Spiced Applesauce Cake

I made a delicious batch of applesauce last year. Unfortunately, I don’t eat applesauce all that much, so I put it in the freezer and just haven’t taken it out! Last week, Lara decided to use some of it to make this applesauce cake from Smitten Kitchen that she has been eyeing for quite some time. Even though she didn’t make the frosting to go with it (which would be amazing, cream cheese frosting is always amazing!) the cake was so delicious that I wanted to make it again right away.

Then, a few days later, I realized that I had some yogurt in the fridge that really needed to be used. I’ve been getting raw goat’s milk from a co-worker and making it into goat’s yogurt (which is so good!). But I had a container that was getting older than I liked so I was trying to find a way to use it up…

I decided to try a different take on the applesauce cake, and turn it into a yogurt cake instead! Would this work? Probably? It never hurts to try, so try I did! I kept everything the same (other than a few different spices, just for fun) other than replacing the applesauce with yogurt. The verdict? Turned out great! Yes, there is a little tang from the yogurt, but that’s not a bad thing. I do think the yogurt cake was a little more dense than the applesauce cake, but they both baked up very nicely! I would not hesitate to make either of these recipes again!

When Lara made the applesauce version she only used 3/4 cup sugar, instead of the 1 cup of sugar called for. This was perfectly fine, and I would probably do this again if using the applesauce. When I made the yogurt version I used the full cup of sugar since I was taking out all of the sugar naturally found in the applesauce.

[All the photos are of the yogurt version, I didn’t get any pics of the applesauce cake]

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Spiced Applesauce Cake
From Smitten Kitchen
Ingredients
For the cake

• 2 cups (8 3/4 ounces or 250 grams) all-purpose flour

• 2 teaspoons baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

• 1 stick (4 ounces or 113 grams) unsalted butter, softened

• 1 cup (6 7/8 ounces or 195 grams) packed light brown sugar (updated weight)

• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

• 2 large eggs

• 1 1/2 cups (about 13 ounces or 365 grams) unsweetened applesauce

• 1/2 cup (about 1 3/4 ounces or 50 grams) walnuts (optional), toasted, cooled, and chopped

For the frosting

• 5 ounces (142 grams) cream cheese, softened

• 3 tablespoons (1 1/2 ounces or 42 grams) unsalted butter, softened

• 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

• 1 cup (4 ounces or 120 grams) confectioners sugar

• 1/2 (1 teaspoon) teaspoon cinnamon

Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Butter an 8- or 9-inch square cake pan that has been lined with parchment paper.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices. Beat butter, brown sugar, and vanilla with an electric mixer at high speed until pale and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat in applesauce. At low speed, mix in flour mixture until just combined, then stir in walnuts (if using). The batter may look a little curdly and uneven, this is okay.

Spread batter evenly in pan and bake until golden-brown and a wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean, about 35 to 40 minutes.

Cool in pan 15 minutes. Then run a knife around edge of cake to loosen, then invert onto a plate. Reinvert cake onto a rack to cool completely.

Make frosting: Beat cream cheese, butter, and vanilla with an electric mixer at high speed until fluffy. Sift confectioners sugar and cinnamon over cream cheese mixture, then beat at medium speed until incorporated. Spread frosting over top of cooled cake.

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For the Yogurt Version:
Replace all of the applesauce with 1 12/ cups (350 g) plain, whole milk or 2% yogurt (goat’s milk if you have it!). I also adjusted the spices and used 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon cardamom, 1/8 teaspoon allspice.

Pumpkin Bundt Cake

I have fallen off the posting train! But I’m trying to get back on board. It’s been a busy and fun fall, which means I have neglected this little hobby of mine. But this cake was too good not to share! I had a fun Oktober fest at a new friends house. It was outdoors on the perfect chilly, but lovely October night. They had grilled up two whole lambs, and brewed some homemade beer, and then invited a bunch of people over to share.

I decided to try out a new cake recipe. It’s pumpkin season and this cake did not disappoint. It has a mix of butter and oil for flavor and moisture with the perfect amount of fall spices. It baked up beautifully and came out of the pan easily. I topped with a simple yogurt glaze which had just enough tang to perfectly compliment the rich and sweet cake. Happy Fall!

The original recipe had a cream cheese glaze. I didn’t have any cream cheese so I ended up making something up on my own. I didn’t measure anything so I can’t tell you exactly, but I used melted butter, milk, powdered sugar and plain Greek yogurt. I turned out great, but if you’re looking for exact measurements, follow the link to the original recipe and try hers out, I’m sure it’s great!

Pumpkin Bundt Cake
From Style Sweet CA
Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour

• 2 teaspoons baking powder

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 2 teaspoons cinnamon

• 1 teaspoon cardamom

• 1 teaspoon ginger

• ¼ teaspoon clove

• pinch black pepper

• ¾ cup Land O Lakes® European Style Unsalted Butter, softened

• 1 cup brown sugar

• 1 cup white sugar

• ¼ cup flavorless oil, like grapeseed or canola

• 3 large eggs

• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

• 1/3 cup buttermilk

• 14 ounces pumpkin puree

Directions
Pre-heat oven to 350°F. Generously brush the inside of a Bundt pan with very soft butter, sprinkle with flour, and tap out the excess. Set aside.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter on medium-low speed with the paddle attachment until smooth. Add in both sugars and mix on medium until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the oil and vanilla. Mix until combined.

