Cherry Kuchen

Time for another Cake Slice Baker's cake.  Once again it was free choice between 4 different cakes, and I chose a Cherry Kuchen. I can't wait to see what my fellow bakers chose as their cake.

The Cake Slice Bakers December 2013 - Streusel Squares

It is the 20th of the month so it must be Cake Slice Baker's time!  Last month was our big announcement letting everyone know that we will be baking from Great Cakes by Carole Walter for the next year.  The cake that had the winning votes for this month was the Streusel Squares. I have to say that this was the perfect cake to be selected, since it is pretty quick and easy to put together, and it stays fresh for quite a while making it the perfect cake to have on hand for when guests drop in unexpectedly.

Blueberries & Cream Crumb Bars

Blueberries and cream is a match made in heaven.  Although it is now possible to get blueberries year-round, this is the time of year that they are the most affordable. Fresh blueberries make a great snack on their own but when you add them to baked goods the results are amazing.

Recently I used them when I made some scones, but this time I wanted a creamy layer for them to nestle in.  While looking for recipes I saw a lot of blueberry crumb bars and a few blueberry custard bars, but none that combined the custard and a crumb topping.  I decided to use the base and crumb topping from my recent post for Razzeleberry bars and a custard filling, and the combination was a great success.

Last night I had a compulsory parent meeting for my daughters JV volleyball team, and there was to be a potluck afterwards, so I thought these would be perfect.  I think they must have been because when the container I brought them in was returned to me there were a few crumbs and a lone blueberry in the bottom.  I was so glad that I had kept a few small pieces at home or I would not have gotten to try the bars at all.

I just love the base of these bars.  The almond meal gives it such a distinct nutty taste, and the hint of lemon complimented the blueberries perfectly, and it just seems to melt in your mouth once you bite into it. They were prefect on their own, but I think that a la mode may just put them over the top.

Blueberries & Cream Crumb Bars
(Printer Friendly Recipe)

Ingredients

Base/Topping ~

• ½ cup white granulated sugar
• ½ brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3 cups all-purpose flour, divided
• ¾ cups almond meal
• 1 cup cold butter, cut into small cubes
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest
• powdered sugar for sprinkling

Custard ~

• 3 eggs
• 1¼ cups sugar
• ¾ cup sour cream
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups blueberries

Preparation

Crust ~

1. Preheat the oven to 375℉. 
2. Line a 9×13 inch pan with parchment paper and spray with nonstick cooking spray. 
3. In a small bowl, whisk the egg and vanilla together until combined. 
4. In the bowl of a food processor add ½ cup white sugar, ½ cup brown sugar, 2½ cups flour, salt, and baking powder; pulse to blend. 
5. Add cold butter; pulse until small crumbs appear. 
6. Remove half of the crumbs and set aside. 
7. Add almond meal, remaining ½ cup of flour, lemon zest, and egg/vanilla mixture to the food processor; pulse until mix comes together. 
8. Press the almond meal-flour mixture evenly into the bottom of prepared pan and bake in the oven for 10 minutes, remove and cool slightly.
9. While the base is baking prepare the custard filling.

Custard ~

1. Place eggs in a medium-sized bowl and whisk the eggs until combined.
2. Add the sugar and continue to whisk until foamy.
3. Add the sour cream, flour, cornstarch, vanilla, and salt and whisk until incorporated. 
4. Fold in the blueberries. 
5. Pour the custard mixture over the crust and smooth the top.
6. Sprinkle the reserved crumb topping over the custard. 
7. Bake until the center is set and the topping is golden, about 30-40 minutes.
8. Let cool, then refrigerate.
9. Once cold, sift powdered sugar over the top and cut into bars/squares/triangles.

Recipe by All That's Left Are The Crumbs©

The Cake Slice Bakers November 2012 - Shoo-Fly Cake

The good news is that I re-joined the Cake Slice Bakers.  The bad news is that everything seemed to conspire against me to get my baking done.  In all honesty 2012 hasn't been my favorite year, so I am really looking forward to 2013.

For those who may be unfamiliar, The Cake Slice consists of a dedicated group of bakers from all over the world.  Every year we bake from a different cake book.  In 2012 - 2013 we are baking from Vintage Cakes by Julie Richardson.  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.  

I was a little apprehensive about making this cake as molasses is not one of my favorite ingredients.  There is just something about the taste that makes me shudder.  Still, I was curious to see how it would turn out and committed to being faithful to the recipe for my first cake back in the group.

After mixing all of the ingredients together and getting ready to pour it into the prepared pan for baking, I was surprised at how thin the batter was.  It was not like any other cake batter I have ever made and reminded me a little of a crepe batter.  Into the pan it went, crumbs sprinkled on top and fingers crossed.     My cake did take longer than the suggested 45 minutes.  When I checked it it looked very "soupy" in the middle so I left it in for approximately 15 extra minutes.  In hindsight maybe an extra 10 minutes would have been better because it ended up a little dry.

The general consensus in my family was that this recipe would not be repeated.  Lets just say that there were a lot more than just the crumbs left on the plate.

Click here to check out the blogs of my fellow Cake Slice Baker's and see their cakes.

Shoo-Fly Cake
(Printer Friendly Recipe)

Ingredients:
Crumb Topping

• ⅓ cup firmly-packed brown sugar
• ¾ cup all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into small cubes

Cake

• 1 cup sugar
• ¾ cup unsalted butter, melted
• ¾ cup unsulfured blackstrap molasses
• 2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 2½ cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 cup warm coffee

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350℉ and grease a 9x2-inch round cake pan with butter.
2. To make crumb topping: combine the brown sugar and flour in a small bowl. Toss in the butter cubes and using your fingertips pinch it into dry mixture to form crumbs.  Place the bowl in the freezer while you make the cake.
3. To make the cake: in a large bowl with an electric hand mixer, beat the sugar, butter, molasses, and vanilla in a large bowl until smooth. Blend in each egg one at a time.
4. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt; then whisk to ensure they are well blended.
5. Using a rubber spatula, stir the flour mixture into the batter in three additions, alternating with the coffee in two additions beginning and ending with the flour mixture.
6. Pour the thin batter into the prepared cake pan and sprinkle with your crumb topping.
7. Bake in the center of the oven until the top is firm, about 45 minutes.
8. Cool on a wire rack for about 30 minutes before serving warm from the pan.

Recipe from Vintage Cakes

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