breakfast

The Cake:

• Preheat oven at 325-degrees. Grease and flour a 10-inch-or-larger tube pan or bundt pan.
• In a large bowl, beat butter until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add sugar, and beat until fluffy and white, about 7 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
• In a separate bowl, sift together flour, nutmeg, and salt. Gradually add it to the butter mixture, alternating with the milk. Follow up with the zest and vanilla. Pour into the ready pan.
• Bake until it passes the toothpick test, about 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes. Let cool in pan for 15 minutes, then upend onto wire rack. Set aside the pan--don't wash it! Let the cake completely cool for a few hours.

The Glaze:

• Combine the sugar, bourbon, and butter in a small saucepan. Constantly whisk at a low heat until the butter melts and sugar dissolves. Take off heat. It will look like a lot of liquid, but the cake will soak it up.
• Place the cake back in the pan. Poke holes all over the base with a chopstick or skewer. Spoon about half the glaze over holes and sides of cake. Let sit a minute. Upend cake onto a serving platter or plate. Poke more holes all over top. Spoon rest of glaze into holes and over sides. Use a basting brush to mop up drippings and make sure cake is fully glazed.
• Store under a cake dome at room temperature or in fridge. Can also be cut into slices and individually frozen. Eat cold, at room temperature, or warmed in microwave.
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• Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Line a 13x9 pan with aluminum foil and apply nonstick spray.
• In a large bowl, combine all crust ingredients until crumbly. Reserve half, about 3 cups, for the topping, and press the rest into the bottom of the pan. Bake for 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, stir together the caramel and 4 Tablespoons of flour.
• When the crust is done baking, sprinkle chocolate chips and pecans over the top, then drizzle evenly with the caramel mixture. Add the reserved crumb mixture on top.
• Return to the oven for about 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool for an hour or so, then set in fridge to completely chill for several hours or overnight. To cut, use the foil to lift contents to a cutting board. Slice into bars.
• Store in sealed container in fridge with layers between pieces of parchment or wax paper. Bars will stay more cohesive if chilled; they are gooier at room temperature.
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• Preheat oven to 350-degrees. Line a 13x9 pan with foil and apply nonstick spray.
• Gently rinse the blueberries, removing any stems or smashed ones, and set the clean berries in a small bowl.
• Using a mixer, beat the eggs and sugar for about 5 to 7 minutes, until pale in color and almost doubled in volume. The eggs are the leavening agent in this recipe, so it's important they are beaten until thickened, with the batter forming a ribbon as the beaters lift up.
• Add the butter and vanilla, and mix for another two minutes. Measure out 1/2 cup of flour and carefully stir it into the blueberries to coat them, which will reduce sinking into the batter during the baking process. Slowly stir the remaining 1 1/2 cup of flour into the batter. By hand, gently fold the blueberries into the batter.
• Pour batter into the ready pan. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until lightly browned and the center passes the toothpick test. Let cool completely before lifting up contents by the foil to slice into bars. Eat within two days, or freeze for later enjoyment.
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• Preheat oven at 400-degrees. Place muffin liners in pan and apply nonstick spray.
• In a big bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, almond flour, baking powder, salt, and cake enhancer (if using). Mix in the milk, yogurt, eggs, and vanilla, followed by the melted butter. Stir in the dried fruit until just distributed.
• Using a muffin scoop or heaping spoonfuls, fill muffin cups until mostly full.
• Combine topping ingredients. Spoon onto the top of each muffin and lightly press in with fingertips.
• Bake muffins for 16 to 18 minutes, until lightly domed and center muffin passes the toothpick test. Immediately remove them from the pan to cool on a rack.
• Store in a sealed container at room temperature for up to two days; after that, tops will start to get soggy, though muffins will still taste good. To freeze, remove paper liners and place on a wax-paper lined pan in freezer. Then place in gallon freezer bag or plastic container to store in freezer up to several weeks.
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• Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Line a 9x13 pan with aluminum foil and apply nonstick spray or butter.
• In a large bowl, blend together flour, walnuts, confectioners' sugar, butter, and vanilla, until it is crumbly. Reserve 1 1/2 cups of crumbs; press the rest into the ready pan.
• Bake for 18-20 minutes, until the edges are turning golden brown and crust is set.
• Pour apple butter over crust and smooth to edges. Crumble reserved flour mixture all over the top. Return the pan to the oven and bake for another 20 to 25 minutes.
• Cool to room temperature then chill in fridge. Use foil to lift out bars to slice. Store in sealed container in the fridge for maximum flavor and cohesiveness.
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• Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Grease a 9-or-10-cup bundt pan.
• In a medium bowl, sift together the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
• In a big mixing bowl, beat together the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, scraping sides of bowl in between. Pour in the maple syrup.
• Mix in half the flour mixture. Then stir in the sour cream, vanilla, and maple flavor. Add the rest of the flour mix, until everything is just combined.
• Pour into the prepared pan. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the middle comes out clean. Let cool on rack for 10 minutes, then invert the cake onto the rack. Don't wash the pan! Set it aside for now.
• After an hour and a half--or longer--begin making the glaze. In a medium saucepan, combine all three glaze ingredients. Bring it a rapid boil, then reduce to a simmer for 5 to 8 minutes, until it thickens to a syrupy consistency. Remove pan from heat.
• Carefully invert the cooled cake into the pan again. Use a chopstick or skewer to stab all over the cake. Slowly spoon or pour about half the glaze into the holes and edges. Let it rest a few minutes. Invert the cake again onto the cake pan base or a storage plate. Again, stab the top of the cake to create holes, then spoon the rest of the glaze on. Can also use a basting brush to cover the exterior of the cake and sweep up any drippings.
• Store cake covered at room temperature. Slices can also be frozen.
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