"Drunk Date" Cake

What happens when you tweak a recipe? Usually you get a much better recipe. What happens when you give that tweaked recipe a little pinch in the ass? You get Apple-Date Whisky Cake! Also known as "Drunk Date" Cake.

I took my apple cake recipe from the other day and passed it a shot of Johnny Walker Black Label. OMG! This one is definitely keeper! I did a couple of tiny adjustments with the spices and since I ran out of dried cranberries, I used dried dates instead. In the original recipe, I plumped up the dried cranberries with a little lemon juice. But lemon juice didn't seem to strike the right chord with the dried dates. Looking around my kitchen, I found a bottle of Johnny Walker hiding in my cabinet. I don't typically drink whisky but I received this bottle as a gift one Christmas. It has, in the past found its way into several BBQ sauces and marinades, but never before into a dessert. I thought it would be a nice compliment to the dates ( I mean, who doesn't like a drunk date?!)

(I topped the cake with a cinnamon buttercream icing and chopped walnuts. My recipe for the icing was not as good as others that I have used in the past, so I won't include that recipe here. Why ruin an otherwise fantastic cake?)

"Drunk Date Cake" (Apple-Date Whisky Cake)

(To prevent over-browning due to the agave nectar, try baking at a lower temperature for a bit longer time.)

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp allspice
1 1/2 cup light agave nectar
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 large eggs
1 cup finely chopped apple
1 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup dried dates-soaked in 1 shot(1/4 cup) of scotch whisky

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Prepare pan (I used a bundt pan) with non-stick cooking spray and lightly dust with flour. In a medium bowl, sift in and mix first 7 ingredients. In a separate large bowl, mix agave nectar, applesauce, and vanilla, beat until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, beating until smooth after each egg. Add flour mixture little by little and beat until smooth. Drain extra whisky from dates. Gently mix in the apples, dates, and walnuts until well incorporated. Bake at 325 degrees for about 45-50 minutes or until a skewer stuck into the cake comes out clean.

My First Apple Cake!

It's beautiful at this time of year. This is the the time during the fall season that I like. It's still warm (in the 80s here for the past few days), the sun is shining, I've come to terms with the end of summer, the trees that haven't been ravaged by the Asian Longhorn beetle are bright yellow and orange, leaves are blowing on the ground... I just wish it could last.

The other thing I love about this time of year is the abundance of fruits and vegis that are ready to be harvested. My co-workers have been brining in bushels of big juicy apples. So the other day, I grabbed a few with the idea of baking an apple cake. But I didn't really have a recipe for apple cake just yet. I had plenty of apples so it was time to experiment. (You're shaking your head and rolling your eyes already.)

In my last post, I mentioned that I the first apple cake experiment was in the oven, filling the house with the most incredible aroma. Well here's the result.

My first apple cake.

This one is an Apple-Cranberry Nut Cake. It really wasn't a bad first attempt. Not great, but not bad. The recipe needed a little tweeking, which I have done already(see recipe below).

I had tried to make it a bit on the healthy side. I also have been experimenting with different flours so, in this one, I used a bit of quinoa flour. You'll notice that I left the quinoa flour out of the recipe below. Frankly, I didn't care for the taste that the quinoa flour left. The cake was moist, but there was hint of a dry, bland, sawdust quality to the taste. Part of the problem was that I had originally put a little too much nutmeg in the batter, so that had to be adjusted. But overall, it was the quinoa flour that had to go, I don't think it added anything to the recipe at all. I used agave nectar again, which I really like using in my baking in place of sugar. And I used applesauce in place of any oil. The adjusted recipe is really good.

And I never did figure out what type of icing to use (other than my favorite cream cheese icing) so I just dusted the cake slice with powdered sugar and cinnamon. I also tried it with a bit of mulberry preserves, which was yummy! But actually, the best way so far is with a bit of butter spread on the cake slice and I popped it in the microwave for about 20 seconds. Mmmmmmmmm! Perfect for breakfast with a hot cup of coffee!

