Mexican Churros for Hanukkah!

If your arteries aren't completely clogged yet on this second day of Hanukkah, then come on into my kitchen for a journey to a different kind of fried treat - the churro! Since traditional holiday foods are all about one thing - the oil - there's no need to stick to the classic sufganiya (jelly doughnut). (Latkes should stay latkes though, don't even get me started). So this year I tried this classic Mexican street food - with delicious results.

Lemon Crumble Tart

No matter what the season, I love lemon desserts - the bright, mouth-puckering flavor and the tangy sweetness are the perfect way to end any meal. And when people think of a lemon tart, they almost always thing lemon-meringue, but I just don't love meringue that much. I still wanted something to top the creamy lemon curd in my tart shell, so I dreamed up a lemon crumble tart. And my dreams are good. 

Cinnamon French Toast Cookies

I suppose I could be called a little schizophrenic when it comes to baking. There's one side of me that likes to take on ridiculously ambitious projects, with tens of complicated ingredients and odd-sounding combinations that make some people think twice before taking a bite. But there's another side that likes to bake simple people-pleasers, and these definitely fall in to that category.

Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

I love snickerdoodles. And if you read this blog, you should know that by now. After all, I've made snickerdoodle pie, snickerdoodle blondies, and of course the main event. And I also love pumpkin - as the muffins, pie bars, cheesecakes and cupcakes can attest to. So a recipe that combines the two? Sign me up!

Cinnamon Bun Cookies

I love cinnamon buns. Love them warm out of the oven, covered in sticky icing, the soft, pillowy outside and the gooey inside with bits of cinnamon and sugar ending up all over your fingers. Seriously, cinnamon buns are delicious, but they're a lot of work. Next best thing? Cinnamon bun cookies!

Carrot Ginger Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

While I'm not sure I'm quite sold on the cupcake 'craze' right now (I'm much happier knowing pie is the next big thing) I can appreciate the many conveniences of mini cakes. Firstly, the higher frosting to cake ratio. No-brainer. Second, the portability. Third, the ability to eat 3 of them and pretend it is still a snack. 

Ginger Molasses Cookies

There has been a bottle of molasses sitting in my kitchen ever since I made gingerbread men, and I hadn't thought of one thing to do with it. Do be honest I was still pretty put off by the smell of it - not pleasant at all. But these ginger molasses cookies? Extremely pleasant. Exceptionally pleasant. So pleasant...I ate about 10 of them. 

Pumpkin Pie Bars

Is it still winter? The sun ins shining, but only half the snow has melted. One day it was 65 F, the next 35 F. One day I'm making Coconut Grapefruit Cupcakes, and the next...Pumpkin Pie Bars. Is everyone over the pumpkin thing yet? Or has it been long enough since Thanksgiving that pumpkin is now back in style?

 

Swiss Cinnamon Crisps

This is my 232nd post. Why is that significant? It's not really, except that I made a batch of these cookies a few weeks ago and brought them to some friends, who happen to live at number 232. And they asked me to post the recipe for these cookies as post #232. Because of the cosmic synergy, I assume. So I said yes. 

 

Cinnamon Buns

I would be an irresponsible baking blogger if I waited any longer to share this recipe with you. One more day, without you being able to bake these irresistible bites of heaven. Tastier than anything you can buy at a certain chain restaurant, better than what you can find in a blue and white square box, these cinnamon buns are about to me the best thing about your Sunday brunch. 

 

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

After I cracked open, disemboweled, cooked and pureed my 5-pound pumpkin, I made pumpkin muffins, pumpkin soup...and still had pumpkin puree to go.  So I searched high and low, for the perfect recipe to highlight the remainder of my fresh pumpkin puree. And I found it, in these pumpkin cupcakes with cinnamon cream cheese frosting. 

Apple Cake with Brown Sugar Meringue

About a month ago I decided I was bored of apple cakes. They're all the same, with chunks of apple and a cinnamon flavored cake batter, moist but tending toward soggy after a few days.
Well I spoke too soon. This apple cake is nothing short of a revelation - with grated apple moistening the cake batter evenly with no heavy chunks, and - oh! - a delicate brown sugar meringue topping, providing a crisp lid to the cake and a sweet counterbalance to the dish.
The cake itself is not too sweet, which is perfect for the light and sugary meringue - plus the gooey layer that forms between the two.
You could whip out the food processor if you'd like, but apples are so easy to grate (unlike those stubborn potatoes) and the recipe only calls for two so I went straight for the box grater.

