Buttermilk Apple Cake

This was a splendid recipe that came out very moist (thank you buttermilk) and was a great compliment to a morning coffee. It’s got a nice presentation too.

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Buttermilk Apple Cake


12 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

1 1/2 cup sugar, plus 4 tablespoons for topping

2 egg, room temperature

2 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 cups all-purpose flour

4 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, plus more for topping

1 cup buttermilk

grated zest of 2 large lemons

grated zest of 1 large orange

2 large gala apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2-inch thick slices

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Liberally grease or spray two 9-inch cake pans.

Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or hand held beaters, beat the butter on medium speed until light and airy. Add sugar, and continue beating until everything is pale and fluffy. Stop mixer as needed to scrape down the sides. Switch mixer back on, and add the egg, followed by the vanilla.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, sea salt, and nutmeg.

Switch mixer to low and add half the flour mixture, followed by all of the buttermilk and then the second half of the flour mixture. Add the zest and mix on low just until combined.

Spoon batter into prepared pan. Arrange the apple slices in a circle along the outer edge of the pan, so that the slices are set straight down onto the batter. Create a star pattern inside the circle, and add one final slice at the very center. Sprinkle the top with 2 tablespoons sugar and several grates of nutmeg.

Bake for 50 – 60 minutes, or until the top is a light golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few crumbs attached.

Set cake aside to cool for a few minutes, then remove from the cake pan. Allow to cool completely.

Set cake aside to cool for a few minutes, then remove the springform side and allow to cool completely.

 

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Holiday Treats Part II + Puppy Holiday Sweater

The morning after Thanksgiving can be quite a doozy. To help recover from my turkey hangover I supplied these amazing Gingery Muffins from one of my fav blogs A Cozy Kitchen.

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Recipe from A Cozy Kitchen

For muffins:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 cup buttermilk, shaken
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), at room temperature
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup dark molasses
2 large eggs

For glaze:
1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar
1/2 tablespoon whole milk

1. Heat oven to 350°F and arrange a rack in middle. Line a muffin tin with liners.
2. In a large bowl, combine all-purpose flour, baking soda, salt, ground ginger, ground cinnamon, ground allspice and ground cloves.
3. In a measuring cup, stir together buttermilk and vanilla until combined.
4. In a another bowl, beat together the butter and brown sugar until light in color and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in molasses until well combined and then add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition until well incorporated.
5. (Don’t be alarmed if mixture looks separated and curdled.) Scrape bowl and add one third flour mixture, beating on low speed just until flour is incorporated. Add half buttermilk mixture and once batter is smooth add another third flour mixture. Add remaining buttermilk and mix until incorporated. Add remaining flour mixture, and beat until incorporated and smooth.
6. Scoop batter into prepared muffin tin about 3/4 of the way. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool muffins in tin for about 5 minutes before removing and transferring to a cooling rack.
7. While muffins are cooling, mix together powdered sugar with milk and stir until smooth. When muffins are completely cooled, pour icing on top of muffins and top with candied ginger. Serve right away. If you’re baking these things up and taking them somewhere, I’d recommend icing ‘em right before serving.

Processed with VSCOcam with f2 presetAlso can’t beat a hot cup of apple cider. It’ll make your lips smack!

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Pepper was also looking very festive in her Christmas sweater by Freshlotus.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Restaraudit: Lee & Marie’s Cakery

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Iced coffee makes me happy

On our way to a scorching day at the beach, hubs and I parked our cruisers outside this lovely coast side “cakery” called Lee & Marie’s. Shabby chic decor with an abundance of sweets and southern charm. This place makes you feel at home.

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Citrus Salad

I enjoyed a simple citrus salad with strips of apple, mandarin oranges, nuts and wait for it…. mushrooms. Seemed odd at first to throw mushrooms in there but it paired quite nicely.

The couple also owns Bar Crudo, a raw bar next door, which has been getting a lot of good buzz.

Cronuts for days

A few weekends ago my hubs and his long time friend Mike decided they wanted to make the infamous Cronuts. (Read more about the croissant/donut craze here) Mike, who is his own culinary star among friends, had already dominated this magical pastry but wanted to drop some bakery knowledge on us. Here are the men at work. (Love men in the kitchen)

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After 7-8 hours of attentive kneading and caressing we had cronuts! Time to hit the fryer.

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Mike’s choice sides were chocolate ganache, bacon syrup, maple glaze and the winner of the night – guava and cheese. Can you blame us Miami folk?

photo[5]It was really a sensational dessert. I felt like I was having a one-of-a-kind experience that some wait 2-3 hours for – and we made more than the 2 allotted from famed Dominique Ansel. Pfffft. Take that!

If you want to stick it to the pastry man, try it for yourself. This is the recipe we used here.

Weekend in BPK

This past weekend my husband, Nick, and I went to hang with my mom and step-dad at their Keys home in Big Pine Key. Weekends there generally consist of full breakfasts, packed lunches for the boat and dinners using the catch of the day. My mother, who is equally gourmet took on most of these tasks, but here are a few I pioneered.

Peanut Butter Pecan Biscotti’s

Recipe c/o @joythebaker

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IMG_1This recipe was easy and fun, given it was my first time making biscotti’s. I also under baked them a little since I prefer them to be not so tooth-braking.

Mediterranean Pressed Picnic Sandwich

Recipe c/o @food52

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photoI made a traditional Pan Bagnat recently for another boat trip and it was delicious, savory and kept really well. However, something about eating fish while out at sea was sickening. So, for this go-around I went for a different recipe. While still a pressed sandwich, this one offered Mediterranean flavors such as artichokes, olive tapenade, roasted red peppers and artichokes, and lovely prosciutto.

And this photo is just for fun. It also makes me feel like my parents are bad asses.

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Recipe Weekend Wrap-up

I spent a lot of time in my condo this weekend which always means there is a lot of cooking (and therefore cleaning). My most surprising number was the stuffed peppers w/ gruyere and salami – very simple and fun!

Friday I went to a neighbors BBQ in which I volunteered to bring (1) Roasted Fennel and Cannelini Bean Dip and (2) Rhubarb Crumb bars. I failed to get a picture of the dip since it disappeared rather quickly and Fresh Market surprisingly didn’t have rhubarb so I substituted with strawberries and yellow raspberries.

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Saturday morning I made my favorite new muffin recipe. They’re hearty and gluten-free!

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Also indulged in my favorite vegetable juice

Beet Carrot Apple Celery Ginger Juice

Lastly, had a few friends over for the heat game Saturday night and threw these together.

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Naughty naughty

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