Upside-down Banana Coffee Cake

I have to admit it, my brain is hard wired. By hard wired, I mean that it is constantly running with heavily detailed thoughts of this and that. I have yet to master the ability to think of nothing or empty my head. Remember the Harry Potter scene where Albus Dumbledore takes his wand and pulls out thoughts from his head and puts them in a magic bowl for future reference? Wish I had a magic bowl these days.

So here I am today, with my brain running in high speed, trying to focus on baking. I had many different ideas come to mind when I stumbled upon this recipe. However, there were some factors that eliminated a lot of the flavor combinations I came up with. One of them was that every fruit is not suitable for the upside-down thing. The other factor is that lately I have been disappointed with the produce department at the grocers. I do need an answer to the billion dollar question-is there really a big demand for rock hard fruit or fruit that will be rotten in the next hour?

Anyhow, the end result was that I still stuck with banana, the chosen fruit that was in the recipe. I bought some of the little or mini bananas for this recipe. I find them to be sweeter than the standard. The conversion was 6 of the little bananas to the 2 medium bananas.

After completion, I decided that the banana was a good choice. Slightly warmed, the pecan topping paired with the bananas over the moist, fluffy layer of cake is a pretty tasty way to start the day. I  think my brain slowed down just a bit when I had my piece, actually allowing me to focus on just how delicious a good slice of coffee cake can be.

Upside Down Banana Coffee Cake
adapted from Southern Living/Sept 2006

Ingredients
2 eggs, separated
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbs rum
1/2 cup or 1 stick of butter( divided into 1/4 cups or half sticks)
3/4 cup white granulated sugar (divided into 1/4 and 1/2 cups)
1 cup light brown sugar
2 cups baking mix (I used Bisquick brand)
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans
2 medium ripe bananas 
 
Pull out a 10 inch cast iron skillet and add 1/4 cup of butter. Once melted, use a pastry brush to brush up the side interior of the skillet. Add the rum and swirl the skillet around to make sure the interior bottom is covered evenly with the butter and the rum is mixed in and remove from heat. Top evenly a layer of brown sugar and then an even layer of toasted pecans. Set aside.

Fill a medium size bowl with the remaining butter (1/4 cup) and 1/2 cup of the white sugar. Cream together until light and fluffy. Add one egg yolk and beat for 30 seconds and repeat with the second egg yolk. Using a small bowl, whisk together the milk and the vanilla extract. Then pour it into the butter sugar mixture. Add the sour cream and beat until all is evenly blended. Set aside. Then preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Whisk the cinnamon and baking mix together in another bowl. Then fold this dry mix into the wet egg/milk/sugar batter. Using another bowl, fill with the egg whites. Beat egg whites until they are at the soft peak stage. Continue to beat and as you pour in steady stream of the remaining sugar (1/4 cup). Beat time is complete one the whites are at the stiff peak stage. Fold the beaten egg white/sugar blend into the batter.

Peel the bananas and cut the width in half, forming 2 equal pieces. Take each half and slice lengthwise into three pieces. The end result should be 12 pieces, about 2 1/2- 3 1/2 inches in length. Arrange the pieces on top of the pecans in a spoke pattern. If using mini bananas, just slice each lengthwise into 2 pieces.

Spoon the batter over the bananas and use a spatula to smooth out evenly. Place filled skillet in oven and bake until golden on top and tester comes out clean. This should take about 45-50 minutes.

Once baking is complete, let skillet cool on rack for 10-12 minutes. Then invert onto serving platter or cake board. Serve warm.
                        
Tips and Notes:
1. To make sure the cake to comes out easily, the edge must be loose from the side of the skillet prior to inverting. If after the 10 minute cooling it still seems stuck, run a knife around the edge before inverting.

2. The topping is very sticky, so once inverted do not remove the skillet until after 5 minutes, to make sure gravity works.

3. If your skillet retains a lot of the sticky pecan mixture after cake removal, scrape out and add it to the top of the cooling cake.

5. Do not try to create in another type of pan, the skillet insures a better result when inverting the cake.

6. If you want to decline on purchasing the baking mix, you can use one of the various recipes from the net to create the baking mix blend.

                               **LAST YEAR:Caribbean Bars**
 
 

Raspberry Cream Cheese Braid

Outside of the wonderful taste of this breakfast treat, I really do like the ease of the recipe.  The appearance of this pastry gives the impression that this took a lot of effort.

The recipe makes two pastries, which means you can keep one and give another to the neighbors.  In my case I brought it to my co-workers.  Another good thing about the recipe is that it can be changed up, depending on your preference of fruit.


Raspberry Cream Cheese Braid
adapted from King Arthur's Bakers Companion

Ingredients/ Dough
3 cups regular or pastry flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp instant yeast
6 tbs sour cream or yogurt
1/4 cup water
1 egg
6 tbs butter (room temp)
1 tsp lemon zest

Ingredients/Filling
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
1/2 cup of raspberry jam mixed with 2 tbs flour
2 tbs butter
1- 8oz package of cream cheese
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 cup sugar
3 tbs flour
1/4 cup coarse sugar (optional for topping)

For the dough, mix together the yeast, warm water and 1 tsp of sugar (take from 1/4 cup measurement).  Then add 1/2 cup of the flour (take from 3 cup measurement).  Blend until the mixture forms a dough.  Shape into a ball and place back in bowl and cover bowl with plastic wrap. Set aside until the yeast becomes very active, about 10-15 minutes.

