Apple Cake with Caramel Sauce

This is another one of those favorite family recipes I remember my grandmother and my mom making.  It's one of my all-time favorite desserts, partly because of the caramel sauce since I'm one of the world's biggest fans of caramel.  It's also so easy to make, with relatively few ingredients.  With the family coming for dinner, and the fact that it's apple season, what other reason did I need?!  The cake is rich and moist, even without the sauce, but the sauce puts it 'over the top'.  Delicious!

Apple Cake with Caramel Sauce

1 cup oil
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped nuts
3 cups apple chunks (preferably Red Delicious, approximately 3 large, peeled and cored)
Caramel Sauce (recipe follows)

Preheat oven to 300 F.  Thoroughly grease a tube or bundt pan.

Combine oil, sugar, eggs and vanilla.

In another bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir into wet mixture. Carefully stir in apples and nuts.

Spoon mixture into prepared pan. Bake for 1-1/2 hours. Cool in pan for 5 minutes, then remove to cake plate.

Caramel Sauce:
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup cream or evaporated milk

Over low heat (or in double-boiler), melt brown sugar and butter. Stir in vanilla and cream, cook until thick, stirring occasionally. Spoon over individual portions of cake and serve.


 

For Printable Recipe, Click Here

Devil Dogs

I always wondered where the name for these treats came from... until I tried to photograph them!  As you can see, I had a "devil of a time" trying to move them from one part of the plate to the other without getting crumbs and the deliciously sticky filling all over!

These tasty little childhood treats, the chocolate cakes with a marshmallowy center, were a homemade favorite among my siblings, a "knock-off" of a Drake's snack found in the northeastern part of the U.S.  My brother and I were just talking the other day about them, and he thought his oldest daughter would just love them.  I found my mother's recipe, and noted (with just a little gastronomical snobbery) that the filling consisted of shortening, powdered sugar and marshmallow creme.  I thought I might be able to improve on that, and with the help of Epicurious.com, was able to do just that.  My brother declared them the snack cake he always remembered, and my niece was in heaven.  Success (even if they were a pain in the neck to photograph!)

Devil Dogs

1/2 cup shortening (I haven't experimented with substituting butter, but I will next time)
1 egg
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
Filling (recipe follows)

Preheat oven to 425 F.

Thoroughly mix the shortening, egg, sugar and vanilla.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.  Add to wet mixture.  Mix in milk. Batter should be very thick. 

Place rounded tablespoonfuls of batter 3 inches apart on parchment-lined baking sheets.  Bake 7 - 8 minutes.  Let cool on baking pan for 5 minutes, then remove to rack and cool thoroughly.

Filling:


2 large egg whites
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup light corn syrup
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Combine filling ingredients with a pinch of salt in a metal bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water and beat with a handheld electric mixer at high speed until filling is thick and fluffy, 6 to 7 minutes. Remove bowl from heat and continue to beat until slightly cooled.

Mound filling on flat side of cake; cover with a second cake.

I refrigerated the finished devil dogs, which helped to set up the filling.  Make sure to place waxed paper between layers of devil dogs.

Tablescape Thursday

I was in my local grocery store a couple of days ago and saw these amazing flowers on sale.  The color was gorgeous, and I just couldn't resist bringing them home.  Even though they do not exactly epitomize autumn, I decided to plan my tablescape around these beauties, anyway.  As I started pulling the table together, the wind started howling outside (um, yeah, outside... I guess that's a given...) and the tv news announced that we were under a tornado watch.  Thankfully, a funnel cloud had not been spotted (yet), so I was not to be deterred.  It occurred to me that there was a nice contrast to what was happening on my table to what was happening outside.  I like that!

The many inspiring tablescapers had me looking around the house to see what else I could add to my table.  I remembered my little girl who oversees one of my guestrooms:

(Can you see where I singed some of the petals when I lit the votives??! Yikes!)

