17 5 / 2012
Coconut Chai Cake
Ok, this is it— probably theee best cake i’ve ever made. Everyone loved it— even my dad. Why is that such a big deal? Because he never gives anything a high rating… his mind could be blown by the best filet mignon or creme brulee, and in the end, when you ask him what he thinks, his response will always be “eh..not bad”. Unless it was bad. Then he’d say something like “Eh.. I wouldnt recommend it”. But not this time! I watched baba eat every bite with a smile on his face… he said, “wow”. To top it all off, when I cut a [large] slice to take with me to visit my brother, my dad had an offended look on his face like, “where are you taking that?”… it was pretty special, not gonna lie :)
The combination of a sweet spongy cake, creamy coconut frosting, and chai flavor make this cake difficult to forget.
I’ll probably keep this one for special occasions only :)
The original recipe is from the food network’s site called ‘Jaimie’s Coconut Cake’, but i decided to add the spices I normally would add to the banana chai bread (allspice, cardamon, nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger..etc) and put them into the cake batter. Also, I didnt have cream of tartar for the frosting recipe below, so I went with a cream cheese frosting instead. As you can see, its easy to get creative with this one. I think next time I’ll add banana slices to the filling…. we’ll see :)
Ingredients
Cake:
- Basic 1-2-3-4 Cake but substitute 1 cup canned, unsweetened coconut milk for regular milk, recipe follows
Filling:
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 cup sour cream
- 4 tablespoons milk
- 1/2 cup flaked, sweetened coconut
Frosting:
- 1 recipe 7-minute Frosting
- Flaked, sweetened coconut, for sprinkling
Directions
Follow directions for Basic 1-2-3-4 Cake, substituting coconut milk for regular milk. While cake is baking, prepare filling. Stir together sugar, sour cream, milk, and coconut in a bowl until well blended. Remove cake layers from oven and allow cake to remain in pans as you prepare to stack and fill. Remove first layer and invert onto cake plate. Using the wrong end of a wooden spoon, poke holes approximately 1-inch apart until entire cake has been poked. Spread 1/3 of filling mixture on cake layer. Top with second layer, repeat process. Top with last layer and repeat process again. (As I stack layers together I stick them with toothpicks to prevent cake from shifting).
Prepare 7-Minute Frosting. Frost top and sides of cake. Sprinkle top and sides of cakes with additional coconut.
Yield: 1 (3-layer) cake
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes
Basic 1-2-3-4 Cake:
- 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
- 2 cups sugar
- 4 eggs
- 3 cups sifted self-rising flour
- *optional* for chai flavor, add 1 tsp of each spice: cardamon, cinnamon, allspice, ground ginger.
- 1 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Grease and flour 3 (9-inch) cake pans. Using an electric mixer, cream butter until fluffy. Add sugar and continue to cream well for 6 to 8 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add flour ((with mixed in spices for chai cake)) and milk alternately to creamed mixture, beginning and ending with flour. Add vanilla and continue to beat until just mixed. Divide batter equally among prepared pans. Level batter in each pan by holding pan 3 or 4 inches above counter, then dropping it flat onto counter. Do this several times to release air bubbles and assure you of a more level cake. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until done. Cool in pans 5 to 10 minutes. Invert cakes onto cooling racks. Cool completely and spread cake layers with your favorite frosting to make a 3-layer cake.
Yield: 3 layer cakes
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 25 to 30 minutes
Ease of preparation: Easy
7-Minute Frosting:
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar or 1 tablespoon white corn syrup
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup water
- 2 egg whites
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Place sugar, cream of tartar or corn syrup, salt, water, and egg whites in the top of a double boiler. Beat with a handheld electric mixer for 1 minute. Place pan over boiling water, being sure that boiling water does not touch the bottom of the top pan. (If this happens, it could cause your frosting to become grainy). Beat constantly on high speed with electric mixer for 7 minutes. Beat in vanilla.
Yield: Frosting for 1 layer cake or approximately 8 to 12 cup cakes
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 7 minutes
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19 4 / 2012
Fitness, baby.
