Moosewood's Fresh Apple Spice Bundt Cake - I Like Big Bundts 2013 - Day 4

Moosewood's Fresh Apple Spice Bundt Cake

Day 4 of I Like Big Bundts

Welcome to Day #4 of I Like Big Bundts 2013! Days and days of daily Bundts as we countdown to National Bundt Day on November 15, 2013. I truly love big Bundts. Cake is delicious, and frosting is not. Thus, the Bundt is awesome.

Today's bundt is from the Moosewood cookbook Moosewood Restaurant Favorites: The 250 Most-Requested, Naturally Delicious Recipes from One of America's Best-Loved Restaurants - if it made the cut into the top recipes of a 40 year old restaurant, then you know it's a keeper. I remember using the Enchanted Broccoli Forest by Mollie Katzen in my undergrad years (the vegetarian years). I've never been to New York's Moosewood Restaurant, and hope to one day experience all their yummy delights.

This recipe is called "Sara's Fresh Apple Spice Cake" in the book (page 333). She brought it to her interview at Moosewood in 1973 and got the job.

The recipe doesn't call for a particular variety of apple so I found some Gala Apples on sale and picked them up. I peeled them, but you don't have to if you want more of a rustic touch.

You can serve this with a dusting of powdered sugar...or just plain. If you want to go crazy, you can serve it with some whipped cream or ice cream too.

Ah, fall. Days might be getting dark while you are still at work, but you get to eat lots of cinnamon spice and apples. So it's not all that bad.

See you tomorrow for another Bundt for...I cannot lie, I Like Big Bundts! - mary

I Like Big Bundts 2013 (so far)
Day 3: Butterscotch Bundt Cake
Day 2: Ultimate Lemon Pound Cake Bundt
Day 1: Orange Marmalade Jubilee Bundt

Recipe: Moosewood's Fresh Apple Spice Bundt Cake

Adapted from Sara's Fresh Apple Spice Cake from the book: Moosewood Restaurant Favorites: The 250 Most-Requested, Naturally Delicious Recipes from One of America's Best-Loved Restaurants

1 1/4 cups vegetable oil (I used canola oil)
2 cups (380 grams) lightly packed brown sugar
3 large eggs
3 cups (420 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour or 2 cups white and 1 cup whole wheat flour (I used all white flour)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 tablespoons apple juice, milk, buttermilk or water (I used water)
3 cups chopped apples (I used Gala apples because they were on sale!)
1 cup chopped nuts (pecans, walnuts, or almonds) (I did not include nuts)
Powdered sugar (optional topping)

1. Preheat the oven to 350°.
2. Prepare a Bundt pan by greasing and flouring it, or spraying it with Pam with Flour.

3. Using an electric mixer with paddle attachment, beat the oil and sugar until creamy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. 

4. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and spices. 

5. With the mixer on slow speed, add the dry ingredients and  apple juice or water and vanilla.

6. Fold in the chopped apples and nuts (optional). Batter will be thick. 

7. Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 50-70 minutes (depending on your oven) until the cake is golden brown, pulling away from the sides, and a toothpick comes out clean. 

8. Let it on a wire rack for 15 minutes and then invert from pan and let cool completely. 

9. Sprinkle the top with sifted powdered sugar when the cake is cool (optional). Enjoy!

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Apple, Persimmon, Cranberry Crisp

Apple, Persimmon, Cranberry Crisp

I made this crisp for Dave & Phil's Friendsgiving dinner. Rain was falling in Los Angeles so it was definitely fall. Combining my favorite fall flavors with a oatmeal topping was just the ticket.

Fuyu persimmon (make sure it is a FUYU and not a Hachiya persimmon - Fuyu can be eaten firm, but the Hachiya has to be soft and gooey - you can't sub them in this recipe), apples, and fresh cranberries are perfect fall flavors. I was inspired by Dorie Greenspan's Cran-Apple Crisp recipe. I omitted the coconut and added the kaki (persimmon in Japanese).

Warm fruit is one of my favorite foods in the world. I hope you try this crisp on a cold day this winter.