Once active, stir in all the remaining dough ingredients.  After all is blended into a dough, knead dough until it becomes soft and is no longer sticky.  You can do this by hand or with a dough hook in a stand mixer.  Grease the interior of a medium size bowl.  Shape the dough into a ball.  Put dough ball into the bowl and cover with plastic wrap.  Place bowl in a warm, draft free place and let dough rise for about 45 minutes or until doubled.

While the dough is rising, you can prepare the filling.  In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy.  Beat in the salt and vanilla extract. Take the cream cheese and cut into 8 portions. While the mixer is still running, add pieces of cream cheese at 15 second intervals. Scrape down sides of bowl and then beat in egg and flour.  Scrape down sides of bowl again and beat until all is incorporated.  Set aside.

Divide dough into 2 equal pieces.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.  Take 1 piece of the dough and roll out on a lightly floured surface into a rectangle measuring 15 X10 inches.  Place sheet of dough on the center of the parchment lined baking sheet.  Repeat with second piece of dough.

Spread half of the jam in a 2 1/2 inch wide strip down the center of each piece of dough.  There should be a 1 inch border left at the top and bottom of the dough.  Then spoon and smooth 1/2 of the cream cheese mixture on top of the jam for each piece of dough.

On each 15 inch side of the dough, make strips by cutting 2 1/2 inches in length which are 3/4 inches wide. The strips should be at a 15 degree angle downward.  The end result is that the strips make like an upside down "V" with the filling in the center.

Fold in the 1 inch border dough on the top and bottom.  Then crisscross dough strips over top of filling, placing one left strip over the filling and then alternating with the right. Repeat the cutting and folding process for second piece of dough. Cover both braids with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until they puff up, about 30-45 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Once the braids have risen, you can top according to preference.  An egg wash (one egg blended with 1 tbs water) will add shine and a deeper color to the braid.  Spritzing the dough with water was the method I used.  After that process, sprinkle the dough with the coarse sugar.

Bake the braids until they reach a golden hue, which should take about 32-36 minutes.  Once baked, let cool for about 15 minutes and then slice and serve.

Tips and notes:
1. Pastry flour will make the braids more tender.  If using regular flour, add 2 extra tbs of water.
2. You can use a product called Clear Gel in place of the flour in the filling.  Use 2 tbs to mix in with the raspberry jam instead of the flour and use 2 tbs to add with the egg instead of 3 tbs of flour.
3. This dough can be used for many sweet breads such as monkey bread and hot cross buns.
                                **LAST YEAR:Black Pond Cupcakes**
  

Streusel Topped Babka

I am a little late with this post, but this past week has been hectic.  I decided I would rather wait until I could post without being rushed.

Since the last few posts have been very rich and indulgent, I decided I would go with something lighter and more in the cake family for this week.  This particular recipe is for a breakfast or coffee cake.  The bread part made from a wonderful brioche dough.  Brioche loaves are a favorite around here just simply served with butter.

However, I have no aversion to the additions to this bread.  Cocoa, cinnamon, pecans and walnuts swirl through the middle of the dough.  They are actually made like cinnamon rolls but the swirled dough slices are put in a loaf pan and shaped slightly.  The rising and egg wash is what actually brings the dough slices together.  Also, if that was not enough to hold the loaf together, it has been topped with quite a bit streusel.

The slices of this cake went over well at work and actually drew out a few introductions from some of the people.  I am glad the recipe made 3 loaves. Please note that the dough has to rest overnight prior to baking, so plan in advance.

Streusel Topped Babka
adapted from Great Coffeecakes

Ingredients/Babka dough
3/4 cup sour cream
3 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup or 1 stick butter ( in between temp/consistency, not soft and not hard)
1/4 cup warm water
1/4 cup plus 1 tsp sugar
1 tbs and 1 1/2 tsp or 1 1/2 pkgs yeast
3/4 tsp salt
3 3/4 cup flour

Ingredients/Filling
3/4 cup pecans, chopped and toasted
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/3 cup dark brown sugar (lightly packed)
2 tbs plain bread crumbs
1/3 cup sugar
2 tbs dutch process cocoa powder
1/2 cup very soft butter
1 large egg beaten with 2 tsp water for egg wash

Ingredients/Streusel
3 tbs finely chopped pecans or walnuts
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
6-7 tbs butter

To make the dough, warm a small bowl by rinsing in warm water.  Then fill with 1 tsp of sugar and warm water.  Sprinkle the yeast on top-do not stir.  Cover the bowl with a saucer and let sit for 2 minutes. After it sets, uncover and swirl the bowl.  Repeat again with the time being 2 minutes. Cover for an additional minute, then uncover and stir.  Cover for one last interval of 3 minutes for yeast to get bubbly and foamy.

Using a stand mixer, blend the flour, sugar and salt.  Once mixed, add the butter and run mixer on low for about 3 minutes.

