A cake to make me less narky: Barefoot Contessa's Apple Spice Cake

So, I am justifying the inclusion of this truly wonderful cake into my ‘do things better’ agenda for the following reasons: It has apple in it, so surely must be one of my five a day. It is made with vegetable oil and not butter so that has to make it a ‘better’ cake, whatever that is. It is packed with spices and of course they have oodles of medicinal qualities, and lastly, a bit of what you fancy does you good, and the opportunity to sit down with a slice of this with a cuppa turns a narky Stella into a less narky one. Only one slice mind…

If you want a really really reliable, decadent, frankly scrumptious cake, you open a Barefoot Contessa book and turn to the section marked ‘desserts’. There you will find cake heaven. And it was in her ‘Make it Ahead’ cookery book that I found this. Don’t be put off by the amount of spices; go buy them if you haven’t got them because you will be making this cake more than once. I promise.

I very rarely alter a Barefoot Contessa recipe because they are usually perfect. However, I have made a couple of alterations, mainly due to the fact that I didn’t have any golden raisins, but I did have some pretty jewel like sultanas which did the job just nicely. I also didn’t have the exact size pan as indicated in the recipe, so I split the mixture between two smaller pans.

If you don’t fancy my chosen way of eating this, with a cuppa, then serve some slightly warm with some ice cream. And swoon…

APPLE SPICE CAKE from ‘Make It Ahead’ by Ina Garten

serves 12

An American recipe, so uses cup measurements (which I quite like…)

INGREDIENTS

1 cup pecans, chopped

1/2 cup rum

1 cup golden raisins (I used sultanas)

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup dark brown (Muscavado) sugar

3 large eggs

3/4 cup vegetable oil

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 tsp grated orange zest

2 1/2 cup plain flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/8 tsp ground cloves

3 (large) to 4 (small) Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and 1/4 inch diced

Method:

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 9x13x2 inch baking pan, or a pan(s) that will take the amount of mixture.

Toast the pecans on a baking sheet for 5 to 10 minutes. Watch the nuts like a hawk. They burn in the blink of an eye. Set aside.

Add the rum and raisins to a microwave-safe bowl and cover with a sheet of plastic wrap; microwave for 1 minute, then set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs, vegetable oil, vanilla, and orange zest on medium speed.

Once combined, add the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves; mix until smooth. The batter will be very thick.

Drain the raisins before adding them to the batter. Drink the rum.

Add the apples and pecans too, then use a rubber spatula to fold them all into the batter.

Spread this batter in your prepared pan, smoothing it out.

Bake the cake for 35 to 45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.

Let the cake cool until it’s barely warm or room temperature before cutting into squares.

Enjoy!

Randomness results in amazing brownies! Cream Cheese Swirl Brownies with Pecans and Curly Wurlies

 

I think that sometimes being random is good, rather than bad. Random is a word bandied around with some negativity, depending on context. “Oh, you are so random!” Well, good, for being random this month has resulted in my baking these frankly amazing (if I do say so myself) brownies. I mean, brownies are amazing, of course but these are uber amazing, if that is at all possible.

If you are one of these people who think that gilding the lily is pointless, well, not in this case. The addition of cream cheese topping and roasted pecans along with chocolate covered caramel (Heath Bars in the original recipe, an American confection I believe, I subbed it for the very English Curly Wurly, for let’s face facts, whilst not as good as a finger of Fudge, it is really quite close to being perfection) and the result was a brownie at once creamy, nutty and then moist and chewy with molten chocolate caramel. Yes, they are that good.

 

Already identified as a possible. I am a post it note queen...

Hope mine look like these!
 

I was very strict and used the natty random thingumabob on the Belleau Kitchen website. It came up with book 116, which was 'Magnolia at Home' by Allysa Tovey, of Magnolia Bakery fame and page 107, which was Cream Cheese Swirl Brownies with Pecans and Heath Bars. As well as forcing me to be random it also forced me to count my cookbooks. I have 261, which has chastened me a little. No more impulse buying from the clearance section at TKMaxx, second hand bookshops, or taking other people’s cast offs. Birthdays and Christmas only. Birthdays and Christmas only. Birthdays and Christmas only (repeat to fade…)

 

Here is the recipe.

 

Cream Cheese Swirl Brownies with Pecans and Curly Wurlies, adapted from the recipe in Magnolia at Home by Allysa Tovey

 

Makes 24 2 inch brownies

 

Ingredients in cup measurements (US recipe)

My adaptations in red:

 

Ingredients:

For the cream cheese filling:
One 8-oz. pkg cream cheese, not softened
1/3 cup sugar
1 large egg, at room temp.
2 tbs. plain flour

For the brownies:
1 1/4 cups plain flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened (2 sticks is a pack of butter in the UK) 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate (I used Menier dark chocolate) 2 cups sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
2 tbs. whole milk
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 cup coarsely chopped toasted pecans
2/3 cup chopped Heath bars, or any chocolate-covered toffee bars (I used Curly Wurlies, put them in the freezer to harden before chopping them. Three bars made 2/3 cupful)
Method:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.  Grease and flour a 13x9-inch baking pan.

