Apple Crumble with pecans & cranberries … super quick and super simple, here’s an apple crumble that is as delicious as it is fuss free. The crumble is buttery and generous as we love it, and the apples are cooked to perfection under the weight of the topping.
One constant in my holiday desserts is spices, a whole array of them. Think garam masala, think cinnamon, think star anise, think nutmeg. These are spices that bring warmth to desserts and every bite is comforting. Garam masala might seem a little misplaced as it comes to mind as a savoury or curry spice, yet trust me with this!
Holiday desserts and baking is my most favorite part of the year. So much to do, and honestly so little time! I love playing with ingredients, flavours and colours. I also love making different types of desserts – trifles, cakes, pudding, truffles, cookies … andcrumbles of course!
Do tag me on Instagram at Passionate About Baking or share a comment here on the blog if you make this or any other recipe from the blog. I’d love to see it!
Super quick and super simple apple crumble that is as delicious as it is fuss free. The topping is buttery and generous as we love it, and the apples are cooked to perfection under the weight of the crumble.
Add all the ingredients to a hand blender and process until the butter is distributed equally. Alternatively, mix all the ingredients except butter in a large bowl. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter or using your fingertips to distribute equally.
Reserve.
Apple filling
Toss all the ingredients in a large bowl.
Transfer into an 8" pie dish and spread uniformly.
Cover the apple filling with the crumble topping and pack firmly into place.
Bake for 45 minutes to an hour until the top is light golden brown and fragrant.
“He who controls the spice controls the universe.”
Frank Herbert
The Masala Dabba #2. February 2016. It’s strange how often we connect spices to savoury foods, often in India spice is synonymous with a curry! Delightfully enough, as we blog on, reading more, breaking new ground and exploring our palettes, ingredients take on new meaning. For instance, there is always so much more you can do with spices, enough to make them leap out of the masala dabba or spice box!!
Yes I’m back with the second version of our collaborative spice journey with exploring or rather ‘shooting’ spices, a fun interaction called by the ever sweet Dolphia, seconded enthusiastically by my soul sister Simi and yours truly. We’ve collected a new spice girl along the way. Meeta joins us this month as we delve into the fascinating world of spices. It’s only about styling and shooting spices, yet for me, the inspiration often goes a step further. It’s impossible to just shoot spices without following my nose to the simmering pot, hence a recipe is born now and then!
It began with shooting spices, and eventually turned into a winter inspiration. I desserted with spice! The three found their way into this absolutely smooth and delicious Gur Panna Cotta With Candied Walnuts. Talk about flavours that compliment each other! If panna cotta is not divine enough on it’s own, this version turned out to be sublime, a recipe I contributed for my column on askme.wellness.com.I couldn’t just stop there so I then drank or sangriad with it! The Sangria Mocktail was great fun to shoot. You could go down the red wine way with this of course. I mean, after all a recipe is often a springboard for further creativity. With cinnamon it’s difficult not to think of warming, comforting wafts of sweetness in the air. I plan on making bite sized cinnabons some day soon. They really call my name. I think the mini dessert trend happening now, along with my recent spice overdrive, might well be the culprit!Our spices of choice for the first month to challenge us – Cinnamon + Cloves + Star Anise. Three spices, cinnamon I use often, cloves a little rarely, and star anise possibly never. While I love how star anise looks, one of the prettiest spices ever, the flavours are often overbearing. Yet, surprise, surprise.I used star anise in a the trio of spices to make aSpiced Strawberry Wine Jam for this Chocolate Berry Wine Fallen Gateau and I was rewarded with beautiful lilting flavours. As I begin to use star anise more often, or rather infuse it, keeping it at a minimum, the gentle undertones are rather endearing.
Cinnamon The inner bark of a tropical evergreen tree, harvested during the rainy season when pliable and then dried into curls sold as sticks or ground into a powder.With its warm, sweet flavor, cinnamon is one of the biggest workhorses on the spice shelf. Cooks often use it to flavor baked goods and drinks, but cinnamon also works wonders in stews and sauces. Matches: apples, berries, chicken, chocolate, coffee, custards, fruit, lamb, oranges, pears, rice
Cloves Native to Indonesia, cloves are small nailed shaped flower buds that are dried and have a sweet, somewhat penetrating flavor. They can be bought whole or ground. Ground cloves are commonly used in baking. Matches: apples, beets, game, ham, lamb, pumpkin, sausage, tea, tomatoes, walnuts, wine
Star Anise A star-shaped, dark brown pod that contains a pea-size seed in each of its eight segments. Native to China, star anise comes from a small evergreen tree. It’s flavor is slightly more bitter than that of regular anise seed. Asian cooks use star anise to give a licorice flavor to savory dishes, particularly those with pork and poultry. Matches: duck, eggs, fish, leeks, pastry, pears, pork, poultry, pumpkin, shrimp.