Take out a separate bowl and blend sour cream, eggs and vanilla.  Then add the dissolved yeast.  Take this mixture and pour it into the butter flour blend in the stand mixer.  Turn the mixer on low and let run for about 3-4 minutes, stopping occasionally to scrape down sides of bowl.

Place the dough on a floured surface and knead a few times until it is no longer sticky.  Divide into 3 pieces and place each in a small plastic bag and seal.  There should be enough room in the bag to allow for dough to expand and rise.  Refrigerate overnight.

The next day. prepare 3 of the 8X3 3/4 inch loaf pans by brushing the interior with some of the butter.  Then place a strip of parchment 3 inches wide by 15 inches long in each pan, making sure the long length hangs outside of the long sides of each pan.  It should be like a cross. Also line a baking sheet (with a slight lip on it) with parchment paper.

To make the filling, stir together the cinnamon, cocoa, bread crumbs and both type of sugars.  Set aside. 

Take one piece of dough out of refrigerator.  Place on floured surface and knead a few times.  Add 1/3 of the pecans.  Knead them into the dough evenly until the dough is no longer sticky.  Roll the dough into a rectangle.  It should be 12 inches and parallel to the counter with the left and right sides measuring 9 inches.

Spread surface of the dough with 1/3 of the remaining butter, leaving a 1 1/2 border at the top of the 12 inch length.  Sprinkle top with  1//3 cup of the cinnamon cocoa blend, leaving the top border blank.  Sprinkle with 1/3 cup chopped walnuts.  Press filling slightly into the dough.  Brush the 1 1/2 inch border with the egg wash.

Starting with the long edge closest to you, roll the dough up toward the egg wash side.  Once a log has formed, pinch the egg wash edge against the log. After the initial roll up, roll a few more times on a floured board to tighten the dough and keep it sealed.  The log should be the same length as the original dough length of 12 inches.

Cut the log into eight pieces.  Then brush egg wash on the uncut outside dough of each piece, leaving one side without the egg wash to put up against the pan.  Place the pieces ,with the cut side down, in two rows of four going down the length of the pan.  Then push down slightly.  Also push from the sides inward to make it into a loaf mound.  Repeat the steps in this is paragraph as well as the 3 prior for the other two mounds of dough in the refrigerator. Once completed, cover each loaf with a clean towel and place in a warm area to rise.  Rising time should be about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

To make the streusel place the butter in a small sauce pan over low heat until almost all is melted. Remove and let cool.   In another bowl, mix together all the rest of the ingredients.  Stir dry ingredients into melted butter.  Stir until mixture has coarse crumbs and can clump in your hand.

Let the mixture sit for about 10-15 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Brush the tops of the loaves (that have completed rising) with egg wash and sprinkle the streusel on top. Place the loaf pans evenly on the parchment lined baking sheet and bake until done about 30-35 minutes.  Check at the mid point to make sure loaves are not browning to fast.  You can slow down browning process by placing foil over the areas that  are toasting too fast.

Remove pans and let loaves cool.  When cooled, lift out by using the parchment paper in pans.  Slice and serve.
                      **LAST YEAR: Renegade Cookies***

Gingerbread Latte Cupcakes

Coffee combos have been popping up everywhere in baked goods since the cold season has hit.  I was slated for another donation, so I was looking for something that had a little pizzaz rather than just a standard chocolate cupcake.

I had saved this recipe a few years ago, but it was originally posted in a blog back in 2007.  It has a nice blend of spices as well as a touch of chocolate and coffee.  Definitely packed with flavor and the cupcake texture is just right.  The only ingredient change I made was to sub espresso powder for the coffee extract.  The recipe below does not have that reflect any ingredient changes but I have switched around some of the steps which I feel makes things easier.

The special process with the baking soda on the cupcakes is a must, I made the mistake of sifting it in with the flour on the first batch and had poor results.  This recipe makes 1 dozen, but I made 4 batches so I am now quite familiar with the process!

Oh and those specks in the frosting is none other than coffee grinds.  So coffee lovers rejoice!  For those that are no so keen on the coffee, you can skip the syrup and coffee frosting.  Just use double the amount of the spice frosting.

Today, I am off to Central Market for some great produce and specialty food and ingredients for this holiday season!  While I have a list, I am sure there will be a few impulse buys as well.  While it is a long drive, the visit has always been well worth it.

Gingerbread Latte Cupcakes
adapted from Cupcake Project 

Ingredients/Simple Syrup
2/3 cup water
1 tsp coffee extract
2/3 cup of sugar

Mix sugar and water in a saucepan and then place over medium high heat.  Stir constantly until the sugar is dissolved and mixture comes to a boil.  Remove from heat and stir in extract.  Let cool.

Ingredients/Cupcakes
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 1/4 tsp ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tbs Dutch cocoa
1 1/4 cup flour
1 egg yolk
1 egg
5 tbs unsalted butter, room temp
1/2 cup molasses
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp baking soda

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Grease top edges of muffin cavities of a 12 cup muffin pan and line with paper liners.

In a medium size bowl, sift together the first 7 ingredients and set aside.  In another bowl, beat together the sugar and the butter until light and fluffy.  This should take about 2 minutes.  Then beat in the egg yolk, egg and molasses until evenly distributed.