Firstly, make the cream cheese topping:  In a medium-size bowl, beat the cream cheese with the sugar until smooth. Add the egg and flour and beat well.  Set aside.

Now for the rest of the brownie mixture.  In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt.  Set aside.  

In a medium-size saucepan over low heat, melt the butter with the chocolate, stirring occasionally, until smooth.  Remove from the heat, transfer to a large bowl, and allow to cool for about 5 minutes until lukewarm.  

Stir in the sugar.  Add the eggs, milk, and vanilla and beat well.  Add the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly.

Stir in half of the pecans and half of the Curly Wurlies.  Reserve 1/2 cup of the brownie batter.

Spread the rest of the batter evenly in the prepared pan.  

Drop the cream cheese mixture by tablespoonfuls over the batter.  Next, drop the reserved brownie batter by teaspoonfuls in between the cream cheese filling.  

Using a small knife, swirl the two batters together, forming a decorative pattern.  

Sprinkle the remaining pecans and Curly Wurlies over the top, and using a spatula, gently press into the batter.  

Bake for 40-55 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the centre of the pan comes out with moist crumbs attached. Do not over bake.  Allow to cool overnight before cutting and serving.

Note:  To toast the pecans, place on a baking sheet in a 350 degree F oven for 5-10 minutes, or until lightly browned and fragrant.  Be careful to not let them burn!

 

 

I am submitting this recipe to April’s Random Recipes, hosted by Dom at Belleau Kitchen. Can’t wait to see what everyone else has come up with!

 

Happy Birthday Dad - Hummingbird Bakery Maple and Pecan Layer Cake

 

 

You're never too old for a birthday cake. My dad is 65 today and such a milestone (both my parents are finally twirlies - OMG how did that happen?) deserves something a bit out of the ordinary so I decided instead of using the old faithful Hershey's Chocolate Cake, the birthday cake of choice around here, that it might be nice to do something a little different. This called for the Hummingbird Bakery's Maple and Pecan Layer Cake, with its decadent pearly white icing and skyscraper layers (this cake is pretty big once you get it iced up!).

 

I was a little worried initially that the cake was dry on cutting but it wasn't. It was moist with the background distinctive sweetness of maple syrup. And pecans are just lovely!

 

Anyway, with all that sweetness there will be lots of energy for the walk to the post office in the morning to pick up the pension. Happy days! Happy Birthday Dad!

 

Maple and Pecan Layer Cake taken from the Hummingbird Bakery's 'Cake Days'

 

Serves 10 - 12

 

Ingredients:

 

For the sponge:

 

120g unsalted butter, softened

400g white sugar

360g all purpose flour

1 ½ tbsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

360ml whole milk

40ml maple syrup

3 large eggs

100g pecans, chopped

 

For the frosting:

 

240g unsalted butter

750g icing sugar

60ml whole milk

1tbsp maple syrup

Pecan halves to decorate

 

Method:

 

 

 

Preheat the oven to 170° Gas 3 and prepare three 8 inch diameter sandwich tins with baking parchment.

 

 

 

Mix together the butter, sugar, flour, baking powder and salt with an electric mixer at low speed until the mixture reaches a crumb-like consistency.

 

 

 

In a bowl mix together the milk, maple syrup and eggs by hand.

 

 

 

Pour this mixture into the dry ingredients and mix with an electric mixer until well combined. Stir in the chopped pecans by hand. 

 

 

 

Divide the cake batter equally between the 3 baking pans and bake for 20-25 minutes until the cakes become light brown. Leave them in the pan for a few minutes, then turn out and allow to cool completely.

 

 

 

For the frosting, whisk with an electric mixer the butter and icing sugar until fluffy and sandy in texture, then add milk and maple syrup, mix well and then beat at high speed until it becomes soft and fluffy.

 

Obligatory cup of tea when icing a cake. Also, cup of hot water with a pallet knife. The hot knife helps to smooth the icing. Also, there are strips of greaseproof paper under the cake which are there to stop the icing going on the plate. Remove the strips when the cake has been iced to give you a (reasonably) tidy finish

 

 

When the sponges are completely cold, place the first layer on a plate, top with 3-4 tablespoons of the frosting, and smooth it down using a palette knife and adding a little more if needed.

 

 

 

Put the second layer on top and cover with frosting in the same layer.

 

My cake decorating still appears to come from the school of hard knocks, but you see what I am getting at!

 

Then put the third layer, frost the sides and top of the cake and decorate with pecan halves.