Cranberry~Cardamon Crumb Cake with Apple Rosettes

Oh Fall!  It's finally arriving this weekend, along with the rain and the fresh cranberries were in the store--not the ones from the Pacific Northwest, but nonetheless, fresh!

 I was inspired by an email from a dear friend who sent me a link to a photo of apple roses on top of a cake.  Her message to me was, "I thought of you and your passions--baking and flowers."  Since I love the combination of apple and cranberry...why not:-D

Ari, barely over 2 years old and making his first apple pie from a day in the orchard

My grandson and his Dad were going apple picking today; a memory I have shared with them of Kelly's love this time of year.  Ari told me he remembered picking pears when I went with them in Kentucky and he fell back on his butt.  That brought out a good laugh from both of us--I love to hear his giggle.

I will say, when you scroll through the photos, you'll notice how beautiful the fresh apple roses looked on the unbaked batter.  However, when it came out of the oven, I immediately had to laugh and think, "damn, the frost got my roses!"  So, I dusted the top with confectioners' sugar and moved on to winter, LOL!

Cranberry~Cardamon Crumb Cake with Apple Rosettes
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 tsp. ground cardamon
2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 large eggs
2 cups King Arthur Flour all-purpose flour
1 1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. Kosher salt
1 cup buttermilk
2 cups fresh cranberries, cut in half

Crumb Topping:
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup dark or light firmly packed brown sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. Kosher salt
1 3/4 cup unbleached King Arthur Cake Flour
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled

In a medium bowl, mix the dry ingredients together (I use my hands) then pour the melted butter over and use a fork to create the crumbs.

Apple Roses:
4 Granny Smith apples


Preheat oven to 350F-degrees.  Butter a 9-inch springform pan with melted butter.  I also used a 9" round of parchment to place on the bottom and buttered it too. (I wanted to be able to remove the cake to a serving platter and not have to leave it on the springform bottom.)

In a stand mixer, using a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar together thoroughly.  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Add the cardamon and vanilla and mix again.

Mix the dry ingredients together and add them alternatively with the buttermilk.  Once they are all added, turn the mixer to medium and beat 1 minute more.
Stir in the cranberries and spoon into the prepared springform pan.

Add two-thirds of the crumb topping (if you're not doing the apple rosettes, use all of the crumbs)
I peeled the apples, then, using a vegetable peeler, I make long ribbons of apple and rolled them into roses.

I filled in around the roses with the remaining crumb topping and place the pan on my new pie shield pan to catch any drippings or butter oozing from the springform pan.
Total baking time will be about 90 minutes; after about 20 minutes, I place a loose sheet of aluminum foil over the top to prevent the apples from browning two much.

Poor roses got hit by Jack Frost!

 After removing it from the oven, I allowed it to cool (about 10 minutes) in the pan, then used a spatula to run around the edges to make sure nothing stuck before removing the sides of the pan.  
I used a wide spatula to life the cake (with the parchment under) to a serving dish.

Once cooled, I dusted the top with confectioners' sugar and sliced into it.  It smelled so good I couldn't wait for dinner tonight.

 Cranberries, cardamon and apples made a lovely combination and I didn't mind the rain at all...

...or the leaves falling all over the yard.

Enjoy!

The winner of the Hand-made soap and Vera Bradley Change Purse is--Deb.

Please email me with your mailing information so I can send this gift out to you.  I will be posting another Give-Away in a few days, XOXO
 
 

Cardamon~Cranberry Crescents

I love to read cookbooks and food magazines, mostly for the stories--it's what gives my creations their meaning, but occasionally, even I learn something new.  I'll be the first to admit, even this old dog can learn a new trick (or technique) so with the holiday baking fast approaching, I wanted to pass on what I learned recently.

