applesauce cake

adapted from Gale Gand's Applesauce Cake

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened to room temperature
• 2 cups brown sugar (dark or light), packed
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1-1/2 to 2 teaspoons cinnamon, to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup golden raisins
• 2-1/4 cup all-purpose flour, separated (1/4 cup flour set aside)
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 cups unsweetened applesauce (if you have sweetened applesauce, just reduce the brown sugar slightly)
• powdered sugar to decorate

preheat oven to 350 degrees F. butter and flour two loaf pans.

in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and brown sugar together until light and fluffy. add eggs one at a time, beating until each is fully incorporated. add salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla, stop mixer and scrape down sides, and beat a bit longer until completely mixed.

toss raisins in 1/4 cup flour in a small mixing bowl and set aside. add 1 cup flour to mixture in mixer, then 1 cup applesauce, and repeat. stop mixer, scrape down sides, start again and continue to mix for another minute, then add flour-coated raisins and mix just until evenly distributed. stop mixer, and divide batter between loaf pans. place in middle of oven and bake for 40-45 minutes, until done (a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean). cool in pans on wire racks until completely cooled, then turn out onto plates and dust with powdered sugar to decorate.

try this pumpkin bread recipe from Baking Bites! you won't regret it.

so tonight, I decided to try a pumpkin bread recipe from Baking Bites, and yes! I am so glad I did. I don't think I've ever tried one of Nicole Weston's clearly brilliant recipes before, but I definitely will be checking out many more of them in the near future. when I first spied her recipe for one-bowl pumpkin bread with toasted pepitas, I knew I had to try it. it just sounded so scrumptious, yet was simple enough to mix up all in one bowl.

I did make a few changes, as is my wont, and while they worked out well, I have no doubt the recipe as written will come out perfectly as well. my changes: I baked a double batch, since I didn't want to store half a can of pumpkin puree. the cans I bought were 15 oz cans, so instead of a full 8 oz cup of pumpkin per loaf, I used 7.5 oz each and it was no problem at all. because I prefer its nutritional profile, I used melted butter rather than vegetable oil. to keep the one-bowl integrity of the recipe, I simply started it off my melting the butter in the bowl in the microwave. other minor changes: I used my own homemade pumpkin pie spice (using this super-easy and delicious recipe from The Kitchn. lastly, I didn't have coarse sugar on hand to sprinkle on top of the loaves before baking, so when they were about halfway done, I spooned a somewhat-uneven, rather sparse layer of white sugar over the loaves to form a crunchy, sweet topping that partially glazed for that touch of extra sweetness.

the results? incredible. make the recipe exactly as written, or customize it to your ingredients/preferences -- there are several variations suggesting in the recipe, or you can wing it (as long as you're comfortable with making successful substitutions in baking recipes). you're sure to be quite pleased with this pumpkin bread. it is now "my" pumpkin bread -- the recipe I'll be making for years to come.

when you try it, please leave me a note and let me know how yours came out! for now, I will focus on mustering up the willpower to wait until tomorrow morning for another piece. wish me luck!

the perfect yellow cake

• 1 stick butter, softened to room temperature 
• 1 ½ cups granulated sugar 
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature 
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil (warmed until liquid, then measured) 
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 
• 1 ¼ cups whole milk 
• 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour (spooned into measuring cups, then leveled off with a knife – no need to sift) 
• 3 ½ teaspoons baking powder, sifted or pushed through a sieve to break up clumps 
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt 

preheat oven to 340° F.

cut parchment paper in circles to fit the bottom of (2) 9 x 1 1/2-inch round cake pans. butter the pans, then place the parchment in the pans and butter the paper.

in a large bowl, cream the butter with the sugar until light and fluffy. beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition until completely incorporated. add the coconut oil and vanilla, and combine. mix in half of the flour (don't overmix, just incorporate), then half of the milk, then the rest of the flour, then the rest of the milk, beating until fully combined. sift in the baking powder, add the salt, and beat until just combined. pour the batter into prepared pans.

bake for 25 to 35 minutes, until a wooden pick inserted near center of cake comes out clean (a few small crumbs are fine), or until cake springs back when touched lightly in the center. cool cakes on wire racks for 15 minutes; remove from pans and cool completely.

fresh raspberry mousse pie with lemon shortbread crust

a light, refreshing pie that surprises with hidden fresh raspberries and a lemony crust

lemon shortbread crust

• 1 stick butter, softened to room temperature
• ⅓ cup sugar
• 1 large egg yolks
• zest of 1 lemon
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

raspberry puree:

• 2 cups fresh raspberries
• ½ cup sugar (more or less to taste, depending on how tart or sweet your raspberries are)
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• tiny pinch of salt
• 1 ½ teaspoons gelatin
• 2 tablespoons water

stabilized whipped cream

• 1 ½ teaspoons gelatin
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• tiny pinch of salt
• ¼ teaspoon vanilla

to assemble pie

• 1 ½ cups fresh raspberries

make shortbread crust: preheat oven to 375 degrees F. butter a deep dish pie pan (or a 2-quart round glass casserole dish). using a wooden spoon, cream butter and sugar together in a medium-sized bowl. stir the egg yolks in one at a time, incorporating the first completely before adding the next. stir in the lemon zest. then add the flour and salt, and combine (but try not to overwork it). it may seem a bit dry, but a pinch of the dough should hold together nicely. press the dough into the bottom and up the sides of the dish, making it as even as you can. prick the bottom of the dough with a fork three or four times, then place in oven and bake for 18-22 minutes, until edges just start to turn golden brown. set on a rack to cool completely.