In no particular order: baking, cooking, activism for the global south, Palestine, good music, exercising, spirituality, my husband, my mom, and the rest of my immediate family are just a few of my favorite things… or perhaps pillars. Their the pillars that I find so important in my life… but thats not what i’m here to talk about.
In the spirit of this being a personal blog that allows me to express the lighter sides of myself, (ie a break from all the heavy political discussions/analysis/rants), I’ve decided that I want to share my fitness journey as well. Considering how important it is to me, how often I do it, and how much I love it (like baking/cooking/eating ;), it only makes sense that I include that in here as well… So, heres to my first fitness post *cheers* :)
As much as i’d love to post pictures of my body’s status/progress throughout the weeks, I won’t/can’t because I’m happy to say that 90% of my work outs are done at home (in my living room) in comfortable workout clothes. and I am a hijabi. Which means, no pictures of my progress on tumblr. sorry. But in reality, its fine since this blog is meant for me, myself, and I anyways.. so i can refer myself over to my phone. duh. lol :)
So, what inspired me to do this blog post to begin with is the accomplishment I felt after this mornings workout—that I created myself! I felt so good about it, so worked out and amazing, that I thought to myself: “I need to post this on tumblr!” (since i’d never post something like this on fb since there are over a thousand ppl on there and thats also where my ‘heavier’ political life resides).
Anyways enough with the chatter— and now onto the workouts!
Title: burn baby, burn!
Type: body weight
Timer: interval timer
Instructions: set your interval timer for 18 rounds of 10/50 (10 seconds rest, 50 seconds work). There are 6 exercises which means you will complete 3 sets in 18 minutes. If there are any questions on how to do the exercises, refer back to bodyrock.tv for a tutorial. Also see below for explanation.
Exercises:
1. Low Jack/Tuck Jump combo
2. Oblique/Side Crunch (Right)
3. Oblique/Side Crunch (Left)
4. Triple Plank Jump, Push up, Diagonal Toe Touch (2 rounds)// Dive Bombers (1 round)
5. One legged half squat pulse (Right leg)
6 One legged half squat pulse (Left leg)
Breakdown:
1. Do three full low jacks (if you’re like me, then they’re actually 6 in and outs) and then jump up and slap your thighs for the tuck jump. This counts as one rep.
2. Lay on your side and lift your upper body and lower body simultaneously and bring them as close together as possible. the higher you get your lower body, the more effective the move will be for your abs. This counts as one rep.
3. Do the same as #2 but for the opposite side.
4. Get into the plank position, do a triple jump (bringing your feet towards your right hand, center, left hand), then drop down and do a push up, and then in the same plank position, bring your opposite hand to opposite foot for a diagonal toe touch. This counts as 1 rep. You will do this move for the first and last (third) rounds only… during the second round, you will do dive bombers during the 50 seconds… If you don’t know what a dive bomber is, go to bodyrock.tv and look at their exercise category and watch their tutorial video.
5. Get in the one leg squat position (right leg first), go half way down and pulse 3 times before coming back up…this counts as 1 rep.
6. Do the same for the left leg.
Complete this set 3 times through and you’ll be so glad you did… its only 18 minutes long and then you’re done for the day! *unless you decide to do what I did and go for a 3 minute bonus* ;)
Bonus:
Set your timer up for 3 rounds of 10/50…
1. Santana push up
2. Plank and reptile knee grab (switching sides)
3. Mountain Climbers
aannndd…21 minutes later… im done im done im donnnee!! and i felt incredible. seriously, so worth it. I kept track of my scores so I can try and beat them another time. woo!
Score:
1. Low Jacks and Tuck Jump: 15/15/15
2. Oblique crunch (right side): 25/25/30
3. Oblique crunch (left side): 36/39/30
4. Triple plank jump, push up, diagonal touch: 5.5/6… Round 2-Dive bombers: 7
5. Triple Pulse half squat (right): 8/7/9
6. Triple pulse half squat (left): 9/8/7
Bonus score:
1. Santana push up: 11
2. Reptile knee grab: 14
3. Mountain climbers: 100
I’m reallllly hoping I can kick my own but at this in a few weeks or so… we shall see! If anyone is curious to try this and/or has any questions…please feel free to ask and share your score with me! Have wonderful rest of your day <3 xx
lbek.