Fold the sifted flour mixture into the batter, making sure no dry streaks remain.  Take out a small microwavable bowl and add milk.  Heat in microwave about 30 seconds.  Sprinkle the baking soda into the milk and let foam up and then stir once and pour into batter.  Blend milk mixture into the batter until smooth.

Fill the 12 muffin cavities evenly with the batter.  They should be about 3/4 full.  Place muffin tin in oven and bake until tester comes out clean.  Mine were done in exactly 20 minutes.

Remove tin from oven and let cool for 2 minutes and transfer cupcakes to rack to finish cooling.  While they are cooling, you can start on your frosting.

Ingredients/Coffee Frosting

1/2 cup mascarpone
1/2 cup whipping cream
2 tsp of coffee extract
2 tbs coffee grinds
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

With a mixer on high speed, beat cream until it reaches a soft peak consistency.  Then fold in the mascarpone with a wooden spoon. Add the coffee grinds and extract, stirring so all is evenly distributed.  Sift 1/2 cups of powdered sugar into cream mixture and beat on low speed for 30 seconds.  Repeat process 2 more times until powdered sugar is mixed into frosting.  Cover and place in fridge while you prepare other frosting.

Ingredients/Spice Frosting
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp allspice
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp Dutch cocoa
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/2 cup marscapone
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Regarding the measurements for the first five ingredients, the instructions say to use only a total of 2 teaspoons of the whole mix..  Instead of wasting anything, I halved the measurements on those 5 and had 2 1/2 teaspoons total and used it all.  You can decide which and then blend those first five ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside.

Whip the cream and fold in the mascarpone as stated in the first frosting recipe.  Stir in 2 or 2 1/2 teaspoons of the spice mix.  Sift in 1/2 cup of the powdered sugar and beat on low speed for 30 seconds.  Continue with the same process until all the powdered sugar is blended.  Cover and place in fridge.

Assembly

Using a wooden skewer, poke holes in the top of each of the cupcake and ladle about 2 teaspoons of the syrup on top.  Let soak in for about 15 minutes.

Now, if you have a special piping bag that allows for duo frosting, fill as instructed with both frostings.  If you do not, follow the instructions below. While the method below is not perfect, it can help in making the two separate frostings flow together evenly. 

Cut a small corner out of a gallon freezer bag and place a large piping tip inside the bag and poke part of it through the hole.  Put the bag in a large cup, fold it over the top and lay the cup on its side..  Take out one of the bowls of frosting and spoon it all into the bottom side, being careful not to touch the opposite side.  Take out the other bowl of frosting and spoon the frosting into the bag and on top of the other.  Set cup upright and unfold top edges and squeeze icing down to tip.

Now your are ready to frost the cupcakes and enjoy!
                             **LAST YEAR: Red Velvet Cupcakes**

Alex's Labyrinth Coffeecake

History indicates that it was Alexander the Great that discovered plantains.  Since this cake is filled with a maze or labyrinth of plantain puree, I felt the above name of this coffeecake to be very fitting.

Now, to describe the components of this coffeecake.  The cake part is airy and sweet, pretty much typical for most yeasted coffeecakes. The filling, however, is what usually makes a cake like this stand out.  To create the filling, plantains are cooked in a pan of butter, brown sugar and brandy.  Then they are pureed with all the syrup from the pan along with some ground cinnamon and vanilla extract.  The filling is smoothed onto the dough and then topped with toasted pecans and rolled up.  The top of the coffeecake laden with powdered sugar streusel.

The cake part has that light and airy texture with a touch of sweetness. You can taste the plantain filling along with the kick of brandy.  The filling is not too sweet because I wanted to retain a stronger, more natural taste of the plantains.  Should you want more sweetness, you can sprinkle more brown sugar onto the filling prior to rolling it up.

Alex's Labyrinth Coffeecake
by flourtrader

Ingredients/Filling
3 ripe plantains
1/4 cup plus 2 tbs butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup brandy
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 cups of chopped toasted pecans for sprinkling
extra brown sugar for sprinkling (optional)

To make filling:
 Place a saucepan over medium high heat and melt butter and add peeled plantains.  Lightly brown plantains, turning once.  Remove from heat and turn heat to low.   In a separate bowl, mix together the brandy, vanilla and cinnamon.  Place the saucepan over the low heat and add sugar.  Then pour in the brandy spice mixture. Turn heat to medium and cover plantains.  Cook for 30 minutes, turning and shifting plantains from time to time until the syrup gets thicker.  Remove from heat and let cool.

After plantains have cooled, place in food processor and pour in the pan syrup.  Pulse for about 2 minutes or until the mixture becomes a smooth paste.  Empty paste into a bowl and cover.  Place bowl in fridge while preparing bread dough for coffeecake.

