Apples and Spice

It's almost Thanksgiving, are you all ready? I'm always interested in what people are making. Ham or turkey? Stuffing or dressing? Cranberry sauce- fresh or jellied? Pumpkin or pecan? There are so many different foods, I want a buffet table so I can sample everything! What's on your Thanksgiving menu? Our family does Holiday gatherings pot-luck style so not everyone has to do the work on heir own. Less stress that way. I'm in charge of a side dish and chocolate pecan pies this year. 

I baked my cake in my Autumn Harvest Bundt that my hubby gave me years ago. It's such a pretty pan, but the detail didn't show up as much as I hoped it would. I'm thinking a pound cake would do well in a pan like this, with a light dusting of powdered sugar. 

If you like spice cake, you might like this cake. It was really moist and spicy. A little too spicy for me, if I'm being honest, but if spice is your thing you'll like this. In this applesauce cake was lemon zest too, which was a nice addition. It brightened the flavor and helped cut through the spice. If I made this again, I'd leave out the allspice all together, cut the amount of nutmeg in half and add more chopped apples. The glaze though, was delicious! I could eat the glaze straight out of the bowl with a spoon. Below is the recipe for the cake, as I made it. 

Stay tuned for a holiday pie recipe and a giveaway... coming soon! Click to see the other cakes made by the Cake Slice Bakers.

Apple Sauce Spice Bundt Cake 

adapted from Great Cakes by Carole Walter

Printer Friendly Version

• 2 1/4 cups sifted unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 3/4 cup pecans, lightly toasted finely chopped (optional)
• 1/3 cup butter, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 1/3 cup vegetable shortening
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2/3 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
• 2 large eggs
• 1 medium sized Granny Smith apple, peeled and diced, about 1 cup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup applesauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. utter a 9" fluted tube pan, dust it lightly with flour and invert over the kitchen sink to tap out excess flour.

Sift together flour, baking soda, salt and spices in a triple sifter. Stir in chopped pecans, if using. Set aside.

Place the butter and shortening and lemon zest in large bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the beaters or paddle attachment. Beat over medium-high speed until creamy and smooth, about 2 minute. 

Add the granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, taking 3 to 4 minutes to blend it in well. Add the light brown sugar over an additional 3 to 4 minutes. Scrape the sides of the bowl occasionally.

Add the eggs, one at a time until well blended. Reduce speed to medium-low. Add the fresh apple and the vanilla. 

Reduce mixer speed to low. Add the flour/nut mixture alternately in three additions with the applesauce in two additions, starting and ending with the flour. Beat just until incorporated after each addition. Scrape the sides of the bowl occasionally.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Center the pan on the rack and bake in the preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes or until the cake begins to leave the sides of the pan and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Remove from oven. Place the pan on a cake rack to set for 10 to 15 minutes, then invert the cake onto the rack and remove pan. While the cake is still warm you may want to pour Brown Sugar Glaze over the top, letting it drip naturally down the sides. Garnish the top with chopped pecans if you wish.

Brown Sugar Glaze

• 3 Tablespoons butter
• 3 Tablespoons brown sugar, packed
• 3 Tablespoons heavy cream
• 3/4 cup sifted powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

In a small saucepan, melt the butter with the brown sugar over low heat. Then stir in the heavy cream and cook slowly until the mixture comes to a gentle boil. Simmer for 1-2 minutes.

Take the pan off the heat and gradually add the powdered sugar in three additions, whisking until smooth. Add in the vanilla and whisk to combine. 

If the icing is too thick, add another tablespoon of the cream. You want it thin enough to pour but not runny. It sets quickly so get it on the cake as quickly as possible.

My little barefoot donkey on Halloween :-)

Fall, I Welcome You

A few months ago I was asked by Pillsbury® if I'd like to sample and review their new Spring/Summer flavors of Orange Creamsicle, Key Lime and Funfetti products. I wrote about them here and here, if you're interested. Well today, I'm enthusiastically sharing with you Pillsbury's new Fall line of Caramel Apple and Pumpkin cake and cookie mixes...and they are quite tasty! 

Vintage bakeware is the best!

Living in central Texas means that it feels like Summer for at least 8 months out of the year. It will more than likely be around 80 degrees until November and while it may not look or feel like Autumn outside, Fall is happening in my kitchen. When the season arrives, I like to start baking with apples and spices then I later progress to one of my favorite flavors, pumpkin!