With the mixer on low, add in the eggs, one at a time. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.

With the mixer on low, add in half of the flour mixture and mix until just combined. Add in the buttermilk and mix until combined. Add in the remaining half of the flour mixture and mix until just incorporated and few streaks of flour remain visible. Add in the pumpkin puree and mix until smooth. The batter will be thick.

Spoon the cake batter into the prepared pan. Tap the bottom of the filled pan on a hard work surface to release any air bubbles. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, or until a long wooden skewer or thin paring knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for about 15 minutes. Gently loosen the edges of the cake with a flexible rubber spatula. Place a wire rack or cutting board on top of the cake. Holding on to the edges of the pan and rack, carefully invert everything. Remove the cake pan and continue to completely cool the cake before adding the glaze.

Classic Pumpkin Scones

So, I know I posted a pumpkin scone recipe just a few weeks ago, but I couldn't resist posting another one. Since it's almost the end of November (which I consider the unofficial pumpkin-baked-good month) I had to share this recipe before the month is over. I've made quite a few different pumpkin scone recipes in the past which have all been good, but when I made this one last week I knew I had the winner! I think this is probably the best one of the bunch. It's a classic scone, buttery and tender, with the addition of a little pumpkin and scented with warming autumn spices. I was planning on adding some chocolate or nuts to the dough, but I realized when they were all cut and on the baking sheet that I had forgotten to add anything at all. But I needn't have feared, they turned out amazingly! Everything I wish for in a scone. Whether you keep theses scones plain, or add your favorite mix-ins, you won't be disappointed, I promise! 

Yum!! So tender and delicious! These scones did not turn out tough like some pumpkin scones do. I think it's key to work the butter evenly into the dough, not leaving the pieces too big so the butter just melts out. And also be very careful not to add too much liquid. I've made this mistake in the past and it leads to a tough finished product. You want just enough of the liquid to pull it all together, and not any more. I usually don't add all the liquid right away at the beginning, instead adding it a little bit at a time until all the dough is moistened and just sticks together. Stop at this point and start shaping. This will help that end product be a real winner! Some chocolate, walnuts, pecans, or cranberries would all be fabulous. Or just keep them plain and simple, and enjoy those warm and buttery spices.

Classic Pumpkin Scones
Adapted from Vanilla and Bean
Ingredients

• 1/2 stick butter
• 1 cup (120 grams) all purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon cardamom
• 1/8 teaspoon ginger
• 1/8 teaspoon allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 2-4 tablespoons half-and-half
• 1/4 cup (60 grams) pumpkin
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions
Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Cut the cold butter into 1/4" cubes and place in the freezer while prepping the other ingredients.

Sift the flour, corn starch, brown sugar, spices, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a large mixing bowl.

Add the cold butter to the sifted ingredients. Use a pastry cutter to cut in the butter into the pastry until evenly incorporated. The butter should be small, about pea sized, evenly coated, and distributed in the flour.

In a separate bowl, mix 2 tablespoons of the half and half, pumpkin puree and vanilla and pour into the flour mixture. Gently stir the mixture until the flour is just moistened. The dough will be shaggy and seem dry. Add more half and half very slowly as needed for the dough to just hold together. Do not add too much liquid or the scones will turn out flat and tough, you want to add just enough so that the dough barely holds together. 

Dump the contents out of the bowl onto a flour dusted work surface and shape into a circle approximately 3/4-1 inch thick, depending on your preference. Cut the circle into 4-6 wedges. Place scones on the parchment lined sheet pan, cover and place in the fridge for 20 minutes. (At this point, the scones can be held in the fridge overnight for a quick bake in the morning. Just make sure they are wrapped tightly).

Preheat oven to 425F while the scones are resting in the fridge.

Before baking, sprinkle the coarse sugar evenly over the top of each scone if desired, using a little water to help it stick if needed. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until golden. Enjoy warm or at room temperature. 

Autumn Rose Wedding Cake

I had a fabulous night last night celebrating the wedding of my friend Corrie and her now (new) husband Jon. I have known Corrie for my entire life and am so glad that I still count her as a good friend. Our families have so made so many memories together, camping at Lake Michigan, swimming in her family's pool on many hot summer days, family vacations to Iowa, Kentucky and Florida together, and so much more. I was so excited when she asked if I would be willing to make a small cake for her and Jon to cut at their wedding. This was the perfect way for me to be a part of her special day!

It was so much fun to put this delicious cake together. If you've been following my blog, you might notice that this cake looks similar to the cake I made for my birthday last month. That was by design! On my birthday I decided to do a little test run of the cake I was thinking of making for her wedding. Happily my birthday cake turned out so well that I wasn't too nervous about how the wedding cake would turn out. I made the exact same recipe for the cake and frosting this time, but multiplied them both by 1.5 because I wanted three layers instead of two. It worked great! A beautiful triple layer chocolate cake covered it stunning fresh flowers. A fabulous cake to celebrate a fabulous couple!

