I made this on a whim because a friend asked for a chocolate something, but not a chocolate deathlike something. (Chocolate deathlike somethings are a particular favorite of mine.)
I wasn't sure if this would work, but the end product was rich and delicious without being overly chocolatey. I highly recommend it! It would go wondefully well with coffe, a cup of Earl Grey, or a glass of milk, which is how I have mine. Seeing as I don't like the hot beverages, that is.
Chocolate Sour Cream Pound Cake
Ingredients:
6 oz high-quality dark chocolate, melted
1/2 c butter, softened
1 1/2 c sugar
3 eggs
1 1/2 c flour
1/8 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 c sour cream
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 c chocolate chips OR a glaze made with Godiva liqueur (1/2 c sugar and 1/4 c Godiva; heat sugar and liqueur on the stovetop until they reach a light boil and sugar is dissolved)
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with foil; grease the foil with butter and set aside.
2. Cream butter and sugar together until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add melted chocolate, stirring until mixed completely. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. (You can melt the chocolate in a double boiler or the microwave, and if you really wanted to, you can melt the chocolate with the butter. But that will change the texture of the cake. Also, make sure the melted chocolate isn't blazing hot. If it is, your eggs will cook when you add them in, and that? Is gross. GROSS, I SAY. You'll end up with bits of cooked egg white in your cake. DO NOT WANT.)
3. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Alternate adding this dry mixture and the sour cream to the batter. Stir after each addition until the ingredients are just mixed.
4. Add the vanilla. Stir until just blended. Don’t overdo it with the stirring, or your cake will end up dense and rubbery, and nobody wants that.
5. Sprinkle the chocolate chips over the top of the cake, if you're going the chocolate chip route. If not, skip this step and head directly to step 6. Whee!
6. Pour batter into pan and bake for 40-50 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool entirely before cutting, and then serve it with dollops of whipped cream and a nice cup of coffee or tea. If you're glazing the cake, now would be the time to make the glaze and pour it over the cake. Mmm, sticky, chocolatey goodness...
7. Enjoy. Lick crumbs off of the plate and table. Taunt others with your cakey goodness.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Saturday, July 5, 2008
A Taste of Summer
I loved summertime when I was a kid. The heat never really bothered me then. But it sure as hell bothers me now! Probably because I'm half vampire or something.
Regardless, nothing says summer like cool coconut and delicious cherries. And a vanilla coconut ice cream with cherries and chocolate chips says summer like nobody's business! I made this ice cream for the 4th, and we had it with little wedges of lemon blueberry pound cake. So good it was wrong. Both of my parents (who've given me many mixed reviews, usually on the less positive side) for my desserts, loved it. My mom even refused to let my grandma take some of the cake home, and we totally polished off all of the ice cream. Score!
Once you've read the recipe, you know you're gonna want some:
Coconut Vanilla Ice Cream with Cherries and Chocolate Chips
Ingredients:
2 eggs
2/3 c sugar
1 c milk
3/4 c light coconut milk
2 c heavy whipping cream
1 tsp high-quality vanilla extract
2/3 to 3/4 c dried cherries (try to use dried cherries that haven't got a lot of preservatives; they'll stay softer when they freeze, and they'll taste better, too)
2/3 to 3/4 c semi-sweet chocolate chips (the higher the quality of the chocolate chips, the better the end product!)
Directions:
1) Mix eggs and sugar together.
2) Add milk, coconut milk, cream, and vanilla. Stir.
3) If you live in fear of salmonella, now is the time to slap this stuff on the stove and bring to a low boil for a few minutes. Pour into a large glass bowl and refrigerate until completely cooled. If you're all intrepid and stuff (or you're using egg substitute), ignore this step and go straight to step 4, you rebel, you!
4) Pour mixture into an ice cream maker and freeze according to directions. In the last two or so minutes of the freezing process, dump in the cherries and chocolate chips.
5) Remove from ice cream maker and turn out into airtight containers. Snag a spoonful or three as a "taaste test." (Note: the coconut flavor will be stronger and more obvious after about 24 hours in the freezer, yo, so don't worry if you can't taste it at this point.) Finish freezing completely.
6) Serve. Enjoy. Serve some more. Enjoy some more. Makes one quart of summery delicious AWESOME.
