Haven't done too much baking lately, but Happy Birthday Bruce! Thanks for asking me to keep it simple!

When I asked my sweet husband what kind of cake he wanted for his birthday, he insisted on simple white cupcakes with white icing. 

What a relief!  Since moving to the mountain, my passion for baking has taken a back seat to riding, reading and writing.  That and the fact that the high altitude has affected a few of my favorites--especially my oatmeal chocolate chip cookies that were once my most requested baked good.  And of course I have to admit that the bake shops up here that I've written about are also responsible for my lack of baking.  Thank you Sweets 'n Stuff and Village Green! 

When it comes to cupcakes, I always turn to Dede Wilson's Cupcakes.  If you're looking for a holiday gift, check this out.  There are great recipes and very creative decorating ideas.  I kept the decorating simple.  Thanks to a gift from my good friend Margaret, I had cupcake liners and birthday themed toppers to add a bit of color and charm to Bruce's cupcakes.  He was most appreciative.

Cranberry Pumpkin Bread

Now I did try something new recently.  I saw a delicious looking cranberry pumpkin bread recipe on the web site of one of my former instructors, Clemence Gossett of Gourmandise School of Sweets and Savories now in Santa Monica. http://www.thegourmandiseschool.com/  

One of my early blog entries in March 2010 was about my classes with Clemence.

http://bakingdazeinla.blogspot.com/2010/03/clemence-gossett-gourmandise-desserts.html



Cranberry Pumpkin Bread

Now the bread smelled and looked wonderful, but once again, high altitude intervened.  The outside was turning brown and crispy while the inside was still mush---kinda like a pumpkin, I guess.  The outer edge pieces were delicious, but I  had to toss out the rest.

Then I reread the recipe, and saw that #6 specifically says, "Pour into cupcake liners or small loaf pans."  Not large ones! The high altitude intervened all right--with my brain not the bread!  

Update!  I have successfully used this same recipe only in small loaf pans--not one large one--and they came out fine. 

Cranberry Pumpkin Bread

You can make this into muffins as well- this recipe makes 18-24 muffins and bake for about 20-25 minutes to do so.

1- 2/3 cups flour                                  
1 tsps baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt                         

1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp orange zest                                  
1 tsp ground ginger (we actually prefer 1/4 tsp fresh grated ginger)

1 cup pumpkin puree                       
1 cup vegetable oil (we like grapeseed)

1- 1/2 cups sugar                               
3 eggs

1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries

1) Measure out all of your ingredients.                                             

2) Whisk together the flour, salt, zest, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and ginger.                                                                                 

3) In a large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, oil and sugar.
4) Add the eggs one at a time and beat until smooth.
5) Carefully fold in the dry ingredients and mix until just barely combined. 

6) Pour into cupcake liners or small loaf pans and cover with cranberries, sugar and zest. Bake at 325 for about 25 minutes.

Sweets n' Stuff: Who Needs to Bake When There Are Shops Like This!

Another wonderful place has opened in Lake Arrowhead on the 173 just before you enter the village: A charming shop called Sweets 'n Stuff that sells candy, baked goods and delicious breakfast bagels.  

The atmosphere is as warm and inviting as the service.  My husband and I enjoyed a bagel and latte one morning and left with a luscious piece of fudge that was gone by afternoon.  It's the perfect place to sit and relax and chat with a friend or spouse, and even better, the perfect place for a group to meet.  In fact, my Book Group is meeting there next month to discuss a British-flavored novel, Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson, that inspires one to drink a spot of tea while reading and think in a British accent.  Can't wait to discuss the book in such an appropriate setting.

 

                                    
                                    
                                   

Be sure to check it out--and don't forget the fudge!

The Kitchen House: Molasses Cake

                          
My book group just read the historical novel The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom. Hosted by our group leader Nancy Klotzsche, the meeting turned out to include not only a lively literary discussion but also a culinary delight--the homemade Molasses Cake featured in the novel.  In fact, Nancy was busy in the kitchen whipping up this delicious cake while we were enjoying her southern-style appetizers.