make the raspberry puree: while the crust is baking, sprinkle the gelatin over the 2 tablespoons of water in a small saucepan, and let bloom for 1-2 minutes. place the pan over low heat and stir just until gelatin is dissolved. allow to cool (speed the cooling a bit by placing the pan in the freezer, or over an ice bath) to room temperature. wash and gently dry the raspberries, then puree them in a food processor or blender with ½ cup sugar, lemon juice and a pinch of salt. press the puree through a metal mesh strainer and discard the seeds. whisk in the cooled gelatin, cover the puree and refrigerate to allow it to thicken a bit while you do the next step. 

make the stabilized whipped cream*: using the same saucepan you previously used for gelatin, bloom 1 ½ teaspoons of gelatin in 2 tablespoons of water. place on a burner on low heat, and stir just until gelatin is dissolved. cool as you did before. pour the cream into the stand mixer’s** bowl and beat on low for about 30 seconds. increase speed to medium and beat for another 30 seconds. increase speed to high, and add sugar, salt, and then the cooled gelatin. continue beating for another minute or so, until it forms very stiff peaks. scoop about 1 to 1 ½ cups into a smaller bowl, whisk vanilla into this smaller portion, and set aside in the refrigerator. scrape the remaining whipped cream out into a large bowl.

make the mousse: pour the refrigerated raspberry puree into the stand mixer's** bowl and beat on high until foamy. scrape the puree into the large bowl of whipped cream and fold together thoroughly, working quickly and carefully to keep it from deflating as much as possible. refrigerate mousse for at least an hour to allow it to firm up.

assemble the pie: set 3 of the prettiest raspberries aside to garnish the finished pie. scatter the remaining fresh raspberries in a single layer on the the crust. scoop the finished mousse into the crust, on top of the raspberries. smooth the top with a spatula. fetch the vanilla-flavored whipped cream from the refrigerator and use it to decorate the top of the pie. I put it in a pastry bag and piped little mounds around the perimeter and in the center; you decorate it however you’d like. arrange the reserved raspberries in the center to garnish the pie.

*you need to stabilize the whipped cream (rather than using regular whipped cream) for several reasons: 1) it improves the texture of both the mousse and the whipped cream decorations on top of the pie, 2) it keeps it shape better, so the mousse won’t deflate; it will stay fluffy and be easier to cut.

**if you don’t have a stand mixer, either use a hand-held mixer, or a bowl and a whisk. it truly can all be done by hand, but it’s a bit of a workout, so be prepared.

blondies

photo courtesy Stacey Cloud Chester

on one hand, blondies are very simple -- just like brownies, except the chocolate is concentrated in the chips, rather than incorporated into the batter. on the other hand, they're richer and more complex than brownies: because the batter is made with brown sugar, they're almost butterscotch-y in flavor. I used 2/3 semi-sweet chocolate chips and 1/3 chopped bittersweet chocolate (both Ghiradelli), because it's what I had on hand, and the sweet batter called out for a more intense chocolate. you can use light brown sugar, dark brown sugar or a combination - - the more dark brown sugar, the more butterscotch-y the flavor. this recipe makes a nice big batch.

• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, melted
• 2-1/2 cups light or dark brown sugar, packed
• 4 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 scant teaspoon kosher salt (kosher salt is tastier and less bitter than table salt. if you don't have any on hand, use 1/2 teaspoon table salt)
• 2 cups all-purpose flour, unsifted
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 ounces bittersweet baking chocolate, chopped or broken up into approximately 1/2" pieces
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

preheat the oven to 350 °F. butter and flour an 9 x 13 inch baking pan. in a large bowl, stir the eggs and sugar together (you do not want to incorporate extra air here; these are best when dense and just barely leavened), then the vanilla and salt. pour in the melted butter and whisk to combine thoroughly (do not overbeat).  sift the flour and baking powder directly over the bowl, all at once. again, gently whisk it all together until just combined -- i.e., no streaks of flour unincorporated; batter is thick and homogenous. stir in the chopped bittersweet chocolate and semi-sweet chocolate chips. using a flexible spatula or spoon, scrape the batter into the prepared pan, spreading evenly and smothing the top out a bit. bake for 25 minutes. test center for doneness and continue to bake, checking every 5 minutes, until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. cool on a rack, cut into small squares and eat!

cinnamon-raisin bread pudding made with pan dulce (bonus! caramel recipe)

pan dulce can be used to make very good bread pudding -- the textures and flavors are very well-suited. I like to buy a variety of different conchas (chocolate, cinnamon, anise -- they're fairly subtle in flavor) specifically for bread pudding, and allow them to get a bit dried-out in the refrigerator for a few days. sometimes I augment the pastries with plain white bread if I don't have enough on hand. in this recipe, the measurements for pan dulces and bread are flexible -- any ratio will do, as long as you keep the total volume the same (I'll measure the volume of torn pastry/bread pieces next time I make this recipe). if you have only fresh pan dulce or bread and don't want to wait days to make this pudding, just toast the pieces lightly in the oven at about 250°F for 10 minutes or so. you don't want them to get browned, just a bit dry to ensure a bread pudding with the proper texture -- firm, but not dry; definitely not goopy or wet. below, I've also included my recipe-in-progress for caramel sauce, which is quite scrumptious drizzled generously over bread pudding or just about anything else.