Ingredients/Bread
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp lemon juice
1 1/2 cups warm water
2 tbs rapid rise yeast
1 cup or 2 sticks of butter, softened and cubed
1/3 cup non fat dry milk
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup of sugar
2 1/2-3 cups of  regular flour
2 1/2 cups bread flour

Ingredients/Topping
1 beaten egg
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup flour
4 tbs butter

Generously grease a 10 inch tube pan and set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, stir together the warm water and the yeast.  Let sit for about 2-3 minutes to dissolve and foam up.  Then whisk in eggs, sugar, salt, dry milk, vanilla extract and lemon juice.  Add the butter pieces and all of both types of flour.  Using a paddle attachment, beat the ingredients on low speed  for about 3 minutes or until combined.  You will have a sticky clump. Let the dough rest for about 15 minutes.

Change the batter blade in the mixer to a dough hook and knead the dough for 12 minutes on low speed.  You will need to periodically add some flour during this time to help create a smooth dough.  The dough will get to the point where it is no longer sticking to the side of the bowl.

Preheat the oven to 100 degrees and turn it off once it reaches that temperature. Place the dough in a well greased bowl and dot the outside of the bowl with a piece of the dough, marking where the dough level is inside the bowl. Cover with a towel and place inside the oven.  Let rise until dough has doubled in size, which should take about 45-60 minutes.

After the first rise, remove the dough from the bowl, punch down and place on a smooth, floured surface.  Cover with a towel and let rest for 10 minutes. While that is resting, remove plantain puree from fridge.

Then roll out dough into a 20 inch square.  Using a knife, or clean hands, smooth plantain puree on the surface of the dough.  Then sprinkle with toasted pecans and lightly press down so they stick onto the filling.  Should you want your filling to be sweeter, sprinkle a layer of brown sugar over the layer of nuts and press down lightly again.  Then roll up dough in jelly roll fashion.  Place dough in tube pan, arranging so it is fairly even, without a large overlap.

Now it is time to make the topping.  Whisk together flour and powdered sugar and cut in butter until it resembles coarse crumbs.

Preheat oven again to 100 degrees and turn off when temperature is met.  Brush the top of the dough with the beaten egg and then sprinkle with the topping. Lightly press down crumbs so they adhere to the dough. Then tear open one side of a gallon zip lock bag and place over the bowl of dough.  Put pan in oven and let dough rise until it is 1 inch over the top of the pan.  This should take about 45-60 minutes.

Once the second rise is completed, remove pan of dough from oven.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place pan of dough on top.  Put in preheated oven and let bake 50-70 minutes or until golden brown.  Mine took about 60 minutes.  Remove baked coffeecake from oven and let cool on pan about 20 minutes.  Then invert cake onto baking sheet and then invert again onto serving platter. Slice and serve warm or cold.
                                       **LAST YEAR: Key Lime Bars**

Apple Butter Crunch Coffeecake

This is an old recipe that I had in my archives.  I did not even have the title written down, but the ingredients reminded me of fall and I was looking for something that included apple butter.

This recipe does use a boxed cake mix, so if you are not into semi-homemade you need not go further.  Outside of the apple butter, it does have some interesting ingredients like yeast and wheat germ.

This recipe is a prize winner from a contest and I can understand why. One bite has a fluffy moist texture of the cake with spices and then the crunch of the crumbled ginger cookies and pecans on top.  This is perfect to wake up to with a cup of coffee.

Apple Butter Crunch Coffeecake
courtesy of Better Homes and Gardens/Year 2000

Ingredients
1-2 tbs apple juice
1/2 cup warm water
3/4 cup apple butter
2 tsp butter (for glaze)
1/3 cup butter (for streusel)
1 cup crushed gingersnap cookies (for homemade recipe click here)
1/4 cup wheat germ (regular or honey crunch)
1/3 cup toasted chopped walnuts
1 package spice cake mix
2 tbs brown sugar
1 package or 2 1/4 tsp of fast acting yeast
1/4 cup chopped white chocolate or chips
2/3 cup sifted powdered sugar

Prepare a 9X13 inch pan by greasing the inside with butter and dusting with flour.  Then preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Whisk together cake mix and yeast in a large bowl and set aside.  Then, in a smaller bowl, mix wheat germ, gingersnaps and brown sugar.  Using a pastry cutter, cut in 1/3 cup of butter until the mixture becomes crumbly.  Fold in the walnuts.

To the dry mix of cake mix and yeast, add water, eggs and apple butter.  Using an electric mixer, beat on low speed for 2 minutes, then switch speed to high and beat for an additional two minutes.

Pour batter into prepared pan.  Smooth the batter so it is evenly spread in the pan.  Take the gingersnap mixture and sprinkle evenly on top of the batter.  Place pan in oven and bake until tester comes out clean, which should be about 30 minutes.  Let cake cool in pan while you prepare the glaze.

Place sifted powdered sugar in a medium sized bowl. In a smaller, microwave safe bowl, add white chocolate and 2 tsp of butter.  Cover, place in microwave and let cook for 15 seconds.  Take out and stir, then microwave again for 10 seconds.  Stir the mixture and check the consistency to make sure all is melted.  Be careful to watch during this process, microwave performance does vary.

