Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

I love everything about fall…the cooler weather, the candles, red and yellow leaves, and all the yummy goodness of spiced cakes and cookies! 

Our church’s ladies’ Bible study started this week which seemed like the perfect reason to whip of a batch of pumpkin cupcakes to share! I hope you enjoy them as much as we did…I mean, “they” did 😉

God Bless,

Sandra xoxo

Pumpkin Cupcakes

3 cups sugar

1 cup oil

4 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

3 1/3 cup flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

2/3 cup water

15 ounces pumpkin

In stand mixer, cream sugar and oil together, then add eggs, vanilla and pumpkin. In a small bowl, combine dry ingredients. Alternately, add flour mixture and water until all is gone. Grease a muffin pan, or use cupcake papers, and bake at 400° F for 15 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. This is a large batch so you will need to make several pans of cupcakes, or bake in a baking pan as a cake. 

Top with cream frosting!

 

Sourdough Apple Spice Cake Roll

Nothing quite says fall like pumpkins...wait...apples! I saw this delicious recipe for a Sourdough Pumpkin Roll over at Farmhouse on Boone and I couldn't wait to make it. I've been making sourdough on a daily basis for a year now (see how to make sourdough starter here) and, as a person being gluten-free for 10 years, I've been able to tolerate wheat if it's fermented. So, this recipe appealed to me because of my love of pumpkin, fall, fermented wheat and all things delicious!

 I started making the recipe, only to realize that my new obsession with homemade pumpkin lattes had depleted my stash of pumpkin...sigh. But not to be discouraged, I did have applesauce on hand and so my pumpkin roll instantly became an apple roll, and who's to say it isn't every bit as delicious, or even more delicious, if you're in an apple-loving mood? 

I basically followed the recipe how it's listed, but since I was using applesauce instead of pumpkin, I scaled back the sugar a bit since apples are much sweeter. We try to stay away from overly sweetened foods to fine tune our taste buds to the richness of food in their natural state.

From our kitchen to yours, happy cooking!

             God Bless, 

                Sandra xoxo

            Apple Cake

            1 cup flour

            1/2 cup applesauce

            1/2 cup sourdough starter

            1 teaspoon cinnamon

            1/2 teaspoon salt

            3 eggs

            2 teaspoons vanilla

            1/3 cup maple sugar (or 1/2 cup regular sugar)

            1 teaspoon baking soda

Mix the first three ingredients together. Cover with a dishcloth and allow to ferment 12-24 hours. Add the remaining ingredients to the mixture and bake at 375 F on a parchment lined 10x15" baking sheet for 15 minutes or until done. 

As soon as it comes out of the oven, place a dish towel over the cake and flip the cake onto the towel being careful to not tear the cake.  Roll it up in the dishcloth until cool.

            Filling

            8 ounces cream cheese

            1/4 teaspoon butter

            1/4 cup maple syrup

            1 teaspoon vanilla

Cream together butter and cream cheese. Add in the maple syrup and vanilla. Unroll the cake and evenly coat the entire cake with the filling. Roll it back up. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve.

Chocolate Mousse Domes

 

I have been binge watching Baking Championship shows, which I find so completely inspiring! On one of the episodes, they made mousse domes and I immediately knew I needed to make them. However, it wasn't immediately that I was *able* to make them. Fast forward nine months, and here they are!

        Cookies Base:

        56 g almond meal

        125 g flour

        75 g butter, softened

        75 g brown sugar

        1/2 tsp vanilla

        1 tbsp milk

Mix together and chill dough for 30 minutes. Using a lightly dusted working surface, roll out the dough to 1/4" thick. Cut out 12 circles the same size as the base of your mousse molds. Bake at 350 F for 8-10 minutes, or until light golden brown. Cool completely.  

Chocolate Mousse: 

        90 g milk

        90 g heavy cream

        4 eggs yolks

        190 g semi-sweet chocolate pieces

        1 package gelatin (7 g)

        35 g water

        100 g sugar

        50 g egg whites, whipped to stiff peaks

        150 g cold heavy cream, whipped to stiff peaks

Soften the gelatin in 35 g of cold water. Set aside. In a medium saucepan, bring the milk and cream to a soft boil. In a separate bowl, stir together the eggs. Slowly add the hot milk to the eggs while stirring constantly. Put the milk and egg mixture back in the saucepan and stir until thickened. Remove from heat and stir in the gelatin. Cool completely.