Apple, Persimmon, Cranberry Crisp
Fruit filling:
2 Gala Apples
1 Fuji Apple
2 Fuyu Persimmon (Must be fuyu - cannot use the hachiya variety of persimmon)
1/2 - 1 cup fresh cranberries, cut in half
2/3 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour

Topping:
3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 cup old fashioned oatmeal
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 stick (8 T/4 oz) cold butter

1. Lightly butter 8-9 ramekins. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 

2. Make the topping by hand or in a food processor until large clumps form.

3. Peel and chop fruit to bite size pieces. In a large bowl, mix the fruit with sugar and flour. 

4. Fill ramekins with fruit (almost to the top).
5. Squeeze the topping with your fingers as you place it on top of the fruit, making little clumps.
6. Bake for 40-45 minutes, until the top is golden and the fruit juices are bubbling around the edges.
7. Remove from oven and let sit at least 10 minutes before serving.
9. Serve alone, with ice cream, or whipped cream.

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Homemade Applesauce

Cinnamon.
Apples.
A hint of brown sugar.

Time? You can do this whole process in less time than an episode of Mad Men (sooo excited it is back on!!)

And if you have little cartons or jars of store bought applesauce in your kitchen or lunchbox and think they are "okay" - well, you need to make homemade applesauce because it is Crazy. Awesome. Good. Delicious. You'll never say it's "okay."

I used Simply Recipe's Homemade Applesauce recipe for a delicious big pot of applesauce. Applesauce freezes perfectly in single serving sizes (those little Glad round cups) so I made a big batch and pull them out as needed - perfect for lunch and snacking!

You can adjust the seasoning and sugar levels. I only used brown sugar and used ground cinnamon instead of cinnamon sticks. I like a chunky applesauce (mashed with a potato masher), but you can puree it down smooth as well.

Ahhh. Fresh, homemade applesauce. I'll never go back to those little processed cups again.

Recipe: 
Simply Recipes "Homemade Applesauce"

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Any Day All-Occasion Apple Snack Cake (Flo Braker)

Flo Braker’s Baking For All Occasions

I love snack cakes as much as I love Downton Abbey. I'm a bit late to the party and have been watching marathons of the first season. Oh, that Thomas...you are vile. And Bates and Anna? So perfect...if it weren't for that crazy pesky wife. Anyway, Miss Patmore might not make this, but you can make a quick cake any morning.

This recipe is from Flo Braker’s Baking For All Occasions - pick up the book, it is filled with lots of yummy recipes.

This cake uses oil and no butter, even for the topping. Mix most of the dry ingredients together with oil and then pull out some of it. Add nuts (I used chopped walnuts from Trader Joe's) and some cinnamon to finish off the topping.

In the headnote, Flo says you can add a cup of fruit or veggies to the mix...it's very versatile. I shredded an apple (skin on).

Any Day All-Occasion Apple Snack Cake
(adapted from Flo Braker’s Baking For All Occasions)

2 1/3 cups (300 grams) all-purpose flour (I used King Arthur all-purpose unbleached flour)
3⁄4 cup sugar (150 grams)
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon - divided (I used Penzy's cinnamon)
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar (200 grams)
3⁄4 cup vegetable oil (I used Wesson's canola oil)
(I added 1 cup shredded apple with skin on)
1 cup chopped walnuts, pecans or hazelnuts (I used Trader Joe's Walnut baking pieces)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup buttermilk
1 large egg

Prep: Preheat oven to 350 F. Prep a 9 x 13 pan.
You don't need a KitchenAid mixer...just a couple bowls and a whisk.

1. Sift together the flour, sugar, salt and 1⁄2 tsp cinnamon into a large bowl.
2. Mix in the brown sugar with a whisk.
3. Stir in the oil. (By this point, my batter was a little dry and in crumbles - this worked out fine).
4. Crumb topping: Remove enough of the flour mixture to measure 3⁄4 cup loosely packed. Add the remaining 1 tsp cinnamon and blend well with your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Set aside.
5. To finish the cake batter, stir in the baking powder and baking soda. Add the buttermilk and egg and whisk until the mixture is smooth.
6. Stir in your added fruit or veggies (if adding). I added one shredded skin-on apple.
7. Pour the batter into pan, then sprinkle the crumb topping evenly over the batter.
8. Bake for about 35 mins until toothpick comes out clean.
9. The instructions say to depan the cake after 10-15 minutes and let cool completely. However, I just left it in the pan to cool off.

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Barefoot Contessa's Apple Cake Tatin

Barefoot Contessa's Apple Cake Tatin

Apples.
Cake.
Caramel.
I'm there.

This is the Barefoot Contessa / Ina Garten's Apple Cake Tatin. Instead of the usual pie crust topping, she covers the apples and caramel with a cake.

I used these beautiful sweet/tart apples from Ha's Apple Farm (available at many So Cal farmer's markets). Ina's recipe calls for Granny Smith apples, but these worked fine and were delicious.

Caramelized sugar is made (I'm always amazed that water and sugar can be heated to make this!) and tops the cut apples. I judged it by color and didn't use the thermometer. The presentation of the cake is very pretty, no?

Um, how can you not want this?!

The "cake" part is very delicious. Soft and light...I like it much more than a traditional apple tatin, but then I love upside down fruit cakes!

This fall/winter, if you have a few extra apples, make this lovely cake. You won't be disappointed...nor will your guests!

Recipe:
Barefoot Contessa's Apple Cake Tatin

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ApplePearSauce Bundt Cake - Day #25 of Food Librarian's I Like Big Bundts 3

ApplePearSauce Bundt

I Like Big Bundts - Day #25

It's Thursday and I have Friday off because it's Veterans Day! Thank you Veterans for your service!

Today is Day #25 of I Like Big Bundts 3! Woo hoo! We have a fall bundt today - the ApplePearSauce Bundt made with homemade ApplePearSauce.

OMG. Why hasn't anyone ever told me how easy homemade applesauce is to make? In less than an hour I can go from apples to delicious applesauce? Shut up! This is fantastic. I used apple and pears and just added a tiny bit of brown sugar. I didn't add cinnamon because I was going to use it in the cake...but added cinnamon to the leftovers! YUM!

Have you figured out what you are going to do for National Bundt Day next Tuesday? Last year, fine group of Canadian Information Professionals (Heather, Joanne, Genevieve and Shane) had a Bundt Coffee Break Party! Heck yay...information professional know how to rock Bundt Day! While enjoying four different Bundts, they used the white board to come up with these Bundt-appropriate movie names. I got the list and they're hilarious!

Bundtback Mountain
Fistful of Bundts
Bundt Hard
Bundt Hard with a Vengeance
A Bundt Named Desire
Bundt for Red October
The Deer Bundter
Fear and Bundting in Las Vegas
Good Will Bundting
The Incredibundts
The Bundtfather
Bond classics (Bundt.... James Bundt): Goldenbundt, Thunderbundt, Octobundty...
Grumpy Old Bundts
Dances With Bundts (or Bundts With Wolves)
Mutiny on the Bundty
Bundt Trek : The Undiscovered Country
Beauty and the Bundt
Adventures in BabyBundting
Seven Bundts in Tibet

I think my favorite is Bundt Hard! :) I know this little project is crazy and you probably think I'm zany, but my one wish is that you bake something and share it. Nothing like flour, butter and sugar to bring peeps together. I LOVE that my twitter feed has comments like "I bought my Bundt pan today!" or "I'm making a Bundt cake right now!" because I know you are probably not going to eat it by yourself (although you totally can, no judgement here), but that you will probably share this with someone and take time out of our crazy days to enjoy each other's company. Sweet.

So, plan a bundt party and celebrate the bundt...and come up with other Bundty puns. I'm always looking for more bundt humor.

 

Bake a bundt for National Bundt Day on November 15th! Then submit a photo or blog post by November 24, 2011 and I'll send you a 1 1/4" button for baking along with me! The submission info can be found here!

See you tomorrow for...wait for it...yes, another bundt!  - mary the food librarian

Recap of I Like Big Bundts 3:
Day #1: Buttercake Bakery's Marble Bundt Cake
Day #2: Lemon Bliss Bundt
Day #3: Double-Chocolate Bundt Cake with Ganache Glaze
Day #4: Spice Bundt Cake with Brown Butter Vanilla Bean Glaze
Day #5: Gingery Pumpkin Breakfast Bundt
Day #6: Maida Heatter's Budapest Coffee Cake Bundt
Day #7: Dark Chocolate Bundt
Day #8: Banana Chocolate Chip Bundt
Day #9: Apple Spice Bundt
Day #10: Pumpkin Spice Bundt
Day #11: Doll Bundt Cake
Day #12: Light Chocolate Bundt with Coffee Glaze
Day #13: Spiced Cranberry Bundt
Day #14: Brown Sugar Bundt
Day #15: Buried Alive Bundt Cake
Day #16: Leftover Halloween Candy Bundt
Day #17: Lemon Bundt Cake
Day #18: Ultimate Streusel Bundt Cake
Day #19: Vanilla Bean Bundt Cake with Strawberries
Day #20: Chocolate & Zucchini Bundt
Day #21: Rice Krispies Bundt
Day #22: Tomato Soup Bundt
Day #23: Cinnamon Chocolate Bundt
Day #24: Broken Glass Jello Bundt

Recipe: Click here for printable recipe
Inspired by Martha Stewart's Applesauce Cake

Bundt Pan: Traditional 12-cup Bundt Pan

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Apple Spice Bundt - Day #9 of Food Librarian's I Like Big Bundts 3

Apple Spice Bundt

I Like Big Bundts - Day #9

An apple a day. Or at least an Apple Bundt a Day.

It's Day #9 of my I Like Big Bundts extravaganza - 30 days of bundts leading up to National Bundt Day! Thanks for following along. I love, love hearing that you are planning to make a bundt for National Bundt Day (November 15th). What are you planning on making? Remember, I'm doing a round-up and sending you a special something if you bake along with me.

As you know, I bring in my baked goods to the library and that has established a lot of goodwill! :) I'm very lucky to work with a great group of people.

The other day, I was writing my To Do list: Apples, buttermilk, Brita filter, Dog toy. 

Then, magically, my co-worker Ruth Ann came up to me with a 3-pound bag of apples from Oak Glen (near Los Angeles). Amazing!

I immediately went back to my list and wrote "George Clooney."

Sadly, he hasn't popped by the library yet. But the apples were put to good use.

This is a Martha Stewart recipe. I've made it before and it is a great Bundt. Definitely something to keep in your recipe book. It is made with veg oil and no butter so the cake is dairy-free (dairy in the caramel sauce).

A caramel sauce is poured over the top. I didn't let it go very long because last time I made this, I let it go too long and ended up with a crazy tough caramel that would have ripped out fillings. So, the sauce should be somewhere in-between. Martha's website also has a video of Dorothy Mae Brown making the cake on her show. She's a sweetie.


I'm keeping "George Clooney" on my list...just in case...

Recap of I Like Big Bundts 3:
Day #1: Buttercake Bakery's Marble Bundt Cake
Day #2: Lemon Bliss Bundt
Day #3: Double-Chocolate Bundt Cake with Ganache Glaze
Day #4: Spice Bundt Cake with Brown Butter Vanilla Bean Glaze
Day #5: Gingery Pumpkin Breakfast Bundt
Day #6: Maida Heatter's Budapest Coffee Cake Bundt
Day #7: Dark Chocolate Bundt
Day #8: Banana Chocolate Chip Bundt

Recipe: Click here for Martha Stewart recipe

Bundt Pan: Traditional 12-cup Bundt Pan

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Apple Nut Muffin Cake - Tuesdays with Dorie

Apple Nut Muffin Cake

For this week's Tuesdays with Dorie selection, Katrina of Baking and Boys chose Apple Nut Muffin Cake on page 37 of Dorie's book, Baking: From My Home to Yours.

Katrina, who shares a birthday with the awesome National Bundt Day, selected a winner. Dorie writes that she planned on making muffins, but threw it all into a square pan. I just love Dorie and can see this happening to many people.

I used one medium Granny Smith apple, walnuts and regular raisins. Next time, because I'm such a gingerific person, I might throw in a handful of crystallized ginger to "fall" it up. This is super easy to make and perfect for breakfast. And let's not forget the antioxidants... fruit and nuts are healthy, people! ;)

I came home from a fantastic trip to New England (more on that later), woke up and made this. I took photos with my new Samsung Charge phone before the sun came up.

Check out the other Tuesdays with Dorie bakers and see their creations!

Recipe:
Katrina of Baking and Boys blog,
or, Dorie's book, Baking: From My Home to Yours (page 37)

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Brown Sugar Bundt Cake - Tuesdays with Dorie

 Brown Sugar Bundt Cake

For this week's Tuesdays with Dorie selection, Peggy from Pantry Revisited chose Brown Sugar Bundt Cake on page 179 of Dorie's book, Baking: From My Home to Yours.

