Pumpkin~Cranberry Tea Cake & September's Give-Away Apron

Finally! I actually sewed the apron earlier this week, but haven't had the time to bake something to go along with the post.  I leave tomorrow for an event in Orlando, where I'm teaching and the week has just flown by.

I guess you can say I'm rushing the season, baking with pumpkin and cranberries, but there are signs that Fall isn't far behind.  Some of the maple trees are starting to turn and we've had some leaves fall already.  I just wish the temperatures would have gotten the message that we should be in the 70s and not in the upper 80s with stifling humidity.

Pumpkin~Cranberry Tea Cake
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup boiling water
Pour the boiling water over the cranberries and allow to sit for 15 minutes.

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 oz. (1/2 stick) cream cheese, at room temperature
1 3/4 firmly packed light brown sugar
3 large eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups canned pumpkin
1 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
2 3/4 cup King Arthur all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 350F-degrees.  Spray two loaf pans (or you can use a Bundt pan) with baking spray and set aside.

In a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, cream the butter and cream cheese together.  Add the brown sugar and continue to cream until fluffy.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until completely incorporated.  Add the vanilla and pumpkin pie spice and mix together.  

Stir together the dry ingredients and add to the batter along with the dried cranberries.  Mix on low just until ingredients are combined.

Divide between two loaf pans or Bundt pan.  Smooth tops and bake for 40-45 minutes or until tester comes out cleanly from the center.  Allow to cool about 10 minutes in the pan(s), then transfer to a wooden board or serving plate.

A quick tea cake to have for the morning or through the afternoon as I continue to have a busy day.  Happy Fall, y'all...Enjoy!

Albert Camus, the Nobel Prize winning author and journalist wrote...

"Autumn is

a second

Spring when

every leaf

is a Flower."

That's exactly what I was thinking when I espied this beautiful fabric.  If you would like to win this apron, just post a comment during the month of September and your name could be chosen:-D
 

Pistachio~Cranberry Bundt Cake & November's Apron Winner

Baking cakes in a mold actually began in Europe; Gugelhupf, a brioche-like cake, formed in a particular shape pre-dates this North American version introduced in the late 50s and 60s.  The credit goes to the Dalquist brothers, H. David and Mark, who co-founded the Nordic Ware Company in 1940.  In 1950, along with engineer Don Nygren, they came up with this mold done in cast aluminum.  However, it wasn't until Ella Helfrich, in 1966, would make it popular with her Tunnel of Fudge Cake for a Pillsbury Bake-Off.  Suddenly, there were over 200,000 requests for the cake mold and to date, more than 60 million have been sold!  Just so you know for next year, November 15th, is National Bundt Day:-D

I created this Bundt Cake to  celebrate the holidays, not only with cranberries, but added pistachios to give it the familiar red and green colors we've come to associate with the season.  I have to say, the flavors combine wonderfully and my hubby couldn't help but remark how amazing it looked.

Pistachio~Cranberry Bundt Cake
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room tempreature
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups granulated sugare
3 large eggs
1-3oz.pkg. Instant Pistachio Jell-O Pudding
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. Pistachio Flavoring  or 1/2 tsp. almond flavoring
3 cups King Arthur all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. Kosher salte
1 cup buttermilk (you can add 1 tsp. Apple Cider Vinegar to milk if you don't have buttermilk)
1 1/2 cups cranberries, halved
1/2 cup pistachios, chopped

Glaze:
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 T light Karo Syrup
2-3 T hot water
1-2 drops of green food coloring, if desired
1/4 cup pistachios, chopped

Preheat oven to 350F-degrees.  Spray a 12-cup Bundt Pan with a baking spray.
 

Cut washed, dried and picked over cranberries in half

In a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, cream the butter, oil and sugar together until fluffy.  Add the eggs, one at a time, incorporating them into the batter.  Add the flavorings and the pudding mix and beat at medium speed for 1 minute.  Scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula.

Mix the dry ingredients and mix, alternately with the buttermilk (or soured milk), starting and ending with the dry ingredients.  Stir in the cranberries and chopped pistachios.  Spoon into the prepared baking pan and smooth the top.

Bake 45 to 50 minutes or until a wooden skewer comes out cleanly when poked into the center.

