Apple Cream Torte Recipe

One of the best things about fall is the abundance of delicious apple recipes that I love finding and making. Of course, I love baking and cooking with pumpkins this time of year too, but there is just something about apple desserts that I find cozy and comforting.

I've never gone apple picking, but judging by all the pics on Instagram I've been seeing, there are a lot of people that do. It's definitely something I want to do one of these days, and preferably in a beautiful orchard with a plaid blanket and gorgeous picnic, and wine, and... ok, so not everything on Instagram is the way it appears, but dang, they make it look so good!

Anyway, back to this delicious Apple Cream Torte that I found in the September issue of Sunset Magazine. A cream torte is like a cross between a cake, a custard, and a Dutch baby, according to the magazine, and I completely agree with them. It's absolutely more custardy than a regular cake, and that's one of my favorite things about it.

The recipe calls for 3-4 thinly sliced apples, and I went with four and think that's the perfect amount for this torte. I love, love, love how the slices of apples bake on top of each other for this gorgeous effect you see when you slice into it. You can use a variety of different apples like Cameo, Fuji, or Gala, and I used Gala just because they are so easy to find. But next time I make this torte I'll try a different kind to see if it makes a difference in taste.

I made this for dessert for my family one night and they all loved it. The recipe is a keeper for sure, and one that I'll be sure to make again and again. If you wanted you could add a little crème fraiche or whipped cream on top, but I thought it was perfect without it.

Recipe for Apple Cream Torte

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs. (3 or 4) tender sweet apples, such as Cameo, Fuji, or Gala 

3 large eggs, at room temperature

1 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup heavy whipping cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon table salt

powdered sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter and generously flour a 9-inch spring form pan. Shake out excess flour and set aside.

Using a paring knife or sharp corer, core apples from stem down through seeds and base to remove in one cylinder. Peel apples and slice crosswise into 1/4-inch rings. Set apples aside.

In a large bowl, using a mixer with whisk attachment, beat eggs and granulated sugar on high speed until pale and slightly thickened , 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Reduce speed to medium and add cream and vanilla. Beat about 30 seconds more to blend. Add flour, baking powder, and salt and blend on low speed until evenly combined.

Add apples (including any uneven end pieces) to batter and stir gently with a spatula to coat, separating slices. Pour mixture into prepared pan and arrange apples flat.

Bake cake until golden brown on top and a toothpick inserted into center of cake (rather than an apple piece) comes out clean, 1 to 1 1/4 hours. Let cake cool on a rack 20 minutes, then run a slender knife between edge of cake and pan. Remove pan rim and cool cake at least 10 minutes more.

Serve warm or at room temperature, dusting with powdered sugar.

-Post by Patricia



Little Flourless Chocolate Cakes Recipe

Chocolate is my weakness, and these little cakes had me going slightly crazy, that's how good they are. If you love over the top, rich and chocolaty desserts, you'll love this recipe.

I've always wondered how a flourless chocolate cake would taste because I've never made a cake without flour before. I guess I just thought it was an odd concept, no flour in a cake?

Well, this cake needs no flour at all because it's filled with moist, and chocolaty goodness. I made it in six ramekins, though the recipe says to use ten smaller sized ones. You can do either, but I liked the idea of a bigger serving.

The recipe comes from the cookbook Sheet Pan Suppers by local Seattle author Molly Gilbert. Of course the supper recipes are amazing but when I was looking through the book, my eye caught the Flourless Chocolate Cakes.

You can either sprinkle them with powdered sugar or do what I did, which is to add a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Either way, they are just so good.

Recipe for Flourless Chocolate Cakes

Ingredients:

1/2 pound ( 2 sticks) unsalted butter
8 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 teaspoon espresso powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
6 large eggs

Confections' sugar, or vanilla ice (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with a rack in the center position. Place ramekins (6 larger or 10 smaller) on a sheet pan.

Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Remove from the heat and stir in the semisweet chocolate. Stir until the chocolate is smooth and fully melted. Add the vanilla and stir to combine.

Whisk together the granulated sugar, cocoa powder, espresso powder, and salt in a large bowl. Add the eggs and whisk until smooth. Add the melted chocolate and whisk until well incorporated.

Divide the batter among the ramekins, filling each about three-quarters full. Bake until a skewer inserted into the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs, 30-40 minutes.

Let the cakes cool slightly- they will fall a bit in the center-  before serving warm, dusted with confections' sugar or a scoop of ice cream.

The cakes will keep, wrapped in plastic, in the fridge for 3-4 days. Eat them cold or rewarm them in a 350 degree oven for about 15 minutes.

Delicious Chocolate Cake



The more I bake, the easier it gets when I have a pantry filled with all the ingredients that I need. There's nothing more frustrating than to get inspired about baking something yummy and then discover you don't have all the things you need.

So I've been keeping an eye on what I have in the pantry and jotting down something when it starts getting low as a reminder to myself to pick up whatever it is the next time I'm at the grocery store. And if you knew me, you'd be highly impressed because I'm sometimes the type of person who is out of butter just when it's time to put some on your toast.

Yesterday I decided it was a great day for making chocolate cake, what day isn't great for chocolate cake, right?

I'm discovering that whenever I use sour cream as an ingredient in a cake, it's usually extra moist. This recipe uses sour cream, and I'm convinced that's one of the reasons why it tastes so good. And it's a Martha Stewart recipe and I can pretty much count on her recipes turning out well.

This cake is pretty easy to make, and has a rich chocolaty flavor that you'll love. You can make it in a Bundt pan or a tube pan. I actually have a tube pan that the cake just lifts out and that's what I used for this cake.

It serves about eight good sized portions. We ate it for dessert and had some left over and it was equally moist and yummy the next day.

Recipe for Delicious Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:

8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, plus more for pan

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup sour cream (4 ounces)

1 1/2 cups sugar

4 large eggs

 

For the glaze:

 

3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped

1/2 cup heavy cream

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a Bundt or tube with non-stick baking spray.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Mix together milk and sour cream in a measuring cup.
With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition; add vanilla. Reduce speed to low; add flour mixture in 2 batches, alternating with the milk mixture and beginning and ending with the flour; beat until just combined. until just combined. Transfer batter to prepared pan; smooth top with an offset spatula. Bake until a cake tester comes out clean, about 55 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool completely.

Make the glaze: Place chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Bring cream to a simmer in a small saucepan; pour over chocolate. Let stand 2 minutes. Add butter, and mix until smooth. Let stand, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened. Pour glaze over cake.

M&M's® Hot Chocolate Christmas Cake Recipe

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #BakeInTheFun #CollectiveBias

The holiday season is here and I'm very excited that I've already started my holiday baking. It's my favorite time of the year to share desserts and treats with family and friends. I have the most wonderful memories of my mother being busy in the kitchen, baking delicious pies, cakes, and cookies.

My mom would save her change in a jar all year round so that she would be sure to have enough money when Christmas came so that she could buy the ingredients she needed for her baking and candy making.

I like to think about her when I'm baking for my children and grandchildren, and they seem to love my baking, just like I loved hers.

I've mentioned before how much I enjoy the seasonal M&M's® I always find at Walmart, and sure enough, the other day I found M&M's® Hot Chocolate flavor. So, so good!! And I also bought the Pillsbury™ Funfetti® Holiday Cake Mix and Pillsbury™ Funfetti® Holiday Vanilla Flavored Frosting to make a yummy cake for my family.

It's so easy to whip up a cake with this cake mix and frosting, and I simply added hot chocolate mix and chopped M&M's® Hot Chocolate candies to the cake batter for a great hot chocolate flavor.

I also bought some M&M's® Holiday Peanut because peanut is my absolute favorite kind of M&M's®, though I have to say that all the other flavors are a close second.

