Fresh Apple Nut Cake

On Saturday we (the husband that never reads this blog and my sister-in-law aka only marathon partner... thanks Sue & Kristen)  drove to the top Millcreek Canyon for a long Saturday run.

They had finally talked me into a trail run.  The autumn leaves were amazing.  The colors were a bright yellow and orange that lit the entire canyon.  We ran about 5 miles to the top of the mountain that had a view of Park City.  The air was brisk and sometimes down right cold.  We crunched leaves under our feet and had a few snowy spots on the trail.  

As usual, Karen and I started to talk about what we were going to eat for breakfast.  This conversation led to wanting anything from the fall harvest.  Pumpkin cakes, breads and cookies.  Apple crisp and pie.  Top on my list was Karen's fabulous Fresh Apple Nut Cake.  Karen serves this hot from the oven drizzled - no - smothered in this rich butter sauce also known as fat sauce #2.

This is so simple to make and will soon become your new fall favorite apple dessert...could be a breakfast...why not?  After 10 miles I can eat whatever I want.  (this attitude is why my marathon times are slowing way down)

The recipe is simple with just a few ingredients:  butter, sugar, egg, flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, walnuts (or pecans) and tart apples.

The cake can be baked in a 9 x 9-inch baking dish.  I found these dang cute jars.  LOVE them...so much that I decided to make cute individual cakes.

You can, also, use 1/2 pint canning jars.  The work just as well and are just as cute.

Give the jars or baking dish a spray of non-stick spray.  If you don't like using the spray, just butter the jars or baking dish with butter.

Peel your tart apples.  I'm using Jonathon apples.

Core the apples.

Grate the apples.

In a large mixing bowl, add the softened butter.

Add the sugar.

Beat until butter and sugar are creamed together.

Lightly beat the egg.

Add the egg to the sugar and butter mixture.

Beat until creamy.

Add the flour.

and the baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.

Mix just until the dry ingredients are moistened.

Add the chopped nuts.

and grated apples.

Fold the nuts and apples into the batter.

At first the batter will be very thick, but the moisture from the apples will soften the batter.

If you are using a baking dish, spread the batter evenly in the dish.  I fill the jars about 1/2 way full of batter.

Bake in a preheated oven for 20-25 minutes for the jars and 24-30 minutes for a baking dish.

Remove from the oven when the center has cooked and the cakes are golden brown.  Set aside while making the "fat sauce" or make the sauce ahead of time and reheat.

For the fat sauce you will need:  butter, sugar, cream and vanilla.  Hence the name "fat sauce".

In a medium saucepan add the butter, sugar, and cream.

Whisk until smoothing and the sugar has dissolved.

When the sugar has dissolved, remove the pan from the heat.

Add the vanilla and stir.  Serve warm over the Fresh Apple Cake.  

I really need to use up the little wooden spoons that I bought for my son's wedding.  It was actually cheaper to purchase 1,000 instead of 350.  This means you just might see them from time to time in my pictures.

Drizzle cakes with the fat sauce. 

Serve.

I'm pretty sure there is a written rule that all food blogger's must eat what is blogged.

Burp!

(seriously I did ...twice)

Fresh Apple Nut Cake

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup butter

1 egg, beaten

1 cup flour

1 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 small or 2 large apples, peeled and grated

1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly grease and flour and 9 x 13-inch pan.  Set aside.

Sift flour, baking soda,  cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.  Set aside. In the a medium size bowl beat together sugar and butter.  Add the egg, mix well.  Stir in flour mixture.  Fold in grated apples and walnuts.  Pour into prepared 9 x 13 pan.  Bake for 30-40 minutes.  Serve warm with fat sauce.

Fat Sauce:  

1 stick butter

1 cup sugar

3/4 cup cream

1 tablespoon vanilla

Combine all ingredients into a saucepan.  Cook over low heat until the mixture comes to a boil and the sugar has dissolved.

Enjoy your harvest.  

Creepy Witch's Fingers

Oh my goodness.  I haven't made these witches fingers for at least 100 years.