 I love seeing that pale green color, dotted with the red cranberries!  Allow the cake to cool about 10 minutes before turning out onto a serving platter.

Mix up the glaze and slowly pour over the top of the cake.  Sprinkle with additional chopped pistachios to complete the dessert.

Now, for the important part of this post--November's winner of the apron is Mrs. Sparrow! Please email me your address so I can send this gift from my heart to you!

I will have December's apron up this weekend, for sure; life is a little hectic finishing up projects for the big trade show I attend in January, picking out finishes for our home...I did kitchen cabinets, countertops and tile this week, and of course, holiday shopping.  Stay warm and bake. Enjoy!

Cranberry Coffee Cake

Besides turkey and pumpkin, cranberries are what defines Thanksgiving to me; maybe because it's indigenous to North America, but moreover I love those red, tart, bounce berries and can't wait until they appear in the grocery store.  My mother and I would make whole cranberry sauce, which we loved, but she'd also buy a can of the jellied kind for the skeptics who didn't think you should have texture!  This recipe calls for whole-berry and since fresh cranberries have been around for a few weeks, I had some already made up (I love it on grilled cheese sandwiches!)

My mother's kitchen was only 10' x 10', had hardly any counter space and no double ovens--just a stove, so coordinating a huge dinner was a feat that I watched her orchestrate year after year!  We baked cranberry nut bread, along with pumpkin loaves the day before, to have on hand for the feeding the hungry tribe and keep them out of the kitchen while we worked on dinner--which started in the wee hours of the morning.  I thought of those times and long for the camaraderie we shared to make everything just perfect while I made this delicious coffee cake from the King Arthur recipe files.

Cranberry Coffee Cake
Preheat oven to 350F-degrees.  Spray a coffee-cake ring pan or a 9" x 13" baking pan with a baking spray and set aside.

Streusel:
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup + 2T King Arthur all-purpose flour
pinch of salt
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
5 T unsalted butter
In a medium bowl, mix the dry ingredients, vanilla extract and cinnamon, then use a pastry cutter to incorporate the butter (I cut the butter into 1/2" pieces).

Batter:
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup + 2 T firmly packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup yogurt (I used Greek honey-flavored)
2 cups King Arthur all-purpose flour (they also recommend whole wheat or white/wheat flour)
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt

Filling:
1 cup whole-berry cranberry sauce

In a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, cream the sugar and butter together.  Add the eggs, one at a time, until incorporated.  Mix in the vanilla.

Add the dry ingredients and the yogurt and mix on medium speed to combine.  Spoon batter into the prepared pan.  Use a spoon to add dollops of the cranberry sauce around, then use a fork to mix it slightly into the batter.

Add the streusel topping over the batter.

Bake in the oven for 40 minutes, testing for doneness with a wooden skewer.  

I allowed the cake to cool for 10-15 minutes before turning it out onto a cookie sheet, lined with wax paper.

 Then, place your serving platter over the cake and flip it to the right side (streusel side up).

I decided to add a glaze drizzled over it, but that is optional.
Glaze:
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 T light Karo syrup
2-3 T very hot water
1/8 tsp. Cran-Raspberry flavoring

Mix the glaze and drizzle over the top of the cake.

If you bake the cake in the rectangle cake pan, you can serve the squares right from the pan!

Thanksgiving is a time to be thankful for all the wonderful people in our lives and I count all of you in those blessings.  Wishing you a holiday, full of memories; I know I have many. Enjoy!

 

Little Cranberry Tea Cakes & a Special Give-Away in Memory of Kelly

I know Thanksgiving is just barely five weeks away, but I couldn't help myself when I saw the first cranberries in the supermarket.  Bounce berries, as we called them because they do bounce, are one of my favorite fruits to bake with and when the weather turned very fall-like this weekend, I did just that.

Cranberries are one of the only three fruits indigenous to North America and one of the healthiest fruits to add to your diet.  As a woman, I've known of their properties to prevent UTI's (urinary tract infections), but did you know that it ranks in the top for antioxidants too?  Antioxidants are essential to optimizing health by helping to combat the free radicals that can damage cellular structures as well as DNA.

Native Americans enjoyed cooking with cranberries and probably sweetened them with honey.  For sure, they were on the Thanksgiving table.  By the 1800s, they were imported to England where they were also used as a poultice for wound healing and as a dye.  Surprisingly, there is an article in the November FoodNetwork magazine on dyeing napkins with this versatile berry!

