Making Life Delicious (tm)

Caramel Apple Cake…Good Enough for Company

HeatherS — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 19:33:13 +0000

So last week we delved deep into the fridge, freezer and cupboards to use up that which has a tendency to sit around. This always feels like a low-rent take on Iron Chef. The secret ingredient is…pasta!

Meals included:

Oma’s Spaghetti Sauce reheated from the freezer with a 1/2 box of leftover spaghetti
Frozen enchiladas with the end of the box of quinoa boiled up with chicken bouillon cubes and mixed with roasted onions and fennel.
Hors d’oeuvres night when we served crackers and cucumbers with whipped cream cheese, smoked salmon and hummus.
And one night…French Lentil Soup with crispy leftover bacon and freshly baked Cheese Gougeres made from frozen dough. And for dessert…Caramel Apple Cake.

Despite my predilection for things sweet, I usually don’t make dessert during the week. There is always something sweet to give to the kids and I, frankly, just don’t need it. I save most of my sinful eating (and drinking) for weekends and parties. But when I saw these shriveled apples sitting in my fruit bowl, I was suddenly struck with the urge to use everything and so this apple cake was born. I kind of had to make it right? right?

I searched the Interwebz for an appropriate recipe to start from and was surprised by the lack of variation in the recipes I found. I found many good looking cakes and all of them were basically the same. There were slight variations in amounts, but the ingredients were strikingly similar. I decided to wing it while leaning toward the slightly healthier versions with less oil and more apples. I made my choices and made one pretty delicious cake, but… I felt like it could be better.

Sooooo, the next week I made another one and tweaked the recipe just a bit more. The result was what I consider to be a guest-worthy apple cake.

Here is what I came up with…

Heather’s Leftover Apple Cake
Adapted from Various Sources

PRINT-FRIENDLY RECIPE

CAKE

1 1/2 cups plus 1/4 cup sugar, divided
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
2/3 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
4 large eggs
zest and juice of one orange
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon plus 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, divided
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
4 cups peeled, cored and chopped apples, about 1/4-1/2 inch dice (use sweet or sour cooking apples according to your taste)
1/3 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup toasted nuts (optional)

GLAZE

1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup heavy cream

TO MAKE CAKE

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour a bundt pan.

Beat together the oil, apple sauce, eggs, 1 1/2 cups sugar, 1/4 cup dark brown sugar, orange zest and juice and vanilla until thoroughly combined. In a separate bowl, toss the apples with the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar and 1 tablespoon of cinnamon. Add the flour, baking powder, salt and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon to the wet ingredients and mix just to combine. Fold in the sugared apples and raisins.

Pour into the bundt pan and bake until a tester comes out clean. About 75-80 minutes.

Just before the cake is done, make the glaze.

TO MAKE GLAZE

In a saucepan over medium-low heat, melt the butter. Add the sugars and salt. Cook stirring frequently for 2 minutes. Stir in the cream and bring to a boil. Boil, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes.

When the cake comes out of the oven, skewer it several times while still in the pan. Make holes all over with a fork or toothpick or I used a…skewer. You are making lots of holes to accept the sauce. Don’t worry about making the cake messy looking, the top will soon be the top.

Pour half of the glaze over the holey cake.

Let the cake sit for about 30 minutes. What you are looking for is that the glaze has been absorbed and has stiffened up enough that it no longer runs.

Turn out the cake onto a rack and glaze with the remaining caramel sauce (rewarm the sauce a bit if it no longer pours). I scooped up what dripped and reglazed the cake about 3-4 times to use up every delectable bit. Once the glaze has thoroughly stiffened up, transfer to your serving platter and serve.

This cake will keep covered for about 3 days at room temperature, but chances are it won’t last that long. It is great for breakfast, lunch, after school snack and dessert, so it goes quickly.

And here is one more thought. I also made this same cake as mini-cakes for a friend’s brunch.

I simply cooked them in a mini cupcake pan instead of a bundt. A half-portion of the batter made about 24 mini cakes. They cooked in about 1/3 of the time and I drenched the final cakes in the glaze. They were very tasty!

Ina’s Snowy Coconut Cupcakes

HeatherS — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 10:11:25 +0000

Do you like coconut? Not everybody does, which, I must admit, I find confusing. Like when people don’t like chocolate. It just doesn’t compute. Of course, I don’t prefer a number of things that other people swoon over (scallops, lobster, olives, flan…). And my second child gives me personal lessons on palate preferences when she turns down pretty much everything I make with her diplomatic phrase “this is not my favorite Mommy.”

Well even my beautiful picky Ellie will eat these lovelies. These are the cupcakes that people ask about year after year at my daughters’ school bake sales and these are the cupcakes that I make when I get that coconut cake craving. They are very coconutty, and sweet, but not too sweet. Nothin’ fancy about these, but they are delicious!

And despite my friends’ differing opinions on coconut, these cupcakes always manage to disappear when they are brought to any gathering.

My Favorite Coconut Cupcakes
Adapted from a recipe by Ina Garten

CAKE

3/4 pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar
5 extra-large eggs at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons pure almond extract
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup buttermilk
7 ounces shredded coconut, unsweetened preferred

FROSTING

1 pound cream cheese at room temperature
3/4 pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract
1 1/2 pounds confectioners’ sugar
7 ounces shredded coconut, unsweetened preferred

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, add the eggs, 1 at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition. Add the vanilla and almond extracts and mix well.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In 3 parts, alternately add the dry ingredients and the buttermilk to the batter, beginning and ending with the dry. Mix until just combined. Fold in 7 ounces of coconut.