Apple-Cranberry Nut Cake

(To prevent over-browning due to the agave nectar, try baking at a lower temperature for a bit longer time.)

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp allspice

1 1/2 cup light agave nectar

1 cup unsweetened applesauce

1 tsp vanilla extract

4 large eggs

1 cup finely chopped apple

1 cup chopped walnuts

1/2 cup dried cranberries (soaked in juice of 1 lemon)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Prepare pan (I used a bundt pan) with non-stick cooking spray and lighlty dust with flour. In a medium bowl, sift in and mix first 6 ingredients. In a separate large bowl, mix agave nectar, applesauce, and vanilla, beat until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, beating until smooth after each egg. Add flour mixture little by little and beat until smooth. Gently mix in the apples, cranberries, and walnuts until well incorporated. Bake at 325 degrees for about 45-50 minutes or until a skewer stuck into the cake comes out clean.

It smells good in here...

Preview:

In the oven right now, Apple Spice Cake. I haven't decided what type of icing to give it just yet. This one is a healthier recipe using agave nectar in place of sugar and applesauce instead of oil. It's the first time I'm experimenting with this concoction, so keep your fingers crossed.

So far so good. It looks just right and it smells incredible! If it tastes as good, I'll post the recipe and picture. Oh, I wish you could smell it! Scratch your computer screen and take a sniff...

Cupcakes, 3 Ways

Ok, so I couldn't decide what kind of cupcakes to make. I had some bananas that had to be used. I had some coconut and some butterscotch chips. Hmmmm, what to do? I did have a recipe for Coconut Banana Bread courtesy of CulinaryConcoctionsbyPeabody.com . But I had a few other things in mind. I made just a few minor adjustments to the recipe and then had a little fun with it...

Cupcake #1

Toasted Coconut Banana (ok, I can't find the picture now but they were good.)

This one pretty much followed the basic recipe. No big surprises.

Cupcake #2

Butterscotch Banana

Yummy butterscotch goodness with a caramel glaze and slivered almonds.

Cupcake #3

Hazelnut Banana with Nutella

Ya, these were as good as they look! Da bomb! A basic banana cupcake with chopped hazel nuts, topped with nutella (num, num, num) and more chopped hazel nuts.

The recipe:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter-room temp.

1 cup granulated sugar substitute

1/3 cup brown sugar substitute

2 large eggs

1 1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas

1/3 cup yogurt

1/2 tsp almond extract

additional ingredients:

(for cupcake #1)

1/2 cup shredded sweetened coconut- toasted

(for cupcake #2)

1/2 cup butterscotch chips

1/2 cup slivered almonds

(for cupcake #3)

1 cup chopped hazelnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, combine first three ingredients.

In a large bowl, blend sugar and butter until smooth. Add eggs one at a time beating until smooth after each egg. Add banana, yogurt, almond extract, blend well. Add flour mixture and blend well.

(If doing different flavors, divide batter into thirds at this point.)

Stir in additional ingredients (according to the type of cupcake you are making). Pour batter into paper-lined cupcake pans.

Bake at 350 degrees 30-35 minutes.

To decorate:

(for cupcake #1)

I left the coconut cupcakes unfrosted and sprinkled toasted coconut over the tops while they were still hot so the coconut would stick. It gave them a rustic country look.

(for cupcake #2)

Just before serving, drizzle melted caramel over the tops and sprinkle with slivered almonds. This made an incredible "breakfast" cupcake! Wonderful with a cup of hot caramel cream coffee.

(for cupcake #3)

Give a healthy schmear of Nutella (chocolate/hazelnut spread) to each cupcake and don't be shy about it! Top each cupcake with chopped raw hazelnuts. There is no specific occassion necessary to enjoy this simple, yet decadent masterpiece. Go to town on this one any time of the day (or middle of the night) because they WILL be calling you...!

Been away for a while

Holy crap! Where did the summer go?! I guess I've been away for a while. Time to get back into the swing of things. I'll be posting more recipes soon, promise! And I've added a new link section for my favorite health conscious sites. Please check them out!