18 4 / 2012
My good friend and amazing photographer Miriam shot photos of my mother-in-laws art work… lovely work xx
Got a wonderful opportunity to take photos of this very talented artist’s work.
Check out Najat El-Taji El-Khairy’s very special Palestinian inspired art work. All hand-made, all beautiful mashaAllah. http://www.najat.ca/index.php
“It is said that when the Tree of Life reaches its full height, it will emit a light that spreads around the world.”
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15 4 / 2012
“Prayer is as natural an expression of faith as breathing is of life”.
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14 4 / 2012
Breakfast of Champions: Warm Prune and Toasted Almond Oatmeal
This oatmeal borrows the idea of combining prunes, toasted almonds and sesame seeds from a version of this prune tagine, but they have little in common otherwise. The ingredients are bound together with an exotic undercurrent of coconut oil. The result is an exciting bowl of oatmeal with lots of crunch and balanced sweetness.
I used steel cut oats for this recipe. They’re the only kind I like. I have tried hard to like rolled oats but haven’t been able to. I just couldn’t get the texture. I can even say there is a grave lack of compatibility between rolled oats and me. If you belong to the lucky group of people who tolerates them, you could definitely substitute them in this recipe (adjusting cooking time and liquid level).
OATMEAL WITH PRUNES, TOASTED ALMONDS AND SESAME SEEDS RECIPE
YIELD: 1 SERVING
PREP TIME: 5 MIN.
COOK TIME: 25 MIN.
Ingredients:
For the oats
1 ½ cups water or milk (or a mix)
1/4 cup steel cut oats
¼ teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
For the toppings
8 prunes, pitted and chopped
¼ cup sliced almonds
1 tablespoon sesame seeds,
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 tablespoon honey
Directions:
Bring water or milk to a boil in a small saucepan. Stir in the oats and salt, reduce the heat to low and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, 25 minutes.
Toast the almonds and sesame seeds in a small saucepan over medium heat until golden and fragrant. Stir in honey and coconut oil and cook for a few minutes until melted and slightly bubbly.
Place the oatmeal in a serving bowl. Top with the chopped prunes, coconut oil-honey glazed almonds and sesame seeds, and the rest of the melted coconut oil and honey in the pan.
Stir and taste. Sweeten with more honey if you wish. Enjoy!
14 4 / 2012
Vegetarian Tagine with Zucchini, Squash, and Pearl Onions
This is an easy vegetable tagine that takes less than ten minutes to prepare and leaves you time to relax as it slowly simmers over low heat.
VEGETABLE TAGINE WITH ZUCCHINI, SQUASH AND PEARL ONIONS
YIELD: 4 SERVINGS
PREP TIME: 10 MIN
COOK TIME: 30 MIN
The vegetables in this tagine are crisp-tender and the sauce concentrated and flavorful. You could increase the amount of water a bit for a more abundant sauce. Also, if you prefer, you could cut the zucchini and squash into small pieces instead.
Ingredients:
8 ounces pearl onions, peeled
2 zucchini, quartered
2 squash, quartered
For the sauce
1/3 cup olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup hot water
1 ½ teaspoons sweet paprika
1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
¾ teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
½ teaspoon harissa or other hot sauce
3 garlic cloves, peeled
16 sprigs flat-leaf parsley or cilantro (or both), thick ends cut off
Directions:
In a medium frying pan, sauté the pearl onions in a little bit of olive oil, stirring occasionally, until browned all over, 5 minutes. Transfer into a large bowl along with the quartered zucchini and squash.
