Tag: apples

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.
Breakfast, Pancakes, Recipes

Apple Cinnamon Pancakes

Sarah

Since it might not be obvious from the recipes I post here, I thought I should let you know a couple things about me that are 110% true. Yes, exactly 110%. I am a) aware that there are other fall flavors besides pumpkin and b) actually quite a big fan of these other flavors.

Like apple. Oh, fall apples. They are absolutely the best. My favorite way to enjoy apples is actually just freshly sliced up–sometimes plain, sometimes with peanut butter, and sometimes with Brown Sugar Fruit Dip. But… sometimes, I have to cook with apples. You see, they combine so perfectly with cinnamon. And they are just so good warm.

apple cinnamon pancakes

Enter Apple Cinnamon Pancakes. These little babies combine everything I love about apples–their fruity fall flavor, their warmth, their tendency to pair well with cinnamon, their hearty crunch with a restaurant-quality light and fluffy breakfast treat. I made these for dinner one recent evening and was so excited to see that we had a few leftover for breakfast the next day. Usually, I pass off leftovers to Ben without a second thought, but these were leftovers worth fighting for. They’re delicious served for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, so don’t be hindered by constraints of time–make these fall pancakes as soon as possible!

apple cinnamon pancakes

Reader Question ~ How do you enjoy your apples? What’s your favorite kind?

I personally am obsessed with Crisipin! They’re hard to find but when you do, they are so sweet/tart, crispy, and refreshing. Totally worth a trip to the apple orchard for them!

Apple Cinnamon Pancakes [from What Megan’s Making]
printable version

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 cup skim milk
  • 1/2 cup natural unsweetened applesauce
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tablespoons canola oil or melted butter
  • 1 apple, peeled and chopped [I used Granny Smith]
Directions:
In a medium bowl, combine the dry ingredients: flour, cinnamon, sugar, and baking powder. In another bowl, mix together the wet ingredients: milk, applesauce, and oil. Next, fold the wet ingredients into the dry and whisk until barely combined. Stir in the chopped apples–mixture will likely be a little lumpy.

Let batter rest for 10 minutes while the skillet is heating over low-medium heat. Add a little canola oil to the skillet and once hot, pour about 1/3 cup of batter to the pan. Cook until surface is bubbly, then flip and let the other side cook until golden brown.

Time: 30 minutes.

Yield: 14-16 pancakes.

Main Dishes, Recipes, Soups

Butternut Squash Apple Soup

Sarah

It’s been a chilly, rainy start to fall so far–and what better way to warm up than with a cozy bowl of Butternut Squash Apple Soup?

I haven’t had butternut squash in over a year thanks to the Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese overdose of winter 2009, but a large butternut squash at the Farmer’s Market looked so yummy that I just had to bring it home. I loved the sweet-tart flavor of this soup, intensified by roasting the squash and slowly cooking a plethora of other produce including pieces of onions, carrots, celery, and apples. Some spices top off the delightfulness of this creamy soup. For a little extra treat, try stirring in some sour cream for a cool twist on this hot dish!

Reader Question ~ What’s your favorite fall soup?

Butternut Squash Apple Soup [from Simply Recipes]
printable version

Ingredients:

  • 1 large butternut squash [should yield ~4.5 cups]
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 1/4 cup celery, chopped
  • 1 large carrot, chopped
  • 1 large Granny Smith apple, cored and chopped [should yield ~1.5 cups]
  • 3 cups chicken broth
  • 1 cup water
  • pinches of nutmeg, cinnamon, cayenne, and freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut butternut squash in half lengthwise, then scoop out seeds and membranes. Place flesh side up on a large baking sheet, then roast for 25 minutes or until tender. Let cool for a few minutes and then scoop out squash and place in a bowl.
Meanwhile, melt butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Then add onion, celery, and carrot to the pot and saute for 5 minutes. Vegetables should begin to soften but not brown.
Next, add squash, apple, chicken broth, and water. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes or until softened. Puree with an immersion blender and return to the pot. Add spices to taste and serve with warm bread.
Yield: 4-6 servings.
Time: 70 minutes [15 minutes active].
Breakfast, Egg Dishes, One Tablespoon Testosterone, Recipes

OTT: Sausage Egg Apple Strata

Sarah
ben
grrr!

This is a guest post from my husband, Ben. Periodically, he has agreed to share some of his favorite recipes with you in a guest post column entitled One Tablespoon Testosterone, or OTT for short. Enjoy!

———-

Hello again.  I’m here to share another recipe with you, man-style.  For this edition, we’ll go the route of “breakfast for dinner.”  This is a concept that my wife really enjoys.  She could eat breakfast every meal of the day and this is not an exaggeration.  We had breakfast food at our wedding reception.  But even before I knew Sarah, I knew about breakfast for dinner.  In college, one of my roommates (one Patrick Hinker) and I used to occasionally splurge and make

good eats, good man

breakfast feasts for dinner.  This occasionally involved making 14 links of sausage, a dozen eggs, and a batch of pancakes…and consuming it entirely ourselves.  Ah yes, those were the days.  Now I have to think of something a bit more…mmm…refined to satisfy my roommate.  [Sarah here… Ben just got kicked for that and said, “but I love you!” All was forgiven. :)] And so this recipe may not have been a hit four or five years ago, but now it’s a hit with my wife.  The other reason I decided to make this recipe is because we’ve had a pound of ground sausage in our freezer for God only knows how long, and I wanted to do something about it.

Sausage Egg Apple Strata [from $5 Dinners]

Ingredients:

  • 6 slices bread (this can be of your choosing; you can pick what type of bread [we used Italian bread] and you can adjust the amounts depending on how bready you want yours [I probably would have cut back just a bit if I made it again]
  • 1 lb sausage (mild or spicy, your preference)
  • 1 chopped apple (I used Jazz)
  • 8 eggs
  • 1/2 c milk
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1/2 c cheese (guess what? you can choose the type of cheese too! I used cheddar.)

Directions:

Spray or grease a 9×13 cooking pan.  Vent your frustrations on the bread by tearing into pieces, but don’t get too carried away.  Keep those pieces of bread a halfway decent size.  Put the pieces of bread in the pan.  Brown the sausage on the stove and drain the excess grease.  Put the sausage in the pan with the bread.  Chop the apple and add that to the pan.  Mix the ingredient around in there a little bit.  In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, salt, and pepper.  Refrigerate overnight.  The next day, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Cook the casserole for 45-55 minutes.  With about 5 minutes to go in the cooking, remove the casserole from the oven and sprinkle the cheese on top.  Put back in the oven to finish cooking.  When it’s done, enjoy thoroughly.

Click here for the printable version: Sausage Egg Apple Strata

Question of the Day:  So if you could only eat five foods for the rest of your life what, what would they be?

Breakfast, Pancakes, Recipes

Whole Wheat Apple Pancakes

Sarah

Happy Mardi Gras! Happy Shrove Tuesday! Happy Fat Tuesday! Happy Pączki Day! Happy Pancake Day! Pączki Day? Pancake Day? Wait, what?

So, Mardi Gras, Shrove Tuesday, Fat Tuesday… all pretty common names for the day before Ash Wednesday, which marks the start of Lent and is 46 days before Easter [40 if you don’t count Sundays]. Most people have probably heard of them and celebrate them by indulging in favorite fried foods that traditionally were abstained from during Lenten fasting.

You’re probably wondering what Pączki Day and Pancake Day have to do with all of this. Well, pączkis and pancakes are two of the best ways to celebrate the day before Ash Wednesday!

Pączkis are Polish doughnuts and are so delicious! They don’t taste like regular doughnuts and I highly recommend that you hightail it to the grocery store or bakery if you’re lucky to pick up some before they’re gone til next year! We bought ours yesterday and enjoyed them while watching the final episode of LOST [again]. I’m sure you could make them, but they seem pretty difficult to make.

In the meantime though, these Whole Wheat Apple Pancakes are calling your name. I know I say this frequently, but these are some of the whole wheat apple pancakesbest pancakes I have ever tasted! Whole wheat is often stereotyped as dense and hard, but these pancakes are anything but. Ben and I literally inhaled about 3-4 big pancakes each last week after a hard workout and they totally hit the spot. Each pancake is chock-full of cinnamon apples and buttermilk goodness. Sweetened only by honey, these pancakes aren’t so over the top sweet that the apple gets lost. For a little something different we topped our pancakes with honey instead of syrup. These pancakes will definitely be making an appearance on my plate soon–maybe on Saturday after my 20 mile marathon training run! Woohoo!

Whole Wheat Apple Pancakes [from Ellie Krieger’s So Easy]

Ingredients:

  • 1 medium apple, chopped [Golden Delicious is suggested, I used Pinata]
  • 3/4 cup all purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 3/4 cup skim milk
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • cinnamon
  • olive oil

Directions:

Put the apple in a microwave safe bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Microwave on high until softened, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle with cinnamon [if desired] and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: flours, powder, soda. In a small bowl, whisk together milks, eggs, and honey. Fold wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Batter will be lumpy.

Heat a large skillet drizzled with olive oil. Once hot, scoop batter by 1/4 cup increments. Top with about 1 tablespoon apple. Cover with a little more batter. Cook until golden brown on each side, about 4-5 minutes total since these are thick pancakes. Serve with butter and honey, or maple syrup if that’s more your flavor!

Click here for the printable version: Whole Wheat Apple Pancakes

***Don’t forget to enter my giveaway by Sunday, March 13!

Question of the Day: Do you have any Mardi Gras/Shrove Tuesday/Fat Tuesday/Pączki Day/Pancake Day traditions?