Add chocolate mixture and apple juice to powdered sugar.  Stir until no dry spots remain.  Should you find it to be too thick, add a little apple juice and mix until you reach your desired drizzling consistency.  Then drizzle glaze over warm cake.  Cool at least 1 hour before cutting.  It is delicious served warm or at room temperature.
                      **LAST YEAR-Shortbread Caramel Cupcakes**

Coconut Banana Coffee Cake

Coffeecakes are good, but sometimes the basic cake part with cinnamon or streusel just does not have the depth of flavor that I am looking for. However, this tropical treat really satisfied my craving. The bold, yet complimentary, flavors of rum, bananas and coconut are all tied together in this 9 inch cake.  It has a moist texture with a wonderful little bit of crunch from the topping of macadamia nuts and cinnamon sugar.

Coconut Banana Coffee Cake
courtesy of Coffee Cake Cookbook by Lou Pappas 

 Ingredients
2 large eggs (room temp)
1 1/4 cups mashed bananas (about 3 large)
1/3 cup olive oil or canola oil
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tbs dark rum or amaretto
1/2 cup finely chopped macadamia nuts
1/2 cup sweet coconut flakes
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
mixture of 1 tbs sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon

Prepare a 9 inch springform pan by greasing the inside with butter and dusting with flour.  Then preheat the oven to 350 degrees (farenheit) or 175 degrees centigrade.

Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Whisk in the brown sugar and set bowl aside.

With a food processor, pulse together the wet ingredients (bananas, oil, rum or amaretto, sour cream, vanilla and eggs).  Then sprinkle in the coconut into the batter.  Make sure that there are no big lumps dropped into the batter.  Stir to combine.

Fold batter into the flour mixture with a wooden spoon until it has a smooth consistency and no dry spots remain.  Pour batter evenly into pan.  Then cover the top with the chopped nuts.  Lastly, sprinkle on the cinnamon sugar mixture.

Place pan in the oven.  Baking time should be about 30-35 minutes. The cake is done when tester inserted into center comes out clean and top is golden brown.

Remove cake from the oven and place pan on rack to cool.  Once pan is cool to the touch, remove the pan sides.  Can be served warm or at room temperature.

Cinnamon Walnut Horns

These rustic walnut horns are a nice change of pace from the big fluffy Boardwalk Cinnamon Rolls that I made back in February. Cinnamon rolls, traditionally with lots of dough and a little bit of filling, originated in Sweden. I believe that pastries with the thinner dough came from France. In addition, the use of walnuts in this recipe points to France. Lots of walnuts are harvested out of the south of France and used in many desserts.   

The little crescent gems have a thin dough that is embedded with cinnamon and walnuts.  Then, before the dough is rolled up, it is sprinkled with more cinnamon and walnuts.  The result is a crispy, caramelized pastry that is overflowing with nutty goodness. Note that this recipe yields about 20 horns and the dough is refrigerated overnight.  The original dough recipe is double what you need, you can either double the filling for 40 horns, keep extra dough for other use, or cut the dough recipe in half (like I did as given below).  Cutting it in half means a specific measurement for the egg yolks and the yeast, for the original recipe called for 3 eggs and a packet of yeast.

Cinnamon Walnut Horns
courtesy of  Great Coffeecakes Cookbook by Carol Walter 

 Ingredients/ Dough
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup milk
1 egg yolk and 1 1/2 tsp of egg yolk (scramble for measurement)
2 tbs warm water
2 tbs sugar
4 tbs butter or half stick (softened and cubed)
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbs and 3/4 tsp yeast

Ingredients/Filling
1 egg beaten with 2 tsps of water for egg wash
1 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 2/3 cups walnuts
5 tbs granulated sugar
3 tbs light brown sugar


Make the dough the day before serving. Place warm water in a small bowl and add 1 1/2 tsp of the sugar.  Then sprinkle in the yeast and do not stir.  Put a small saucer over the bowl and set the timer for 5 minutes.  After the 5 minutes, uncover and stir with a fork and then cover again. Letting it set for at least 2 minutes or more until it is called for in the next steps.

Sift together the flour, salt and remaining sugar in a large stand mixer bowl.  Add the cubes of butter and mix on low until it reaches crumb texture.  It should take about 2-4 minutes.

In a separate bowl, mix together the vanilla,egg yolks and milk with a fork.  Pour this mixture and the dissolved yeast into the bowl of dry ingredients.  Mix on low speed for 15 seconds, scrape sides of bowl and mix again for 30 seconds.  The result is a very soft dough.

Take another bowl out and butter the insides.  Empty the dough into the bowl and use floured hands to smooth the top.  Then smooth a thin amount of butter over the top and cover with plastic wrap.  Place bowl in the refrigerator for dough to chill at least overnight or up to 3 days.

The next day, the nuts will need to be prepped in a food processor for the filling.  Put nuts in the processor and pulse 5 or 6 times so they are coarsely chopped.  Take out 1 cup of the chopped nuts, place in a bowl and set aside.

Put 3 tbs of granulated sugar, all of brown sugar and 3/4 tsp cinnamon inside processor bowl with remaining nuts.  Pulse processor 6-8 times until the nuts are medium chopped.  Pour in another small bowl and set aside.

In a third bowl, mix the remaining cinnamon and granulated sugar.

To assemble the crescents, first line baking sheet with parchment paper. Then remove the bowl of dough from the fridge. Divide dough in half and put one half back into fridge.