Do stop by our other spice girls as well as we share this charming journey from one month to the next! Hope you enjoy it as much as we are.
‘Gingerbread Men’
Stir a bowl of gingerbread, smooth and spicy brown,
Roll it with a rolling-pin, up and up and down.
With a cookie cutter, make some little men,
Put them in the oven, until half past ten. Author unknown
Whole Wheat Gingerbread Men … I call them cookies with a heart even though I cut them out! There’s really nothing like cute little gingerbread men to bring a smile to your face. I’ve been making these for years, almost now a Christmas tradition.
I love the deep cinnamon and ginger flavours that get heightened by earthy whole wheat flour. For 100% whole grain cookies, these are nothing short of amazing. Crisp, spicy and sweet! C.U.T.E. too!
A few days ago, the husband said he was headed to a home for homeless girls as part of his company’s CSR, and asked if I could bake something. Yes! I instantly knew it was going to be these. He also asked me to try to make some goodie bags for the girls!
I haven’t had SO MUCH FUN in ages. Actually ever since the kids grew up and kissed birthday parties and return gifts goodbye. This was even more fun than those days. Also very interesting to see the level of interest it drew out of the daughter.
She began making the goodie bags in the car while I was driving her back from art class. She didn’t lose interest. For once. She continued to giggle stupidly, sing crazily, talk non stop to Coco while making the bags.
They are slightly tedious to make as compared to normal cut out cookies. The stamping out of the hearts, the adding little heart sprinkles, and then the smile of course are a little involved! There was a time I used to make the little smileys in a flash. Now with more years under my belt, the eyes aren’t as sharp. So the smileys take a little longer, the little dragees rolling all over the place. Some have a mind of their own!
Well, in the end, it was all very worth it. Just stamping out gingerbread men makes me happy. They promise to spread holiday cheer, sharing happiness with the nibblers! The kids got one each much to their delight since I was guarding the men with my life!
I made a few extra for another special cookie occasion too. More on that very soon! So are you into cookie mode too? I certainly am. What are your cookie monsters munching? My cookies are pretty much whole grain now. I look back in guilt at the many years of plain flour that I baked with.
The internet is a wonderful place, and food blogs are the best! So much inspiration, food for thought and so much creativity you can build upon. These days there’s plenty of oats, barley, whole wheat and amaranth in my baking.
Summary:These 100% Whole Wheat Gingerbread Men bring cheer to the cookie platter and make for great gifts. They are crisp, sweet, spicy and keep well in an airtight container for 1-2 weeks in a cool place. Makes approx 3 dozen 3″ gingerbread men cookies
Prep Time: 10 minutes Total Time: 1 hour Ingredients:
280g whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
pinch salt
10g ginger powder
10g cinnamon powder
100g unsalted butter, cubed
150g brown sugar
1 egg, beaten
15-25 ml milk, as required
Method:
Preheat the oven to 170 degrees C. Line 4 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Sift the whole wheat flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking powder and salt.
In the bowl of a food processor, add the flour mix to the cold butter, & pulse briefly to make a breadcrumb like mix.
Tip in the sugar, pulse. Then add the beaten egg, and pulse briefly to mix.
Now add enough milk to make a firm yet pliable dough.
Roll out to 1/4 inch thickness & cut with desired cookie cutters.
Bake for 12-15 minutes till they smell done and the edges start turning golden-brown.
“Surely the apple is the noblest of fruits.”
Henry David Thoreau
Cinnamon, apples, walnuts, brown sugar…these are a few of my favourite fall ingredients. Put them in together to make a Classic Spiced Apple Walnut Buttermilk Coffee Cake and you will rock October! This is just what Abby Dodge guaranteed when she put out the#baketogether recipe for October … a Classic Spiced Coffee Cake with ‘your twist‘ to the recipe.