Seriously.  I think my kids were in...well...I had one is high school, one in middle school, and two in elementary school.  Now I have one college graduate and 3 in college and 3 grandchildren. 

 It's time to pull out some old recipes.  

This is an extremely easy recipe.  Not much to it at all.

You will need unsalted butter, powdered sugar (confectionery), flour, salt, baking powder, vanilla extract, almond extract, green food coloring, whole blanched almonds and a tub of decorators gel.

Whoops.  And one egg.

In a large mixing bowl, add the softened butter.

Add powdered sugar.

add the egg,

vanilla extract,

and almond extract.

Mix until smooth and creamy.  Scrape the sides of the bowl.

Add the flour

and the salt and baking powder.  

Note:  If by chance you do not have unsalted butter, lessen the amount of salt from 1 teaspoon to 1/2 teaspoon.

Mix until a stiff dough forms.

Add a few drops of green food coloring until you get the "green" that you want.

This is the green I want.

Scrape the cookies mixture onto a piece of plastic wrap.

Wrap tightly and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Make sure your blanched almonds are ready to go.

Along with the decorating gel.  You will need this after the cookies have baked.

After 30 minutes, remove the dough from the refrigerator.  

I'm using an ice cream scoop to measure the dough.  That way my fingers will be somewhat uniform in size and shape - somewhat.

I'm using about 1 tablespoon or more of dough.

Scoop out a portion of dough.

Roll the dough into the shape of a finger.

Place a blanched almond on the tip of the finger and press it in slightly.  Shape the tip of the finger around the almond.

I realize that there are two witch fingers in the picture.  I'm really not as old as my hands make me appear.  Those disgusting fingernails and wrinkles come from years of washing toilets and sinks and everything else.

I really need a manicure.

Quick!  Which finger is the most creepy?

Back on track.  Make an indentation where you think a knuckle would be on a witch.

Using a toothpick or tip of a knife, make lines in the finger to recreate the wrinkles in my finger.

Place the fingers on a cookie sheet.  I always line my cookie sheets with parchment.  

Yes.  I am too lazy to wash them.  

Place in a preheated 325 degree oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until just barely beginning to turn golden.

As you can see the cookies spread out a bit.  I really should have made these a bit smaller.  They look like

a cigar...geez.  I guess I should have practiced before taking my pictures.  

Oh well, you get it.  Right?

Let the cookies cool for about 3 minutes.

Carefully remove the almonds.

Squeeze a bit of the red gel into the indentation.

Press the almond back in place and the blood will ooze out around the fingernail.

Gross!

Repeat on the remaining fingers.  

I guess it really doesn't matter how perfect my fingers are.  This is Halloween.  Gross is in.

Luke (the grandson) is going to love them.  Blood and all.

Chubby edible creepy Witch's fingers. 

Witch Finger Cookies

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 cup powdered sugar (confectionery)

1 egg

1 teaspoon Almond extract

1 teaspoon Vanilla extract

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt (1/2 teaspoon salt if using salted butter)

3/4 cup whole blanched almonds

green food coloring

1 tube red decorator gel

In a bowl, beat together butter, sugar, egg, almond and vanilla extract; beat in flour, baking powder and salt.  Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Roll heaping tablespoons of dough into finger shape for each cookie.  Press almond firmly into one end for the nail.  Squeeze in center to create knuckle shape; using a paring knife or toothpick, make several places to form knuckle.

Place on lightly greased baking sheets or parchment lined baking sheets.  Bake in a 325 degree oven for 20-25 minutes or until pale golden.  Let cool for 3 minutes.  Lift up almond; squeeze red decorator gel onto nail bed and press almond back into place, so gel oozes out from underneath.  Let cool.  Makes about 28 large cigar size cookies.  If you only use 1 teaspoon of dough, you will get about 4 dozen cookies.  

Why are my witch fingers so big??

It's Halloween.  Gross everyone out with these creepy cookies.  If they are not grossed out by the cookies, just show them the pictures of my hands.  Eeeewww.