Big Crumb Apple Coffee Cake w/ with extra Crumbs

Big Crumb Apple Coffee Cake

For the apple filling:
1/2 pound tart apples, peeled, seeded, chopped
1/4-cup sugar
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/2-teaspoon ground allspice

For the crumbs topping:
1/3-cup dark brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1-teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2-teaspoon ground ginger
1/8-teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick or 4 ounces) unsalted butter, melted
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour

For the cake:
1/3-cup sour cream
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2-teaspoon baking powder
1/4-teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons softened butter, cut into 8 pieces.

For filling:
toss apples with sugar, cornstarch and allspice. Set aside.

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease an 8-inch-square baking pan.

2. To make crumbs in a large bowl, whisk sugars, spices and salt into melted butter until smooth. Then, add flour with a spatula or wooden spoon. It will look and feel like solid dough. Leave it pressed together in the bottom of the bowl and set aside.

3. To prepare cake, in a small bowl, stir together the sour cream, egg, egg yolk and vanilla. Using a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, mix together flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add butter and a spoonful of sour cream mixture and mix on medium speed until flour is moistened. Increase speed and beat for 30 seconds. Add remaining sour cream mixture in two batches, beating for 20 seconds after each addition, and scraping down the sides of bowl with a spatula. Scoop out about 1/2 cup batter and set aside.

4. Scrape remaining batter into prepared pan. Spoon apples over batter and dot reserved batter over apples; it does not have to be even.

5. Using your fingers, break the topping mixture into big crumbs, about 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch in size. (They do not have to be uniform). Sprinkle over cake. Bake cake until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean of batter (it might be moist from apples), 45 to 55 minutes. Cool completely before serving. Enjoy!
Yield: 6 to 8 servings.

I like to serve this cake with Salted Caramel Sauce (recipe coming soon).

See you at the Market!
Chef Deb

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Apple and Sweet Potatoes w/Cider Maple Glaze

In my attempt to replace the dreaded "Orange Marshmallow Stuff" on our Thanksgiving table, I somehow stumbled across this recipe and convinced my mom to let me make this instead. This recipe was one of my mom's favorites, so it holds very special memories for me. I haven't made it in quite a while, but it's time I dust the recipe off and maybe it will find a new home.




Sometimes I add cinnamon, and I also use different apples depending on the flavor combination I am looking for. The recipe calls for Granny Smith apples for tartness, but in this photo I used our local Honey Crisps and it was delicious!





I was a bit lazy and did not peel my apples and they turned a nice dark color, which I like. You can avoid this by peeling your apples or leaving the foil on longer or baking the last 20 minutes at a lower temperature.



Apple and Sweet Potatoes w/Cider Maple Glaze

4 tablespoons unsalted butter
6 sweet potatoes (4 1/2 pounds), peeled and sliced 1/4-inch thick
6 large Granny Smith** apples (3 pounds)--peeled, cored, and sliced 1/4- inch thick
1 cup pure maple syrup ( more if you like it sweet)
1 1/2 cups apple cider
1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter
1 teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 350°. Grease 2 very large, shallow baking dishes using 2
tablespoons of the butter. Alternating the sweet potato and apple slices,
arrange the slices in the baking dishes in a single layer of concentric circles.

2. In a medium saucepan, combine the maple syrup, cider, butter, and salt. Simmer over moderate heat for 5 minutes. Pour half of the mixture over the slices in each of the baking dishes and cover the dishes securely with foil.

Bake in the center of the oven for 50 minutes. Remove the dishes from the oven, uncover and baste the apples and sweet potatoes with the pan juices. Increase the oven temperature to 450° and place the dishes in the upper third of the oven. Continue baking for about 25 minutes
longer, basting a few more times, until the sweet potatoes are tender and nicely glazed. Serve hot.

**I use Honey Crisp or any crisp sweet apple, or a mixture of your favorite apples.

MAKE AHEAD
The recipe can be prepared up to 1 day in advance and refrigerated. Reheat,
covered, in a 400° oven for 25 minutes.

Enjoy,

Chef Deb

Opal Lee's (Meemoe) Apple Cake w/Real Scotch Butterscotch Sauce

My friend (and fellow chef) Dacia, comes from a long line of good southern cooks. Her grandmother, Opal Lee (Meemoe to her family), was famous for her cakes and it is said she made a fresh cake everyday.  In my book, this feat alone makes her a world class cake expert.

This week, I asked Dacia for one of Meemoe's best Apple Cake recipes, and boy did she come through!  I was given permission to print this recipe and I am thrilled to share it with you.  This cake has love baked into every bite!

I would call this an "old fashioned Apple Cake", and you may be inclined to add any number of the options listed in the recipe.  Please note, this makes several cakes, you may want to cut the recipe in half or make the full recipe and freeze the extra cakes.  If you freeze the cake, triple wrap in plastic wrap and store up to 2 months.

Thanks Meemoe (and Dacia)! 

   Opal Lee's (Meemoe) Apple Cake w/Real Scotch Butterscotch

This recipe makes a large amount of batter, use a large bowl.

Makes: one 13x9 and one 9 inch round cake or a loaf pan

3 sticks butter, (1 1/2 cups)
3 cups sugar
6 eggs, room temp
4 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1-teaspoon salt
1-teaspoon cinnamon
1-teaspoon nutmeg
1-teaspoon allspice
4 1/2 cups sliced apples, peeled or unpeeled
4 teaspoons baking soda
2 cups raisins or dates (optional, I did not use any at the FM)
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup nuts, chopped or ground

Preheat oven: 350 degrees

In a medium bowl combine: flour, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice. Set aside.

In another bowl, prepare apples and toss with baking soda. Set aside.

Cream butter and sugar in a mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, alternating with flour mixture. When eggs and flour are completely incorporated add vanilla, then apples, raisin/dates (optional), nuts (optional).

Butter and flour pans listed above and pour batter into each one, filling 1/2 to 3/4 full. Bake until toothpick inserted in the middle of cake comes out clean.
*This cake freezes well.
Bake:
**13x 9 pan: 40-50 minutes
**9-inch round or square pan; 35-45 minutes
**Loaf pan: 40-50 minutes
**Muffins: Begin checking at 20-25 minutes

To serve:
*Meemoe would spread salted butter over the hot cake and serve it warm. or
*Dust with powdered sugar, or
* When hot, drizzle with Real Scotch Butterscotch sauce, serve extra on the side.

Real Scotch Butterscotch Sauce

1 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1/3 cup heavy cream ( you may use 1/2 & 1/2 but the sauce will be thin)
3 Tablespoons corn syrup, agave nectar or honey
1 pinch of sea salt
3 Tablespoons Scotch
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, butter, cream, corn syrup and salt. Bring mixture to a boil, and stir constantly, until mixture thickens,(as the sauce cooks, the boiling mixture will develop larger "bubbles" as the liquid evaporates. When this happens check to see if the sauce will coat the back of the spoon, if it does, then you are ready for the next step).

When caramel sauce coats the back of the spoon, stir in Scotch and vanilla. Remove sauce from heat and allow to cool. Have a few spoons ready.. it's THAT good. Sauce will last for 2 weeks in refrigerator. Warm gently before serving.

Enjoy, 

Chef Deb