Little Cranberry Tea Cakes
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1-8oz. pkg. cream cheese, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup chopped pecans* (optional)
2 cups fresh cranberries, sliced in half

Preheat oven to 350F-degrees.  Spray a decorative mini bundt pan with a baking spray or line a muffin pan with papers.

Wash and dry on paper towels fresh cranberries.  Slice each berry in half.

 
 In a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, cream the butter and cream cheese together thoroughly.  Add the sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, while the mixer is running on low, then, turn up to medium and beat until fluffy.  Scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula, then, turn it on again and add the eggs one at a time, incorporating them completely.  Again, scrape down the sides.  
Whisk together the dry ingredients lightly in a separate bowl and add to the mixture.  Mix on low just until combined.  Stir in the nuts, if using and cranberries.  (*Pecans are a big part of Southern cooking, which I'm embracing wholeheartedly!)

Scoop the batter into the prepared pan.  

 Bake in the preheated oven for 25-28 minutes (depending on what pan you're using).  Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan for 5 to 7 minutes, then, turnout onto a rack to cool completely.
For Tea Cakes, I mixed up a simple glaze:
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 T light Karo syrup
3-4 T hot water
...and drizzled over top of the cakes.

  
I couldn't let October pass without a special give-away in memory of Kelly; she was the epitome of giving.  I have mentioned before that The Vera Bradley Breast Cancer Foundation has been a focus for me to see a cure for breast cancer--100% of the donation goes to research. I attended a preview night at the store in our area recently and I chose this Tote Bag in Bittersweet that will be given to a lucky recipient this month.

It's perfect for on the go and I love this size especially to hold my knitting projects...and of course it's in the colours that Kelly loved!  Just comment on posts over the next few days and on the 31st, I'll announce the winner.

The fall weather is upon us and Little Cranberry Tea Cakes are wonderful treats--Enjoy!

Cranberry~Banana~Date Muffins

I really have been baking, although sporadically since my oven has been "diagnosed" to have a faulty control panel:-( and I'm still waiting for the part to come in.  Cranberries, from Oregon, are still fresh in the grocery stores, so I treated my family to warm muffins this morning on a rainy day.

Ari loves muffins and they have always been a special treat from the time he was eating solid food. His mama would give him a muffin for his mid-morning snack or a treat when we picked him up from pre-school.  Their favorite places were either Whole Foods or the Co-Op they belonged to and zucchini, banana, cranberry or pumpkin were his favorites.

Muffins are easy to make and can be attributed to America; in fact they date back to the 19th century.  They are a semi-sweet quick bread that is baked for an individual serving, usually without icing, but I "pushed the enveloped" by adding a drizzle this morning and baking them in a mini-bundt pan.

Cranberry~Banana~Date Muffins
2 cups King Arthur all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup fresh cranberries, washed, dried, and cut in half
1 ripe banana, peeled and mashed
1/2 cup chopped dates
2 large eggs
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
2/3 cup orange juice

Preheat oven to 375F-degrees.  Spray a 6-cup mini bundt pan with a non-stick baking spray or line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners.

In a large bowl, measure all the dry ingredients and whisk together to combine.  Add the cranberries and dates and mix again.  (By adding the fruit to the dry ingredients and coating it helps prevents the fruit from sinking to the bottom!)

 Add the wet ingredients and stir well (do not use an electric mixer--the proteins in the flour will get broken down and the batter will be runny!!)

Measure batter in the baking pan you've chosen.  The mini-bundt pan made 8 muffins and you should get 12 regular size from a muffin pan.  Bake for 18 minutes checking for doneness by sticking a wooden skewer into one of the muffins--it should come out cleanly.  Let cool slightly, then turn out onto a rack to cool completely.

Quick Gaze:
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 T light Karo syrup
1 tsp. vanilla
1-2 T warm water

Mix glaze until the proper consistency for drizzling.  Decorate muffins or mini bundts .

It's just what Ari wanted with a cold glass of milk!  Me too...Enjoy!
 

