Fresh Apple Bundt Cake

This cake is a great way to use the fresh fruit of autumn.  This cake is super moist and filled with apple-y flavor.  Dusted with a little powdered sugar, it’s the perfect balance of sweet.  Perfection is this cake with a cup of tea or coffee, or really get into the holiday spirit with a cup of hot cider!

Fresh Apple Bundt Cake

Serves 12

Adapted from Iowa Girl Eats

• 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup natural unsweetened applesauce (1 proportioned cup is the perfect size)
• 3 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3-4 small apples (I used pink lady, but granny smith would work too), peeled, cored and diced in 1/2″ cubes (3 cups total)
• powdered sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Generously spay a bundt pan with cooking spray and set aside.

In a large bowl, beat together butter, oil, and sugar until pale yellow.  Add applesauce and beat until well mixed.  Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition, then add vanilla.

In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder and salt.  Add dry ingredients to wet in three batches, reserving a few Tbsp to toss with the apples, mix until just combined and then fold in the apples.  Pour batter into prepared bundt pan and bake for 48-55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.  Check the bundt halfway through and if browning too quickly, cover with foil.  Allow cake to cool for at least 1 hour before flipping out of bundt pan and on to your platter.  Once cake is cooled, sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired.

Cinnamon Sugar Apple Zucchini Cake

So this is one of the desserts I made for Friday night’s Carroll Cafe.  I had made a Cinnamon Sugar Zucchini Cake, and as I was slicing it to serve I sampled a piece and was HORRIFIED by how it turned out!  It was gummy and weird and totally not cake-like.  I’m not sure what went wrong, but I had about 2 hours to come up with a different zucchini cake.  So of course, it was trusty Grandma Helland’s recipe that saved the day.  I adapted Grandma’s Apple Cake recipe and it was a crowd pleaser, as always.

This is a tender, moist flavorful cake that’s prefect for fall.  It’s a nice treat but isn’t too sweet, so it’s perfect with a cup of tea or coffee.  It’s great for a fall treat and is definitely a last minute crowd pleaser.

Cinnamon Sugar Apple Zucchini Cake

Serves 12-16

• 1 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup toasted walnuts, chopped
• 2 apples, peeled, cored and grated
• 1 small zucchini, grated (can sub two more apples)

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Line a 9×13″ pan with nonstick foil or grease with cooking spray and set aside.

In a large bowl, mix ingredients in order given.  Pour batter into prepared pan.  Bake for approximately 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.  At about 30 minutes you may need to cover with foil to keep top from browning too quickly.    When cake is done sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar (a mix of about 1/4 cup sugar with 3/4 tsp cinnamon works well, sprinkle to taste).  Serve warm or at room temperature.

Cinnamon Glazed Cappuccino Bars

Do you like coffee?  If so, these bars are for you.  These are a coffee lover’s dream.  They’re rich and decadent, with the espresso powder and dark chocolate cutting the sweetness, and then topped with a cinnamon glaze that totally takes these to a new level.  These have a lot of kick to them and a little goes a long way.  This would be perfect for any students you know…make these during finals to give them an extra caffeine boost to finish studying.  I’ve always known coffee and chocolate were a good match, and chocolate and cinnamon is awesome, but the three together is really a great combination.  Check them out and let me know if you agree!  (If you’re not sure you’re a coffee lover, you can reduce the amount of espresso powder, 1/2 a Tbsp would still give a taste of coffee but wouldn’t shine quite so bright.  You might also use semisweet chocolate instead of bittersweet for a less dark flavor)

Cinnamon Glazed Cappuccino Bars

Serves 12-16

Adapted from Everybody Likes Sandwiches

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp instant espresso powder
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (although white whole wheat would probably be good)
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 8 oz (about 2 cups) bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

Glaze:

• 1 1/2 Tbsp milk
• 1 Tbsp butter
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375°F.  Line a 10×15″ jelly roll pan with foil or parchment paper, grease lightly with cooking spray.  (A 9×13″ baking pan would also probably work, but you’d have to increase the baking time a bit to make sure it cooks all the way through)

In a large bowl, cream together butter, brown sugar, espresso powder and vanilla.  Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt and mix into the butter mixture.  The dough will be on the crumbly side.  Fold in the chocolate.