Regardless, nothing says summer like cool coconut and delicious cherries. And a vanilla coconut ice cream with cherries and chocolate chips says summer like nobody's business! I made this ice cream for the 4th, and we had it with little wedges of lemon blueberry pound cake. So good it was wrong. Both of my parents (who've given me many mixed reviews, usually on the less positive side) for my desserts, loved it. My mom even refused to let my grandma take some of the cake home, and we totally polished off all of the ice cream. Score!
Once you've read the recipe, you know you're gonna want some:
Coconut Vanilla Ice Cream with Cherries and Chocolate Chips
Ingredients:
2 eggs
2/3 c sugar
1 c milk
3/4 c light coconut milk
2 c heavy whipping cream
1 tsp high-quality vanilla extract
2/3 to 3/4 c dried cherries (try to use dried cherries that haven't got a lot of preservatives; they'll stay softer when they freeze, and they'll taste better, too)
2/3 to 3/4 c semi-sweet chocolate chips (the higher the quality of the chocolate chips, the better the end product!)
Directions:
1) Mix eggs and sugar together.
2) Add milk, coconut milk, cream, and vanilla. Stir.
3) If you live in fear of salmonella, now is the time to slap this stuff on the stove and bring to a low boil for a few minutes. Pour into a large glass bowl and refrigerate until completely cooled. If you're all intrepid and stuff (or you're using egg substitute), ignore this step and go straight to step 4, you rebel, you!
4) Pour mixture into an ice cream maker and freeze according to directions. In the last two or so minutes of the freezing process, dump in the cherries and chocolate chips.
5) Remove from ice cream maker and turn out into airtight containers. Snag a spoonful or three as a "taaste test." (Note: the coconut flavor will be stronger and more obvious after about 24 hours in the freezer, yo, so don't worry if you can't taste it at this point.) Finish freezing completely.
6) Serve. Enjoy. Serve some more. Enjoy some more. Makes one quart of summery delicious AWESOME.
Monday, June 16, 2008
I Scream, You Scream...
I've recently returned from a week abroad visiting Most Excellently Good Friends, Indeed. And on my trip, my friend J and I made this completely incredible chocolate orange cinnamon ice cream. To. Die. For. I shit you not!
We started with a base recipe from another friend, who got it from her mom. It's the most perfect vanilla ice cream I've ever had, homemade or otherwise. Really, it's so smooth and rich that it was almost a shame to add to it, but since I can never leave well enough alone and have a mad love of chocolate, orange, and cinnamon together, it had to be done.
So without further ado, I give you:
Chocolate Orange Cinnamon Ice Cream
Ingredients:
2 eggs
2/3 c sugar
1 3/4 c milk
2 c heavy whipping cream
6 oz. high-quality dark chocolate (62-70% is best), melted
zest of one large orange
1 tsp cinnamon
Directions:
1) Melt chocolate. Stir in sugar.
2) Add milk and eggs; mix thoroughly.
3) Add cream; stir.
4) Add orange zest and cinnamon, and stir until mixed completely.
5) Once mixture is completely cooled, pour into an ice cream maker and freeze according to directions. Make certain to steal little spoonfuls as the ice cream begins to thicken and freeze. If there's someone else in the room, taunt them as you do so.
6) Remove from ice cream maker and turn out into airtight containers. Finish freezing completely.
7) Serve. Enjoy. Serve some more. Enjoy some more. Makes one quart.
Note: If you're afraid of salmonella (oh noes!), you can always use an egg substitute instead of regular eggs. You can also mix together the sugar, eggs, and cream over medium heat on a stovetop, and then add the melted chocolate as the mixture reaches a low boil. (If you try to melt the chocolate into the cream mixture, you will most likely be left with teeny, tiny granules of chocolate, which will make your end product oddly grainy and kind of ucky. So add only fully melted chocolate to the already heating or boiling cream mixture.) Remove the chocolatey, creamy, eggy mixture from the stove and add the milk, orange zest, and cinnamon. Allow this mixture to cool completely before attempting to freeze it. Be aware, however, that allowing the ice cream base to reach a boil before freezing will change both the flavor and texture slightly. Some will not notice the difference, but for those who do, it won't be quite as good as making this ice cream the dangerous way.
LIVE ON THE EDGE!!! That's all I'm saying.
We started with a base recipe from another friend, who got it from her mom. It's the most perfect vanilla ice cream I've ever had, homemade or otherwise. Really, it's so smooth and rich that it was almost a shame to add to it, but since I can never leave well enough alone and have a mad love of chocolate, orange, and cinnamon together, it had to be done.