She says, “I selected Classic Sour Cream Coffeecake for this months’ #baketogether because it is, well, a classic – one that should be in every recipe box even if yours in stashed on your computer. The flavors are traditional: cinnamon, nutmeg (I like mine freshly grated), butter, brown sugar and sour cream. The method is straight-forward and the batter can even be made with a hand-held mixer (just like my Mom used). It’s these qualities that make it such a great #baketogether recipe. This base recipe is perfect as is YET there’s literally hundreds of ways for everyone to switch things up. It’s the perfect vanilla canvas that’s just waiting for some twisting and shaking.”Coffee cakes are usually single layer cakes that may be square or rectangular like a Stollen or loaf-shaped rectangular cakes, and are are typically flavored with cinnamon, seeds, nuts, and fruits. These cakes sometimes have a crumbly or crumb topping called streusel and/or a light glaze drizzle.
I love it when I have a classic basic recipe that I can play around with, which is why I like to #baketogether each month despite the obvious lack of time I feel.Moist, delicious, packed with flavour, light, FALL, fruity … these were the thoughts that buzzed through my head as I tasted the first bite. Even though the cake is said to taste better on day 2, it tasted fab on day 1. No cake can sit there in it’s ‘whole’ shape in our home; justice has to be done to it asap!The first bite into the lads mouth…and he said, “Mmmmmm, tastes just like pumpkin pie Mama!” It’s amusing to see how he connects to food. He loved that Praline Pumpkin Pie I made exactly two years ago. Anything with similar flavours takes him back to that gorgeous pie I baked from Park Avenue Potluck CELEBRATIONS for a virtual dinner party for the ‘fight against cancer‘ with the The Society of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.The house filled with fall aromas as the cake baked, warm cinnamon aromas wafting through lazily, a good morning that day where there were thankfully no power cuts. I substituted the sour cream in Abby recipe with half home made yogurt and half buttermilk as we don’t get sour cream locally here. The substitiution worked a charm resulting in a fabulous moist texture.Before I get to the recipe, I’d like to thank the very talented and wonderful Jennifer Bartoli {who also blogs at Chocolate Shavings} for interviewing me for an article in the National Post, Toronto, that was published today. ‘Gear up for gastronomic greatness‘ makes for an interesting read. Its about me and 2 other very talented food bloggers and our favourite kitchen tools and appliances.
“Goodness comes out of people who bask in the sun, as it does out of a sweet apple roasted before the fire” Charles Dudley Warner
Sometimes, or rather often as in my case, you see a tweet about a blog post, get to the post & you just know you are so making it, and soon. This was just what happened when my dear friend Petah tweeted about a Spiced Pear Cake the other day. 2 reactions were immediate – WOW!!, and the other…WHAT?Petah & baking sweet stuff? Don’t recall seeing any bakes at his blog, evah, so I almost fell off my twitter column.
Lori & me raced across to his post. Sure enough, there was cake on his delicious Greek blog, the focus of the post Ricardo’s Spiced Pear Cake. When you see good food, the dish should catch your eye … IT DID!! I fell in love with it when I saw the cross-section of the cake with the pear embedded in it.
Fruit in baked treats has always been my weakness. This year it’s reaching new heights, as I’ve baked extensively with pears, apples, peaches, apricots, plums & persimmons. There’s nothing I find more charming, and the mind got thinking about the cake instantly. No pears at home, but just knew apples would work beautifully too. I had the fruit stewing pretty soon, and ‘snail buddy’ Petah was being tweeted for his wise advice.
The cake was a winner. Moist, bursting with Fall flavour, pretty … one the kids loved too. It’s a cake which has something warm for everyone. Sweet enough to satisfy the ‘dessert’ craving, cinnamon & spice flavours to keep you happy, very Autumn & very indulgent … without being too heavy on calories. I dressed it up a teeny bit with a sifting of pumpkin pie spice, drizzle of powdered sugar dissolved in a little milk, and slivered almonds.
Spiced Apple Cake Adapted fromFood Network Canada Inspired byPeter M @ Kalofogas Ingredients: Poached Apples 5 small apples, with stems Juice of 1 lemon 4 cup water 1 cup sugar 1 x cinnamon stick Spice cake 3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour 1/2 cup ground almonds (see note) 1/2 tsp baking powder 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice 1 pinch salt 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened 1/2 cup brown sugar 1 egg
Method: Poached Apples Peel the apples, leaving the stems in place and the apples whole. Working from the bottom, core the apples using a melon baller. Place the apple in a bowl and sprinkle with lemon juice. Set aside. Place the water, sugar and cinnamon in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the apples and the remaining lemon juice. With the syrup barely simmering, poach the apples until tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a plate and let cool to room temperature. Set aside 60 ml (1/4 cup) poaching liquid.
