Spiced Apple Cake with Orange Glaze

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Spiced Apple Cake with Orange Glaze

Fall baking is now in full swing in my kitchen – how about with you guys? One of my favorite ingredients to use when baking in the autumn months is apple butter. It’s rich, it adds a ton of flavor and moisture to whatever it is your cooking. One of my best friends and her husband gifted me with a homemade jar last Christmas, they do it the old fashioned way up North – with a big pot and a party that lasts all day! As good as it was, you know it didn’t last anytime in our house. Luckily, Musselman’s makes a really tasty version that’s available in your local grocery store year round.

They were good enough to send me a fall baking gift set – with some disposable decorative liners to gift baked goods in, some great recipe cards, as well as a big jar of their apple butter. I was immediately drawn to this spiced apple cake (predictable much?) that’s topped with a sweet orange glaze. The cake is delicious and moist, without being too dense…and has all my favorite warm flavors of fall. Topped with the simple glaze that carries a punch of freshness from the addition of fresh orange juice and zest.

You can either bake as one large loaf, or do as I did and bake 4 smaller loaves to give as gifts. We have a freebie gift set to giveaway to one lucky reader too! Just leave a comment telling me what’s your favorite recipe to make with apple butter? My friend Annie posted a panini earlier this week that is next on my hit list! So many good things to do with the stuff. Contest will run today through next Thursday (10/10/13) at 11:59 PM. I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Spiced Apple Cake with Orange Glaze

2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
2 eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 cup apple butter

For the glaze:
1 cup confectioner’s sugar
1 tsp orange zest
2 Tbsp fresh orange juice

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Add flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves to a medium bowl. Whisk to combine.

Cream sugar and softened butter in large bowl.  Add eggs, beating thoroughly.  Beat in dry ingredients alternately with buttermilk.  Stir in apple butter.

Pour into a greased 9x5x3-inch loaf pan (or 4 smaller loaf pans).

Bake in 350°F oven 55 to 65 minutes or until cake tests done (I cooked the mini-loaves for 40 minutes). Cool 10 minutes before removing from pan.

Make orange glaze by combining powdered sugar, orange juice, and orange peel. Spoon glaze over warm cake.

Source: adapted from Musselman’s

Pumpkin Cupcakes w/ Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

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Pumpkin Cupcakes with Maple Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

I can’t believe that I’ve made it all the way to the end of September without cracking open a can of pumpkin. Well, I’m happy to tell you that I did just that yesterday – fall baking has been commenced! I had a large can I had been hoarding from last year, so I ended up baking two treats. Look for the other on Friday! But for now, let’s talk about these cupcakes…

Last year I made some pumpkin spice latte cupcakes. But this, this cupcake is another animal all-together. Dense and moist, like a good carrot cake – but with all the rich, delicious flavor of pumpkin that you could possibly long for. The spices aren’t overwhelming either, which always urks me. I like my pumpkin items to taste like pumpkin – not a bunch of spices. The spices in the batter only compliment the pumpkin and make it shine.

I topped them with a maple and cinnamon studded twist to my usual cream cheese frosting recipe. I’ve been wanting to incorporate maple syrup into a frosting for quite some time now, and the flavor really played well off the pumpkin. I know this will be one I come back to year after year!

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

3/4 cup butter, softened
2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3 eggs
1 (15 oz) can solid-pack pumpkin
2 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk

For the frosting:
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
4 cups confectioner’s sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 Tbsp good maple syrup
1 tsp ground cinnamon

Preaheat oven to 350. Line 2 cupcake tins with paper liners and set aside.

In a medium bowl combine flour, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, baking powder, and baking soda. Whisk to combine.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Reduce speed to low and add eggs, one at a time, combining well after each addition. Add pumpkin and vanilla and mix to combine.

With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients alternately with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients and mixing just until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix for 15 seconds longer.

Fill the cupcake liners 2/3 of the way full. Bake for 20-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

For the frosting, cream the butter and cream cheese in a stand mixer until light and fluffy. Gradually add the sugar until incorporated. Then add the cinnamon, vanilla, and maple syrup. Mix for 10 seconds, until evenly combined. Frost cupcakes as desired.

Source: cupcakes adapted from Taste of Home

Black Bean & Cheese Nachos

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Easy Black Bean & Cheese Nacos

Well, things are well under way in the back to school front here at our house. Andrew started kindergarten this year, and is gone all day long – not returning home until 3 in the afternoon. Which, is a long day for a kindergartner if you ask me…it was just a half day when I went to school!

