apple cinnamon sour cream cake

This past weekend we went to an apple orchard.  It was one of my favorite things to do when I was younger.  Going out amongst the trees in the crisp fall air is on my favorite things and brings back many memories.  Apples are always one of my favorite foods, the crispness of an apple picked right of the tree is probably one of my favorite textures to experience.

I bit off more than I could chew because as usual I brought home way more many apples than I know what to do with.  I hope to do various apple projects with this haul.  As I was collecting apples it occured to me that I really wanted to try doing an apple cake.  I wanted to do a cake that had just as much apple in it as batter.  I was obsessed witht he idea of cutting through a slice and having just layers of apple throughout.

With my apples safe and sound at home, I began to prepare the cake.  First, I used my trusty paring knife to peel all the apples.  To slice the apples I used an apple corer/slicer.  I highly recommend using one of these to process the apples quickly, I bought one specifically for this purpose and it was a lifesaver.  I placed the slices in a bowl with some lemon juice and set aside. 

To prepare the cake batter I used a basic ratio of 1 part fat: 1 part sugar : 1 part eggs: 1 part flour.  The typical cake recipe calls for butter as the fat element but I decided to do half butter half sour cream.  The sour cream adds a certain tangy creaminess that I felt would go well with apple cinnamon.  I was thinking apple pie with sweet cream ice cream.  Using a scale I measured out 4 oz of softened butter along with 4 oz sour cream.  In a mixer with a paddle attachment I whipped the butter/sour cream mixture on high until incorporated. I gradually added 8 oz of sugar and whipped on high for 3 minutes, fluffing the mixture making sure all the sugar was evenly dispersed.  I stopped and scraped the sides of the bowl and whipped for another 30 seconds to assure everything came together. 

I cracked 4 eggs in a separate bowl (about 8oz) and started the mixer on medium.  I gradually added the eggs one at a time to the mixture until fully incorporated.  It is during this step that I added 2 tablespoons of cinnamon and 1 teaspoon of rose water.  Vanilla or rum can be used here in place of the rose water. I also added a pinch of salt to help bring out the flavors. Finally I turned the mixer to medium low and gradually added 8 oz of flour. I stopped mixing as soon as it all came together, making sure to avoid over mixing the batter.

I removed the bowl from the mixer and poured the batter over the apples slices in a large mixing bowl.  I folded everything together, making sure all the apples were coated. It should be very chunky, like there might be one too many apples in it which sounds odd, but it works.  I poured the batter into a buttered small round cake pan, it should come up 3/4s of the way up the pan.  I baked in a 325 degree oven for 1 hour until a knife came out clean.

The cake was ridiculously good, it was hard not to eat a second slice.  The apples were soft but did not turn to mush and melded perfectly with the strong cinnamon taste of the cake.  The sour cream and apples kept the cake very moist, giving the cake the consistency that was like a cross between a cake and a bread pudding.  For a firmer cake I would add a few ounces more flour and a few more minutes in the oven.  It seems that the cake would hold up well and not lose too much moisture given the ingredients involded, making it a fairly simple but flavorful cake.

pumpkin bread pudding

Pumpkin is one of my favorite things about fall.  It is a flavor I look forward to every year.  I picked up a sugar pumpkin at the store, not really knowing what I wanted to do with it.  Normally I would roast it and leave it at that, but I decided to take roasted pumpkin and incorporate it into a bread pudding.

To begin I cut the pumpkin into smaller pieces to roast in the oven. I placed the pumpkin on a cookie sheet and covered with melted butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and ginger paste.  I set this to roast in the oven until the pumpkin fell apart easily with a fork.

I removed the skin from the pumpkin and I placed the cooked pieces in a blender with eggs, half and half, sugar and cinnamon.  I blended this combination until smooth and set aside while I cut my bread.  I used a day old country style sourdough bread.  Any day old crusty bread works to soak up all the liquid from the pumpkin mixture.  I cut the bread into large cubes and placed them in a deep pan.  I covered the bread with the pumpkin mixture and let this soak in for 10 minutes.

The pudding was browned on the top and the inside of the pudding was tender, but not mushy.

The flavor of pumpkin, cinnamon, and ginger really stood out making this a perfect fall dessert.

cozy fall dish

Fall is definitely my favorite season of the year.  The weekend chill seemed like the perfect time to make some braised beef short ribs and butternut squash risotto. 

I began the short ribs by seasoning them with salt and pepper then searing them on all sides in a very hot dutch oven.  After removing the short ribs I added onion, garlic, diced carrots and celery to dutch oven to cook for a bit.  To add warmth to the dish I added a combination of ground guajillo chiles, cumin, and Mexican oregano along with red wine as the braising liquid.  I returned the short ribs back to the dutch oven and cooked low in the oven for 3hours.  The meat was falling off the bone and the pan sauce was rich with flavor.

Short ribs waiting to be cooked:

Short ribs just out of the oven:

The second half of my dish consists of a risotto featuring butternut squash, a fall vegetable!  I first diced the butternut squash and simmered it in some chicken stock in order to add a bit of squash flavor to the liquid.  I removed the butternut after a while to avoid overcooking it.  To prepare the risotto I first fried bits of bacon in a pan to be used later with the risotto.  I removed some of the bacon fat and sautéed arborio rice with onion and garlic before adding white wine.  I continued to prepare the risotto by allowing the wine to absorb into the rice, then adding the  chicken broth a bit at a time, waiting until it gets absorbed before adding more.  After a while the rice doubled in volume was al dente, and very creamy.  To finish the dish I added butter, nutmeg, the bacon from earlier, and stirred in the diced butternut squash

Risotto cooking away:

I placed the beef on top of the risotto and spooned some of the pan sauce on top.  To complete the dish I made a quick arugula and radish salad with lemon juice to put on the side along with thick slices of bread.  The acidity and bite of the salad counterbalances the richness of the beef and the bread was good for sopping up any juices.  My favorite thing about this dish is how warm and comforting it is, perfect for the fall weather.