The cake baked while we discussed the book: I'm sure you can imagine the incredible mouth-watering aroma that filled her house.  The result was a warm, fresh-out-of-the-oven, super-moist molasses cake that we topped with whipped cream.  Nancy, thank you so much.  It was delicious!



The Kitchen House Molasses Cake

1/2 Cup Butter
1/3 Cup Brown Sugar (packed)
1 Egg
1/2 Cup Milk
1 Cup Molasses
2 Cups Flour
1 t Baking Soda
1 t Ground Ginger
1 t Cinnamon
2 dashes Ground Cloves
1/4 t Salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease 8-inch square baking pan.
In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar.  Beat in the egg.
In a separate bowl, combine the milk and the molasses.
In another bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves and salt.
Add each of these alternately to the butter mixture, beating well between additions.
Spoon batter into the prepared pan. 
Bake for approx. 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.


The Kitchen House Summary: Orphaned while on board ship from Ireland, seven-year-old Lavinia arrives on the steps of a tobacco plantation where she is to live and work with the slaves of the kitchen house. Under the care of Belle, the master's illegitimate daughter, Lavinia becomes deeply bonded to her adopted family, though she is set apart from them by her white skin. Eventually, Lavinia is accepted into the world of the big house, where the master is absent and the mistress battles opium addiction. Lavinia finds herself perilously straddling two very different worlds. When she is forced to make a choice, loyalties are brought into question, dangerous truths are laid bare, and lives are put at risk. The Kitchen House is a tragic story of page-turning suspense, exploring the meaning of family, where love and loyalty prevail.
 http://www.amazon.com/Kitchen-House-Novel-Kathleen-Grissom/dp/1439153663

The Village Green Bakery and Cafe: Cinnamon Rolls to Die For!

Recently I had a craving for cinnamon rolls.  It started after listening to a talk radio show that featured Piper Davis of Grand Central Bakery in Portland, Oregon.  She talked about her bakery's cinnamon rolls, a cafe favorite made from hearty whole grains.  Well, I ordered her cookbook to get my hands on her recipe, but in the meantime, I just couldn't wait.  I set out in search of Lake Arrowhead's newest addition: The Village Green Bakery and Cafe.  I remembered seeing huge cinnamon rolls on display, so I picked up two for my husband and me to enjoy with our coffee the next morning.  They were delicious!  Actually one was plenty--warmed and sliced--leaving the second one for us to devour the next day.  Thank you to owner Rochelle Orlando and baker Leah Skiba.  I will now be a regular customer! 

As soon as my cookbook arrives, I intend to try my hand at Grand Central Bakery's whole grain cinnamon rolls and will taste and post my results.  Until then, and when I'm not baking myself, you can find me at the Village Green Bakery.

Half Broke Horses Carrot Cake

Nothing fancy.  Just for fun.

Last week our book club met to discuss Jeannette Walls Half Broke Horses, a "true life novel" based on the life of her amazing grandmother Lily, who at fifteen rode 500 miles by herself on horseback to teach at a one room schoolhouse.  That is only one instance of her spunk and spark. Read it this summer to find a lifetime's worth.

To go along with the theme, I made gingerbread molasses horse cookies (and broke a few in half!) and a carrot cake with cream cheese icing. Nancy, another member of the group, brought oatmeal cookies.  So oats, carrots, and molasses--horsie delights--were adequately represented. 

Carrot Cake

Dry ingredients:

2 cups flour

1 1/2 t (teaspoon) cinnamon

1 t baking soda

1 t vanilla

1/2 t salt

1/4 t nutmeg 

1 1/2 cup sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs

3 cups of shredded carrots

1 cup chopped walnuts

Oven: 350 F

Prep 13 x 9 pan with baking spray (or grease and flour)

• Combine dry ingredients and set aside
• In stand mixer, beat sugar, oil and eggs until combined and then slowly add dry ingredients.  Beat on low, scraping sides until mixed. 
• With wooden spoon or rubber spatula, stir in carrots and nuts.
• Spread batter evenly in prepared pan.
• Bake at 350 about 40 minutes--until toothpick comes out clean.
• Cool in pan on rack for an hour before removing to cool further. Or if desired, keep in pan and frost only the top.

