Low Fat Oatmeal Banana Apple Breakfast Muffins

Here's a great weekend brunch baking idea that also makes a terrific alternative to the Monday morning quick granola bar breakfast if you have some left over. I think these are best served warm as a wholesome quick breakfast. These dense hearty muffins are very satisfying with very little added sugar or oil. The mashed bananas and grated apple keep these muffins particularly moist and a few seconds in the microwave to warm them make them just as good the next day.

Makes about one dozen.

Mix together and set aside:

• 1 1/2 cups oatmeal
• 1 cup all purpose or 60% whole wheat flour
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg

Beat together until fluffy:

• 2 eggs
• 4 tbsp vegetable oil
• 6 tbsp sugar

Blend in:

• 2/3 cup milk

Fold in the dry ingredients and when the flour is almost incorporated fold in:

• 1 cup mashed ripe banana
• 1 cup grated apple (approximately one large apple)

Do not over mix. Fold in only until the fruit is mixed through the batter.

Spoon into greased or paper lined muffin tins and bake at 350 degrees F for 20 -25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Serve warm. Makes about 10-12 muffins.

credit to : http://www.nlrockrecipes.com

The Pink Cake

This is a Baker & Spice original and it's our most popular cake—loved by men and women alike! The buttercream frosting is tinted pink by a raspberry puree (not food coloring)—be sure to save your extra whites from baking the cake to make the frosting. The cake itself is a rich, moist chocolate cake. If you want a go-to recipe for all your chocolate cake cravings, this is the one.

Ingredients

Pan

• Three 8 by 2-inch round cake pans, greased and bottoms lined with greased parchment paper circles

• 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
• 1/4 cup (1 ounce) lightly packed premium unsweetened Dutch-processed cocoa
• 3/4 cup boiling water
• 3/4 cup (6 3/4 ounces) full-fat sour cream
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups (10 ounces) all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1/2 cup (4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup (7 1/2 ounces) firmly packed light brown sugar
• 3/4 cup (5 1/4 ounces) granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 3 egg yolks, at room temperature
• 3 eggs, at room temperature
• Raspberry Buttercream

Preparation

Center an oven rack and preheat the oven to 350°F.
Put the unsweetened chocolate and the cocoa into a small bowl. Pour the boiling water over the chocolate and allow it to steep for 1 minute. Whisk the mixture together. Whisk in the sour cream and vanilla. Set aside.
Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl, then whisk the mixture by hand to ensure that the ingredients are well mixed.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and both sugars together on medium-high speed until light, about 3 minutes. As you make the batter, stop the mixer frequently and scrape the paddle and the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. On low speed, drizzle the oil into the mixture until blended. Turn the mixer up to medium-high speed and beat until the batter is fluffy, about 3 more minutes. Blend in the eggs and egg yolks one at a time, adding the next one as soon as the previous one has disappeared into the batter. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture in three parts, alternating with the chocolate mixture in two parts, beginning and ending with the flour. After each addition, mix until just barely blended and stop and scrape the bowl. Stop the mixer before the last of the flour has been incorporated and complete the blending by hand with a rubber spatula to ensure you do not overbeat the batter.
Divide the thick batter equally among the prepared pans (there will be approximately 1 pound 2 ounces per pan). Smooth the tops and tap the pans on the counter to settle the batter and eliminate any large air bubbles. Bake in the middle of the oven until the centers spring back when lightly touched, 22 to 25 minutes. Cool the cakes in their pans on a wire rack for 30 minutes. Flip the cakes out of the pans, leaving on the parchment paper until you assemble the cake. Let them continue to cool on the rack, top sides up, until they reach room temperature.
To assemble the cake, lay one of the cakes top side up on a cake plate. Using a metal spatula, frost the top with 3/4 cup of buttercream, spreading it out to the edge of the cake (the filling will be about 1/4 inch thick). Stack the second cake top side up on top of the frosted cake and spread another 3/4 cup of buttercream on top of it. Stack the last layer of cake top side up on top. Look for any frosting that may have oozed out beween the layers and spread it along the sides of the cake. Apply a thin layer of frosting all over the cake to create a "crumb coat." Place the cake in the refrigerator until the frosting is firm, about 10 minutes. Take it out and frost the cake with the remaining buttercream, using your spatula to make decorative swirls.
Store the cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 
3 days.