Find the recipe for the cake and frosting HERE. If you want a triple layer cake like you see here, multiply all the ingredients by 1.5, use 3 cake pans instead of two and you'll be good to go!

Cherry Walnut Pumpkin Scones

This past week I took my first vacation days of residency. It has been absolutely wonderful. 5 days off (plus both weekends - bonus!) to do absolutely nothing. I really had nothing planned (other than a dentist appointment, woohoo) which is really how I like my days off to be, relaxing and uneventful. It's been kind of a gloomy week. Rainy and cold for several days, not a lot of sun. Early in the week I decided that I needed to had something fun to enjoy for breakfast while on vacation. Since it's October I really didn't have any other choice than to make something pumpkin-y! Something seasonal to leisurely enjoy with my morning cup of coffee. After much deliberation I settle on scones. 

Scones are one of my favorites! I made some delicious pumpkin scone with cranberries and pecans last year, but I had a couple other recipes pinned so I figured I'd try a new one! This recipe is from Joy the Baker, one of my favorite bloggers, and probably the blog I've been following the longest of any food blog. I trust her recipes so I knew this would be a winning recipe. They were the perfect treat for my chilly fall morning breakfasts!

Scones are not difficult. These are pretty basic as scones go, similar to the ones I made last year. These did spread a little while baking, but not too much. They are moist and hearty. Pumpkin scones never have that crispy airiness that traditional scones have, but that's to be expected due to the moist and dense pumpkin. Add a little drizzle of glaze for looks and extra sweetness and then dig in. Don't forget the coffee! 

(Sorry about the dark, not so wonderful pictures of these scones. The batteries in my camera died and I haven't been able to go buy some new batteries yet!)

Cherry Walnut Pumpkin Scones
Adapted from Joy the Baker
Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups (180 grams) all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup (50 grams) brown sugar
• 1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
• 3/4 stick (6 tablespoons, 3 ounces) unsalted butter, cold and cut into small cubes
• 1/2 cup (110 grams) buttermilk, cold
• 1/2 cup (120 grams) pumpkin puree
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup a mix of coarsely chopped walnuts and dried cherries

Directions
Place rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and all of the spices.  Add the cold butter to the dry ingredients and toss to coat.  Using your fingers or a pastry cutter, break the butter down into the dry ingredients.  Work quickly so that the butter remains cold.  Some of the butter will be the size of oat flakes, others will be the size of small peas.

In a small bowl, whisk together buttermilk, pumpkin puree, and vanilla extract.

Add the wet ingredients, all at once to the dry ingredients.  Stir together until almost thoroughly combined.  Add walnuts and cherries and stir until no dry flour bits remain.  Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured counter. Shape into a small circle, approximately 1 1/2 inches tall. Use a bench scraper or a sharp knife to cut the circle into 6 or 8 wedges. Transfer scones to prepared baking sheet.  Leave about 2-inches of space between each scone.

Bake for 18 to 22 minutes or until browned slightly with dry tops.  You can insert a toothpick into the center of a scone to test for doneness.

Pumpkin Streusel Muffins

I know I've posted a lot of pumpkin things lately, but this is probably my last one, so if you are sick of pumpkin just bear with me. Personally, I don't ever get sick of it. Since muffins are always at the top of my list of things to bake, pumpkin muffins were a no brainer this fall, and these muffins didn't disappoint. A nice basic pumpkin muffin, topped with a simple streusel, they are pretty and tasty. Sometimes a simple recipe is just the thing I'm looking for. If you need a easy but delicious pumpkin muffin recipe, this fits the bill.

I actually made these muffins twice in the last couple of weeks, first for myself, and the second time to share with friends at school. For the first batch that I made, I used the streusel recipe that I found with the muffin recipe. This is the streusel that is shown in my pictures. I thought it was very pretty, and tasted quite nice, but just didn't quite cut it as a streusel topping for me. It was a little too floury. I prefer my streusel to be chunky and buttery, so for the second batch I used a different streusel recipe which worked out very nice. I've listed both options below; either one you choose will be very tasty, it's just a matter of opinion. What really matters is just that you make these muffins. They are the perfect breakfast treat for a chilly fall morning!

Pumpkin Streusel Muffins
Adapted from: Buns In My Oven
Ingredients
For the muffins:

• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 2/3 cup canned pumpkin
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons molasses
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ginger
• 1/8 teaspoon cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Streusel topping option #1:

• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons cold butter

Streusel topping option #2

• 2 ounces (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions
For the streusel, combine the flour and brown sugar in a small bowl. Cut in butter until the mixture is crumbly. Set aside. 

For the muffins, cream together butter and sugars until creamy. Beat in pumpkin, buttermilk, eggs and molasses. 

Combine the dry ingredients in a small bowl and mix into the batter. Stir just until combined. Fill paper lined muffins cups 2/3 full with batter. Spoon streusel topping over the muffins and bake for 20 to 25 minutes at 375, or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack. Enjoy!