So without further ado, I give you:
Chocolate Orange Cinnamon Ice Cream
Ingredients:
2 eggs
2/3 c sugar
1 3/4 c milk
2 c heavy whipping cream
6 oz. high-quality dark chocolate (62-70% is best), melted
zest of one large orange
1 tsp cinnamon
Directions:
1) Melt chocolate. Stir in sugar.
2) Add milk and eggs; mix thoroughly.
3) Add cream; stir.
4) Add orange zest and cinnamon, and stir until mixed completely.
5) Once mixture is completely cooled, pour into an ice cream maker and freeze according to directions. Make certain to steal little spoonfuls as the ice cream begins to thicken and freeze. If there's someone else in the room, taunt them as you do so.
6) Remove from ice cream maker and turn out into airtight containers. Finish freezing completely.
7) Serve. Enjoy. Serve some more. Enjoy some more. Makes one quart.
Note: If you're afraid of salmonella (oh noes!), you can always use an egg substitute instead of regular eggs. You can also mix together the sugar, eggs, and cream over medium heat on a stovetop, and then add the melted chocolate as the mixture reaches a low boil. (If you try to melt the chocolate into the cream mixture, you will most likely be left with teeny, tiny granules of chocolate, which will make your end product oddly grainy and kind of ucky. So add only fully melted chocolate to the already heating or boiling cream mixture.) Remove the chocolatey, creamy, eggy mixture from the stove and add the milk, orange zest, and cinnamon. Allow this mixture to cool completely before attempting to freeze it. Be aware, however, that allowing the ice cream base to reach a boil before freezing will change both the flavor and texture slightly. Some will not notice the difference, but for those who do, it won't be quite as good as making this ice cream the dangerous way.
LIVE ON THE EDGE!!! That's all I'm saying.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Orangey Goodness
This is my new specialty cake. I give you:
Orange Chocolate Chip Pound Cake (with Coconut Rum Whipped Cream)
I went trolling the 'nets, and I found a base recipe really close to the one I use for my adapted pound cakes. It's from a bloke named Will Barber, and I found it here. (The one I use makes a larger cake. That's the only difference.)
Anyway, here you go.
Ingredients for cake:
1/2 c butter, softened
1 1/2 c sugar
3 eggs
1 1/2 c flour
1/8 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 c sour cream or plain yogurt
1 tsp orange juice
Zest from two large oranges
3/4 c chocolate chips
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with foil; grease the foil with butter and set aside.
2. Cream butter and sugar together until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Your batter should now be a rich yellow and slightly thick.
3. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Alternate adding this dry mixture and the sour cream or yogurt to the batter. Stir after each addition until the ingredients are just mixed.
4. Zest two large oranges into batter and squeeze 1 tsp of juice from one of the oranges into the bowl. Stir until just blended.
5. Add the chocolate chips. Don’t overdo it with the stirring, or your cake will end up dense and rubbery, and nobody wants that.
6. Pour batter into pan and bake for 40-50 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool entirely before cutting, and then serve it with dollops of coconut rum whipped cream on top (recipe below).
For coconut rum whipped cream:
1 c baker’s heavy cream
1 Tbs coconut rum
Directions:
Pour cream and coconut rum into a chilled glass bowl. Beat on medium-high speed until cream holds stiff peaks. (I highly recommend licking the bowl, the beaters, and the spoon when you’re done.) Refrigerate until you’re ready to use it.
Enjoy!
Orange Chocolate Chip Pound Cake (with Coconut Rum Whipped Cream)
I went trolling the 'nets, and I found a base recipe really close to the one I use for my adapted pound cakes. It's from a bloke named Will Barber, and I found it here. (The one I use makes a larger cake. That's the only difference.)
Anyway, here you go.
Ingredients for cake:
1/2 c butter, softened
1 1/2 c sugar
3 eggs
1 1/2 c flour
1/8 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 c sour cream or plain yogurt
1 tsp orange juice
Zest from two large oranges
3/4 c chocolate chips
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with foil; grease the foil with butter and set aside.
2. Cream butter and sugar together until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Your batter should now be a rich yellow and slightly thick.
3. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Alternate adding this dry mixture and the sour cream or yogurt to the batter. Stir after each addition until the ingredients are just mixed.
4. Zest two large oranges into batter and squeeze 1 tsp of juice from one of the oranges into the bowl. Stir until just blended.
5. Add the chocolate chips. Don’t overdo it with the stirring, or your cake will end up dense and rubbery, and nobody wants that.
6. Pour batter into pan and bake for 40-50 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool entirely before cutting, and then serve it with dollops of coconut rum whipped cream on top (recipe below).