On a clean workspace, sprinkle 1/4 of the coarse walnuts and 1/4 of the cinnamon sugar mixture.  Roll the dough in the sprinkles on the workspace, shaping it into a log. Continue to roll until the log has picked up all of the sprinkled mixture.

Take out a rolling pin and roll the dough into a 6X15 inch parallelogram.  The 15 inches should be parallel to the counter in front of you.  I rolled the dough thin and then kept pushing in sides and smoothing to get to the right size and shape.  The rolling pin should be rolled at an angle from bottom right to upper left and vice versa to help achieve the desired shape.

Now that you have the correct size, brush top side with egg wash.  Then sprinkle on 1/2 of the remaining nut and 1/2 of the remaining cinnamon mixtures and press it into the dough.  Cut the dough into 10 triangles, by making a zig zag.  There should be five-cut point down and five-cut point up, each being 3 inches at the widest point.  Also, cut a nick in the middle of the 3 inches about 1/2 inch long.  The nick will help you stretch the dough when rolling.

Each piece of dough is to be rolled into a crescent.  The 3 inch side is the start with the point at the end. Try to stretch the dough as you roll and roll tightly.  Put pressure on the end to make sure it is sealed, but do not roll backwards.  Place on baking sheet and curve ends to form a crescent.

Repeat the process with the other piece of dough. Then cover crescents and let rise in a warm place for 45-60 minutes.  15 minutes prior to completion of rising time, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Bake horns for 18-20 minutes, switching racks and rotating pans halfway through baking time.

Remove and place on cooling rack.  Dust with powdered sugar when warm and dust again prior to serving.

Boardwalk Cinnamon Rolls

I have been to Disneyland and Disney world.  They are both nice amusement parks and I am sure that a Disney Cruise is fun.  However, what I did not realize is that there is a population of people that are obsessed with the whole Disney culture.  These are people that subscribe to the Disney magazine and the priority of family discussions is their upcoming Disney vacation(s).  In the end, everything is on schedule and organized.  Everyone knows and agrees what they will be doing at any minute on their vacation.

As for me, there are a few food places at Disney that I would like to go.  One of them, if you have not already guessed, is the Boardwalk Bakery.  I know, I am just a predictable foodie and would probably miss out on some good things since I am not obsessive about the Disney culture.

Below is a recipe that comes from Boardwalk.  Once you taste these, I am sure that you will understand why this bakery is not one to be skipped over if you find yourself on a Disney vacation.  The recipe states that it serves 4, but note that the rolls are over inch in height and measure 4 1/2 inches square.

Boardwalk Cinnamon Rolls
adapted from Disney Recipe website

Ingredients/sweet dough
1/2 cup water
2 beaten eggs
6 1/2 tbs butter (room temp)
3/4 tsp salt
2 tbs sugar
1 tbs dry milk
2 1/4 cup bread flour
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 pkg dry yeast (I used quick rise)

In a large bowl, sift all the dry ingredients together (salt, sugar, bread flour, all purpose flour, yeast and dry milk).  Then add the eggs, water and butter.  Mix with a wooden spoon until all ingredients are combined to create a dough.  Knead the dough by hand for 10 minutes on a floured surface.  Place dough back in bowl and cover with plastic wrap.  Let rise for 30 minutes at room temperature.

Ingredients/Topping
3/4 cup light corn syrup
1 cup and 2 tbs butter at room temp
1 tbs and 1 1/2 tsp of cinnamon
1 tbs and 1 1/2 tsp of flour
1/4 cup and 2 tbs light brown sugar

Place first 4 ingredients in a medium size bowl.  Then place a sieve over the bowl and push all the brown sugar (takes out clumps) through into the bowl.  Brush the remaining brown sugar on the bottom of the sieve into the bowl.  Beat all ingredients together with an electric mixer until smooth.

With a spatula, scrape sugar mixture out of bowl and into a 9X9 inch pan.  Smooth out the top, making sure that all is evenly distributed in the bottom of the pan.  Set aside.

Ingredients/filling
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 egg
1/4 cup granulated sugar

Blend cinnamon and sugar together in a small bowl. Set aside. Place egg in a separate bowl and beat.

Assembly:
Lightly flour a smooth surface and roll out the sweet dough into a 6X12 inch rectangle.  Brush top side of dough with the beaten egg, covering all edges and corners.  Then sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture on top of the dough.

Carefully take one of the short sides of the dough and tightly roll it to the other short side, forming a log with the cinnamon sugar inside. To keep the log intact, pinch together the 12 inch length where the end overlaps the dough. Using a long knife, cut the log into 4 pieces.  Then place each piece, with cut side up, into the prepared pan.  Leave space between each piece and between pan and sides.  These pieces will rise quite a bit and all sides will come together.  Cover and let rise again until doubled, about 1 1/2-2 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Once rolls have doubled in pan,  place pan over baking sheet and put in oven. The pan underneath will help catch any topping that spills over while baking.  Bake rolls until they turn a deep golden brown, which should take about 30 minutes.

Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes.  Then invert on baking sheet or large plate, holding pan over the rolls for 30 seconds to make sure all topping drips onto rolls.  Serve immediately.