 
   

Black & White and Red Cookies

One of my fondest memories of growing up, was stopping in at my grandparent's house after school before walking up the 100 yard path to our house.  I'd get to catch up on what both of them had been up to and my grandfather always had a riddle, joke or puzzle to share with us.  The joke, "What's black & white and read (red) all over" was one of his best and I have to say, it gave me a chuckle...even today.  So, this recipe is an ode to my grandfather and his incomparable sense of humor.

Black & White and Red Cookies
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 Vanilla beans (split and scraped) 
1 tsp. Vanilla extract (or 2 tsp. if you don't use the beans)
1/2 cup Dutch-processed cocoa
2 oz. unsweetened chocolate, melted
2 cups King Arthur all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips
1 cup dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 350F-degrees.  Line cookie sheets with parchment and set aside.
In a stand mixer, using a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugars until fluffy.  Scrape the sides as needed with a spatula.  Add the egg, vanilla(s) and unsweetened chocolate and mix to combine.

Add the dry ingredients and mix on medium speed until fully incorporated.  Scrape the sides again and add the white chocolate and cranberries; mix again to combine.

Scoop up the dough and place on the lined baking sheet.  Press down the tops slightly with your hand.

Bake 10 to 12 minutes; tops should be cracked and look "dry."

These would be just perfect with a cold glass of milk for Santa...which by the way, I thought I'd show you my collection of Santa's and Father Christmases that I've been collecting for 30 years.  They have their own cupboard because I believe...

"and it was always said of Ebenezer Scrooge, that he knew
how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the
knowledge. May that be truly said of us, and all of us! And so,
as Tiny Tim observed, God bless Us, Every One!" 

I made this one in the early 90s

I bought this handmade Father Christmas in 1995 after my father passed away.  He looked like my Dad, across the eye:-D

Now, I was all set to go to a friend's craft business (Ellen Hutson, LLC) and deliver a bag; they were busy packing orders, like little elves.

Tis the Season of Giving. Enjoy!

Cranberry~Almond Upside-Down Cake

Thanksgiving (in the United States) is just 2 days away and I'm still deciding on the desserts I will make.  I love cranberries or as we called them growing up, "bounce berries!"  We're so very lucky in the Pacific Northwest that they are grown locally...Oregon, to be exact.  The color and flavor of fresh cranberries far exceeds the ones that are packaged back in September or early October and shipped to the grocery stores.

I came across this recipe in the December 2012 Wholeliving magazine as a food gift to give to friends, which I love doing.  In addition to cranberries, it also caught my attention because it calls for ground almonds, so it makes this recipe Gluten-free; something a lot of my friends have to adhere to.
The only change I made was in the pan I baked them in--it called for 3" x 6" loaf pans, but I used my multi-mini loaf pan which is 2 1/2" x 4", so I was able to get eight cakes.  More to give or eat!!

Cranberry~Almond Upside-Down Cake

2 1/2 cups fresh cranberries (about 10.5 oz)
2T granulated sugar 

4 T (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla (+I used 1 vanilla bean, split and scraped)
 
2 cups almonds, toasted and ground
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp Kosher salt

Preheat oven to 350F-degrees.  Measure the 2 cups of almonds and toast them for 5 minutes.  Allow to cool, then grind in the food processor (being careful not to turn them to almond butter!) or use a nut grinder, which is what I did.

Rinse cranberries under cold water and take out any that are spoiled.

Place cranberries and the 2T sugar in a sauce pan and cook over medium heat, stirring until cranberries begin to pop--about 6 minutes.

 Melt about 2 Tablespoons of butter and brush the mini loaf pans (you could also use a muffin pan). Divide the cranberry mixture among the openings.

In a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy.  Add the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.  Add the vanilla and beat once more.

Mix the baking soda and salt in the ground almonds, then, add to the bowl and stir to incorporate.  Scoop the mixer over the cranberries and gently smooth the tops with an offset spatula.  

Place pan on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until a tester, inserted in the middle, comes out clean--for the size specified by the recipe it was 30 minutes.  However, for my mini loaf pan, it only took 16 minutes.  For muffins, you will have to test.

Let cool slightly, then place a parchment-covered rack over top and invert pan.  Allow to cool completely before wrapping up the individual loaves.

These were a "test" and I will be dropping them off to a couple of friends today, but when I bake them for our dinner, I'm thinking some homemade vanilla (or even better egg nog) ice cream might be a nice accompaniment--what do you think?  Enjoy!