Line a muffin pan with paper liners. Divide the batter among the cups. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, until the tops are brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Take care not to overcook because there is a danger that the cupcakes may become dry. Allow to cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Remove to a baking rack and cool completely.

Meanwhile, make the frosting. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, on low speed, cream together the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla and almond extracts. Add the confectioners’ sugar and mix until smooth.

Frost the cupcakes and sprinkle with the remaining coconut.

VERY IMPORTANT: Store at room temperature. Do not refrigerate!

Barley, Lentil & Mushroom Soup

HeatherS — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 09:30:00 +0000

Paula made this soup for her Holiday party this year and it was fabulous! There was plenty of truly delicious food, but I went back for seconds of this soup and was shameless enough to ask for some of the leftovers.

Paula, who is a vegetarian, made this with vegetable stock (fantastic), but I went full on with the beef stock (yummy). Later, I made it again, this time with chicken stock (delicious). Really, you can’t go wrong. I changed the original recipe by cutting back a little on the barley and the lentils, but it is still a very hearty soup, almost a stew. I also made it a teeny tiny bit healthier by cutting back on the oil. You can do whatever feels right to you.

I noticed that this soup definitely improves with age. It was better two hours after I made it and even better the next day, so I recommend that you make it a day ahead if you can. I served it with Cheese Gougères that I whipped up with leftover Christmas cheese, but it would also be fantastic with a nice crusty bread.

Barley, Lentil & Mushroom Soup
Adapted from a recipe at Allrecipes.com

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
2 medium carrots, finely chopped
2/3 cup pearl barley
2/3 cup dry brown lentils
1/3 cup dried porcini mushrooms, rinsed
2 quarts stock (vegetable, beef or chicken)
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
1 tablespoon fresh parsley
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 dry bay leaf
4 cups sliced button mushrooms
2 tablespoons red wine

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion. Cook and stir until onions are limp, but not brown, about 5 minutes.

Mix in the celery and carrot. Cook for another 5 minutes.

Stir in the barley and lentils so they are coated with oil, continue to cook and stir until lightly toasted.

Pour in the beef broth and season with thyme, parsley, pepper and the bay leaf. Bring to a boil. Add the porcini mushrooms.

NOTE: The first time I made this I added the porcini mushrooms whole, the second time I chopped the soaked and rinsed mushrooms finely. I preferred the way that the finely chopped mushrooms flavored and distributed in the soup, but do whatever you like best.

Cover and simmer for the soup for 25 minutes over low heat. Add the sliced button mushrooms.

Cover and continue cooking for another 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Mix in wine during the last 5 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed before serving.

2011 Year in Review

HeatherS — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 20:08:41 +0000

2011 gone…history. Never again will I have the opportunity to write 11/11/11 on a check. What’s a check? I forget.

Personally, it was a momentous year. I developed and launched Livin’ The Pie Life with my friend Leah and we are off to a roaring start. We made over 100 pies over the holidays and I’m proud of every one. I’m learning a lot about running a food business and I see nothing but fun and opportunity ahead. Getting paid to make pie and other desserts? I can get behind that.

It was a big year at Making Life Delicious as well. I celebrated my one year blog anniversary and passed the 500,000 visitor mark. Looking back on the popular posts of the year, certain themes emerge… Oma, alcohol, chocolate and peanut butter. That all sounds pretty darn delicious to me. So without further ado, here is the countdown of the top 10 posts of 2011.

#10: Rosemary Lemontini

#9: Oma’s Whisky Sour

#8: Chocolate Peanut Butter Madness Cake

#7: Oma’s One Hour Spaghetti Sauce

#6: Fresh Raspberry Buttercream Frosting

#5: Bakery-Style Chewy Brownies

#4: Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownies

#3: Chocolate Pecan PieCake

#2: Original Sin Bars

And finally, I present the #1 post of this year or any year. My most popular post to date…

#1: Oma’s Sour Cream Chicken

And now on to 2012. I think I’ll make some soup.

White Chocolate Macadamia Coconut Truffles

HeatherS — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 09:30:40 +0000

And now we come to the final installment of Candyfest 2011. Over the course of this year’s Candyfest, Paula and I created candy flavored with peppermint, peanut butter, chocolate and caramel. White chocolate, coconut and sweet macadamia nuts seemed like the perfect way to round out our box of Holiday sweets.

White Chocolate Macadamia Coconut Truffles
Adapted from a recipe at Epicurious

8 oz white chocolate
1 cup salted dry-roasted macadamia nuts (5 oz)
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons amber or dark rum
1 1/2 cups finely shredded unsweetened coconut (toasted or not or both)

Finely grind white chocolate in a food processor and transfer to a bowl. Pulse nuts in food processor until finely ground (be careful not to grind to a paste).

Bring cream to a simmer in a medium skillet. Remove from heat and stir in rum. Whisk in white chocolate until melted by the hot cream and residual heat from the pan. When the ganache is smooth, stir in nuts. Pour ganache into a plastic-wrap–lined 8-inch square baking pan and chill, uncovered, until firm, about 4 hours.

Invert ganache onto a work surface and remove plastic wrap. Cut ganache into 64 squares and roll each piece between your palms to form a ball. When all balls are formed, roll in coconut to cover completely. We rolled some in plain coconut and some in toasted. Both were delicious. Chill truffles, covered, until ready to serve.