When my four year old granddaughter saw this cake she said it was beautiful, and that is one of the reasons I bake, for love, for family.

I want her to remember her and I baking together, which we frequently do, and remember how much fun we had in the kitchen.

And if you love baking as much as I do, how awesome would it be to win a KitchenAid® mixer? Be sure and enter the sweepstakes to be eligible  to win one of eight mixers being given away.

Holiday #BakeInTheFun

Simply add chopped candies and hot chocolate mix to the batter to give it that great hot chocolate flavor. I always make sure to use parchment paper and vegetable oil so that my cake doesn't stick to the pan, it works every time.

Put together and frost both layers of the cake, then the real fun begins! Decorate your cake with the sprinkles that come with the Pillsbury™ Funfetti® Holiday Vanilla Flavored Frosting, and the M&M's® Hot Chocolate flavored candies.

This is really such an easy way to make a fun and festive cake that you can enjoy at home, or bring to a holiday gathering.

Recipe For M&M's® Hot Chocolate Christmas Cake

Ingredients:

1 box of Pillsbury™ Funfetti® Holiday Cake Mix
1 cup water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
1/4 cup hot chocolate powder
3/4 cup M&M's® Hot Chocolate flavored candies, roughly chopped

For frosting cake:

1 container Pillsbury™ Funfetti® Holiday Vanilla Flavored Frosting
additional M&M's®

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Oil and place parchment papers (if using) into 2 8-inch round cake pans.
Combine cake mix, water, oil, and eggs in a large bowl. Beat with a hand mixer at medium speed until well combined, about 2 minutes. Add in chopped candies and hot chocolate mix, stirring well.
Divide evenly into the prepared pans. Bake 20-24 minutes until done, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Let cool 10 minutes, then remove cakes from pans, put on a wire rack and let cool completely before assembling and frosting.
Decorate with sprinkles and candies.

My family and I drink a lot of milk, we can go through quite a few gallons in a week. I always appreciate the low prices on Great Value Milk at Walmart.

Having a glass of milk with dinner and dessert is something that many people take for granted. But many families with children aren't that lucky, and go without milk and it's essential nutrients because it's not typically donated to food banks, even though it is in high demand.

More than 46.5 million Americans – including one in every six children – rely on Feeding America food banks each year. And one of the most requested food items is milk. But sadly, food banks are only able to provide the equivalent of less than one gallon of milk per person per year.

But we can help out by making a small donation at pourmilklove.com. The Great American Milk Drive will deliver a gallon of milk – and all of the essential nutrients, including protein, that it provides – to a family in need in YOUR local community.

When you purchase two bags of M&M's® at Walmart ( 9.4 oz. bags or larger) up to a gallon of milk will be donated to the drive. What a great way to help get milk to children who need it. And you can also make a donation to the Great American Milk Drive here.

You can find all these products, and additional flavors of M&M's®, at your local Walmart. Check out the baking aisle for all kinds of great dessert and baking ideas.

Use this coupon to save $1.00 on any two (2) bags of M&M's® Chocolate Candies 8 oz. or larger.

Be sure to check out more delicious holiday baking recipes here. And tell me what your favorite holiday recipe, I'd really love to know.

Applesauce Pecan Cake With M&M's® Pecan Pie Topping

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and it's advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #BakeInTheFun #Collective Bias

I'm so excited that fall weather has finally arrived here in the Seattle area!! After an unusually warm summer, it feels so good to pull out my cozy sweaters, start a fire in the fireplace, and do some fall baking.

Fall is my favorite season, I love everything about it. I love getting out all my old cookbooks and starting to plan what apple and pumpkin desserts and treats I'll make for my friends and family.

When I heard that M&M's® had come out with delicious M&M's® Pecan Pie, I knew they would be a part of my first cake of the season. This Applesauce Pecan Cake is moist and tender on the inside, and topped with chopped M&M's® and pecans. And I wish you could have smelled my kitchen while it was baking. Heavenly!

