This newest entry in my series of apple cakes is on the fancier side. This Apple Custard Cake is light, airy, and loaded with fruit. It truly does have a gourmet vibe.
While it’s not difficult to make, it is tedious to construct. This is a recipe that dirties a lot of dishes. Bowl after bowl after bowl. That said, the result truly is something special.
If you’re going to go through a lot of fuss, it should be worthwhile, right?
This is a fancier apple cake that is light and divine, the apple pieces suspended in airy, moist crumb. Be warned, this recipe dirties a lot of dishes, but the result is both gorgeous and delicious.
Course: Breakfast, Dessert, Snack
Keyword: apple, cake, springform pan
Author: Beth Cato
Equipment
9-inch springform pan
parchment paper
uneven spatula
Ingredients
4medium baking apples such as Honeycrisp, Granny Smith, and Cortland
1/2cupgolden raisins
1medium lemon zested and juiced
1teaspoonground cinnamon
1/2teaspoonground nutmeg
1cupwhole wheat pastry flour
1/2cupall-purpose flour plus 2 Tablespoons
1Tablespoonbaking powder
3/4teaspoonsalt
3large eggs divided
2/3cupwhite sugar
1teaspoonvanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
1cupmilk or half & half
1cupcanola oil
1/3cupwhite sugarfor topping
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit the disc of the springform pan. Use nonstick spray on pan. Add the cut parchment paper. Spray again over the paper, making sure to cover the sides of the ring.
Thinly slice the apples. Place them with the raisins in a big bowl. Measure out 1 tablespoon of lemon juice to place in bowl; use any remaining juice for something outside of the recipe. Add all of the zest, the cinnamon, and nutmeg, and stir to coat the fruit. Set aside for a while; there are a lot of other bowls to dirty.
In a separate bowl, stir together the whole wheat pastry flour, 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour, the baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
In another mixing bowl, beat together 2 of the eggs with the 2/3 cup sugar, until they are thickened and pale. Add the vanilla. Measure out the milk and oil. Take turns adding the milk and oil to the egg mixture alternatively with the dry ingredients.
In a small bowl, beat the remaining egg. Add 1 cup of the batter along with the remaining 2 tablespoons flour. Mix until just combined. Set aside to use for the topping.
Fold the apple bowl contents into the main batter and mix until everything is coated. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan. Use an uneven spatula to spread the reserved batter over the top. Sprinkle the remaining 1/3 cup white sugar over the top of the cake.
Place the cake on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until the top is golden brown, about 1 hour. The edges should be pulling away from the sides. Transfer to a wire rack to cool for about 30 minutes. Run a knife around the sides of the inner ring. Pop the release to open the pan and lift away the ring to allow it to cool more.
Cake can be kept wrapped at room temperature or in the fridge. Slices can also be individually wrapped and frozen for weeks.
I suppose I could try to justify the timing of these Gingerbread Cookie Bars with a line like “It’s five months until Christmas!” but nah. Good food is good food, and should be enjoyed at any time of year.
I don’t care that it’s the middle of summer. Gingerbread Bars are awesome. If your house gets hot, bake these up early in the day or late at night, then enjoy a cool-weather-vibe treat in the days ahead.
This is a very straightforward recipe that makes a lot of bars that keeps for many days. A perfect recipe for a large gathering or a cookie exchange, this is a great version of a classic treat.
This big batch gingerbread bar recipe is perfect to feed a crowd, and even better, it keeps beautifully for days! Modified from Better Homes & Gardens Christmas Cookies 2021 Magazine.
Course: Dessert, Snack
Keyword: gingerbread
Author: Beth Cato
Equipment
15×10 pan (jelly roll pan)
aluminum foil
nonstick spray
Ingredients
4 1/2cupsall-purpose flour
4teaspoonsground ginger
2teaspoonsbaking soda
1 1/2teaspoonsground cinnamon
1/4teaspoonsalt
1 1/2cupsshortening
2cupswhite sugar
2eggs
1/2cupmolasses
1/2cupcoarse sugar such as turbinado sugar
Instructions
Preheat oven at 350 degrees. Line the jelly roll pan with wide foil and apply nonstick spray.
In a mixing bowl, combine flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
In a large bowl, beat together the shortening and sugar until they are fluffy. Scrape the bowl as needed. Beat in the eggs and molasses. Slowly add the dry ingredients; if using a stand mixer, it may be necessary to stop doing so at the end to finish mixing by hand. Pat the dough into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the coarse sugar across the top and lightly press it in.
Bake for 18 to 20 minutes. The edges should be turning golden. Cool in pan on wire rack. Use the foil to lift it onto a cutting board for easy slicing. In a sealed container, keeps up over five days at room temperature.