For coconut rum whipped cream:
1 c baker’s heavy cream
1 Tbs coconut rum
Directions:
Pour cream and coconut rum into a chilled glass bowl. Beat on medium-high speed until cream holds stiff peaks. (I highly recommend licking the bowl, the beaters, and the spoon when you’re done.) Refrigerate until you’re ready to use it.
Enjoy!
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Building a Better Carmelita
Carmelitas: they are delicious bars of chewy, nutty, chocolatey goodness, and I just made some.
I took this recipe and changed it around a bit so that it better suits my particular tastes. For example, this recipe doesn't call for nuts, but a carmelita cannot, in my opinion, be a carmelita without nuts. Since I'm not a fan of walnuts (too crumbly!) and I think that pecans are too close in flavor to caramel, I decided to use chopped hazelnuts. Those are my favorite nuts anyway, so I'll toss them in just about wherever I can. I'm also not particularly keen on caramel, so I've added a bit of cinnamon to offset its sticky sweetness.
Cinnamon Hazelnut Carmelitas:
crumbly carmelita "crust":
1 1/2 c flour
1 1/2 c quick oats
1 c brown sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 c melted butter
1 tsp ground cinnamon (optional - but I like the slight zing that the cinnamon adds)
gooey carmelita middle:
1 1/2 c chocolate chips
1 c chopped hazelnuts
1 c caramel ice cream topping
2 Tbs flour
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 13 x 9-inch pan with foil.
2. Combine all ingredients for the crust in a large mixing bowl. Stir until a crumb mixture is formed.
3. Press half of the crumb mixture into the bottom of your 13 x 9-inch pan and bake for 10 minutes.
4. Remove from oven after 10 minutes and immediately sprinkle with chocolate chips and chopped hazelnuts. Drizzle caramel topping over chips and dust with the 2 Tbs of flour (if you skip this bit, the caramel will melt into the top layer of the crust and sort of disappear into it, leaving you with an oddly hard, slightly chewy top layer and no gooey caramel center to speak of. As this would be a tragedy and defeat the purpose of making carmelitas, I wouldn't skip this step...).
5. Top with the remaining crumb mixture (I usually flatten palmfuls of the mixture between my hands and place them on top of the caramel like a jigsaw puzzle).
6. Bake for an additional 15-20 minutes. Cool and cut into bars. Note: it's easier to cut these suckers into bars if you refrigerate them first.
You can always leave out the cinnamon or hazelnuts, or you can substitute a different kind of nut, should you so desire. I made them exactly to the original recipe the first time, and while those carmelitas turned out well, they weren't very interesting in either their texture or their taste. Hence my need to "build a better carmelita."
I hope you enjoy!
I took this recipe and changed it around a bit so that it better suits my particular tastes. For example, this recipe doesn't call for nuts, but a carmelita cannot, in my opinion, be a carmelita without nuts. Since I'm not a fan of walnuts (too crumbly!) and I think that pecans are too close in flavor to caramel, I decided to use chopped hazelnuts. Those are my favorite nuts anyway, so I'll toss them in just about wherever I can. I'm also not particularly keen on caramel, so I've added a bit of cinnamon to offset its sticky sweetness.
Cinnamon Hazelnut Carmelitas:
crumbly carmelita "crust":
1 1/2 c flour
1 1/2 c quick oats
1 c brown sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 c melted butter
1 tsp ground cinnamon (optional - but I like the slight zing that the cinnamon adds)
gooey carmelita middle:
1 1/2 c chocolate chips
1 c chopped hazelnuts
1 c caramel ice cream topping
2 Tbs flour
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 13 x 9-inch pan with foil.
2. Combine all ingredients for the crust in a large mixing bowl. Stir until a crumb mixture is formed.
3. Press half of the crumb mixture into the bottom of your 13 x 9-inch pan and bake for 10 minutes.
4. Remove from oven after 10 minutes and immediately sprinkle with chocolate chips and chopped hazelnuts. Drizzle caramel topping over chips and dust with the 2 Tbs of flour (if you skip this bit, the caramel will melt into the top layer of the crust and sort of disappear into it, leaving you with an oddly hard, slightly chewy top layer and no gooey caramel center to speak of. As this would be a tragedy and defeat the purpose of making carmelitas, I wouldn't skip this step...).
5. Top with the remaining crumb mixture (I usually flatten palmfuls of the mixture between my hands and place them on top of the caramel like a jigsaw puzzle).