M&M's® has come out with some amazing new flavors the last few seasons, and I've tried pretty much every one. They have all been delicious, but I think the pecan is my favorite.

I picked up a couple of bags while I was at Walmart, along with a few things I would need to make my cake. I use Mott's® Applesauce whenever I make this cake, and frost it with Pillsbury™ Creamy Supreme® Cream Cheese Icing.

When I got the M&M's® Pecan Pie home, of course I had to try them immediately. It's a good thing I got two bags because they sure were good!!

When I was shopping at Walmart, I also found these Snapple® Apple Singles. I've always been a huge Snapple® fan, and enjoy trying new flavors. I picked up several bottles to keep in the fridge, and their crisp apple taste reminds me of apples in the fall.

And if you love baking fall treats and desserts like I do, enter the sweepstakes below for a chance to win an awesome KitchenAid® Mixer.

MARS Bake In The Fun Sweepstakes

Baking from scratch is something I find a lot of pleasure in, and it's really not much more effort that using a mix, especially for this cake.

What I like so much about this recipe is that it not only tastes fabulous, it's very easy to make. You simply combine all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer. Divide the batter evenly into two 8" round cake pans and bake for 30 minutes.

Chop up the pecans, and use a rolling pin to crush the M&M's® Pecan Pie into pieces. Frost the layers with the Pillsbury™ Creamy Supreme® Cream Cheese Icing. Then sprinkle the M&M's® and pecan pieces on top.

Super easy, and so delicious!!

Recipe for Applesauce Pecan Cake

Ingredients:


 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup water
1-1/2 cups Mott's® Applesauce
2 eggs
1/2 cup pecans, chopped
1/2 cup M&M's® Pecan Pie, crushed
container of Pillsbury™ Creamy Supreme® Cream Cheese Icing

Directions:


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
 Grease and flour 2 8-inch round cake pans. Put all ingredients into a large bowl and beat with electric mixer until well combined. Pour into prepared pans and bake for 30 minutes or until done. Let cake cool in pans for 10 minutes, then turn them out and let them cool on wire racks before assembling and frosting.
Sprinkle with M&M's® and pecan pieces.

You can find all of these products in the aisles of your local Walmart.

Be sure to check out more Fall-inspired recipes here. I'd love to know what your favorite Fall recipe is that you enjoy baking. Leave me a comment and let me know.

Chocolate Mini Bundt Cakes Recipe

A Bundt cake is one of my absolute favorite cakes to make, and so I couldn't resist the mini Bundt pans I found while at the thrift store the other day.

Specialty cake pans can be expensive, and most of us don't really use them very much so it can be hard to justify spending the money. But for a couple of dollars, these were well worth it.

Chocolate was my first choice (it usually is!!) for the kind of minis I would make. This recipe has a delicious, rich flavor that I really like. And feel free to drizzle on as much glaze as you like, the more the better I think.

One thing I did notice is that a couple of the cakes did get stuck in the pan, so be sure to use plenty of baking spray so that they come out easily. These mini cakes can be made in so many different ways, and for so many different occasions. I'm going to try a vanilla pound cake recipe next.


Recipe for Chocolate Mini Bundt Cakes

Ingredients:

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup milk

For the glaze:

2 cups powdered sugar
4 tablespoons milk
1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Coat 2 mini Bundt pans (or repeat twice for one pan) with nonstick spray, place on a cookie sheet and set aside. With a hand mixer, beat the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the remaining cake ingredients one at a time, making sure to mix thoroughly in between each addition. Use a spatula to scrape down the sides as needed until thoroughly incorporated. Divide the batter evenly between the Bundt pans and bake for 16 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Allow the cakes to cool completely on a wire rack before removing from the molds.