This has to do with the way I have occasionally had to soften butter.  I've come to rely on the microwave to "nuke" the butter 12-15 seconds, depending on how many sticks I was doing at once. Since I'm always rushing to get the most out of a 24-hour day, this always seemed the best way when the baking-urge hit me...LOL!  Well, that's a big NO-NO and I'll explain why.  Butter, if you read your packaging, has a fat content of 83-85%, but what we tend to forget is the remaining percentage is water.  By softening the butter to a lower temperature than about 66-degrees, we cause the butterfat to separate.  Oh, it may not be apparent when you're creaming the butter, but it's why most recipes call for refrigerating the dough or even in the case of cut-out sugar cookies, refrigerating the tray for about 30 minutes before they go into the oven.  This phenomenon is why cookies spread, sometimes too much, if you haven't properly chilled the dough.

To alleviate the problem, it will take a change in my habit of microwaving to soften, but since I already do this technique for biscuits and scones, it shouldn't be too hard.  Simply, cut the butter into 1/2-inch pieces and let it set out about 20 or 30 minutes.  (Remember, even when you're creaming it in the stand mixer, the butter is heating up.)  And, heed the recipe when it says the dough should be refrigerated.

To test out this theory I have decided on one of my favorite cookies.  My mother called these "Russian Teacakes," but when Matt and Kelly had them as gifts for their wedding, they were "Mexican Wedding Cookies." Whatever you want to call them, they're for sure, delicious bites of a shortbread cookie that melt in your mouth and are sure to please your family and guests.  Today, I've chosen a couple of flavors that will go nicely on my dessert table for Thanksgiving--Cardamon & Cranberry, but feel free to experiment with your favorite combination.

Cardamon~Cranberry Crescents
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces and softened to room temperature (about 20 minutes)
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar (more for dusting after baking)
3/4 tsp. ground Cardamon
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 tsp. salt
1 T Vanilla extract
3 1/4 cups King Arthur all-purpose flour
1 cup dried cranberries, chopped finely

Preheat oven to 350F-degrees.  Line baking sheets with parchment.

In a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar.  Scrape down the sides and add the next four ingredients.  Beat until thoroughly combined.  Add 2 3/4 cups of flour to the bowl and mix the cranberries with the remaining 1/2 cup.  Mix on low speed just until the dough comes together.

Measure about 1 tablespoon of dough (about the size of a walnut) and roll in a ball, then, a rope about 2 inches long.  Curve the ends and place on the parchment lined cookie sheets.

Bake in the preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes--until cookies are a light, golden brown.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool 5 minutes before transferring the cookies to a rack.  

Notice--the cookies kept their shape!

Let the cookies set several minutes, then, roll in (or spoon over) additional confectioners' sugar.  Repeat the rolling again and let set before storing in an air tight container.

You'll need an additional 1 to 1 1/2 cups of confectioners' sugar

First rolling

2nd or 3rd Rolling

Another important technique is to allow your baking sheets to cool completely before baking additional batches.  (For me, it's placing the sheets on top of my granite counter top for 5 to 7 minutes.)

These cookies are a "staple" in our house for the holidays, but honestly, I love baking them anytime.  Some of the flavor combinations I've done are: 1 cup of finely diced dried cherries with 1/2 cup of Dutch-process Cocoa substituted for 1/2 cup of flour, 3-tablespoons of molasses, 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed (reduce confectioners' sugar to 1/2 cup) and add 1 tsp. ground ginger with 1/4 cup mini ginger chips, or simply, 1 cup mini chocolate chips, but instead of rolled into a crescent-shape or ball, I flatten the ball, using a criss-cross method with a dinner fork and adding toasted walnuts, pecans or pistachios, finely chopped.   These are the perfect cookie to bake for those gift boxes you make up or just to have on hand for family and friends who stop by.  They last a few weeks, if stored in a cool, dry place and are a perfect for sending to family and friends far away :(!

Over the next few weeks, in addition to the recipes, I hope to share some baking techniques and what to stock in your pantry (my daughter, Erin's suggestion) to make your holiday baking joyful, as well as, memorable.  Enjoy!