Apple cakes

Today ChaseKBH and I went apple picking, along with my brother who was in town for the weekend.  It's a little early for many of the apples we like best, and today's selection was Galas and Golden Delicious.  Picking was fantastic, and it was a gorgeous day to be outside (with seemingly a third of the County).  ChaseKBH decided we should make apple cakes.  Since my Dad does not care for cinnamon, but loves every sort of apple dessert out there, we started with Dorie Greenspan's French Apple Cake, from Around My French Table, and made some changes.  Individual cakes are baked here in oven-safe ramekins, and should be served hot.

Individual Apple Cakes

Ingredients:

4 heaping cups of apples that have been peeled, cored, and chopped

3/4 cup all purpose flour (do not use cake flour!)

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

2 large eggs, brought to room temperature

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled only slightly (if you don't have a four year old assistant, brown it)

1/2 tablespoon vanilla

4 tablespoons brandy

Method:

Preheat oven to 350F - racks at center.

 Place apples in large mixing bowl.

Generously butter six 1 cup capacity ramekins.  Set aside.

Sift or whisk flour, salt, and baking powder.  Set aside.

Using stand mixer or a whisk, beat eggs until very frothy, light yellow, and increased in volume significantly. 

Whisk in sugar slowly.

Drizzle in butter while whisking vigorously.

Add brandy and vanilla, whisk well.

Add flour mixture in thirds, whisk until well combined.

Pour batter over apples.  Gently fold together.

Scoop batter into ramekins, until 2/3 to 3/4 filled.

Bake for 50 minutes (check, may need to bake 1 hour, toothpick should come out clean).

Top with ice cream if desired, and serve hot.

 

 

Apple walnut fig cake

This cake is delightfully boozy.  So boozy that I would strongly recommend not serving it to those under 21, even if you would, perhaps, love to get a small person to sleep or stop screaming from teething.  Plus you're not supposed to give little kids nuts.  I made this cake as a large bundt, but I have a lot of syrup left over so I'm planning to make some mini-bundts or mini-loafs tomorrow, with a shorter baking time, to spread around the neighborhood as fall gifts.  This is a basic buttery egg leavened cake with additions.

Ingredients:
3 cups sugar (not this is a pretty sweet cake - you can reduce to 2 1/2 cups if you like but any further is going to throw off the chemistry)
1/2 cup high-fat European style butter, softened
6 eggs, brought up to room temperature
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups cake flour, sifted
1 teaspoon salt (there is about taste, not chemistry, so this can be skipped)
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon cardamom
2-3 apples, peeled, cored, diced finely
6 large fresh figs, stemmed and diced finely
1 cup chopped or crushed walnuts
1 cup apple brandy (Calvados)
1/4 to 1/2 cup powdered sugar (can be omitted)

Method:
Preheat oven to 325F.
Cream together sugar and butter in a stand mixer.  You could try this some other way but it's going to be a pain.  I seriously recommend doing this with a stand mixer if at all possible.
Cream sugar and butter until light and fluffy.  I would suggest 5 minutes at least with the paddle attachment.
In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs 2-3 minutes, until they develop a bit of fluff.  Add to stand mixer and beat 2 minutes.
Add cream and vanilla, beat another 2 minutes.
Sift together flour, salt, and spices.
In thirds, slowly incorporate the flour mixture.  Beat until well combined.
Gently fold in apples, figs, and walnuts.
Spray bundt pan with baking spray or grease / flour very, very well.
Bake 75 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Cool cake slightly, transfer to a wire rack or plate.
Mix apple brandy and powdered sugar.  Bring to just a boil, then remove from heat.  Whisk well to ensure a good mix.
Brush or drizzle on glaze while cake is still warm.
Let cake cool completely, reapply additional glaze as desired.
You can also simply drizzle on some alcohol, but the cake won't get a glaze.  The fruit is fresh, so this isn't exactly a preserved fruit cake, but alcohol without a glaze will nudge the flavor that way.

Apple cupcakes with cream cheese frosting

We're in a cupcake phase with the three year old.  He doesn't actually eat much of the cupcakes, but he loves the idea of cupcakes.  Particularly using the pastry bag and adding sprinkles to things.  We're also in the height of apple season here in central Maryland, to the extent central Maryland has an apple season.  We do have lovely farms and orchards where the kids and I can go pick apples (and raspberries and broccoli and herbs and flowers and pumpkins) and enjoy bucolic west county for a morning.  Unfortunately, we decided to go apple picking before a play date lunch with ChaseKBH's current crush (I'm not actually sure if the crush is on the 2.5 year old or the 2.5 year old's mother, but while ChaseKBH primarily plays with the just-5 year old, he spends the next couple days talking about the females in that household).  Alas, alack, ChaseKBH tripped over his two feet running in a field trying to cut flowers, resulting in a bloody nose.  He had to be contented giving his fair lady a small decorative pumpkin and a chocolate lollipop.  

Of course, ChaseKBH isn't contented with simply pursing the preschool set.  He's also in love with our next door neighbor - a wonderful lady who is about three decades too old for him.  But he's determined to win her over with baked goods.  She's still at work, but I have dutifully texted her and we're going over tomorrow morning with cupcakes.  In the interim, we're snacking on the excess.

This recipe is a bit difficult on volume - it could be 12 cupcakes, it could be 18, it depends entirely on how much volume the apple takes up.  Do yourself a favor and be sure to only full 2/3 of the way up the cupcake liners.  If you fail, as I did, tear or cut off the excess and consider it your cook's bonus.

Ingredients:

Cupcakes

1 1/2 cup all purpose flour 

1 teaspoon baking soda 

1 teaspoon baking powder 

1/2 teaspoon salt 

Pumpkin pie spice OR cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, nutmeg to taste 

1 1/2 cup sugar 

1/3 cup vegetable oil 

2 eggs 

1/2 cup milk 

1 teaspoon vanilla 

2 apples, peeled, cored, and chopped finely

Cream cheese icing

1/2 cup cream cheese, softened

1 pound powdered sugar 

1 teaspoon vanilla

2-4 tablespoons milk

Method:

Preheat oven to 350F.

Sift together flour, soda, powder, salt, and spices.  I think this is great with a huge amount of ginger, but really you need to know your audience.  It's pretty hard to ruin with too much spice, and its fine with no spice (if boring), so use your judgment.

Beat sugar, oil, eggs, milk, and vanilla on medium speed with a hand mixer or stand mixer.

Add sifted flour mixture into wet mixture.  Beat until well combined.

Fold in apples.

Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Beat together cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla until fluffy, about 4 minutes.

Add 2 tablespoons milk.  Beat 2 minutes.  Add milk until desired consistency is reached.

I frost these with a pastry bag because I suck at frosting things.