Note: Come back later this week for a Baking and Mistaking first - an exciting guest post!

Tip of the Day: Opt for apples that are relatively firm for easy grating - and I would go for a sweet variety like Golden Delicious.

Recipe: (from Food52)

Topping:
2 large egg whites
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
2 tbsps water

Cake:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 egg yolks
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
2 large apples, peeled and grated
1/2 cup raisins - options
2 cups flour

Topping:
Place egg whites, brown sugar and water in the bottom of a double boiler - with enough water underneath to touch the bottom of the bowl.
Over high heat, beat with an electric mixer until peaks form, 3 to 5 minutes. Set aside.
Cake:
Beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Add in egg yolks and beat until combined.
Stir in the baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, grated apple and raisins if using.
Fold in the flour until just combined - don't overmix.
Spoon batter into greased 9x9 inch baking pan. Spread meringue evenly over the top.
Bake on 350 F for 35 to 45 minutes.

A Tale of Two Crumb Cakes

Entenmann's Ultimate Crumb Cake has long held a special place in my heart. I'd never turn down a piece of all-butter loaf or cheese danish, but bring me a box of crumb cake and I'll love you forever. Or until I finish the cake.

So I started out on a quest to recreate my favorite cake in the kitchen. Usually when I'm looking for a recipe for something specific, I'll head to RecipeZaar to see what I find. Well it didn't disappoint, and I located a recipe for New York Crumb Cake with almost all positive reviews.
Well maybe I did something wrong but I sure wouldn't give it a positive review. The cake layer was so thick and there was barely any of it - I had to struggle to spread it across the bottom of the pan.
Then the topping was dry and crunchy - nothing like the soft, thick crumbs I'd been yearning for. It certainly looked pretty, and a few pieces got eaten, but I was left quite unsatisfied.

So when I saw this recipe on Piece of Cake for, once again, New York Crumb Cake, this time with the seal of approval from America's Test Kitchen, I figured I would give it another shot.
Of course since I rarely follow instructions, I made this in a round pan which was all I had on hand. Please don't question the emptiness of my kitchen. It makes me cry. Anyway, this was certainly a marked improvement, but with a great deal of effort - as I was warned on Piece of Cake. The topping is formed by carefully rolling the topping into little pieces and placing them on the batter. I hoped that this step could be skipped, but I was assured otherwise.
As I said, this still didn't quite hit the Entenmann's mark for me, but it was good, and my friends devoured it. That is basically a theme on this blog - I made a recipe, it was OK, and then it was consumed in thirty minutes. I imagine that an Entenmann's worthy recipe would have enough butter for a three-course Paula Deen feast, so I'll be satisfied with this for now.

P.S. If you've been paying attention, you'll notice Baking and Mistaking has had a little bit of a facelift! Let me know what you think, and what else you'd like to see around here - leave me a comment or shoot me an e-mail at Bakingandmistaking [AT] gmail [DOT] com.

Tip of the Day: A 9-inch round pan has the same area as an 8-inch square, so you can substitute them without any changes to temperature or baking time. You can use your high school algebra to prove me bright!

Recipe:
I won't rewrite the first, unsuccessful recipe here, but feel free to follow the link above and see if you can tell where I may have gone wrong. Below is the second recipe, from America's Test Kitchen.

Topping:
1/3 cup white sugar
1/3 cup dark brown sugar
1/8 tsp salt
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, melted
1 3/4 cups cake flour [I used all-purpose, perhaps I shouldn't have]

Cake:
1 1/4 cups cake flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
6 tbsps (3/4 stick) butter or margarine, softened
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup buttermilk

Stir together the topping ingredients until they come together. Set aside.

Stir the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt together. Gradually add in the butter, beating until combined.
Then add the egg, egg yolk, vanilla and buttermilk. Beat until light and fluffy.
Spread the batter into the bottom of a parchment paper or foil-lined 8-inch square pan.

Break apart the crumb topping into large pea-sized pieces, rolling them between your fingertips to get them to hold their shape. Spread the crumbs in even layer over the batter.

Bake on 325 F for 35 to 40 minues, until the crumbs are golden. Cool on wire rack for 30 minutes, then dust with confectioner's sugar before serving.

Soft Oatmeal Cookies

While I have an incredible recipe for crispy, light-as-air oatmeal cookies (which I can't find right now) already, I've really been looking for a great chewy cookie recipe as well.
These aren't it. These were good cookies, and I really liked the addition of the cocoa powder to the recipe. It added additional flavor without being noticeably chocolate-y.
Instead of being a "chewy" cookie, these were more of a "soft" cookie. Were those unnecessary quotation marks? Perhaps.
These are the type of cookie that would be good for an ice cream sandwich, or maybe in a whoopie pie of sorts, but they weren't my favorite plain. Although, my friends gobbled them up pretty quickly, so perhaps it's just a personal thing.

UPDATE: I forgot to mention, that in the making of these cookies, I actually committed the cardinal sin of (gasp!) running out of flour! Luckily I had some whole wheat flour on hand, and I used about 1 1/2 cups all-purpose and 1/4 cup whole wheat.

Tip of the Day: You can generally find two types of cocoa powder available: Natural and Dutch Process. Dutch process has an alkaline solution added to it, and is milder, and should be used with baking powder. Natural does not have anything added to it, and is a richer taste, and should be used in recipes with baking soda. The most common called for one is Dutch Process (and the only one I keep on hand).

Recipe:

1 cup (sticks) butter or margarine, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups oats

Cream together the butter and sugars. Mix in the vanilla.
Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until combined.
Add the flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, cocoa powder and oats to the mixture. Stir until combined.
Let dough refrigerate for 15 minutes.
Drop by tbsp on to a cookie sheet.
Bake at 350 F for about 10-12 minutes.

Apple Cinnamon Bundt Cake

Everything's better in a bundt. Right? No decoration needed, one pan, done. The only bad thing about bundts? They have to come out. Of the pan. That doesn't always work too well. And in that respect, bundts have not been my friends lately.
Are you sitting comfortably? Then I"ll begin.

This is a simple, rustic recipe for apple cake. It begins with, as all good apple cakes should, fresh, cored, peeled, chopped apples. Four to be exact.
There used to be more apple, but I had to try a few pieces to make sure it was good. A piece from each apple of course. Turns out, I probably should have tried more.
Because once I'd mixed up everything else - eggs, oil, sugar, vanilla, flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon (say that in one breath) - it became apparent that there was a very large amount of apple for not much batter.
But, rather than attempt to rectify the situation, I forged on instead. And was rewarded with a beautiful smelling kitchen. And a cake that did not appear to want to leave it's cozy home.
After a brief argument [ahem, disagreement] with my mother over the best time to "decant" - while it's hot or while it's cold, I ran a knife around the edge of the cake and flipped it over, holding my breath.
After some slight coaxing and tapping there was a plop, and out popped my cake, with a few dents and bruises that remain cleverly hidden in this photo. Why I bothered to cleverly hide what I then openly shared is a question for another time. I'm complicated.

Tip of the Day: After consulting numerous internet references, the war wages on: remove a bundt when hot or cold? Experts urge both, I remain confused, Mom still thinks she won. Anyone care to weigh in?

Recipe: (adapted from The Food Librarian)

4 large green apples [I would recommend cutting 4 large apples and then eating 1]
2 eggs
3/4 c oil
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsps cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda

Peel, core and dice the apples.
Beat the eggs and oil together until foamy.
Stir in the sugar and vanilla.
Add in the flour, salt, cinnamon and baking soda.
Mix until just combined, then stir in the apples.
Pour into a well-greased bundt pan, and bake on 350F for 40 to 50 minutes, or until tests done.

Snickerdoodle Pie

I've made snickerdoodles twice, and I've made snickerdoodle blondies, so why not try out snickerdoodle pie?
This recipe starts by coating the (store-bought!) pie crust with a cinnamon sugar mixture - to mimic the cinnamon sugar coating of a traditional snickerdoodle cookie.
Then comes the filling, a little bit like a giant sugar cookie...
And then you pour on the sticky, caramel topping!
Once it's baked up, it's a golden brown, delicious looking cookie pie. It reminds me a little of my chocolate chip pie - only because it's turned a classic cookie into a pie!And like the chocolate chip pie, it's really best served warm. And with a scoop of ice cream. Now I'm hungry.
Unfortunately despite my best attempts, I couldn't get a slice out without the crust falling off, but somehow my guests seemed not to mind!

Tip of the Day: If you don't have a pastry brush to spread the melted butter on the pie crust, the next best thing is just to use your (clean!) fingers.

Recipe: (from Baking Bites)

1 9-inch pie crust (if frozen, thawed)
2 tsp butter or margarine, melted
1 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp cinnamon

1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter or margarine, softened
3 tbsp water
2 tbsp corn syrup
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla

1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup milk
1 1/4 cups flour

Brush the inside of the pie crust with the melted butter. Combine the sugar and cinnamon and use to cover the entire inside of the crust.

Combine the brown sugar, butter, water, corn syrup and cinnamon, and bring to a boil. Boil for two minutes, then remove from heat and stir in the vanilla.

Cream together the butter, sugar and powdered sugar until light and fluffy. Blend in the baking powder, cream of tartar and salt. Beat in egg and vanilla, followed by the milk. Stir in the flour, mixing until just combined.

Pour the cookie mixture in to the crust, and carefully pour the syrup on top. Place into a 350 F oven and bake for about 45 minutes, until browned.

Cool for at least 30 minutes before serving. Serve warm.

Cinnamon Squares and Silence

Sometimes, I think I talk too much. OK, I definitely talk too much. So this time, instead of jabbering on incessantly, I'll share with you some pictures, a recipe, and a quick tip.
Enjoy the silence.

My streusel sunk to the bottom (oops I just couldn't help myself). I think it's because my chocolate was too big - I should have chopped it up more.
Since I've broken the moratorium on talking, (well that lasted a while, didn't it) I might as well tell you that this produced an impossibly light and moist cinnamon cake that was really delicious. OK I'm done now.

Tip of the Day: When dividing batter in half, I always eyeball it, but err on the side of putting more in the bottom layer, since, like here, whatever you're placing in between layers has a tendency to sink.

Recipe: (Dorie Greenspan)

Streusel:
2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp cinnamon
1 1/2 tsps instant espresso powder

Cake:
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 3/4 cups flour
2 tsps baking powder
pinch of salt
3/4 cup milk
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) butter or margarine, melted and cooled
3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped, or 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Frosting:
6 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
2 1/2 tbsps butter or margarine

Mix the sugar, cinnamon and espresso for the streusel together in a small bowl. Set aside.

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.
Make a well in the center and add in the milk, eggs and vanilla.
Gently whisk the wet and dry ingredients together until well mixed.
Then fold in the melted butter until just combined.

Scrape half of the batter into a greased 8x8 inch pan and smooth the top.
Sprinkle the chocolate on top and dust with the cinnamon-sugar mixture.
Cover with the rest of the batter and smooth the top again.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes on 350 F., or until the cake is puffed and beginning to pull away from the sides of the pan Cool in the pan for 15 minutes then invert on to wire rack to cool completely.

Melt the chocolate and butter for the frosting together.
Spread over the cooled cake and cut in to squares.

Snickerdoodles

I try pretty hard to never repeat recipes here. Ok, sometimes I have bad days, but for the most part, when I get in the kitchen and when I get online, I'm trying something new and exciting.

So yes, I have made snickerdoodles before, but a totally different recipe. The ones I made in the past were a little more crispy and flat, but these were cakey and puffed up - totally delicious. I think cakey is also a little more traditionally snickerdoodle-y.
Anyway for those of you who don't know, a snickerdoodle is just a funny name for a sugar cookie that is rolled in cinnamon and sugar before baking. Why is it called that? I have no idea. But it tastes delicious.
One of the most important parts of a snickerdoodle is the leavening - that's what makes them puff up with that cakiness. Most recipes call for baking soda or power and cream of tartar.

Even when they puff up - here they are immediately out of the oven....
What goes up, must come down!

Tip of the Day: If you let your cookie sheets cool to room temperature between batches, you'll experience much more uniform cookies.

Recipe: (via Smitten Kitchen)

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
16 tablespoons (2 stick or 8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar, plus 1/4 cup of sugar, divided
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon, plus more if needed
2 large eggs

Beat together the butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar until light and fluffy.
Add eggs and beat to combine.
Gradually mix in the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt.
Let chill in the fridge for one hour.
Combine the 1/4 cup of sugar and 2 tbsp cinnamon in a bowl.
Form balls of dough of approximately 2 tbsp and roll in the mixture.
Bake on parchment paper lined sheets at 400F for 10 minutes. Let cool on pan 5 minutes then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

Cinnamon Crown Cake

I like bundt cakes. They don't really need much decoration. A sprinkling of confectioner's sugar maybe. Even a drizzled glaze. But no mounds of frosting.
So this recipe from Bake or Break looked pretty good to me - except for one thing. It called for applesauce. And I didn't have any. After frantically contemplating suitable substitutions for the better part of ten minutes, it hit me. I have a drawer full of apples in the fridge. Why not make my own?