At any rate, my little man gets home and is hungry for a snack. And to buy myself some time to get dinner started, I’m always happy to oblige. I usually always have the ingredients for these quick and easy nachos on hand, and the boys always love them. Cheese is something our family can never get enough of – so I use two varieties in these nachos. A cheddar for that cheesy flavor, paired with a Monterey Jack for a nice cheesy gooeyness.  And with the addition of black beans and a good veggie-hearty salsa, it’s a choice you can feel good about. Calcium, protein – two things my little ones need plenty of!

Supporting local dairy farmers is something I’m passionate about. Whether it’s the little independent dairy in my small town, or by looking for the Real Seal logo on dairy products when I’m shopping at the supermarket – I know that I’m supporting American cows, and that makes me smile. I can’t help but love those California cow commercials, can you? Get, get on the floor…

Black Bean & Cheese Nachos

4 cups tortilla chips
2/3 cup salsa
1 cup black beans, rinsed and drained
4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese
4 ounces Monterey Jack cheese

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking pan with aluminum foil (for easy cleanup).

Place tortilla chips onto baking pan in a single even layer. Using a spoon, evenly distribute salsa over tortilla chips. Sprinkle evenly with black beans and cheese.

Bake for about 3 minutes, until cheese melts and is bubbly. Serve immediately.

Source: inspired by my friend Lynn

Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by the good folks at Real Seal, and as always all thoughts are my own.

Oreo Cheesecake Bites

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Oreo Cheesecake BitesI think my boys are the biggest Oreo fans in the world. And, I think I just happen to be one of the biggest fans of cheesecake in the world. So when I came across these perfect little bites of deliciousness on Mel’s site, I knew they had to happen. Like, immediately. And happen they did.

A breeze to throw together – an Oreo crust, reserving a few cookies to chop up and add to the cheesecake mixture that I quickly whipped together while I toasted the crust for a few minutes in the oven. The hardest part is of course waiting for them to cool. Then they’re cut into squares and drizzled with dark and white chocolate. So not only are they easy, they’re impressive too. Perfect for the football get-togethers everyone is sure to start having!

The original recipe was for a 9X13, but I halved it to fit in an 8X8 – so you could certainly double this version. We all enjoyed a few last night, and I’m packing up the remainder to take to our late night rocket launch party tonight. Our relatively small NASA base here on the Eastern Shore is launching a rocket bound for the moon’s orbit this evening.

The payload it’s carrying is LADEE (Lunar Atmosphere Dust Environment Explorer), and it’s kind of a huge deal for us. If you’re in the area of the Eastern seaboard (north or south), go outside and look to the skies. Then come back here and tell me if you saw it! For those of you who aren’t in the viewing area, the launch will be broadcast live on NASA TV. I can’t wait to see Twitter light up with folks thinking it’s a UFO. We really are so excited, I couldn’t be prouder of all the folks at Wallops Flight Facility. Good luck lighting the candle on this bad boy, guys. Praying for fair skies, and no fishing boats in the hazard area!

Oreo Cheesecake Bites

20 Oreos, divided
2 Tbsp butter, melted
1 lb (2 packages) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 oz semisweet chocolate
2 oz white chocolate

Preaheat oven to 325. Line an 8X8 inch baking pan with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray. Roughly chop remaining cookies. Set aside.

Finely crush 12 Oreo cookies and combine with melted butter. Press evenly into bottom of the prepared pan using a drinking glass. Place in oven for 5 minutes.

In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat cream cheese and sugar until fluffy. Add sour cream and vanilla, mix to combine. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Gently fold in the chopped cookie pieces, and pour batter into the prepared crust.

Return pan to oven and bake for about 30-35 minutes, until the center is almost completely set. Remove from oven and cool in the pan on a wire rack for 2 hours.

Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until completely cooled, at least 2 hours. When chilled, remove and cut into bite-sized pieces. Place the pieces on a wax or parchment lined baking sheet. Melt the chocolate in seperate bowls (using 1 tsp of vegetable shortening helps to get a drizzling consistency) and use a spoon to drizzle the chocolate over the cheesecake bites.

Chill the bars until ready to serve.

Source: adapted from Kraft Recipes, via Mel’s Kitchen Cafe