Category: Recipes

Cakes, Desserts, Recipes

Cinnamon Sugar Apple Cake

Sarah

Umm, so you know how some things are best eaten straight out of the oven, standing at the kitchen counter with a fork poking into the still-too-hot-it’s-burning-your-mouth cake? But you don’t care because it’s just so delicious that if you don’t seize this moment you may very well regret it? Or is that just me?

Well, this is that dessert.

Cinnamon Sugar Apple Cake | thepajamachef.comCinnamon Sugar Apple Cake. It’s what dreams are made of.

Oh–not your dreams? Well, think again. This cake is uber moist [sorry, all you who are averse to that work–I’m not sure how else to describe it] and spongy. The crunchy topping is sugary sweet to the max, a perfect contrast to the fruity sweetness of the cake’s little bits of chewy apple delight. We enjoyed this cake for dessert and also breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Like Lindsay and her husband, Ben and I ate the whole pan in a matter of days. It is just that good. I hope you enjoy it too!

Cinnamon Sugar Apple Cake

  • Servings: 20
  • Print

[from Pinch of Yum]

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup canola oil
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup buttermilk [I subbed milk and lemon juice]
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 cups chopped apples [I used Gala once and then Gala/Granny Smith round 2, and didn’t peel them.]
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 tablespoon melted butter
Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F and grease a 9×13 inch pan with cooking spray. In a large bowl, whisk together brown sugar, oil, egg and buttermilk. Then stir in baking soda and vanilla. Lastly, mix in flour and apples. Pour batter into prepared pan.

In a small bowl, combine sugar, cinnamon, and butter, mixing gently with a fork. Spread it evenly over the batter. It will not fully cover the batter, but it will bake up fine.
Bake for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes:
This recipe is very forgiving. Here are some ways you could alter the original recipe if desired. I do NOT recommend making all the changes at once!
  • Use less brown sugar in the cake: I’ve reduced the brown sugar to 1 cup instead of 1 1/2 before. It’s less sweet but not noticeably so.
  • Substitute the buttermilk for Greek yogurt: I have not tried this but others have.
  • Use white whole wheat flour in place of the all-purpose: I’ve done a straight substitute. I have not tried whole wheat flour though, only white whole wheat which is lighter.
  • Add warm spices to the cake: like 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg. Some people think the cake is too bland without it. I think adding the spices to the batter takes away from the topping and from the apple-y flavor of the cake, but it’s up to you.
  • Add salt to the cake: some people think the cake batter is too bland without salt. The original recipe did not have salt and since I don’t use salt in baking except for breads, I didn’t see the need to add it. I don’t know how much you would add but you can look at other recipes for cakes made in a 9×13 inch pan and see what amount they use.
  • Double the topping: the topping is not meant to cover every square inch of the cake when it is unbaked. However, when the cake is baked, the cake rises and makes all sorts of yummy nooks and crannies with the topping.

Linked up with: Weekend Potluck.
Breads, Recipes

SRC: Honey Whole Wheat English? Muffins

Sarah

Happy Monday!

I’m especially excited about today because it’s my first time participating in The Secret Recipe Club. I first heard about The Secret Recipe Club from Lindsay’s blog and I was instantly hooked on the idea. The premise is this: you’re assigned a different member’s blog every month. You visit their blog, choose any recipe you want, then make it and share it on your blog. It’s a fun way to find new blogs and be stretched to try new recipes, cooking styles, etc. Then, everyone posts about their assigned blog on the same day.

For November, I was assigned Anne’s blog–Quick and Easy, Cheap and Healthy. The premise of her blog is simple and straightforward, and I quote directly from her homepage:

* QUICK – because who has time for anything more?
* EASY – because I’m no gourmet.
* CHEAP – because who has money for anything more?
* HEALTHY – because you are what you eat.