6. Bake for an additional 15-20 minutes. Cool and cut into bars. Note: it's easier to cut these suckers into bars if you refrigerate them first.
You can always leave out the cinnamon or hazelnuts, or you can substitute a different kind of nut, should you so desire. I made them exactly to the original recipe the first time, and while those carmelitas turned out well, they weren't very interesting in either their texture or their taste. Hence my need to "build a better carmelita."
I hope you enjoy!
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Bring on the Death!
One of my fabulous colleagues just had a birthday (she totally turned 29, y'all; that's my story, and I'm sticking to it!), and she specifically requested Chocolate Strawberry Death. Chocolate *insert flavor* Death is a particular favorite of mine. It tastes like you spent hours and hours and hours slaving over it when the reality is pretty far from the truth. Yeah, there are a few different layers and you have to wait a few hours between at least two of them, but honestly, it's a fairly simple recipe.
The base is something that I got from... Oh, I don't even remember. I think I swiped the recipe from my mom, who got it from some cooking show. That's nice and vague, isn't it? Sorry; that's all I've got. The base was originally the filling for some sort of pie (?), but you didn't use all of it because you end up making more than will fit in a regular pie crust. WASTEFUL! I was not impressed, so I started making various Deaths. I've made all kinds (the orange one didn't turn out very well; I think I used the wrong kind of orange, consarn it), but this is one of the better ones, I think. It's very rich and delicious.
Ingredients:
base:
1 1/2 c (8 oz.) chocolate chips or semisweet chocolate (the higher the quality of the chocolate, the better it tastes)
1 1/3 c sugar
1/4 c flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 c cream
6 eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
cream layer:
8 oz mascarpone cheese
1/2 c heavy whipping cream
3/4 c fruit preserves of your choice
ganache layer:
1 1/2 c chocolate chips (or 8 oz of high-quality chocolate)
2/3 c heavy whipping cream (or milk, if you prefer)
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325*F. Put rack in center of oven, and grease a 9 x 13-in. baking dish.
2. Melt chocolate and cream in microwave (or double boiler) until chocolate is just melted; stir until smooth. Add sugar and vanilla; whisk. Stir in flour and salt.
3. Add eggs, two at a time, whisking after each addition. Pour into baking pan.
4. Bake for 55-70 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out with no more than one or two moist crumbs on it. Remove to a rack and cool; store in fridge once it has cooled completely.
5. When the base has cooled, dump mascarpone, heavy whipping cream, and fruit preserves into a large mixing bowl. Beat on medium-high speed until mixure is thick and holds farily stiff peaks. Spread over chocolate base.
6. Melt chocolate chips and cream for ganache in microwave. I recommend going in 30-second increments because you want the chocolate to melt but not be too hot. Once the chocolate is melted, whisk the ganache until it is smooth and glossy. If it's too hot, let it sit and cool off a bit (I usually do the darned dishes at this point, if I haven't already). Spread carefully over the cream layer. If the ganache is too hot, it'll melt the top of the cream and make your Death look kind of yucky.
7. Refrigerate for 5 hours or overnight. Store in the refrigerater.
8. Enjoy!
The base is something that I got from... Oh, I don't even remember. I think I swiped the recipe from my mom, who got it from some cooking show. That's nice and vague, isn't it? Sorry; that's all I've got. The base was originally the filling for some sort of pie (?), but you didn't use all of it because you end up making more than will fit in a regular pie crust. WASTEFUL! I was not impressed, so I started making various Deaths. I've made all kinds (the orange one didn't turn out very well; I think I used the wrong kind of orange, consarn it), but this is one of the better ones, I think. It's very rich and delicious.
Ingredients:
base:
1 1/2 c (8 oz.) chocolate chips or semisweet chocolate (the higher the quality of the chocolate, the better it tastes)
1 1/3 c sugar
1/4 c flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 c cream
6 eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
cream layer:
8 oz mascarpone cheese
1/2 c heavy whipping cream
3/4 c fruit preserves of your choice
ganache layer:
1 1/2 c chocolate chips (or 8 oz of high-quality chocolate)
2/3 c heavy whipping cream (or milk, if you prefer)
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325*F. Put rack in center of oven, and grease a 9 x 13-in. baking dish.
2. Melt chocolate and cream in microwave (or double boiler) until chocolate is just melted; stir until smooth. Add sugar and vanilla; whisk. Stir in flour and salt.