Spice cake Preheat the oven to 180°C. Lightly grease a rectangular tart pan {or line a 10 x 20-cm (4 x 8-inch) loaf pan with parchment paper, allowing the paper to overhang the long sides. Butter the other sides.} In a bowl, combine the flour, ground almonds, baking powder, spices and salt. Set aside. In another bowl, cream the butter with the brown sugar using an electric mixer. Add the egg and beat until the mixture is smooth. With the mixer on low, add the dry ingredients, alternating with the reserved poaching liquid. Pour the batter into the loaf pan. Stand the apples in the batter, touching the bottom of the pan. Bake 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the cake between 2 apples comes out clean. Let cool on a rack and unmould gently.
Variation: If you prefer, you can replace the ground almonds with another kind of finely chopped nut (hazelnuts, walnuts, etc.).
♥ Thank you for stopping by ♥
Before I go I have to say thank you to some foodie friends who have chosen to give me some precious awards. Each award makes me feel very honoured and special. Am thrilled to have found so many talented & fun bloggers that make blogging ever so worthwhile. You inspire me no end. Thank you from the bottom of my heart…
“The revolution is not an apple that falls when it is ripe.
You have to make it fall.”
Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara
There’s a great foodie blog I recently discovered & I absolutely love what she does. She bakes WONDERFUL stuff, mainly cakes, & I’m really having a hard time keeping up. Seem to get into a bookmarking frenzy each time I get to the Food Librarian, and the Dorothy Mae Brown Apple Spice Cake was no exception.
This cake is one I bookmarked off her blog on Friday, the 13th, quite the minute I laid my eyes on it. I felt an instant ominous ring to my bookmarking because of the date, LOL, but everything went along just fine.I love apple cakes, especially after the earlier Apple Almond Cake I had made from a recipe @ Dragon’s Kitchen. Dorothy Mae Brown’s cake was called spicy & I planned to make it ASAP. I had apples on the counter, & wanted to pair this up with pumpkin pie spice, nuts & raisins.
As the Food Librarian said, Dorothy Mae Brown’s Apple Spice Cake is one of the most popular recipes on Martha Stewart’s website. Didn’t make the caramel syrup to top the cake, since I wanted to cut back on sugar, and substituted a bit of wholewheat flour for plain flour, which is something I often do. Also used pumpkin pie spice in the cake as I like the flavour. If you check out the pictures on that post at the Food Librarian, you might just get tempted to make the caramel syrup as well coz it looks really nice on the cake. Her cake is much prettier than mine.
Mine was not too pretty, but it was certainly pretty delicious. Was absolutely wonderful served warm, & kept very well for the couple of days that it lasted. It made for a fine dessert with a dollop of delicately spiced pumpkin pie spice cream …. very indulgent indeed!
APPLE SPICE CAKE as taken from the Food Librarian adapted from Apple Spice Cake on Martha Stewart’s website Ingredients: 1 1/3 cups vegetable oil 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 cup whole-wheat flour 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 1 3/4 cups sugar 3 large eggs 3 to 4 Granny Smith apples, cored and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (3 cups) 1 cup chopped assorted nuts, such as pecans and walnuts (optional) 1/2 cup green & black dried raisins 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Caramel Sauce (I didn’t make this, just gave my cake a dusting of powdered sugar & pumpkin pie spice) Method:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 12-cup Bundt pan with cooking spray; set aside.
Sift together flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Reserve in a bowl.
Beat vegetable oil, sugar, and eggs; mix on high speed until lemon yellow. Beat in extract.
With mixer on medium speed, gradually shake in dry ingredients until just incorporated. I had to finish it off by hand because the mixture became very thick.
Add apples and nuts to batter; mix to combine.
Pour batter into prepared pan, and bake until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 75 to 90 minutes.
Remove from oven, and cool slightly on a wire rack.
Invert cake onto rack; turn cake right-side up to cool completely on rack, and serve drizzled with caramel sauce, or just a light dusting of powdered sugar & pumpkin pie spice.
I served a few special slices with a pumpkin spice flavoured whipped cream! This one if off to Bookmarked Recipes, an event started by Ruth @ Ruth’s Kitchen Experiments. The event now has it’s very own spot on the net, & is a nice tribute to thank someone or something for a recipe that you’ve enjoyed making.
