Any Day All-Occasion Apple Snack Cake (Flo Braker)

Flo Braker’s Baking For All Occasions

I love snack cakes as much as I love Downton Abbey. I'm a bit late to the party and have been watching marathons of the first season. Oh, that Thomas...you are vile. And Bates and Anna? So perfect...if it weren't for that crazy pesky wife. Anyway, Miss Patmore might not make this, but you can make a quick cake any morning.

This recipe is from Flo Braker’s Baking For All Occasions - pick up the book, it is filled with lots of yummy recipes.

This cake uses oil and no butter, even for the topping. Mix most of the dry ingredients together with oil and then pull out some of it. Add nuts (I used chopped walnuts from Trader Joe's) and some cinnamon to finish off the topping.

In the headnote, Flo says you can add a cup of fruit or veggies to the mix...it's very versatile. I shredded an apple (skin on).

Any Day All-Occasion Apple Snack Cake
(adapted from Flo Braker’s Baking For All Occasions)

2 1/3 cups (300 grams) all-purpose flour (I used King Arthur all-purpose unbleached flour)
3⁄4 cup sugar (150 grams)
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon - divided (I used Penzy's cinnamon)
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar (200 grams)
3⁄4 cup vegetable oil (I used Wesson's canola oil)
(I added 1 cup shredded apple with skin on)
1 cup chopped walnuts, pecans or hazelnuts (I used Trader Joe's Walnut baking pieces)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup buttermilk
1 large egg

Prep: Preheat oven to 350 F. Prep a 9 x 13 pan.
You don't need a KitchenAid mixer...just a couple bowls and a whisk.

1. Sift together the flour, sugar, salt and 1⁄2 tsp cinnamon into a large bowl.
2. Mix in the brown sugar with a whisk.
3. Stir in the oil. (By this point, my batter was a little dry and in crumbles - this worked out fine).
4. Crumb topping: Remove enough of the flour mixture to measure 3⁄4 cup loosely packed. Add the remaining 1 tsp cinnamon and blend well with your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Set aside.
5. To finish the cake batter, stir in the baking powder and baking soda. Add the buttermilk and egg and whisk until the mixture is smooth.
6. Stir in your added fruit or veggies (if adding). I added one shredded skin-on apple.
7. Pour the batter into pan, then sprinkle the crumb topping evenly over the batter.
8. Bake for about 35 mins until toothpick comes out clean.
9. The instructions say to depan the cake after 10-15 minutes and let cool completely. However, I just left it in the pan to cool off.

Barefoot Contessa's Apple Cake Tatin

Barefoot Contessa's Apple Cake Tatin

Apples.
Cake.
Caramel.
I'm there.

This is the Barefoot Contessa / Ina Garten's Apple Cake Tatin. Instead of the usual pie crust topping, she covers the apples and caramel with a cake.

I used these beautiful sweet/tart apples from Ha's Apple Farm (available at many So Cal farmer's markets). Ina's recipe calls for Granny Smith apples, but these worked fine and were delicious.

Caramelized sugar is made (I'm always amazed that water and sugar can be heated to make this!) and tops the cut apples. I judged it by color and didn't use the thermometer. The presentation of the cake is very pretty, no?

Um, how can you not want this?!

The "cake" part is very delicious. Soft and light...I like it much more than a traditional apple tatin, but then I love upside down fruit cakes!

This fall/winter, if you have a few extra apples, make this lovely cake. You won't be disappointed...nor will your guests!

Recipe:
Barefoot Contessa's Apple Cake Tatin

ApplePearSauce Bundt Cake - Day #25 of Food Librarian's I Like Big Bundts 3

ApplePearSauce Bundt

I Like Big Bundts - Day #25

It's Thursday and I have Friday off because it's Veterans Day! Thank you Veterans for your service!

Today is Day #25 of I Like Big Bundts 3! Woo hoo! We have a fall bundt today - the ApplePearSauce Bundt made with homemade ApplePearSauce.

OMG. Why hasn't anyone ever told me how easy homemade applesauce is to make? In less than an hour I can go from apples to delicious applesauce? Shut up! This is fantastic. I used apple and pears and just added a tiny bit of brown sugar. I didn't add cinnamon because I was going to use it in the cake...but added cinnamon to the leftovers! YUM!