Sounds good to me! After checking out many of the amazing looking recipes and tasty treats that Anne regularly posts [frequently part of fun series like Better than the Box or Twelve Treats of Christmas], I decided to tackle a food that I love but have never been daring enough to make on my own: English Muffins. Or, to be more specific: Honey Whole Wheat English? Muffins. The question mark after the “English” is indicative of the fact that there isn’t complete certainty over the geographic heritage of these doughy, crisp breakfast treats. Nevertheless, I can say with complete certainty that these are delicious. Unlike some whole wheat breads, these are not at all dense, but just the right balance of doughy and substantive. I love the touch of sweetness that the honey adds too.

english muffins from scratch

So when grading by Anne’s four point scale, I must say that these English muffins are definitely quick [thanks to my dear pal Mr. Breadmaker], easy [can you say everyday ingredients + minimal appliances/tools?], cheap [again: read, everyday ingredients + minimal appliances/tools… just like any ‘ole bread] and healthy [I can pronounce everything… no mystery ingredients or fillers here]. These will definitely be making more appearances on our breakfast table in the future. Thanks, Anne!

english muffins from scratch
with some delicious pumpkin butter!

Honey Whole Wheat English Muffins [from Quick and Easy, Cheap and Healthy]
printable version

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup skim milk
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
  • 1 1/2 cups bread flour
  • 2 teaspoons yeast [I used breadmaker yeast]
  • cornmeal

Directions:

Place all the ingredients [minus the cornmeal] in the pan of your breadmaker in the order shown above, or as correlates to your breadmaker’s instructions. For mine, it is liquids and salt, dry ingredients, and then make a well for the yeast. Basically, the game plan is to just keep your yeast from mixing with the liquids too soon. Set for the “dough” cycle and when it’s ready, remove dough and place on countertop or work surface that has been covered with cornmeal. Covered! Press into a large rectangle, about 1/2-1 inch thick, then use a glass or biscuit cutter to cut out large circles of dough. Place on cookie sheet and cover with plastic wrap or a towel and allow to rise for 30-60 minutes. Cook the muffins on an ungreased griddle set over low-medium heat for about 8-9 minutes per side, or until golden brown. Split with a fork and serve with butter and jam. Or as we did for dinner, eggs, bacon, Cheddar, and avocado. Store in an airtight container.

Note:

I recommend making sure your griddle is piping hot before you start cooking them. Also, if your kitchen is on the cold side, allow to rise longer than 30 minutes for best results.

Check out more of today’s recipes below!

Time: 45 minutes active [plus the time your breadmaker takes and an additional 30 minutes rising time].

Yield: 12-14 muffins.



Candy, Desserts, Recipes

Candy Corn Pretzel Bites

Sarah

I know it’s after Halloween. Candy corn season is finito, at least til next fall. But in case you need something to do to fulfill any sweet/salty cravings that come your way while finishing up the last of the clearance/leftover Halloween candy, here’s a great option.

You’ve got your layer of salty square pretzel [the best pretzel shape, in my opinion] covered with a layer of chocolate and topped off with the sweet refreshment of pure sugar candy corn. Or autumn corn. Or pumpkins. Or even caramel candy corn. Yes, it’s just as good as it sounds. Try it this weekend or file it away for next fall, this is a treat that will be on my list for years to come!

Candy Corn Pretzel Bites [from Baking and Creating with Avril]
printable version

Ingredients:

  • Pretzels
  • Hershey Kisses
  • Candy Corn

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheet with alumnium foil or parchment paper. Place pretzels on cookie sheet and top with a Hershey Kiss. Bake for 4-5 minutes. Chocolate should be barely shiny–much longer and it will get gross [technical term here, folks]. Press candy corn into chocolate and let cool before enjoying or storing in an air-tight container.

Time: 15 minutes.

Yield: varies.

Breakfast, Recipes, Spreads

Homemade Maple & Brown Sugar Almond Butter

Sarah

Homemade Maple & Brown Sugar Almond Butter - easier than you think... and tasty too! via thepajamachef.com

So, nut butter always seemed like one of those things that was so. hard. to make at home. But really? Is it now? After taking a trip to the nicest Kroger in my town and grinding my own peanut butter in their natural foods/bulk bins section, I was swayed a little bit. It looked easy, at least with that fancy grocery-store grinder. I resolved to try it at home “one day.” You know how it goes. One day never came. It was just so easy to keep buying my favorite natural peanut butter from Whole Foods that I didn’t think any more about it. Until I ran out. Whole Foods is a 75 minute drive away. No good.

Enter: creativity, complements of the internet. Guess what? Homemade nut butter isn’t that hard! And you can totally make fancy nut butters for a fraction of the cost of the store-bought non-peanut butters. Sorry, but I’m not going to spend $5-8 on a small jar of almond/cashew/walnut butter or fancy flavored peanut butter. Let’s hope we’re not seeing prices like that on regular peanut butter now that prices are on the rise.

After making a quick trip to Sam’s to stock up on nuts, I went to work. I raided my pantry to see what I could find to fancy up my almond butter and came up with a classic oatmeal combo: maple and brown sugar.

Homemade Maple & Brown Sugar Almond Butter - easier than you think... and tasty too! via thepajamachef.com

A bit of patience and a food processor and you are all set.

Homemade Maple & Brown Sugar Almond Butter - easier than you think... and tasty too! via thepajamachef.com

While I can’t promise I’ll never go back to the store-bought stuff, I have been inspired to try more flavor combinations and even experiment with different kinds of nuts to see what we like best!

Reader Question ~ What’s your favorite kind of nut butter? What should I try to make next?

Homemade Maple & Brown Sugar Almond Butter

  • Servings: makes 16 ounces
  • Print

[inspired by The Lean Green Bean]

Ingredients:

  • 1 pound/3 cups raw, unsalted almonds
  • 1 tablespoon maple syrup
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spread almonds in a single layer on a baking sheet and toast for 6-8 minutes. The almonds should smell fragrant. In a food processor, combine toasted almonds, syrup, and brown sugar. Process for 10-12 minutes, or until desired consistency is reached.

Notes:

At first, you’ll have to scrape the sides of the food processor constantly because it’ll be mostly “dusty.” Then, after a few minutes, it should start clumping and from there will get smoother and smoother the longer you let it go. It just takes a bit of patience but it is so worth it!

Beverages, Recipes

Homemade Pumpkin Spice Lattes–sans espresso machine!

Sarah

Okay, so I know this fall there have been about a zillion variations of DIY pumpkin spice latte recipes online. But I kept making excuses for making them, even though I was craving that pumpkin spice-flavored syrup.

I didn’t have any cinnamon sticks [remedied with a trip to Sam’s… big jar for under $4! Apparently sticks > ground.] or any cheesecloth [it’s $2 at the grocery store], and lastly, I certainly didn’t have a fancypants espresso machine. No way to get steamed milk. Ummm… yeah, can’t get past that obstacle for cheap. Or can you? A little googling and apparently some Mason jar-shaking action has somewhat of the same effect. Not exactly the same, but close enough. I was quite impressed with myself after testing out that googled solution. Thankfully I’ve been working out! I combined that milk with some fall-spiced pumpkin simple syrup I cooked up in a jiffy, freshly brewed espresso blend coffee, whipped cream, and cinnamon and had myself a nice, fancy coffeeshop-worthy beverage.

If you don’t want to go to all the trouble of a DIY latte and would rather leave that to the professionals, this syrup is also fabulous stirred into coffee, hot chocolate, and probably even ice cream [though I haven’t tried it yet]. It’s easier than you think–I promise!

Homemade Pumpkin Spice Latte [from Annie’s Eats]
printable version

Ingredients:

for syrup

  • 1 1/2 cups water
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 4 cinnamon sticks
  • 1 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon cloves
  • 3 tablespoons pumpkin puree

for latte

  • 6 ounces skim milk
  • 3 ounces brewed espresso or strong coffee
  • 1-2 tablespoons pumpkin spice syrup
  • whipped cream and ground cinnamon for topping

Directions:

Stir together water and sugar in medium saucepan set over medium-high heat. Stir from time to time until sugar dissolves. Add cinnamon sticks and whisk in spices, then stir in pumpkin puree. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring continually. Do not let mixture boil. Remove from heat and cool for 15 minutes. Then, strain syrup through a cheesecloth and store in the refrigerator in a sealed container.

To make latte, pour milk into a Mason jar, screw on lid, and then shake for 60 seconds. Then remove lid and microwave for about 60 seconds or until hot, transferring to a larger container or bowl if necessary. [I did this so that it wouldn’t overflow.] Pour into a large mug and stir in coffee. Drizzle in pumpkin spice syrup then top with whipped cream and cinnamon as desired.

31 days of pumpkin