Process all the ingredients for the sauce in a food processor until smooth. Add the sauce to the vegetables and toss well to coat. Transfer the vegetables to a tagine, arranging them into a pile—start by laying a handful of vegetables in the center of a tagine and make the rest lean on them, alternating zucchini and squash, and finishing with the pearl onions on top. Pour any remaining sauce in the bowl over the vegetables.
Cook the tagine, covered, over low heat, until the vegetables are crisp-tender, 30 to 40 minutes.
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14 4 / 2012
Roasted Red Pepper with Chickpea and Goat Cheese Soup
This one seems really filling and delicious… I can’t wait to serve this one day.
ROASTED RED PEPPER CHICKPEA SOUP WITH GOAT CHEESE RECIPE
YIELD: 4 TO 6 SERVINGS
PREP TIME: 5 MIN
COOK TIME: 25 MIN
Roasted red peppers, goat cheese, smoked paprika come together beautifully in this chickpea soup. Taste your soup when it’s done and add more smoked paprika, if you wish to have a smokier flavor.
Ingredients:
2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 tablespoons olive oil
5 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 small sweet potato, peeled and quartered
3 garlic cloves, peeled
2 bay leaves
¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1 (12-oz) jar roasted red peppers, drained (or 2 roasted peppers)
4 ounces soft goat cheese
Directions:
Place all of the ingredients except the roasted red peppers and goat cheese in a soup pot over medium heat. Cover with a lid and cook, 20 to 30 minutes. Discard the bay leaves.
Add the roasted red peppers and goat cheese. Blend the soup into a puree using a stick or a container blender.
Serve warm with toasted bread drizzled with olive oil and topped with goat cheese.
Refrigerate leftovers for up to 3 days.
14 4 / 2012
Mint Pesto Chicken
This mint-parsley pesto is as fragrant and nutty as an original pesto made with basil. It is truly Mediterranean with a potent mint aroma toned down slightly by the nuttiness of the peanuts.
Mint Pesto Chicken
4 servings
-1 to 1 ¼ pounds boneless skinless
chicken breasts, cut into medium strips
-Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
-3 tablespoons chopped parsley leaves
-3 tablespoons chopped mint leaves
-3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
-1/3 cup peanuts or pine nuts
-½ cup olive oil, plus extra for coating the pan.
Soak 6-inch bamboo skewers (about 25).
Place the chicken in a shallow dish and season it with salt and pepper. Thread the chicken onto the skewers.
Pulse the parsley, mint, garlic, nuts and olive oil in a food processor until smooth. Reserve half of the mint pesto to use as a sauce. Use the other half as a marinade by liberally brushing both sides of the chicken with it. Marinate for one hour.
Coat a nonstick pan with olive oil and heat it over medium heat. Cook the chicken for about 5 minutes per side. Serve with the reserved pesto.
14 4 / 2012
Deconstructed Bastila with Chermoula Chicken and Fall Vegetables
I cannot waiiiit to try this one!
OK, it took me more than a few days to come back with deconstructed bastila. I will have to fess up. I wasn’t sure how to assemble chicken and phyllo without baking them together. A few ideas crossed my mind and I even contemplated doing verrinesagain but finally opted for a mille-feuille (napoleon) look. Then came the picture taking part, the photo editing, the writing, the whole nine yards. These things take so much time, dear reader, and I’m no Superwoman when it comes to hurrying.
The chicken with calabaza and zucchini in chermoula sauce was extremely delicious. Just plain flavorful in and by itself, as well as quick to make. I urge you to go for it whether you’re planning to make bastila or not, although I’m partial to the crispy phyllo accompanying each bite.
Bastila with Chermoula and Fall Vegetables Recipe
4 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
For the chermoula sauce
1 teaspoon paprika powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 cup olive oil
Juice of 1/2 lemon
2 garlic cloves
12 sprigs cilantro
For the chicken
1 pound chicken breast, diced
1 1/2 cups diced calabaza squash
1/2 cup diced zucchini
For the phyllo
20 sheets phyllo dough
Cooking spray
For garnish
Powdered sugar
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Process all the ingredients for the chermoula in a food processor until smooth.