To make the glaze, place powdered sugar. milk and vanilla extract in a bowl and whisk together until completely smooth. Add another tablespoon or 2 of milk if needed. Spoon glaze over cooled cakes.

Makes 12 mini cakes.

Enjoy!!

Carrot Tea Cake From Martha Stewart's Cakes Book

I have to say that carrot cake is one of my all time favorite cakes. But the thing is, they can vary so much in quality. And they are rather time-consuming to make.

I came across this easy recipe for whenever I need a quick carrot cake fix. It's moist and delicious, and the cream cheese frosting is simply fabulous. It's baked in a loaf pan, and the perfect size for snacking, or having a slice with a cup of tea or coffee.

It is from the book Martha Stewart's Cakes. I just love this book, and it includes over a 150 cake recipes, including ones for bundts, loaves, layers, coffee cakes, and more.

Recipe for Carrot Tea Cake

Ingredients:

1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for the pan
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup packed grated carrots (from about 2 carrots

For Frosting:

8 ounces (1 bar) cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Make the cake:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9x5 inch loaf pan, dust with flour, tapping out excess. In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter and brown sugar until pale and fluffy, 3-5 minutes. Beat in eggs and vanilla until incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary.
Beat in carrots. Reduce speed to low. Gradually add flour mixture, beat until just combined.

Transfer batter to prepared pan, smooth top with spatula. Bake until a cake tester comes out clean, 40-45 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool 15 minutes. Turn out cake onto wire rack to cool completely.

Make the frosting:
With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat cream cheese, confectioners' sugar, and vanilla until fluffy. Spread frosting over top of cake.

Enjoy!!

Apple Cake Recipe From Smitten Kitchen

One of my very favorite food blogs is Smitten Kitchen. Deb Perelman is such an inspiration, and what I love about her recipes is that they are all completely doable, even for beginning cooks.

This recipe for an apple cake is from the Smitten Kitchen Cookbook. Let me just say that I think this is the most delicious thing I have ever baked. This cake is so moist, so full of apple tasting goodness, and it will fill your whole house with the most wonderful scent.

It is now on my list of fall and winter favorite desserts to make. And it's certainly a dessert that would be welcome for a party or celebration of any kind.

Recipe for Smitten Kitchen Apple Cake

Ingredients:

Butter or nonstick spray for the pan
6 apples (2 1/2 - 3 pounds) McIntosh apples
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
2 cups plus 5 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon table salt
1 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup orange juice
2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 large eggs
1 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)
Confectioners' sugar, to finish

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 10-inch tube pan, or coat it with nonstick spray. Peel, core, and chop the apples into 1/2 - 3/4 inch chunks. Toss them with all of the cinnamon and the 5 tablespoons  granulated sugar, and set them aside.

Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl. In a medium bowl, whisk together the oil, orange juice, and remaining 2 cups of granulated sugar, vanilla, and eggs. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ones, then scrape down the bowl to make sure all the ingredients are evenly incorporated. Stir in the walnuts if you are using them.

Pour half of the batter into the prepared pan. Spread half the apple chunks over it. Pour the remaining batter over the apples, and arrange the remaining apples on top.
Bake for about 1 1/2 hours, or until a tester comes out clean, then transfer to a cake rack to cool.
Cool completely before taking cake out of pan and place onto a serving platter. Dust with Confectioners' sugar and serve.

Serves 12-16

Enjoy!!

Old Fashioned Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Pineapple upside down cake really is one of my favorite desserts. Not only is it delicious, but it holds a happy memory for me, because I remember coming home from school, and my Mom would give me a piece, with a cold glass of milk.

I actually only made this cake a couple of times for my own kids when they were young, but now that they are all grown up, I have more time to bake from scratch.
I know how tempting it is to use a box of cake mix instead of baking from scratch, but it really isn't that much harder, and it makes all the difference in the world.

Anyway, this is a recipe from Martha Stewart, and it's actually quite easy. I've made it a few times and it has always come out moist and delicious.