4 pan dulces, torn into pieces approximately 1" on all sides (torn pieces are more aesthetically appealing to me than slices or cut cubes, but won't affect the final outcome, so tear, slice or cut as you prefer)
1 thick slice plain white bread, torn into pieces (same size as pan dulce pieces)
1 cup golden raisins
3 tablespoons cinnamon
2 cups milk
2 cups cream
2/3 cup dark brown sugar, packed (increase to 3/4 cup if using plain white bread only)
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (I use Mexican vanilla; bourbon or other liqueur also works well)
2 tablespoons softened butter

preheat oven to 350°F. butter a medium-large covered baking dish (if you don't have a covered baking dish of the proper size, you can cover your dish tightly with foil). scatter half of the pan dulce and/or bread pieces in the dish, sprinkle with half of the cinnamon and half of the raisins, then repeat. thoroughly whisk together the milk, cream, sugar, salt, eggs and vanilla (or liqueur) in a large bowl and pour evenly over all, pressing down with a slotted spoon to ensure all the pastry and/or pieces are soaked. dot the top of the pudding with the softened butter, cover with lid or foil, and bake for 25 minutes. remove cover or foil and continue to bake for about 20 more minutes, until the top of the bread pudding is golden brown and center is firm (a toothpick inserted in center should come out clean).


the above bread pudding is *very* good served with caramel sauce. I'm working on perfecting my sauce recipe; in the meantime, here's the recipe-in-progress, which produces caramel candy when cooled. my goal is to produce a thick caramel syrup when cooled. however, this caramel is delicious, and is the perfect texture when warm. more notes: candy-making is basically kitchen chemistry; the temperatures specified are very important, and I've found it essential to use a candy thermometer. many cookbooks and websites describe various methods for testing the sugar syrup to determine the stage (thread, soft-ball, firm-ball, etc.), but I've gotten the best results when using a candy thermometer. it's also important to be aware that you'll be working with VERY hot sugar syrup (which can produce severe burns), so take all necessary precautions: turn all saucepan handles in so they don't protrude where the pan could easily be knocked over; let other people in the house know what you're doing so they'll be careful around the stove, etc. that said, candy-making is a great way to watch physics/chemistry in action as sugar syrup changes physical states, browning reactions take place, etc., so I think it's good to encourage those who are interested to watch and participate. enough warnings -- *do* try making this; it's a lot of fun!


2 cups white sugar
2 cups heavy cream
1/4 cup invert sugar syrup (sugar syrup boiled to the soft ball stage with a bit of cream of tartar or lemon juice, which will convert it to glucose & sucrose -- check this link for a detailed recipe) OR corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (again, I use Mexican vanilla; you can also substitute bourbon or any other liqueur)


place sugar, cream, invert sugar syrup (or corn syrup) and salt in a large saucepan -- make sure it's deep enough that the mixture can boil up to well over twice the original volume without boiling over. stir over medium heat until sugar is dissolved. when mixture comes to a boil, stop stirring if you haven't already. clip a candy thermometer to the side of the pan, immersing bulb in the boiling liquid (and ensuring that the bulb is not touching the bottom of the pan). adjust heat down to medium-low -- keep it boiling, but not boiling over. continue to cook until mixture reaches 235°F - 240°F -- this will take a while, as the sugar syrup is passing through several phases to reach the "soft ball" stage. at the same time, the proteins in the cream are undergoing the Maillard Reaction, which you can observe directly as it turns a creamy golden brown in color. when the mixture reaches the proper temperature, turn off the heat, remove the candy thermometer, add the vanilla (without stirring), cover the pan and remove from the burner. allow it to cool for a few minutes, then stir in the vanilla. spoon a bit out, make sure it's not too hot and taste. the mixture should be nicely thickened and deliciously caramel-y. use it warm to drizzle over the bread pudding (or any other dessert). you can also *pour it into a buttered glass dish, cover with buttered wax paper and refrigerate to cut into caramel candies, or you can *pour it into a jar to keep for future use -- you'll have to warm it up to scoop it out. *note: when pouring caramel, DO pour while it's still quite warm. do NOT scrape the sides of the pan with a spatula or spoon to get it all out -- the mixture that adheres to the sides of the pan can contain sugar crystals that can ruin your entire batch of caramel. AFTER pouring, feel free to scoop any remaining syrup and use it immediately over your dessert, nom it straight off the spoon, etc.; just don't include it with any caramel you store.