Dude, it's a Bundt. You know I'm there. I love all of Dorie's Bundt recipes...and this one is no exception. I brought this into the library while it was still warm...and everyone could smell the lovely brown sugar!

Instead of using pears, I used granny smith apples. I also skipped all the nuts and the raisins to make it co-worker friendly. Super easy to make and no frosting. Ah, this is why the Bundt is the greatest baked good on the planet! Darn, I Like Big Bundts. :)

Thanks Peggy for a great pick! Check out the other Tuesdays with Dorie bakers and see their creations!

Recipe:
Peggy from Pantry Revisited blog,
or, Dorie's book, Baking: From My Home to Yours (page 179)
My notes: I used 2 granny smith apples instead of pears. I skipped all the nuts and raisins.

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A Tourtely Apple Tart - Tuesdays with Dorie

A Tourtely Apple Tart   

For this week's Tuesdays with Dorie selection, Jeanette of The Whimsical Cupcake chose A Tourtely Apple Tart on pages 306 and 307 of Dorie's book, Baking: From My Home to Yours.

For a bunch of crazy reasons, I didn't have access to my mini tart pans so I did these free form hand pie thingies. With a knife, I cut two steam holes in the center...but when they came out of the oven, they look like a little heart. Ahhh...tart/pie love.

An apple, raisin, nut and spice applesauce is cooked on the stove and cooled. I skipped the nuts in the filling and tart dough, but didn't miss it. I could eat this applesauce all day long. I made the crust dough by hand...yes, those white pieces are butter. I made 1/2 the tart dough so that made two little tarty pies.


This is like a grown up and much more delicious version of a McDonald's apple pie! :)

Check out the other Tuesdays with Dorie bakers and see their creations...and to see how it is supposed to be made in a tart shell!

Recipe:
Jeanette of  The Whimsical Cupcake blog,
or, Dorie's book, Baking: From My Home to Yours (page 306)

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Apple Snacking Spice Cake - Flour Bakery

Apple Snacking Spice Cake from Flour Bakery Cookbook

Last week was crazy busy. Day trip to San Diego, sickness and a garbage bag full of baked goods that never made it to their destination (um, don't want to be known as Typhoid Mary), and just the usual 75 degree winter weather of Los Angeles. :)

However, I did manage to make this yummy cake from my latest obsession, the Flour Bakery cookbook. 

When I drank coffee in college (I don't drink much caffeine now...gives me a headache), I would be the person who had a bit of coffee with my milk and sugar. This cake has a bit of batter with lotsa apples, pecans and raisins. The batter is superthick but all comes to together in a yummy cake. You'll need a 10" round cake pan for this delicious snacking cake.

A sprinkling of powdered sugar is all this cake needs. Another winning recipe from the Flour Bakery cookbook! Yum!

Recipe:
Flour: spectacular recipes from Boston's Flour Bakery + Cafe by Joanne Chang (page 64 ): Available on Amazon, your local bookstore, or in your library

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Marie-Helene’s Apple Cake - French Fridays with Dorie

Marie-Helene’s Apple Cake 

This week's selection for the group French Fridays with Dorie is Marie-Helene’s Apple Cake from Dorie Greenspan's fantastic new book "Around my French Table".
 

Sorry I've missed the past few weeks of this new group. Blame the Bundt! :) But I love apple cakes so I didn't want to pass this one up!

I used a Gala apple and a Golden delicious apple. I made 1/2 the recipe and baked it in a 4" springform. I didn't use all the batter...good thing or it would have overflowed! I also subbed Trader Joe's Spicy Apple Cider for the rum.

The name of this post reminds me of my great friend, Helen. We've been friends since the Northridge earthquake in 1994. We used to work together at Project Angel Food. During a crazy five-day fundraising event, we were working hard and stressing out. Since we had trained the volunteers in our area, most knew to ask Mary or Helen questions about their tasks. On the last day (when we were so exhausted and just so sick of seeing each other), a volunteer comes up and says, "I'm looking for Mary-Helen." Since then, we often refer to ourselves as MaryHelen or HelenMary. I'm hanging out with Helen tonight and will bring her a slice of this cake.

Check out the other posts of fellow French Fridays with Dorie members!

Please note: French Fridays with Dorie will not be posting recipes. Please support Dorie and purchase the book: Around my French Table

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