Posted by Beth on Jul 17, 2024 in Blog, Bready or Not, cookies, maple | Comments Off on Bready or Not Original: Glazed Maple Shortbread Cookies
Maple is a regular theme here on Bready or Not, and these Glazed Maple Shortbread Cookies are as delicious as they look.
They are simple to make, too. Easy dough. Chill it for a bit. Shape and bake. Make the glaze. If you use a complicated cookie cutter, that might make the glazing more tedious, but that’s a choice to make. This scalloped version was easy to do with the back of a spoon.
These cookies are great year-round! Good flavors should be confined to no particular season.
Bready or Not Original: Glazed Maple Shortbread Cookies
These classic cookies are imbued with maple from top to bottom! The dough can be made a few days in advance. I used a scallop-edge cutter, but use whatever shape you want, including a maple leaf. A 2-inch cutter makes about 50 cookies.
Course: Dessert, Snack
Keyword: cookies, maple
Servings: 50cookies
Author: Beth Cato
Equipment
plastic wrap
baking sheet
cookie cutter
Rolling Pin
Ingredients
Dough
1cupunsalted butter (2 sticks) softened
1/2cupwhite sugar
3Tablespoonscornstarch
2teaspoonsmaple flavor
1 3/4cupsall-purpose flour
Glaze
1cupconfectioners’ sugar
1/3cupmaple syrup
Instructions
In a large bowl, beat together the butter, sugar, cornstarch, and maple flavor. Gradually add the flour. Shape the dough into a disc and encase in plastic wrap. Chill it for at least 45 minutes in the fridge until it’s firm enough to roll out, but it can be kept there for up to 2 days–but note that it will get quite hard with longer storage. If it’s there over a day, let it sit at room temp for 30 minutes to an hour to soften enough to roll out (but don’t let it get too soft, either).
Preheat oven at 325 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Lightly flour a surface and roll out dough to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut out cookies. Place spaced out on parchment.
Bake for 18 to 20 minutes. Remove from pan to cooling rack. Once they are cool, mix the glaze. Use the back of a spoon to spread glaze onto cookies, Set them back on cookie sheet or rack to set for an hour or two. Pack in sealed containers for up to a few days.
The blog is titled Bready or Not. Today, it is decidedly bready, as the recipe is one for Sweet Crescent Rolls made using a bread machine.
The recipe requires little hands-on effort. The dough mixes in the bread machine. You divide it and form the crescent rolls, which is actually rather fun. They rise. You then bake. The recipe makes 24 rolls, meaning you can feed a crowd or you can freeze a bunch.
These keep well in the freezer for months. This is the kind of thing you can make at Thanksgiving and then pull out as needed through the rest of the holiday season.
Modified from Allrecipes.com Magazine Oct/Nov 2014.
Bready or Not: Sweet Crescent Rolls in the Bread Machine
Mix the dough in the bread machine, shape it for the second rise, then bake in the oven. This dinner side is easy to make, and fantastic to prepare in a big batch to freeze for later! Modified from Allrecipes.com Magazine Oct/Nov 2014.
Course: Bread
Cuisine: American
Keyword: yeast bread
Servings: 24rolls
Author: Beth Cato
Equipment
food thermometer
bread machine
parchment paper
food scale
cookie sheet
knife or pizza cutter
Ingredients
1/2cupwarm water(110 degrees)
1/2warm milk or half & half (110 degrees)
1large egg room temperature
1/3cupunsalted butter softened
3 3/4cupall-purpose flour
1/2cupwhite sugar
1teaspoonsalt
2 1/4teaspoonactive dry yeastor 1 packet active dry yeast
1/4cupunsalted butter softened, for filling
Instructions
Place ingredients in recommended order for bread machine, usually liquid first: water, milk, egg, butter, flour, sugar, salt, and yeast. Start dough cycle, and let it mix and complete the first rise.
Prepare a baking sheet or sheets with parchment paper.
Once that is done, remove dough and divide in half using food scale. Roll each half into a 12-inch round. Divide the 1/4 cup butter in half and spread over each round. Use a knife or pizza cutter to slice each round into 12 wedges. Starting at the wide end, roll up each triangle gently but tightly to form a crescent roll. Place each roll, narrow side down, on the baking sheet.
Cover pan with plastic wrap or a clean towel and let rise in a warm spot for an hour. Meanwhile, start preheating oven at 400 degrees.
Once rolls are risen after the hour, bake for 10 to 15 minutes, switching pan position in oven, if necessary, to prevent overbrowning. Let cool for 15 minutes before serving.
Cool rolls can also be frozen for later enjoyment; thaw them at room temperature then heat wrapped in aluminum foil at 350 degrees for about 10-12 minutes.