Place the chermoula and diced chicken in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook, turning occasionally, 10 minutes. Lower the heat to medium, add the calabaza and zucchini. Cover with a lid and cook for another 10 minutes. Let cool slightly.
While the chicken is cooking, divide the 20 phyllo sheets into 2 stacks of 10. Cut each stack into 6 rectangles, about the same size. Spray a large cookie sheet with cooking spray and arrange the phyllo rectangles on it. Spray the rectangles with cooking spray on top and betwenn the sheets. Bake 10 minutes or until golden and crispy.
Place one stack of rectangles on a serving plate, top it with about 3 tablespoons of the chicken-vegetable mixture. Top that with another stack of phyllo, then 3 more tablespoons of chicken and vegetables. Finish with a stack of phyllo and sprinkle it with some powdered sugar. Serve immediately or refrigerate and reheat later.
14 4 / 2012
Whole Wheat Pear Galette
Taken from dinnersanddreams.net xx
You know what I love about a rustic tart? The simple fact that it is rustic. Rustic means it doesn’t have to look perfect. It only has to taste good. That totally eases the pressure I feel every time I’m about to start baking. With this galette, I didn’t have to worry about the crust coming out lopsided or try hard to make it look like something that came out of a magazine.
With the beautiful pears in season right now, it was easy to pick a fruit for my galette. I was considering apples but thought sweet red pears with some cardamom might be just perfect. Glad I followed my culinary intuition.
Pear galette recipe
YIELD: 6
PREP TIME: 15 MIN
COOK TIME: 45 MIN
TOTAL TIME: 60 MIN
Ingredients:
For the crust
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons unrefined brown sugar
½ teaspoon salt
5 ounces cold butter, cut into small pieces
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup chilled water
Egg wash
For the fruit
2 to 3 medium red pears, cored, halved and sliced lengthwise
1 tablespoon unrefined brown sugar
For the glaze
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
Directions:
Combine the flour, salt and brown sugar in a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Process for 5 seconds. Add the butter and pulse until crumbly. Add the vanilla extract to the water and pour it in the food processor a little at a time pulsing until the dough appears moist enough to stick together. Transfer the dough to a bowl. Form the dough into a ball, cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate 1 hour before use.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Let the dough warm up at room temperature about 10 minutes before stretching it. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface into a 12 to 15-inch circle. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and sprinkle it with brown sugar. Carefully transfer the dough circle onto the parchment paper.
Overlap the pear slices on the dough, starting in the center and working your way out into a rose pattern. Stop about 2 inches from the edges. Fold the edges of the dough over the outer rim of the fruit, pleating and pinching as necessary.
Microwave the ingredients for the glaze 30 seconds until melted. Stir and brush the pear slices.
Brush the crust edges with egg wash. Sprinkle the whole tart (crust edges included) with 1 tablespoon of brown sugar. Bake until the pears are soft and the dough golden brown and crusty, 45 minutes.
Let cool slightly before enjoying.
14 4 / 2012
Date Truffles with Pecan and Coconut
Date Truffles Recipe
Yields 9 truffles
¾ cup date paste (date paste recipe)
½ cup pecan chips (or other finely chopped nut)
¼ cup unsweetened or sweetened shredded coconut
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
For coating
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
or
1 cup melted bittersweet chocolate
Combine all of the ingredients, except those for coating, in a mixing bowl. Shape the mixture into 1-inch balls.
To coat the truffles:
1. Place the cocoa powder in a shallow dish and roll the truffles in the coating.
Or
2. Dip the truffles in melted chocolate and allow it to harden 30 minutes or so before serving.
13 4 / 2012
Tagine Mderbel: Meat and Mashed Eggplants
One of my favorite cuisines in the world: Moroccan. You have no idea what happened to me the moment I discovered Nisirine Merzouki’s blog dinnersanddreams.net a few months ago…you don’t know, because I don’t even know. 45 minutes had gone by before I realized that I was still on her site clicking ‘next’ for the next amazing I-have-to-try-this recipe! Of course, with all the chaos around me, I haven’t been able to do that. But thats why i’m posting them here… I know i’ll come back to them if they’re here :)
TAGINE MDERBEL RECIPE
YIELD: 4
PREP TIME: 10 MIN.
COOK TIME: 40 MIN.
TOTAL TIME: 50 MIN.
Ingredients:
For the eggplants
1 medium (1.5 pound-) eggplant
3 to 4 tablespoons canola or olive oil
½ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon paprika powder
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
Sea salt and ground pepper to taste
For the meat
3 tablespoons olive oil
½ teaspoon salt
1 medium onion, grated
3 garlic cloves, pressed or minced
½ teaspoon ground pepper
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon paprika powder
¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
A pinch of nutmeg
1 pound boneless beef or lamb shoulder, cut into 1- to 1 1/2–inch cubes
¾ cup water
For garnish (optional)
Pomegranate arils
Chopped mint or cilantro
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 420 degrees Fahrenheit.
Cut off the top and bottom of the eggplant and peel it, leaving sporadic strips of skin throughout. Cut it into 1-inch cubes. If the eggplant is old, spongy and excessively seedy, you need to salt and drain it for at least 30 minutes before use, otherwise proceed directly.
Place the eggplant cubes in a single layer in an oiled rimmed oven sheet. Generously brush them with olive oil. Sprinkle them with garlic powder, cinnamon, paprika, ginger, salt and pepper. Roast them until soft, 25 to 30 minutes.(Alternatively, fry them until soft.) Remove from the oven and transfer onto a cutting board. Mash the eggplants using a fork or potato masher.
Meanwhile, prepare the meat by placing the olive oil, grated onion, garlic and spices in a medium pot over medium-high heat. Sauté the onions until golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the meat cubes. Brown them on all sides, turning once or twice, 5 minutes. Add water and reduce the heat to medium. Cover with a lid and cook 35 minutes, or until the meat is tender and the sauce reduced. Check the water level occasionally and add some if necessary.
Take the meat out of the pot and plate it in the center of a plate or tagine. Add the mashed eggplants to the meat sauce left in the pot. Stir well to amalgamate the flavors. Mound the eggplant mash on top of the meat.
Serve garnished with pomegranate seeds and chopped mint, if you wish.
Delicious!
P.S. Leftovers of this tagine make out-of-this-world sandwiches. Just sayin’.
13 4 / 2012
Apple Pear Crisp
Taken from mybakingaddiction.com xx
Apple-Pear Crisp
YIELD: 12 servings
INGREDIENTS:
FOR THE FRUIT BASE
6 cups Granny Smith apples (about 6 large), peeled, cored and thinly sliced
4 cups pears (about 5 large), peeled, cored and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
FOR THE TOPPING
1 ¼ cup old fashioned oats
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9x13 inch baking dish.
2. Prepare the fruit base: In a large mixing bowl, combine apple, pears and lemon juice; toss to coat. In a medium bowl mix granulated sugar, brown sugar, flour and cinnamon. Sprinkle sugar mixture over apples and pears tossing to coat. Pour apple pear mixture into prepared pan, spread into an even layer.
3. Prepare the topping: In a large bowl, combine the oats, flour, cinnamon, and brown sugar. Mix butter and vanilla together and pour over oat mixture; stir to combine. Crumble mixture evenly over the apples and pears.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 40-45 minutes or until the crumble topping it golden brown.
Serve warm. If desired, top with vanilla ice cream, caramel sauce, or whipped cream.
13 4 / 2012
Salted Caramel Cupcakes
Recipe, description, photo, and Blurb taken from ‘My Baking Addiction’ xx
Chocolate Cupcakes filled with homemade caramel sauce, topped with decadent vanilla buttercream and finished with a piece of salted caramel? Yes, I went there and these Salted Caramel Cupcakes were worth every single step.
This post is not your typical MBA post; meaning there is no recipe. This is more like a framework which will help you to build your caramel masterpiece. I’ll link you some of the components, but you add in your favorite cake and frosting recipe.