Sugar Syrup to the Rescue At Baker & Spice Bakery, before frosting a cake we coat the layers with sugar syrup, which helps to keep the cake moist and adds flavor at the same time. This trick will also help to salvage a dry cake. To make a sugar syrup, combine 1/2 cup boiling water, 1/4 cup sugar, and 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or other flavoring (such as Kahlua or Grand Marnier) and stir until dissolved. Let the syrup cool, then brush a coat of it onto the top of each cake layer before you frost it. 

 

credit to : www.epicurious.com/recipes

Cherry Fudge with Dark Chocolate

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cup white chocolate
• 7oz jar Fluff (marshmallow cream)
• 3/4 cup butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• pinch salt
• 1 Tbsp cherry flavored gelatin
• 1/2 cup dried cherries
• 10oz dark chocolate, melted
• 
  

Instructions

1. In large saucepan, melt butter with sugar, cream and pinch of salt. Bring to a boil over medium high heat. Once boiling, set timer for 5 minutes and add in cherry gelatin.
2. After 5 minutes remove from heat. In mixing bowl, add white chocolate and marshmallow cream. Pour hot mixture over this and beat with a whisk until smooth and creamy (and all chocolate is melted. Fold in dried cherries.
3. Pour in a parchment paper lined 9inch square pan. Pour melted dark chocolate over cherry fudge and refrigerate 4 hours or overnight. Cut into squares and enjoy!

CREDIT TO : http://www.shugarysweets.com

Bourbon Pecan Bread Pudding with Butterscotch

The bread used in this recipe should be the crusty, airy, country loaf variety.  For local people - Wave Hill Bread Company's "Pain de Campagne" is the perfect choice.  Cut the bread into 1" cubes and let it sit out on a baking sheet at room temperature overnight to let it stale.  Alternatively, if you're pinched for time, you can dry the bread out in a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes.

For the Butterscotch Sauce:
1 cup {packed} light brown sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon bourbon

For the Bread Pudding:
1 pound day old rustic white bread, cut into 1" cubes
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons + 1 1/2 cups sugar
5 eggs
4 cups heavy cream
2 tablespoons poppy seeds
pinch of kosher salt
3 tablespoons bourbon
1/2 vanilla bean
2 cups coarsely chopped pecans

For the Butterscotch Sauce:
1.  Add the brown sugar, corn syrup, butter and salt to a medium saucepan.  Bring to a boil over medium high heat, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar.  Let the mixture simmer for about 3 minutes, or until it's reached a syrupy consistency.  Remove from heat and whisk in the heavy cream and bourbon until smooth {the mixture will bubble up after adding the liquid}.
To Make Ahead: The sauce can be made up to 3 days ahead.  Let cool completely and store refrigerated in an airtight container until ready to use.  Reheat before serving.

For the Bread Pudding:
1.  Lightly grease a 13" x 9" x 2" baking dish with butter; set aside.  In a large mixing bowl, toss together the bread, melted butter and 2 tablespoons sugar; set aside.
2. Using an electric mixer, beat the eggs and remaining 1 1/2 cups of sugar together for 3 minutes, or until light and fluffy.  Add the cream, poppy seeds and salt.  Beat to combine.  Slit the vanilla bean half length-wise and scrape out the seeds.  Add the seeds and bourbon to a small bowl and whisk vigorously to disburse the seeds.  Add to the egg mixture and whisk to combine.  Pour the egg mixture over the bread.  Add the pecans and stir to combine.  Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish and spread out evenly.  Cover with plastic wrap and chill overnight.
3.  Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  Remove the plastic wrap and bake for 1 - 1/2 hours, or the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Serve with the Butterscotch Sauce.
To Make Ahead:  The pudding can be baked several hours before serving.  Cover with foil and re-heat in a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes.