Dimply Plum Cake

Today’s TWD post is supposed to be a delicious looking fig cake (head on over to Ursula of Cookie Rookie’s blog for the recipe).

I have figs. But I chose to save them for something else as you won’t find figs running rampant around here, so when I saw two packs of great looking mission figs, I nabbed them with a different project in mind. I’ll get to this cake eventually, but for right now please accept this equally delicious plum cake.

Serve it warm, loaded up with some vanilla ice cream or cinnamon-infused whipped cream for a wonderful Autumn dessert.

Dimply Plum Cake
recipe from Baking: From My Home to Yours

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
Scant 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom (optional)
5 Tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1/3 cup flavorless oil, such as canola or safflower
grated zest of 1 orange
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
8 plums (Italian prune plums, if you can find them), halved and pitted

Instructions:

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degress F. Butter an 8-inch square baking pan, dust the inside with flour, tap out the excess and put the pan on a baking sheet.

Whisk the flour, baking powder, salt and cardamom, if you’re using it, together.

Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter at medium speed until soft and creamy, about 3 minutes. Add the sugar and beat for another 2 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating for a minute after each addition. On medium speed, beat in the oil, orange zest and vanilla. The batter will look very light and smooth, almost satiny. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients, mixing only until they are incorporated.

Run a spatula around the bowl and under the batter, just to make sure there are no dry spots, then scrape the batter into the pan and smooth the top. Arrange the plums cut side up in the batter – I usually make 4 rows of 4 plum halves each – jiggling the plums a tad just so they settle comfortably into the batter.

Bake for about 40 minutes, or until the top is honey brown and puffed around the plums and a thin knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Transfer the cake to a rack and cool for 15 minutes – during which time the plums’ juice will return to the fruit – then run a knife around the sides of the pan and unmold the cake. Invert and cool right side up.

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SMS – Gingersnaps

Sometimes I wonder if I’m just a dunce, or if my taste buds aren’t fully matured. I have never had that aha! moment when something tasted SO refined, SO intricate and complex that I feel fancy. I have tried many different cookies and brownies and most of them, have tasted the same to me. I can’t seem to tell much difference when it comes to flavor.

These cookies are a perfect example. They are ‘gingersnaps’ but what makes them so different from gingerbread cookies? Or Dorie’s Molasses cookies? Is it purely the texture? Or is it flavor too?

I can’t tell.

And honestly I really don’t mind. At the moment. It just drives me nuts sometimes 🙂

Just wondering if taste- bud-ignorance really is bliss?

These cookies are good. Not ‘OMG this is the only cookie I’ll ever eat’ good… but good. They are actually a bit too spicy for me, but I did use black pepper instead of white. Underbake them just a bit for a chewy cookie and bake them a minute or so more for a crispy cookie.

My first thought was to make them into a crust for a lemon cheesecake. And I did. But you’ll have to wait for that one.

I’m cruel, I know. 😉

For the recipe, head on over to Gloria’s aptly titled blog The Ginger Snap Girl.

Up next week: North Fork Peach Raspberry Pie. Peaches. Raspberries. I think the co-workers are going to be quite the happy lot, myself included 🙂

TWD – Sugar Topped Molasses Spice Cookies

Third time’s a charm.

I can’t tell you hooow many times I’ve heard this simple phrase and paid it no mind, gave it no attention, practically ignored it. No more.

I’m a changed gal. And I have these cookies to thank.

First batch: set timer for 12 minutes. Didn’t look done, tacked on another two. Crunchy, hard cookies.   😦

Second batch: set timer for 10 minutes. Still didn’t look done, tacked on another two. Slightly overly crunchy cookies.   :((

Third batch: set timer for 10 minutes. Decided I was taking them out to see what would happen. DEEEEELISH soft and chewy cookies.  😀

Third time was a charm. Oh man, were these delicious. I ate a third of the batch by myself, made some into yummy ice cream sandwiches, and shared the rest with co-workers. They are all gone now and I’m left with one regret:

That I didn’t bake more. ( Or share less ;D )

These scream HOLIDAYS and beg to be put in that goodie bag or care package. They beg to be shared over hot tea and good conversation.   🙂

For the recipe, head over to Pam at Cookies With Boys and for pointers and tips, go here.

More pics.

TWD – Allspice Crumb (ptth) Muffins

Is there a muffin god? Because if there is… s/he doesn’t like me.

Is there a crumb god? Because if there is… s/he doesn’t like me.

My muffins came out dry as a bone and the crumb just melted into a mass of brown sugar gloppyness. To be fair, the dryness was my fault. I must have left them in too long or measured a bit too much flour. THAT, I can live with.

But the crumb? what. the. hell?! Twice, this is TWICE now that my brown sugar crumble didn’t stay crumbly!! WHAT AM I DOING WRONG??

On the plus side, I think the baking gods winced a bit at the face I made and the loud bang as I pulled out the muffin pan and threw it on my stove top. I hope I scared ’em into submission because this is just… ridiculous!

The flavor of these is amazing. I added cinnamon (naturally) and I doubled the recipe because this was SUPPOSED to be breakfast for all of us that were moving the next day. 12 big muffins for after dinner dessert at the future mother-in-law’s house and 24 mini ones for breakfast. It was all so perfect. Or so I thought. I didn’t even have the heart to ask anyone to try one.

They weren’t horrible, I was just upset and pouting about my crumble.

If any of you have any trouble shooting pointers for my crumble… please, Please, PLEASE(!) send ’em my way. I need them. For my sanity. And by proxy, yours as well 🙂

For now my dear sweet crumble…. I bid you…

PPPPPTTTTTHHHHHHHHHH!!!! 😛

If you would like the recipe and a glimpse of what these are supposed to look like, visit Kayte at Grandma’s Kitchen table and oogle her other delicious goodies!! Click here for the recipe.

TWD – Flaky Apple Turnovers (finally!)

“I’m late, I’m late. For a very important date!!”   (name that movie)

This post is officially two days late, and I’m sorry for keeping you in such suspense (snork!) but the baking gods were against me for this “assignment” I swear. Some things came up Monday so I was only able to get the dough to its first chill. Then something ELSE came up on Tuesday and I only got the dough to the second chill. THEN late at night I realized that we were out of apples *glares at fiance* and I was much too tired to go to the store, get apples, come home, peel chop, toss, yada yada yada yada. So I FINALLY got my act together, got everything ready and made then last night and finished them! Yippee!! *Wipes sweat from brow*

The only changes I made: I made peach turnovers as well. I used a smidge less sour cream than called for, mainly because the 8 oz package didn’t yield an entire cups worth. Go figure. I also read that the apple flavor was a little lacking so I doubled the cinnamon and added a few dashes of ground clover and nutmeg. Next time I’ll chop the apples up into smaller pieces so I can put  more into each turnover and I’ll leave the dough a bit thicker (its easier to work with and who will say ‘no’ to more flaky pastry dough? Who?)

My first bite into one of these warm turnovers and my soul smiled. I used all my senses: I inhaled the beautiful spicy aroma, I touched the flaky pastry dough, I listened to it crunch, I eyed the beautiful browning and cinnamon speckled apple bits, and lastly I took a bite and tasted a crisp fall in this adorable little package.

Suffice it to say, they were good! Better than good, they were fan-FREAKIN-tastic!!  With this being my first foray into turnovers and I DIDN’T mess something up… maybe I’m just a bit biased.

But I’m okay with that. 🙂

For this recipe, head on over to Julie’s blog Someone’s In The Kitchen.