Have you figured out what you are going to do for National Bundt Day next Tuesday? Last year, fine group of Canadian Information Professionals (Heather, Joanne, Genevieve and Shane) had a Bundt Coffee Break Party! Heck yay...information professional know how to rock Bundt Day! While enjoying four different Bundts, they used the white board to come up with these Bundt-appropriate movie names. I got the list and they're hilarious!

Bundtback Mountain
Fistful of Bundts
Bundt Hard
Bundt Hard with a Vengeance
A Bundt Named Desire
Bundt for Red October
The Deer Bundter
Fear and Bundting in Las Vegas
Good Will Bundting
The Incredibundts
The Bundtfather
Bond classics (Bundt.... James Bundt): Goldenbundt, Thunderbundt, Octobundty...
Grumpy Old Bundts
Dances With Bundts (or Bundts With Wolves)
Mutiny on the Bundty
Bundt Trek : The Undiscovered Country
Beauty and the Bundt
Adventures in BabyBundting
Seven Bundts in Tibet

I think my favorite is Bundt Hard! :) I know this little project is crazy and you probably think I'm zany, but my one wish is that you bake something and share it. Nothing like flour, butter and sugar to bring peeps together. I LOVE that my twitter feed has comments like "I bought my Bundt pan today!" or "I'm making a Bundt cake right now!" because I know you are probably not going to eat it by yourself (although you totally can, no judgement here), but that you will probably share this with someone and take time out of our crazy days to enjoy each other's company. Sweet.

So, plan a bundt party and celebrate the bundt...and come up with other Bundty puns. I'm always looking for more bundt humor.

 

Bake a bundt for National Bundt Day on November 15th! Then submit a photo or blog post by November 24, 2011 and I'll send you a 1 1/4" button for baking along with me! The submission info can be found here!

See you tomorrow for...wait for it...yes, another bundt!  - mary the food librarian

Recap of I Like Big Bundts 3:
Day #1: Buttercake Bakery's Marble Bundt Cake
Day #2: Lemon Bliss Bundt
Day #3: Double-Chocolate Bundt Cake with Ganache Glaze
Day #4: Spice Bundt Cake with Brown Butter Vanilla Bean Glaze
Day #5: Gingery Pumpkin Breakfast Bundt
Day #6: Maida Heatter's Budapest Coffee Cake Bundt
Day #7: Dark Chocolate Bundt
Day #8: Banana Chocolate Chip Bundt
Day #9: Apple Spice Bundt
Day #10: Pumpkin Spice Bundt
Day #11: Doll Bundt Cake
Day #12: Light Chocolate Bundt with Coffee Glaze
Day #13: Spiced Cranberry Bundt
Day #14: Brown Sugar Bundt
Day #15: Buried Alive Bundt Cake
Day #16: Leftover Halloween Candy Bundt
Day #17: Lemon Bundt Cake
Day #18: Ultimate Streusel Bundt Cake
Day #19: Vanilla Bean Bundt Cake with Strawberries
Day #20: Chocolate & Zucchini Bundt
Day #21: Rice Krispies Bundt
Day #22: Tomato Soup Bundt
Day #23: Cinnamon Chocolate Bundt
Day #24: Broken Glass Jello Bundt

Recipe: Click here for printable recipe
Inspired by Martha Stewart's Applesauce Cake

Bundt Pan: Traditional 12-cup Bundt Pan

Apple Spice Bundt - Day #9 of Food Librarian's I Like Big Bundts 3

Apple Spice Bundt

I Like Big Bundts - Day #9

An apple a day. Or at least an Apple Bundt a Day.

It's Day #9 of my I Like Big Bundts extravaganza - 30 days of bundts leading up to National Bundt Day! Thanks for following along. I love, love hearing that you are planning to make a bundt for National Bundt Day (November 15th). What are you planning on making? Remember, I'm doing a round-up and sending you a special something if you bake along with me.

As you know, I bring in my baked goods to the library and that has established a lot of goodwill! :) I'm very lucky to work with a great group of people.

The other day, I was writing my To Do list: Apples, buttermilk, Brita filter, Dog toy. 

Then, magically, my co-worker Ruth Ann came up to me with a 3-pound bag of apples from Oak Glen (near Los Angeles). Amazing!

I immediately went back to my list and wrote "George Clooney."

Sadly, he hasn't popped by the library yet. But the apples were put to good use.

This is a Martha Stewart recipe. I've made it before and it is a great Bundt. Definitely something to keep in your recipe book. It is made with veg oil and no butter so the cake is dairy-free (dairy in the caramel sauce).