So I did. And it was so simple. Turns out, if you cook apples long enough with some water, they basically turn in to applesauce. Done.
Anyway, after that the cake was a cinch. The outer layer is made of flour, sugar, butter, milk, eggs and vanilla. Half of that goes in to the cake pan.

Then to the remainder, you add the applesauce, brown sugar, oats and cinnamon. And pour it on top (which becomes the bottom).

The only thing about bundt cakes is...getting out of the pan. I'm always nervous that I'm going to tip it out and find half of it still clinging to the sides.
I was doubly nervous since the recipe said it has a tendency to stick. Boy did I grease that pan.

Would it be so bad to leave it in?
Then there's that moment, where you turn the pan upside down, gently shaking it, hoping to see it pop cleanly out. I generally conduct this step with my eyes squinted shut, looking away. Even so, you can feel it as you hold it in your hands - if it's sticking inside, unbudging, or gently sliding out.

Moment of truth.....?
Perfect.

Now it's time to try a slice.
Every time I make a bundt cake at home, my mother and I have the same argument. She wants me to leave it upside down, because she likes the crunchy part on top. I argue it has to be inverted, that is how the shape of the cake is intended - and upside down you don't even see the curves.

Anyone care to take sides? I highly suggest you agree with me. Just sayin'.

Tip of the Day: When greasing a bundt cake it is crucial to make sure that not only the bottom and sides are well greased, but the center tube as well.

Recipe: (from Bake or Break)

3 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
1 cup milk
3 eggs
1 tbsp vanilla
[1/2 cup chopped nuts - I omitted]
1/2 cup oats
1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup applesauce
2 tsps cinnamon

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, butter, milk, eggs and vanilla.
Beat together until well mixed.
Pour half of the batter in to a well greased bundt pan.
Stir the oats, brown sugar, applesauce cinnamon and nuts - if using - in to the remaining batter.
Pour on top in the pan.
Bake on 325 F for 50 to 60 minutes.
Cool in pan for 30 minutes, then invert on to wire rack to cool completely.

Cinnamon Swirl Bread

The word "bread" in this recipe is clearly used quite loosely. To me, bread has yeast, not much sugar and is toasted for breakfast.This recipe resembles bread in that...it's baked in a loaf pan. And cut into slices. If calling it bread makes you feel better about eating it for breakfast - then be my guest.
It's also ridiculously easy and totally delicious. It just contains these ingredients!
Directly after I took this photograph, I moved the oil, and the egg rolled away from me in slow motion and crashed in a dramatic splat on the wooden floor of my living room. (No I wasn't baking in the living room - but tiny Manhattan apartments often mean they're just an...egg's roll away!)
Luckily, I was trained well by my mother (after having made such messes in the past), and quickly grabbed the salt, dumping it on top of the slowly spreading disaster. The salt, for scientific reasons unbeknown to me, makes the raw egg clump up and stop spreading slowly around your floor - making it easier to pick up and dispose.
On to the cake (with a brand new egg) - came together in one bowl, in ten minutes, and was really great.
Just beware of rolling eggs.

Tip of the Day: As if you weren't convinced - in case of an egg crack disaster, sprinkle the white and yolk with a generous amount of salt, and wipe up with a cloth. Make sure to wash the floor and your hands afterwards.

Recipe: (from Bake or Break)

1 cup sugar
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
1 cup milk
1/3 cup oil

1/3 cup sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon

Stir together the sugar, flour, baking powder and salt.
Make a well in the center, and add in the egg, milk and oil.
Stir until just mixed.
In a separate bowl, mix together the sugar and cinnamon.
Pour half the batter in to a greased, 9"x5"x3" loaf pan.
Sprinkle with half the sugar and cinnamon mix.
Pour remaining batter on top, and top with remaining sugar mix.
With a spatula, swirl the batter and topping in an up and down motion.
Bake on 350 F for 40 to 50 minutes. Cool in pan ten minutes, then invert.