 

 

 

Dinner plates & bowls:  Dansk
Salad plates:  Sur La Table
Water goblets:  Tuesday Morning
Vase (actually a milkshake glass):  Tuesday Morning
Wine glasses:  Macy's
Flatware:  Pottery Barn
Votive candles:  Pier One
Napkins:  Amazon.com
My girl & the tablecloth:  Have had both for several years

Thank you, Susan, at Between Naps on the Porch for sponsoring another fun Tablescape Thursday!!  Please be sure to check out Susan's tablescape and the tablescapes of all the other talented and creative participants!

Clam Chowder

Have I mentioned that it's been a little chilly where I live???  It was actually in the 40's this morning.  In Texas!  In October!!  That's about 20 degrees lower than normal... and I'm loving every bit of it!!  "Chilly" is cozy weather.  And there's nothing cozier, food-wise anyways, than a bowl of hot, thick clam chowder.  It's a recipe I got from my Aunt Joanie many years ago, and it's rich and delicious, making me happy every time I eat it!

It was also a perfect day to make bread.  So I made a boule, thinly sliced a couple of pieces, and toasted them to have with my soup.  The perfect go-with.

Hearty and delicious soup and homemade bread.  NOW I feel cozy!

Clam Chowder

2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup thinly sliced leeks
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 cup diced celery
3 tablespoons flour
2 cans clams, reserve broth
1 cup milk
1 cup cream
1/2 cup diced potatoes
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme, minced
3 drops Tabasco sauce
dash black ground pepper

Heat butter in 4 quart pot.  Saute leeks, onion, and celery 6 to 8 minutes.  Add flour to mixture and cook 2 minutes.

Add enough water to reserved broth to make 2 cups of combined liquid. Add to vegetable mixture.

Scald milk and cream.  Add to soup, and stir in potatoes, Worcestershire, salt, thyme, Tabasco, and pepper.  Bring to boil.  Reduce heat and simmer 25 to 40 minutes, or until potatoes are tender.  Add clams, cooking an additional 5 minutes.  Serve.

Note:  This soup freezes well.


For Printable Recipe, Click Here

Vanilla Yogurt Cake with Orange Glaze

I'm on a mini-loaf kick these days.  I saw this on one of the food photo sites, and my mouth immediately started watering.  I love orange.  More than lemon.  I love the way the house smells when something orange is baking.  It's bright and comforting all at once.  I added the orange zest of half a tangelo to the cake batter, and the zest of the other half of the tangelo to the glaze.  As usual, I made a slight mistake when putting this together.  The recipe calls for 4 tablespoons of orange juice, divided.  Goofy me, I added all 4 tablespoons to the batter, instead of reserving 2 tablespoons for brushing over the loaves when they came out of the oven.  It didn't harm the cake at all, though it did take a few extra minutes to bake thoroughly.  And I still brushed the juice called for over the cakes while they were still hot.

Overall, I love this cake.  I love the way it looks, the way it smells, and more importantly, the way it tastes!!  It's moist and perfect with a cup of tea or, like today, with my morning coffee.  Yum!


Vanilla Yogurt Cake with Orange Glaze

1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 cup granulated sugar
1 vanilla bean, seed scraped out, pod discarded
1-1/2 tablespoons vanilla extract
grated zest of half an orange (or tangelo)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1-2/3 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
7 ounces Greek yogurt

4 tablespoons orange juice, divided

Spray two 6 x 3.2 x 3.4 inch loaf pans with baking spray. Or coat with butter and flour.

Preheat oven to 350F.

Using a stand mixer (or a large bowl and and electric hand mixer), beat together the egg, egg yolk, and sugar on medium-high speed, until it turns pale yellow, about 3 minutes. Add the vanilla beans, vanilla extract, oil, and zest, and beat another minute, until fully incorporated.

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

With the mixer on low speed, add half the amount of dry ingredients. Then add half the amount of Greek yogurt, and 2 tablespoons of the orange juice. Add remaining dry ingredients and followed by the remaining yogurt, reserving the remaining 2 tablespoons of juice until after loaves are baked. Remove from mixer and finish mixing by hand using a spatula until all of the ingredients are fully incorporated.