Making Salted Caramel Cupcakes
INGREDIENTS:
- made one of my favorite chocolate cupcake recipes according to the recipe directions (you’ll see my fave in an upcoming fundamentals post). Use whatever recipe floats your boat. Yellow cake would be equally as amazing.
- find a basic vanilla buttercream recipe. I usually combine 3 sticks of softened unsalted butter, 1 tablespoon clear vanilla extract, 2 pounds of confectioners’ sugar and enough milk to reach the desired consistency (about 4-5 tablespoons).
DIRECTIONS:
- hollow out a small circle in the center of each cupcake; I use an apple corerbecause I am anal and obsessed with symmetry. You can also use this piping tip from Wilton which allows you to inject frosting into cupcakes.
- add in a bit of homemade caramel sauce to the hollowed center and replace the small piece of cake you removed from the center.
- top the cupcake with buttercream frosting
- finish with a square of homemade Vanilla Bean Fleur de Sel Caramel.
NOTES:
- homemade caramels can get a little pliable when sitting at room temperature, add these to your cupcakes right before serving.
- you can definitely cheat a little and use store bought caramel, heck you can even use high quality caramels
- I piped the frosting using the large round tip from bake it pretty. You can check out my video piping tutorial found in this post.
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13 4 / 2012
April 2012 and Apple Cinnamon Muffins
Oh goodness, has it been long since i’ve posted on here or what? I miss it terribly but chaos does not even begin to explain the last few months of our lives. Between moving to from Dubai to SF and apartment hunting, getting adjusted to both our new jobs, and not to mention the unpacking…. Let me just give you a glimpse of whats happened: I started my first day at work the same day we moved into our apartment, and a week later, started a new semester of grad school. Full time job + Full time grad school + settling in + trying to find balance and routine = chaos. I’ll leave it at that…
One of the coolest things about it all, though, is that I’ve come to really discover the kind of joy, love, happiness and peace I have for (or get from) baking. I naturally find myself wanting to bake whenever I have a day off, or am stressed and not having a good day… I guess there’s just something very fulfilling and therapeutic about doing something you love (like baking) for other people to enjoy, that gets me. Self-discovery is a cool thing that should never stop.
Baking, exercising, traveling, writing, being with M and the rest of my family. Thats it for me… its all I need in this world. (That, and the freedom of all oppressed people, of course)… Thats another story.
With whatever time we had between the studying, working, unpacking, eating, and sleeping, we try to discover the city as much as possible… Which is whats so great about San Francisco, you can never run out of things to do and discover. It’s such an eccentric yet cosmopolitan city with amazing options in cuisine, places to hike, shows to see, cultures to explore, and people to meet. Theres something for everyone here. Our only complaint is the weather… I fully acknowledge my privilege in being from Southern California…but its just so hard getting used to this cold and deceptive weather! gah. Needless to say, its been a good experience for us thus far. I’m happy :)
Anyways, Im going to post a few recipes that I’m excited to try soon. Enjoy.
Thanks to “two peas and their pod” for this lovely recipe xx
Apple Cinnamon Crumb Muffins
Yield: 12 regular size muffins
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Spiced apple muffins with a sweet and buttery cinnamon crumb topping. These muffins are easy to make and are great for breakfast or snack time.
ingredients:
1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground all-spice
1 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup canola oil
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups diced peeled apples (I use Granny Smith)
For the Topping:
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3 tablespoons melted butter
directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a muffin pan with paper liners or spray with cooking spray. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, brown sugar, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and all-spice. In a small bowl, whisk together buttermilk, oil, egg, and vanilla extract. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and mix with a wooden spoon or spatula until just combined. Do not over mix. Add in the apples and stir until just combined.
3. To make the crumb topping, in a small bowl, combine brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and melted butter. Mix with a spoon until crumbly.
3. Fill the prepared muffin pan with muffin batter, filling each cup about 3/4 the way full. Sprinkle each muffin with crumb topping. Bake for 20 minutes, or until muffins are golden and a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Let muffins cool to room temperature and serve.