For the meringue, bring the sugar and water to a boil and cook over medium heat until it reaches the soft crack stage. Slowly incorporate the sugar mixture down the side of your mixing bowl, while continuously beating the egg whites at high speed. Mix until the meringue cools to room temperature.

Gently fold the whipped cream and meringue into the cool chocolate mixture. Lightly oil the silicone dome molds and fill with mousse. Freeze three hours.

Mirror Glaze recipe here. 

To assemble:

Top a small bowl with a cookie rack. Pop a mousse dome out of the mold and place it over a cookie base centered on the cookie rack above the bowl. Pour the cooled mirror glaze over the dome, allowing the excess to drip into the small bowl. Continue until all cookies are coated, reusing the extra mirror glaze as needed. Edge with chopped almonds if desired. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Enjoy!

Sourdough from Scratch

It's been about one year exactly since I became a true Sourdough. Sure, I grew up in Alaska where the people born there were referred to as Sourdoughs, but I began the process of fermented wheat for bread one year ago and I haven't looked back. It's easy. It's economical. It's good for you. But most importantly, it's delicious!!!

In my year of dabbling with sourdough, I feel my experience may be of value to other people not sure where to start. Every recipe and website said, "It's easy. It's not an exact science." But in my brain, I like to know EXACTLY what to do. I don't want to guess or just hope something turns out after I've invested my time and money into it. I want directions and I want them spelled out to me. So, here it goes...

Day one: Get a pickle jar or a glass container that will hold at least a quart. Add 100 grams of flour and 100 grams of water. Mix well. Cover with a wash cloth and place it on your countertop for 24 hours.

Now, why am I weighing this? Why not just say one cup of flour and one cup of water? Because in my experience, I tried the latter for 9 months and really wasn't happy with what was happening. Equal weight is much different than equal amounts. If you really must measure, then it's about 3/4 c of flour and about 1/2 c water!

Day Two: Mix up your flour/water concoction and throw away HALF down the sink. Add 100 grams water and 100 grams flour to the remaining "starter." Mix well, cover with a washcloth, and leave on your countertop for another 24 hours.

Day Three- Seven: repeat the steps in Day Two.

Day Eight: Your concoction is now a Sourdough Starter and ready to be used. 

To use your starter in baking: Use the amount of starter called for in the recipe. This is can also be called the "discard," because every day you need to throw away, or discard, about half of your starter and then feed it again with equal weight of flour and water.

Sourdough Bread

1 cup sourdough starter (or discard)

3 cups flour

1 1/4 cups water

2 teaspoons salt

Mix together ingredients in a mixer for 5 minutes or hand knead for 10 minutes. Grease a LARGE bowl and allow your dough to rise 8-24 hours, covered with plastic wrap. Don't forget to feed your starter.

Grease a bread pan with BUTTER or LARD (cooking sprays haven't worked for me). Gently handle your dough and shape it into a loaf. Place it in the bread pan to raise for two more hours.

Bake at 375 F for 30 minutes, then turn up the oven to 425 F and continue baking 15 minutes more. Once it's done, immediately butter all sides of the bread for a soft crust. 

Happy Baking!

God Bless,

Sandra xoxo

Cranberry Pistachio Sugar Cookies

I saw a recipe for these cookies on a blog a few days ago, and they captured my fancy!  Christy, at The Girl Who Ate Everything says she found the recipe from Betty Crocker, but without her post, I wouldn’t have known that this gem of a cookie existed.  The color is light, yet noticeably green, with flecks of red cranberries so suitable for the holidays.  Plus, she gives great tips for shortcuts that will have these cookies gracing your table and palate with the ease you crave during this most busy time of the year!

I used a homemade dough for mine, reducing the sugar, and adding pistachio pudding mix.  So pretty, so yummy!

Don't forget the shopping list!

3/4 cup butter
2/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
3.4 oz box instant pistachio pudding
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup craisins

Mix ingredients together and form into 1 1/2" balls.  Bake for 9 minutes at 400 F.

From one classical appetite to another...happy cooking!