Dump the batter onto your prepared baking sheet, and press into the bottom of the pan in an even layer.  Bake for 10 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through.  (They’ll sit in the pan until cooled, so don’t let them cook too long or they’ll get overdone with the residual heat)

Meanwhile, make the glaze.  Place all ingredients in a small pot and let melt over medium heat.  Whisk gently and bring to a simmer.  As soon as the bars come out of the oven, drizzle with glaze, spreading it to the edges with a spatula if necessary.

Let bars cool in the pan, then cut into squares and serve.

Hearty Spiced Oatcakes

These oatcakes are dense and hearty and filled with oat-y goodness.  I wasn’t sure what I thought of these at first, but they definitely grew on me.  They aren’t muffins, they’re way too dense and substantial to be muffins.  But that makes them a great breakfast or snack, they have serious staying power.  These are excellent with a cup of coffee or some Earl Grey.

Hearty Spiced Oatcakes

Makes 1 dozen

Adapted from In Jennie’s Kitchen

• 3 cups old fashioned rolled oats
• 2 cups white whole wheat flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 to 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
• 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/4 cup  ground flaxseeds (or wheat germ might work too)
• 1/4 cup chopped toasted walnuts (optional)
• 1/3 cup melted coconut oil
• 1/3 cup unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten

Preheat oven to 325°F.  Grease muffin tin with cooking spray and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine oats, flour, baking powder, salt, spices, flaxseeds, and walnuts.

Add coconut oil, butter, syrup and sugar to a small pot and heat over medium-low heat until the sugar has dissolved and the butter has melted.  Pour over the dry ingredients and use a fork to mix together.  Add eggs and continue to mix until fully incorporated.

Divide the dough into the prepared muffin tin.  Bake for 22-25 minutes until golden and set.  Let cool on a wire rack and store in an airtight container for up to a week.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

I am not a raisin fan.  Golden raisins are alright, but regular raisins are just not my thing.  Despite this, I made these Oatmeal Raisin Cookies, and they are quite tasty.  I think they’d be even better without the raisins, but an Oatmeal-Raisin lover I know said these are delicious.  If you have a split household, divide the batter at the end and add raisins to only half.  If I wasn’t adding raisins I’d up the amount of cardamom and nutmeg to 1/4 teaspoon each and make them more of a spiced oatmeal cookie.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Makes 42 cookies (using a 1oz cookies scoop)

Adapted from My Kitchen Addiction

• 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp ground cardamom
• 1/8 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• 3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1 1/2 cups raisins (optional)

Beat together the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until light and fluffy.  Add in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.  Mix in the vanilla.

Sift together the flour, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, cardamom, and nutmeg, and add the dry ingredients to the butter-sugar mixture mixing by hand until just combined.  Stir in the oats and raisins.

Using a cookie scoop, scoop the batter onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Stick the dough in the freezer for about 15 minutes, and then store in a ziploc bag in the freezer until ready to bake.  Preheat the oven to 350°F.  Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden and the cookies are set.

Snickerdoodle Biscotti

Biscotti is an excellent coffee snack.  These snickerdoodle biscotti bring the cinnamon-sugar flavor of a snickerdoodle cookie and combine it with the crunchy tasty log of a biscotti.  Dip these in your coffee (or milk or hot chocolate) and you have the perfect mid-morning or mid-afternoon pick-me-up treat!

Snickerdoodle Biscotti

makes about 20 biscotti

Adapted from Everything’s Coming Up Daffodils

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 6 Tbsp (3/4 stick) butter, room temperature
• 1 egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Topping:

• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 egg white (for brushing)

Preheat oven 325°F.

In a medium bowl, whisk flour, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt together.

In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Beat in the egg and egg yolk.  Beat in the vanilla extract.

Mix the dry ingredients into the butter mixture until just combined.  Divide the dough in two and shape each half into an 8″ x 3″ rectangle on a greased cookie sheet.

Whisk together the sugar and cinnamon for the topping.  Brush egg white onto the biscotti dough and sprinkle with the cinnamon-sugar.

Bake for 35 minutes until golden and firm to the touch.  Remove from the oven and slice rectangles into 10-12 pieces.  Lay each biscotti cut side down on the pan and bake for an additional 8 minutes on each side.

Allow to cool completely and store in an air-tight container.