My friend Ingrid from 3B's has made a cake with yellow cake mix called Cinnamon Roll Cake. This is a twist on that recipe using Pillsbury's Caramel Apple Premium Cake mix and frosting. I upped the apple flavor by adding cinnamon applesauce in place of some of the oil and used the caramel apple frosting to make the glaze. If Ingrid's cake tastes like a cinnamon roll, this tastes like a cinnamon apple fritter. The cake itself was very moist and apple-y (is that a word?) with a slightly crunchy caramelly sugar topping. The glaze is completely unnecessary, but it's so tasty you won't want to skip it. 

To learn more about these products, visit Pillsbury on Facebook, PillsburyBaking.com and Pillsbury on Pinterest. 

• Caramel Apple Premium Cake Mix
• Caramel Apple Premium Cookie Mix
• Creamy Supreme Caramel Apple Frosting
• Perfectly Pumpkin Premium Cake Mix
• Perfectly Pumpkin Premium Cookie Mix
• Pumpkin Creme Cake Mix with Vanilla Filling

Thank you Pillsbury® for all these great new products and for having me be a Pillsbury blog Ambassador :-)

Caramel Apple Fritter Cake from Lick The Bowl Good 

loosely adapted from 3B's and Jolts &Jollies

Printer Friendly Version

Cake: 

• 1- 15.25 oz. box Pillsbury Caramel Apple Premium Cake Mix
• 4 large eggs
• 1/2 cup oil
• 1/3 cup sour cream
• 3/4 cup cinnamon applesauce

Topping: 

• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon

Glaze: 

• 1/2 cup Pillsbury Creamy Supreme Caramel Apple Frosting
• 2 Tablespoons milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Spray a 9x13-inch OR two 8x8-inch pans with non-stick baking spray with flour and set aside. 

In a large bowl combine the ingredients for the cake and mix until well blended. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and set aside. 

In a small bowl, mix the brown sugar and cinnamon together and sprinkle evenly over the batter. Using a butter knife swirl the brown sugar mixture gently into the batter. 

Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. 

Once the cake is fully baked, place on a cooling rack and make the glaze. 

In a small bowl, whisk the frosting, milk and vanilla together until thin, free of lumps and is drizzle consistency. Using a spoon, drizzle the glaze over the cake and allow the cake to cool for at least 20 minutes before serving. 

I was provided with product samples and compensation by Pillsbury, though the opinions I express here are my own. 

©/® The J.M. Smucker Company. Pillsbury is a trademark of The Pillsbury Company, LLC, used under license. 

Musselman's #AppleSauceInstead and A Giveaway!

It's March! How are those New Year resolutions working for ya? I confessed a couple months ago that I don't make resolutions because I'm bound to break them, however I still care about my health and what I eat. I gained weight while pregnant then dropped 35 pounds after Hayden was born. Slowly, that weight has been creeping back on and it's frustrating.  I'm not a runner and I don't have a gym membership and I was not blessed with a teenage boys' metabolism, however I can still make smart decisions about the way I snack and that's where Musselman's applesauce comes in. 

I was sent 3 varieties of Musselman's applesauce (Original, Natural and Cinnamon) as part of their #ApplesauceInstead campaign. All you have to do is swap a snack for a cup of Musselman's applesauce- that's it! I'm not a big snacker but I do eat chips with sandwiches for lunch and I like my dessert. I'm trying to be healthier about my decisions and reach for applesauce instead. Mr. H has been packing it in his lunch and Hayden loves it too! The Natural applesauce only has 50 calories 4 oz. and the Original and Cinnamon (my favorite!) only has 90. It's naturally fat and cholesterol free and is very low in sodium. 

Along with my applesauce, I also received a Musselman's branded yoga ball. That thing is so fun! I have to be honest though and tell you I fell off several times and laughed along the way but you just gotta get back up and try again, right? Hayden likes to bounce on it too. So as the year progresses, rather than obsess about my weight I'll just think twice about grabbing the Cheetos or the Oreos and choose #AppleSauceInstead. 

Would you like to win a Musselman's prize pack? One winner will be chosen at random and will receive 3 varieties of applesauce along with a yoga ball. 

All you have to do is leave me a comment and tell me what you'll replace with Musselman's applesauce. One winner will be chosen at the end of the week. 

Visit Musselman's on Facebook for more info about healthy snacking.