Apple Cake (made with freshly picked apples!)...and apple picking

This past Saturday, Dave and I headed over to Parlee Farms for some apple picking.  Typically we go apple picking at the end of the season, and we always miss the early varieties.  I'm so happy that we remembered to go in September this year!  I made an amazing apple cake with some of the Ginger Gold apples we picked (we also grabbed some Jonomacs and MacIntosh.  (1/3 of the cake is missing in the photo above, because Dave and I were too impatient to wait for me to take a pic!  We scarfed a few pieces down when it was hot out of the oven)

Fist a few pics of our outing, followed by the recipe:

On the hayride

 

The fresh cider donuts- absolutely incredible, although they're no Lakeside donut :)

Above you'll see about half of the apples we picked- we only picked one peck (about 10 lbs).  I've been eating apples all week, but we still have a bunch left over- I hope to make some cinnamon apple ice cream this weekend!

note: Sorry there's a mix of US and metric measurements- I adapted an existing recipe, and have not gone back yet to figure everything out. I'm hoping that I can get everything in grams, because I much prefer to weigh than measure!

Ingredients
Cake:
140 grams unsalted butter, softened
150 grams firmly packed soft dark brown sugar
2 eggs
225 grams self-raising flour (or make your own- 1 ¾ c flour, 2 ⅓ tsp baking powder, ⅝ tsp salt, then measure 225g)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoon milk
500 grams apples (about 2-3 apples), peeled, cored, diced.

Streusel Topping:
½ cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup brown sugar, packed
½ stick unsalted butter
½ tsp ground cinnamon

Directions

1. Heat oven to 320 degrees, and line a 8 in square cake pan with parchment paper.
2. Beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, then gradually add the eggs, one at a time, continuing to beat until fully combined.
3. Sift in the flour, baking powder and cinnamon. 
4. Add the milk and apples, then fold everything together. The batter will be very thick!!
5. Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan and smooth surface. 
6. Place the topping ingredients in a food processor and pulse until crumbly.  Sprinkle the topping evenly over the batter. 
7. Bake for 1 hr 10 mins, until a skewer inserted into center comes out clean. Cool in the tin for 10 mins, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Oh my....super moist, not to sweet, and totally delicious.  I will be making it again soon!

Recipe adapted from Cakelets and Doilies

Mocha Tiramisu Cupcakes

This is another overdue post- I don't even remember how long ago I made these, and I've made them twice more since!  They are seriously amazing...moist chocolate-coffee cupcakes with coffee-infused ganache and mascarpone whipped cream frosting!

You definitely want to make these.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk
6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 strongly brewed coffee (or 1/4 cup water + 1/4 cup instant coffee powder - we used brewed)
1 1/2 cups cake flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons unsalted butter -- at room temperature
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 large eggs

for Coffee Ganache and Frosting (** Please see note, below):
3 cups heavy cream
1/3 cup coffee beans -- crushed
8 ounces milk chocolate -- finely chopped
2 cups mascarpone cheese
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar -- sifted

**note: I ended up doubling the ganache and halving the mascarpone frosting.  I found that the flavors were more balanced, plus I didn't have to buy as much (expensive!) mascarpone cheese.

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 30 standard muffin cups with paper liners.
2. Combine the milk, cocoa, and coffee in a small saucepan and bring to a boil, constantly whisking, until the cocoa has dissolved. Let cool and pour into a liquid measure.
3. Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt. 
4. In the bowl of a mixer, cream the butter, sugar, and vanilla on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. 
5. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients alternately with the milk mixture in three batches, ending with the liquid. 
6. Fill each muffin cup halfway with the batter. Bake 18 to 20 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove the cupcakes from the pan and let cool completely on a wire rack.
7. Combine 1 cup of the heavy cream and coffee beans in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. 
8. Remove from the heat, cover, and let infuse for 10 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean sauce-pan and bring back to a boil. 
9. Put the chocolate in a medium bowl and pour the hot cream over it, stirring slowly, until the ganache is smooth. 
10. Spoon enough ganache over each cupcake to fill the liners to the rim.
11. In the bowl of a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip the remaining 2 cups of heavy cream to stiff peaks. Add the mascarpone and confectioners sugar and whisk until smooth. 
12. Spoon the mascarpone cream into a pastry bag fitted with a medium round tip and pipe the cream on top of the ganache in a circle.
13. Dust with cocoa powder

I also made cute little chocolate birds to go on top, hehe :)

I know that there are a lot of steps- and that these are more labor intensive than most other cupcakes...but c'mon...look at them:

Just glorious!  Dave has requested these for his birthday.  I'll see if I can make them when we are at the shore!

Recipe from Spoonful

Snickers Cupcake with Chocolate Mousse Filling

I might be crazy- I didn't take a picture of the inside!  It's a shame, too-it's filled with chocolate mousse!  I made these for my friend Jessica's birthday a while back- we all loved them.

Ingredients
Cake
1 box Devils Food Cake Mix
1 small box Jello Chocolate Fudge instant pudding mix
4 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup milk (we used vanilla almond milk)
1 cup sour cream

Chocolate Mousse Filling
2 cups heavy whipping cream
2 cups milk chocolate chips

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
1 stick softened butter
2 1/2 to 3 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 bag mini Snickers (I think next time we will use THESE. They are less sweet, and I like that)


Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 24 cupcake tins with liners. 
2. To prepare the cupcakes, place the cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, oil, milk and sour cream into stand mixer. Beat until well combined, about 2 minutes. 
3. Scoop the batter evenly into the cupcake liners. 
4. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until cupcakes are cooked through and a toothpick comes clean from center. Remove the cupcakes from the tin and let cool.
5. To prepare the mousse, melt the milk chocolate chips in the microwave, stirring every 30 seconds. Set aside to cool. 
6. Meanwhile, whip the heavy cream with a stand or electric mixer until it looks like whipped cream and stiff peaks form. Fold melted chocolate chips into whipped cream until well combined, then transfer batches into a piping bag. 
7. When cupcakes have cooled, press the tip of the piping bag into the center of the cupcake, about 1 inch deep. Squeeze the mousse into the cupcake while pulling the tip out. It doesn’t take much, just one firm squeeze is perfect. Continue filling all the cupcakes.
8. To prepare the frosting, beat the butter, powdered sugar, cocoa and vanilla until well combined and a nice frosting consistency. Spread over cupcakes then top with chopped Snickers.

Makes 24 cupcakes

Recipe from Kevin and Amanda

Coffee Cake

We made this recipe at the shore this week, and halved the recipe. Still came out great (cooking time ended up being closer to 35 minutes)

Ingredients

• FOR THE CAKE:
• 1-½ stick Butter, Softened
• 2 cups Scant Sugar
• 3 cups Flour, Sifted
• 4 teaspoons Baking Powder
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 1-¼ cup Whole Milk
• 3 whole Egg Whites, Beaten Until Stiff
• _____
• FOR THE TOPPING:
• 1-½ stick Butter, Softened
• ¾ cups Flour
• 1-½ cup Brown Sugar
• 2 Tablespoons Cinnamon
• 1-½ cup Pecans, Chopped

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Beat egg whites and set aside.

Cream butter and sugar. Add flour mixture and milk alternately until combined. Don’t overbeat. Fold in beaten egg whites with a rubber spatula. Spread in a well-greased 9 x 13 (or LARGER!) baking pan. A cake pan with higher sides would be best. (might overflow if sides are short)

In a separate bowl, combine topping ingredients with a pastry cutter until crumbly. Sprinkle all over the top.

Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until no longer jiggly. Serve warm—delicious!

Recipe and photos from Pioneer Woman