Pour into prepared pans and bake for 35 - 40 minutes.

Remove from oven. Using a toothpick or large wooden skewer poke holes into the cake. Using a pastry brush, brush remaining 2 tablespoons orange juice over hot loaves.

Let cool for 10 minutes and remove from pan. Place on wire rack to finish cooling. When cool, glaze cakes.

Orange Glaze
3 cups sifted powdered sugar
6 tablespoons orange juice
zest of half an orange (or tangelo)

Combine the two ingredients together with a whisk. Pour over cakes.

Source:  http://www.culinaryconcoctionsbypeabody.com/2009/10/19/like-taffy/#comment-61940

For Printable Recipe, Click Here

Foodie Friday - It's a Date!

It's Foodie Friday at Designs by Gollum.  Thanks to Michael for hosting this weekly event, and check out all the other participants' posts.  My entry for today's FF centers around dates!  I love them.  They're sweet and chewy and add wonderful flavor and texture to any recipe.  Not able to decide on a favorite recipe using them, I opted for my two favorites.  Both of these were childhood favorites.

The first is Date-Nut Bread.  I think my grandmother actually used to make this.  I know my mom still makes it.  It's delicious, a perfect accompaniment to a turkey dinner - to any dinner!  Date-Nut Bread is wonderful alone, buttered, or (my favorite) with cream cheese!

 Date-Nut Bread

1-1/2 cups chopped dates
1-1/2 cups boiling water
1 tablespoon shortening
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
2-1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup coarsely chopped nuts (I use either pecans or walnuts)

In a small bowl, pour the boiling water over the dates and let cool.

Preheat oven to 350 F.  Grease a standard loaf pan (or 3 mini loaf pans).

Mix shortening, brown sugar, and eggs.  Add cooled date mixture.

Combine flour, salt and baking soda, and stir into date mixture.  Stir in nuts.  Pour batter into prepared pan(s).  Bake standard-sized loaf for 60 - 70 minutes, mini loaves for about 40 - 45 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted in center of loaf comes out clean.  Cool on wire rack.

My other favorite date recipe is Date-Nut Balls.  My brother was just talking the other day how much he loves these confections and hadn't had them since we were kids.  Perfect!  I can make them and give them away, which is a little kinder to my hips (and my hips need all the kindness they can get!!)

Date-Nut Balls

1/2 cup butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1-1/2 cups chopped dates
1-1/2 cups chopped nuts
2 cups Rice Krispies cereal
shredded coconut

Combine butter, sugar and egg into a saucepan.  Bring to a boil.  Remove from heat and stir in dates, nuts, and cereal.  Form into balls, squeezing mixture together.  Roll in coconut.

Tablescape Thursday - Ready for Fall

It's autumn.  It's often kind of difficult to tell in this area of the country.  We often have high temperatures, into the 90's.  But the temps have been unusually cool for us, 60's and 70's, occasionally into the 80's, but very fall-like.  I miss the autumns of my youth, back home in the lower Hudson Valley region of New York.  The beautiful trees as their leaves change color, making them look like they're golden or on fire!  Well, we generally don't have that kind of fall beauty here, but I thought I would give my simple little table just a bit of fall color.  A few pretty little pumpkins, chocolate-hued tablecloth and napkins, bronze leave napkin rings, a spicy candle.  Fall is in the air and it's landed on my table!

Tablecloth and napkins:  Ralph Lauren
Flatware:  Target
Stemware:  Denby
Dinner plates: Smartbargains
Dessert plates: Cypress Home
Napkin rings:  Target
Candle/ candle dish: :Tuesday Morning

Tablescape Thursdays are sponsored by Susan of Between Naps on the Porch.  Her amazing tablescapes are beyond envy but inspiring.  My own tablesettings are pretty simple, but she has inspired me to be on the lookout for all the accoutrements to make a table more interesting.  Check out her blog to see her tablescapes as well as that of all the other participants of Tablescape Thursdays.  Thank you, Susan!!