3. Add eggs, two at a time, whisking after each addition. Pour into baking pan.
4. Bake for 55-70 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out with no more than one or two moist crumbs on it. Remove to a rack and cool; store in fridge once it has cooled completely.
5. When the base has cooled, dump mascarpone, heavy whipping cream, and fruit preserves into a large mixing bowl. Beat on medium-high speed until mixure is thick and holds farily stiff peaks. Spread over chocolate base.
6. Melt chocolate chips and cream for ganache in microwave. I recommend going in 30-second increments because you want the chocolate to melt but not be too hot. Once the chocolate is melted, whisk the ganache until it is smooth and glossy. If it's too hot, let it sit and cool off a bit (I usually do the darned dishes at this point, if I haven't already). Spread carefully over the cream layer. If the ganache is too hot, it'll melt the top of the cream and make your Death look kind of yucky.
7. Refrigerate for 5 hours or overnight. Store in the refrigerater.
8. Enjoy!
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Also Makes a Good Breakfast
One of my new favorite recipes is Apple Cinnamon Poundcake. I don't make it in a traditional loaf because I prefer to use a 9 x 13 pan. You get more breakfasty-sized pieces that way. Heh. Also, you can glaze the cake when it's done, but I think that that's just a bit too much sweetness. The apples and cinnamon play off each other nicely already, and the cake is already perfectly moist, so you don't really need the stickyness of a glaze to seal in the moisture.
I'm not sure where I found the original pound cake recipe that I use as the base for all of my pound cakes, but it may have been Foodnetwork.com. I dunno.
Anyway, here you go:
Apple Cinnamon Poundcake
Ingredients:
2/3 c butter, softened
2 c sugar
4 eggs
2 c all-purpose flour
1/8 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
2/3 c sour cream or vanilla yogurt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 large Granny Smith apple, cut into small chunks (I leave the skin on)
1 Tbs sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp lemon juice (or thereabouts)
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325*F. Coat and flour 9 x 13-in. baking pan.
2. Put apple chunks, 1 Tbs sugar, 2 tsp cinnamon, and 1 tsp lemon juice in a small saucepan. Cook on medium low heat until apple pieces are slightly softened. Note: You can leave out the lemon juice - the apples will get quite juicy on their own - but I quite like the slight tartness that they bring to the bits of apple. It makes a very subtle difference, but the difference is there. Also, feel free to add more or less cinnamon as your palate dictates. You could also toss in a dash of ginger for a little more zing, if you like.
3. Cream butter. Gradually beat in sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 to 7 min. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition.
4. Combine flour, baking soda, salt, and 1 tsp cinnamon, and add alternately with the yogurt or sour cream to the creamed sugar mixture. Beat on low until just blended.
5. Add in apple mixture; stir until just blended.
6. Pour into pan and bake for 1 hr and 15 min or until cake tests done. (You can also make muffins, round cakes, or whatever. Baking time will vary, though.) Cool in pan for 15 min before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
Enjoy!
I'm not sure where I found the original pound cake recipe that I use as the base for all of my pound cakes, but it may have been Foodnetwork.com. I dunno.
Anyway, here you go:
Apple Cinnamon Poundcake
Ingredients:
2/3 c butter, softened
2 c sugar
4 eggs
2 c all-purpose flour
1/8 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
2/3 c sour cream or vanilla yogurt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 large Granny Smith apple, cut into small chunks (I leave the skin on)
1 Tbs sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp lemon juice (or thereabouts)
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325*F. Coat and flour 9 x 13-in. baking pan.
2. Put apple chunks, 1 Tbs sugar, 2 tsp cinnamon, and 1 tsp lemon juice in a small saucepan. Cook on medium low heat until apple pieces are slightly softened. Note: You can leave out the lemon juice - the apples will get quite juicy on their own - but I quite like the slight tartness that they bring to the bits of apple. It makes a very subtle difference, but the difference is there. Also, feel free to add more or less cinnamon as your palate dictates. You could also toss in a dash of ginger for a little more zing, if you like.
3. Cream butter. Gradually beat in sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 to 7 min. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition.
4. Combine flour, baking soda, salt, and 1 tsp cinnamon, and add alternately with the yogurt or sour cream to the creamed sugar mixture. Beat on low until just blended.
5. Add in apple mixture; stir until just blended.
6. Pour into pan and bake for 1 hr and 15 min or until cake tests done. (You can also make muffins, round cakes, or whatever. Baking time will vary, though.) Cool in pan for 15 min before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
Enjoy!
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