Shop and then come back and leave a comment telling me what you item you would order if you were to visit the store - please try to be specific and don't just say a muffin or a cookie.

Additional Entries
Even more chances to win - you can receive up to two additional entries by doing the following:

1. Following All That's Left Are The Crumbs on Facebook - leave an additional comment to let me know that you are following.
2. Following Tate's Bake Shop on Facebook - leave an additional comment to let me know that you are following.

The Fine Print

• Deadline for entry is Wednesday, October 24, 2012 at 6:00PM HST.
• This giveaway is open only to US addresses.
• One winner will be chosen at random using Random.org.  I will announce the winner at the top of this post and send them an email.  If I do not have a response within 48 hours, another winner will be selected.
• The winner will receive a Tate's Bake Shop Cookie and Bar Tower - which is an assortment of goodies including blondies, brownies, and a selection of their famous cookies (prize supplied directly to the winner by Tate's Bake Shop).

Disclaimer:  I received a free review copy of Tate's Bake Shop: Baking for Friends, but this is my honest opinion of the book and I was not compensated for my review. Tate's Bake Shop is also providing a prize for the winner of my giveaway.

Apple Crumb Muffins
(Printer Friendly Recipe)

Ingredients

• softened butter for the muffins cups

Crumb Topping

• 3 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons cold salted butter - cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 2 tablespoons old-fashioned (rolled) oats
• 2 tablespoons firmly packed dark brown sugar
• ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Muffins

• 1½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• ½ cups old-fashioned (rolled) oats
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• ¼ cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1¼ teaspoons ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ salt
• ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 large apple - peeled, cored, and cut into ¼-inch dice (1¾ cups)
• ½ cup buttermilk
• ¼ cup applesauce
• ¼ cup vegetable oil
• 1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preparation

1. Position an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 400℉.  Butter ten 3-by-1½- inch muffins cups.
2. To make the crumb topping: In a small bowl, work together the flour, butter, oats, brown sugar, and cinnamon with your fingertips until the  mixture is crumbly.
3. To make the muffins: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, salt,  and nutmeg.  Stir in the apple.
4. In a small bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, applesauce, vegetable oil, egg, yolk, and vanilla well. Pour over the apple mixture and stir until just combined.  Do not over-mix.
5. Using a ⅓-cup food portion scoop or a spoon, transfer equal amounts of the batter into the prepared muffin cups.  The cups will be full.  Sprinkle the crumbs evenly on the muffins
6. Bake until a wooden toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the middle of a muffin, about 20 minutes.  Let the muffins cool in the pan on a wire cooling rack for 10 to 15 minutes.  Remove from pan and let cool completely on the rack.

Makes 10 muffins.

Recipe by Kathleen King - Tate's Bake Shop: Baking with Friends

Creamy Sweet Potato, Pumpkin, and Apple Soup

In all honesty it really doesn't get cold enough here to be true soup weather.  That doesn't stop me from craving soup every now and again, especially on a rainy night.  Soup is one of those dishes that just screams comfort to me.  One of my favorites is pumpkin soup, but I decided to add a few different ingredients into my regular recipe.


Roasting pumpkin, sweet potato, and apple just brings out all of their yummy goodness.  Once these vegetables have been roasted this soup comes together very quickly.  That drizzle of honey and sprigs of rosemary add that something special to the soup.  Actually honey and rosemary together have become one of my favorite combinations.  Both ingredients have health benefits too so I am happy to use them whenever I can.  Honey has been proven to energize the body, boost immunity, fight bacteria, promote healing of cuts and burns, and help heal sore throats.  I remember my Home Economics teacher telling the class that if we could keep honey in our throats permanently we would never suffer from a sore throat.  Research has shown that rosemary contains anti-inflammatory compounds that may make it useful for reducing the severity of asthma attacks and substances that are useful for stimulating the immune system, increasing circulation, and improving digestion. Also, rosemary has been shown to increase the blood flow to the head and brain, therefore improving concentration.  I think I will go and pick a branch a day to test out the last fact.