Apple Butter Cinnamon Rolls

It was about 24 degrees this morning and I was craving apple pie.  However, I opted for something that would fall under the breakfast category. Since these rolls contain apple cider, apple butter and apples-my craving quickly subsided. Plate these up with some hot tea in the morning and the apple lovers in your family will be in the kitchen in no time.

I noticed on the original recipe, the dough called for 10-12 cups of flour and 3 packets of yeast.  This seemed way too much for the recommended pan to use, which was a pie pan.  Dividing the recipe by three resulted in the proper amount of dough. Also these rolls rose high in the pan, so pan with higher sides ( 9 or 10 inch square or round cake pan) works much better.

Apple Butter Cinnamon Rolls
adapted from blogs.babble.com 


Ingredients
3 1/2 tbs butter, melted
1/3 cup sugar
1 1/3 cup warm water
1 packet of yeast
1 egg
2/3 tsp salt
3-4 cups flour
1 1/2 cups apple butter
2 apples (finely diced)
2 cups brown sugar
2 tbs cinnamon
2 tbs butter (melted)
2 tbs apple cider
4 cups powdered sugar

In a large bowl, whisk together 1/3 cup granulated sugar, warm water and yeast.  Set aside for 5 minutes to foam up.  Beat in egg, 3 1/2 tbs melted butter and salt.  Pour into stand mixer bowl and fix mixer with dough hook

With the mixer running on low, slowly add 3 cups of flour.  Once combined, put mixer on medium and add the other cup of flour. Let dough knead in mixer for 4 minutes.  If it still remains sticky after this time add some flour and continue to mix.  Dough should be done when it is smooth and elastic.  It no longer sticks to the bowl. You can do this without a stand mixer, just mix with wooden spoon and knead with your hands for 8 minutes.  Due to the stickiness of the dough, it is best to use a stand mixer if you have one.

Shape dough into a ball and place in a well oiled bowl. Cover loosely and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour. During this time, preheat your oven to 375 degrees and butter a 8 or 9 inch square pan

Once you dough has doubled in size, punch down.  Then place on a well floured surface and roll into a rectangle, about 10x14 inches.  Spread the top side evenly with the apple butter, leaving 1/2 inch border on the bottom length of 14 inches.  Then you will sprinkle on the rest of the filling: diced apples, cinnamon and brown sugar (in that order).  Roll the dough into a 14 inch log.  Cut into 9 pieces, about 1 1/2 inch wide.  Place each piece with the spiral showing into the prepared pan. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown.

While rolls are baking, prepare the icing. Whisk 2 tbs of melted butter with 2 tbs apple cider.  With a mesh sieve or sifter, sift 1 cup of powdered sugar into cider mixture.  Whisk until all is combined.  Continue to add powdered sugar until you reach desired consistency. Pour warm icing over warm rolls just prior to serving.

Cafe Beaujolais Coffeecake

First, let me say that with all the recipes out there on the net and in cookbooks, most of the best recipes are from home cooks that are food writers.  The so called "restaurant recipes" that come from chefs that are floating around the internet may have issues.  I understand that a guest appearance on Martha Stewart probably would not prompt any chef or baker to give up their special recipe so it can be published on the net, especially if that item is what actually made them famous.  Chefs and bakers are in the business to make and sell food but a food writer is in the business to create recipes to publish so you will buy their book. 

The recipe listed below was found on the LA times website in the food section, supported by the staffers as one of the best recipes. I surfed the net and found many people that had good luck with the recipe, so I decided to move forward with baking and posting this coffeecake recipe. It was a good decision, the cake turned out very rich and delicious-perfect with tea or coffee.

The restaurant where the recipe originated is located in Mendocino, California.  Even though this item is not on their menu today, they do have a list of breads that you can order on line.

Now on to the specifics of the recipe...One of the things you might notice from the picture above, is that the cake is not thick and airy.  The height is about like a bar cookie.  The buttermilk and oil make the cake very moist.

Cafe Beaujolais Buttermilk Cinnamon Coffee Cake
adapted from the LA Times

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups flour
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon (separated)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground ginger
3/4 cup corn oil
1 cup nuts (almonds, pecans, walnuts or a combination)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 egg  (beaten)
1 cup buttermilk
First, butter a 9X13 inch pan and preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine flour, brown and granulated sugar, salt, ginger and 1 tsp of the cinnamon.  Blend in the oil with a wooden spoon, it should end up crumbly- like streusel. Then put 3/4 cup of this mixture into another bowl and add the nuts and remaining teaspoon of cinnamon to the 3/4 cup and set aside.

Back to the large bowl of the remaining flour you will add the last 4 ingredients listed above ( baking powder, baking soda, egg and buttermilk.  Blend with wooden spoon until smooth and the consistency of pancake batter.  Pour batter into pan and then sprinkle nut mixture evenly on top of batter.  Bake for 35-40 minutes.  For my oven, 38 minutes was fine.  Once baked, pull pan out and put on wire rack to cool.  Once cooled cut into squares to serve.

This is an easy recipe with readily available ingredients for the average home baker.  However, should you be looking for a lower fat variation of this recipe and do not mind scouting for specialty ingredients, you can go here.