Photograph © Sandra Baumgarten

Lobster and Shells

Lobster & Shells

I'm a big fan of Ina Garten from Barefoot Contessa, and I try to catch her show whenever I can.  Her recipes are easy, practical, and very do-able, yet look fancy enough to serve at any occasion.  She uses basic ingredients that are fresh and won't cost a fortune.  However, now that I say that, this recipe is for Lobster & Shells, and the lobster was too rich for my blood at $12.99/pound.  I opted for cocktail shrimp, and it was so tasty that I'm still blissfully unaware of what I missing!

I have to laugh when Ina says, "Use 'good' olive oil" or "use 'good' vegetables."  You can't very well put in poor quality ingredients and expect a gourmet meal, but I guess it's helpful to be reminded!

I really loved this pasta salad!  It was fresh and light, healthy, colorful, and easy to make!  

"It's important to use small shells so that the corn kernels can get stuck inside them." ~Ina Garten

From one hearty appletite to another...happy cooking!

Lobster & Shells from Barefoot Contessa's "How Easy Is That?" Cookbook

Kosher salt

Good olive oil

1/2 pound small pasta shells, such as Ronzoni

Kernels from 4 ears of corn (about 3 cups)

6 scallions, white and green parts, thinly sliced

1 yellow or orange bell pepper, seeded and small-diced

1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved

1 pound cooked fresh lobster meat (I used cocktail shrimp)

3/4 cup good mayonnaise

1/2 cup sour cream

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)

3/4 cup minced fresh dill

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add 1 tablespoon of salt and some olive oil.  Add the pasta and cook it for 8-10 minutes.  Add the corn to the pasta and cook it for another 2 minutes, until the corn is tender.  Drain the pasta and corn together in a colander and pour them into a large mixing bowl.  Add the scallions, diced pepper, tomatoes, and lobster, tossing gently to combine.  Allow to cool slightly.

In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, sour cream, lemon juice, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper.  Cover with plastic wrap and chill for up to 6 hours to allow the flabors to develop.  Check the seasonings and serve chilled or at room temperature.

Key Lime Cake

Key Lime Cake!

Birthday cakes rarely get "glamour shots" in our house because we're too busy celebrating to be taking pictures of what we're eating!  However, my sister got a shot of this most delicious key lime cake.  It was my grandmother's 88th birthday, and she loves key lime sweets.  I was inspired by her favorite candy--key lime truffles at See's Candies.

For this cake, I made a three layered vanilla cake with key lime curd filling and whipped cream frosting. The cake was moist--the key lime curd light and refreshing!  I would definitely make this again...maybe for Grandma's 89th?...I don't think I can wait a year! :)

From one hearty appletite to another... happy baking!

Vanilla Cake
1 1/4 cups butter, softened
4 eggs
3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 1/4 cups sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 7/8 cups milk

Allow butter and eggs to stand at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.  Grease and heavily flour three 8x1.5 - inch round cake pans.

In a large mixing bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds.  Gradually add sugar, beating on medium speed until well combines and scraping sides of bowl.  Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes more.  Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition (about 1 minute total).  Beat in vanilla.  Alternately add flour mixture and milk to butter mixture, beating on low speed after each addition just until combined.  Spread batter into prepared pans.

Bake in a 375 degrees oven for 30-35 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted near centers comes out clean.  Cool layers in pans for 10 minutes.  Remove from pans and cool thoroughly.

Key Lime Curd
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 1/2 teaspoons finely shredded lime peel
3 tablespoons key lime juice
3 tablespoons water
3 beaten egg yolks
1/4 cup butter, cut up

In a medium saucepan stir together sugar and cornstarch.  Stir in lim peel, lime juice, and water.  Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly.  Stir half of the lime mixture into egg yolks.  Return the egg yolk mixture to the saucepan.  Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture comes to a gentle boil.  Cook and stir for 2 minutes more.  Remove from heat and add butter.  Stir and cover.  Cool at least one hour before using.

Whipped Cream Frosting
1 cup whipping cream
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Beat whipping cream, sugar and vanilla with an electric mixer on medium speed until soft peaks form.

To assemble, lay down first vanilla cake and top with half of the key lime curd.  Stack second cake on the curd, and top with the remaining curd.  Add third cake and top with whipped cream frosting.  Garnish with additional lime zest, if desired.  Keep assembled cake refrigerated until time to serve.  Will keep for up to 24 hours, if you don't eat it before then!