It also freezes well, but make sure that you do not add the cream prior to freezing as it tends to curdle the mixture after you thaw it.  I find that if you thaw it out, gently reheat, and then add the cream it works like a charm.  I love serving this with a little Greek yogurt on top and some crusty bread.  I have also added coconut milk rather than cream to my regular pumpkin soup, and I bet it would taste great in this soup too.

Creamy Sweet Potato, Pumpkin, and Apple Soup©

(Printer Friendly Recipe)

Ingredients

• 1 butternut pumpkin (about 2 lbs), chopped into cubes
• 3 Granny Smith apples, peeled and chopped into cubes
• 2 sweet potatoes, chopped into cubes
• 2 sprigs rosemary
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 onion, diced
• 3 tablespoon olive oil, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 6 cups vegetable broth
• 1/2 cup cream (or half & half)
• 1/2 cups water (or more depending on desired consistency)
• sour cream or Greek yogurt

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Pour 2 tablespoon olive oil in a roasting pan and add sweet potato, pumpkin, and apple in a roasting pan.
3. Drizzle honey over top and toss to coat. 
4. Add sprigs of rosemary, salt, and pepper and roast for approximately 30 minutes.  Toss the mixture, and then continue roasting for another 10-15 minutes, or until tender.
5. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to a soup pot and saute the onion until translucent. 
6. Remove rosemary sprigs and add roasted vegetables and stock and bring to a gentle boil.
7. Remove from heat and allow to cool for about 10 minutes.
8. Puree the mixture in a blender or food processor.
9. Return pot to a gentle heat and add cream, nutmeg, and water. 
10. Check seasoning and serve with a little sour cream or Greek yogurt on top.

Makes approximately 10 cups.

Recipe by All That's Left Are The Crumbs.

Pie Day becomes Tart Day

Today,  January 23, is National Pie Day. It was created by the American Pie Council. The American Pie Celebration began in 1986 to commemorate Crisco's 75th anniversary of "serving foods to families everywhere." I had every intention of baking a mile-high pie today.  My time management skills were severely lacking today so a pie became a simple tart.

Once I realized that the pie was a no-go I quickly thawed out a couple of sheets of puff pastry.  I don't know why Pepperidge Farm doesn't package their pastry sheets in flat package because it is a total pain to unfold them, and they are always getting stuck together.  Out came the rolling pin and I quickly repaired the damage.  To make the little tarts I simply used a circle cutter and made 6 circles out of each sheet.  I placed then on a Silpat so that they would be not stick to the pan.


I then layered apples over the top in a circular pattern.  I decided to use a spice that I picked up in Australia called Mixed Spice.  It is a blend of cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg.  After sprinkling a little of the spice on each tart I put them in the oven for about 20 minutes.  The pastry puffs up and cooks to golden brown, and the apples soften slightly.  Once they came out of the oven I heated up a little marmalade in the microwave and brushed it over the top as a glaze.  You could also use apricot or pineapple preserves with similar results.


This is such a quick and easy dessert to make.  Little effort and big reward.  I topped it off with a scoop of Salted Caramel Ice Cream and we were all very happy campers.

Spiced Apple Tarts

(Printer Friendly Recipe)

Ingredients

• 1 box of puff pastry (containing 2 sheets), thawed
• 2 apples, peeled and quartered, and cut in thin slices
• 2 teaspoons mixed spice (or cinnamon)
• 2 tablespoons orange marmalade

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Cut puff pastry sheets into 12 circles and place on baking sheets.
3. Layer apples on pastry in a circular pattern.
4. Sprinkle the tops of the tarts with a small amount of spice.
5. Bake for approximately 20 minutes, until pastry is golden and apples are tender.
6. Place marmalade in a bowl and heat for 20 seconds in the microwave.
7. Brush marmalade over the tops of the apple tarts.
8. Serve warm with ice cream or whipped cream.