A caramel sauce is poured over the top. I didn't let it go very long because last time I made this, I let it go too long and ended up with a crazy tough caramel that would have ripped out fillings. So, the sauce should be somewhere in-between. Martha's website also has a video of Dorothy Mae Brown making the cake on her show. She's a sweetie.


I'm keeping "George Clooney" on my list...just in case...

Recap of I Like Big Bundts 3:
Day #1: Buttercake Bakery's Marble Bundt Cake
Day #2: Lemon Bliss Bundt
Day #3: Double-Chocolate Bundt Cake with Ganache Glaze
Day #4: Spice Bundt Cake with Brown Butter Vanilla Bean Glaze
Day #5: Gingery Pumpkin Breakfast Bundt
Day #6: Maida Heatter's Budapest Coffee Cake Bundt
Day #7: Dark Chocolate Bundt
Day #8: Banana Chocolate Chip Bundt

Recipe: Click here for Martha Stewart recipe

Bundt Pan: Traditional 12-cup Bundt Pan

Apple Nut Muffin Cake - Tuesdays with Dorie

Apple Nut Muffin Cake

For this week's Tuesdays with Dorie selection, Katrina of Baking and Boys chose Apple Nut Muffin Cake on page 37 of Dorie's book, Baking: From My Home to Yours.

Katrina, who shares a birthday with the awesome National Bundt Day, selected a winner. Dorie writes that she planned on making muffins, but threw it all into a square pan. I just love Dorie and can see this happening to many people.

I used one medium Granny Smith apple, walnuts and regular raisins. Next time, because I'm such a gingerific person, I might throw in a handful of crystallized ginger to "fall" it up. This is super easy to make and perfect for breakfast. And let's not forget the antioxidants... fruit and nuts are healthy, people! ;)

I came home from a fantastic trip to New England (more on that later), woke up and made this. I took photos with my new Samsung Charge phone before the sun came up.

Check out the other Tuesdays with Dorie bakers and see their creations!

Recipe:
Katrina of Baking and Boys blog,
or, Dorie's book, Baking: From My Home to Yours (page 37)

Brown Sugar Bundt Cake - Tuesdays with Dorie

 Brown Sugar Bundt Cake

For this week's Tuesdays with Dorie selection, Peggy from Pantry Revisited chose Brown Sugar Bundt Cake on page 179 of Dorie's book, Baking: From My Home to Yours.

Dude, it's a Bundt. You know I'm there. I love all of Dorie's Bundt recipes...and this one is no exception. I brought this into the library while it was still warm...and everyone could smell the lovely brown sugar!

Instead of using pears, I used granny smith apples. I also skipped all the nuts and the raisins to make it co-worker friendly. Super easy to make and no frosting. Ah, this is why the Bundt is the greatest baked good on the planet! Darn, I Like Big Bundts. :)

Thanks Peggy for a great pick! Check out the other Tuesdays with Dorie bakers and see their creations!

Recipe:
Peggy from Pantry Revisited blog,
or, Dorie's book, Baking: From My Home to Yours (page 179)
My notes: I used 2 granny smith apples instead of pears. I skipped all the nuts and raisins.

A Tourtely Apple Tart - Tuesdays with Dorie

A Tourtely Apple Tart   

For this week's Tuesdays with Dorie selection, Jeanette of The Whimsical Cupcake chose A Tourtely Apple Tart on pages 306 and 307 of Dorie's book, Baking: From My Home to Yours.

For a bunch of crazy reasons, I didn't have access to my mini tart pans so I did these free form hand pie thingies. With a knife, I cut two steam holes in the center...but when they came out of the oven, they look like a little heart. Ahhh...tart/pie love.

An apple, raisin, nut and spice applesauce is cooked on the stove and cooled. I skipped the nuts in the filling and tart dough, but didn't miss it. I could eat this applesauce all day long. I made the crust dough by hand...yes, those white pieces are butter. I made 1/2 the tart dough so that made two little tarty pies.


This is like a grown up and much more delicious version of a McDonald's apple pie! :)

Check out the other Tuesdays with Dorie bakers and see their creations...and to see how it is supposed to be made in a tart shell!

Recipe:
Jeanette of  The Whimsical Cupcake blog,
or, Dorie's book, Baking: From My Home to Yours (page 306)