Apple Cake

I made this cake at nine o'clock the other night.  We had a little party for some friends and I like to put on a nice meal.  It was a 'sides' potluck where everyone brings the sides to a main meal.  I am making a big pot of chili and everyone else brought food to go along with the chili.  I decided to make a cake too, mainly because I was in the mood and I wasn't sure what the dessert turn out would be.  I am hoping to make some other foods too - I will post if it actually happens.  As I was starring blankly at my pantry and with the urge to bake but not knowing what,  Ally came up to me to 'read' me a story.  Coincidentally she was going to read me a story from my favourite cookbook.  As she was flipping through the book and telling me about the evil worm that was stealing my baby, she flipped to this apple cake recipe and I realized that I had some apples that needed to be used.  Gotta love how things just slide into place!

If you are looking for a great cookbook that uses lots of veggies then you need to get Simply in Season.  I have never made anything bad out of it. 

Ingredients
adapted from Simply in Season

5 cups apple (unpeeled and chopped)
1 1/3 cups sugar
1/2 cup oil
2 eggs (slightly beaten)
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg

Directions
Combine apples and sugar and let stand while mixing other ingredients. In a seperate bowl combing oil, eggs and vanilla.  Add dry ingredients into a third bowl and then alternating between apples and liquid ingredients mix into the dry ingredients bowl.  Pour into a greased cake pan and bake at 350F for 40-50 minutes.

Apple Craisin Muffins

I kind of invented this recipe, well really I just switched raisins for craisins. These are great muffins! With a nice crunchy top and I love the combination of the apple and cranberries. I really missed muffins and I haven't made many lately so I tripled the recipe so I would have a good freezer stash.

Ingredients
adapted from Sunmaid

1 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup melted butter or margarine
1/4 cup milk
1 beaten egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup (large) peeled, shredded tart green apple
1 cup Craisins or dried cranberries


Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 F. Grease or line 12 (2 -inch) muffin cups with paper baking cups. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt, mix well. Add butter, milk, egg, vanilla and apple. Then add to flour mixture; stir just until dry ingredients are moistened. Fold in raisins. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Apple Pie Muffins

I honestly think these may be the best muffins I have ever made! They are just like an apple pie. I can not get over how freaking good these are! You must make them!

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
• 2 cups diced apples
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 
  
• Directions
• 
  
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease a 12 cup muffin tin or line with paper muffin cups. In a large bowl, stir together 2 1/4 cups flour, baking soda and salt. In a separate smaller bowl, mix together the egg, buttermilk, 1/2 cup melted butter, vanilla and 1 1/2 cups of brown sugar until sugar has dissolved. Pour into the flour mixture and sprinkle the diced apple into the bowl as well. Stir just until everything is blended. Spoon into the prepared muffin tin, filling the cups to the top. In a small bowl stir together 1/2 cup of brown sugar, 1/3 cup flour and cinnamon. Drizzle in 2 tablespoons of melted butter while tossing with a fork until well blended. Sprinkle this over the tops of the muffins. Bake for 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the tops of the muffins spring back when lightly pressed. Note the toothpick trick doesn't work well for these muffins because they are wet like apple pie.

Strawberry Apple Muffins

I found this recipe and thought it would be a perfect summer muffin. I changed this a bit as usual but I also didn't have honey so I was worried. They turned out delicious, a nice mild flavour, perfect with butter. I like a muffin that is made better by butter!

Ingredients

1/4 c butter

1/4 c applesauce

3/4 c brown sugar

2 1/2 c flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 c wheat germ

2 eggs

1 c milk

2 large apples peeled and chopped

1 c sliced strawberries

Directions

1. Mix together butter, applesauce, sugar and eggs. Then add flour, baking powder, cinnamon, wheat germ. Then slowly add milk and fold in the apples and strawberries.

2. Put into greased muffin tins and bake at 350 F for about 30 minutes.

Everything Muffins

We are hoping to move but last week we had our second offer fall through. I was so bummed! This house stuff is so stressful! Especially cleaning the darn house. One minute I am down and thinking the house will never sell and then we get another offer. Last night we got our 3rd offer and I think this is it. The people love the house you can tell and I think my mural in the nursery actually sold the house! I have always thought that the buyers would be like us and my nursery would sell the house. So here's hoping that I am right. I liked these muffins because they helped me to clean out my freezer and pantry. The less food I have to move the better. These muffins are delicious and healthy!

Ingredients

• 2 cups chopped peeled apples
• 1 cups sugar
• 1 cup chopped fdried cranberries like craisens
• 1 cup shredded carrots
• 1 cup chopped nuts
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. In a bowl, combine apples and sugar; let stand for 10 minutes. Add cranberries, carrots, nuts, eggs and oil; mix well. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt; stir into apple mixture just until moistened. Fill paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full.
2. Bake at 375 degrees F for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks.

Morning Glory Muffins

This morning Ally and I have had a baking spree; we made oatmeal cookies, apple crisp and muffins.  I discovered that I can't make cookies, the oatmeal cookies didn't turn out - they tasted great but didn't really stay together.  Good thing I like muffins better than cookies.

I discovered another muffin blog!  It is really great and I highly reccomend it.  That is where I got todays recipe from.  These muffins are really great, delicious and very healthy.  The amazing this that they have no form of fat at all and don't use applesauce!  They have 1 gram of fat and 130 calories.  These muffins are full of flavour and not to dense.

INGREDIENTS

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup white sugar
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
2 cups carrots, shredded
1/2 cup raisins
2 apples, shredded or chopped
3 eggs
2 bananas, mashed
2 teaspoons vanilla

METHOD

Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease or line 20 muffin cups with paper liners.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Stir in the carrots, raisins and apples.

Mash the bananas. In a separate bowl, beat together the eggs, bananas and vanilla. Stir the egg mixture into the carrot/flour mixture, mixing just until moistened.

Scoop batter into prepared muffin cups. Bake for 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into centre of a muffin comes out clean.

Apple Yogurt Muffins

I hate Thursdays.  It is near the end of the week and Mike is gone all day and evening, so it is a long day.  After Ally's nap, she was cranky, so was I and the minutes were ticking by so slowly that I decided that we had to do something before I snapped.  Ally is in love with helping in the kitchen.  I can barely do anything in the kitchen before she starts pulling a chair over,"Help Mommy. Help Mommy."  Having her help is great but also a challenge.  So we washed up the dishes and baked.   

I have discovered that muffins are like soup; they use up leftovers.  I had some apples and yogurt that were on their last legs, so I decided to use them up in some muffins.  I had found this recipe a couple of days ago and thought it sounded delicious.  

Ingredients:
6 apples
4 cups sifted flour
2 tbsp ground flax

1 cup sugar

2 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon salt
2 cup plain yogurt
2 egg, beaten
1/4 cup butter or margarine
2 tbsp lemon juice

 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400°. Pare and dice apples. 

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. In a small bowl, stir yogurt until creamy, and then add beaten egg. Add melted butter (or margarine) and grated lemon rind. Pour into flour mixture and stir quickly, just until mixed. 

Gently fold in apples and spoon into greased muffin tins until 2/3 full. Combine sugar with about 2 tsp of cinnamon and sprinkle over unbaked muffins. 

Reduce the oven heat to 375° and bake 20 to 25 minutes, until golden brown.

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