Cream Cheese Frosting

8 oz cream cheese--room temp

1/4 cup butter--room temp

1 T (tablespoon) milk

1 t (teaspoon) vanilla

4 cups confectioners sugar

Beat first four ingredients until smooth; then slowly add confectioners sugar until desired consistency.

*Store cake covered in refrigerator--keeps for a few days and still tastes great!

Enjoy!  And remember, not everything turns out great the first time!

Jeannette's Sunset Meyer Lemon Bars!

It's that time of year.  Lilacs are in bloom and lemon trees are producing their luscious fruits.  Lucky for me my friend and horse trainer, Jeannette, has a Meyer lemon tree.  This week she not only gave me quite a workout during my horse riding lesson (that left me very sore), but she also brought me a bag of fabulous Meyer lemons from her tree. They smelled so good! 

 I don't know which smelled better, the lilacs or the lemons. 

I searched through several cookbooks for a lemon cookie or bar recipe and finally found one in Betty Crocker Baking Basics. It was quick and easy and turned out to be delicious.  I am not a big fan of fruit- flavored desserts, being such a chocoholic, but this was really good.  I will definitely make them again, only I'll double the recipe since this one only made about 16 squares--and they went 

Lemon Bar Recipe:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup butter or margarine, room temp.

1/4 cup powdered sugar (organic preferred)

1 cup granulated sugar (organic)

2 teaspoons of grated lemon peel

2 Tablespoons lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon of baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

a few drops of yellow food color if desired

1 Tablespoon powdered sugar (to sprinkle when done)

1.  Heat oven to 350 F.   Mix first three ingredients--flour, butter and powdered sugar--in small bowl.  I use the tips of my fingers and squeeze until it forms a fine sand-like texture; then press the mixture firmly and evenly on the bottom of an ungreased 9 inch square pan. Bake 20 minutes.

2.  In a medium bowl, beat the granulated sugar, lemon peel, lemon juice, baking powder, salt, eggs, and food coloring until light and fluffy--about 3 minutes.  (I used my hand-held electric mixture rather than my stand mixer because of the small quantity.  Also because of the high altitude up here, I added 2 Tablespoons of flour to this mixture as suggested.)

3.Pour this mixture over the hot crust spreading evenly.  Bake 25-30 minutes.  Cool on a rack for at least one hour.  Sprinkle with powdered sugar.  Cut into bars or squares. 

*Another option...add 1/2 cup of flaked coconut to sugar-lemon-egg mixture to make Lemon Coconut Bars.

Thanks Jeannette!  Bring me more lemons and I'll keep baking.

Happy 29th Birthday to My Sweet Horse, Fire Mountain!

March 3rd was Fire's 29th birthday. He's still adjusting to his new home at El Camino Ranch, but he seems to be settling in and making friends.  So we decided to have a little party.  And since I've been baking cakes for all of my family members, I couldn't forget this very special man in my life. 

This one took a little less time than the others, but just as much love was put into it--that's for sure!

         Fire's Special Birthday Cake

His cake was a mix of all of his favorite things: 4 cups Purina Senior Equine feed, 1/2 cup molasses , a handful of carrots, an apple, and a few peppermint horse treats.  Doesn't it look delicious?  (Actually it smelled pretty darn good.) 

 Fire sure loved it. 

                                      

Guests at the party, besides his mama and papa were Pansy and her yet unnamed adorable foal,
                                     

next door paddock mate Five Alarm Chili who demanded and got a "piece" of the cake, 

and the cutest foal born on the morning that Fire arrived at El Camino Ranch. 

Of course, we humans weren't neglected either.  In honor of Fire's bday, I made gingerbread horse cookies for everyone at the ranch to enjoy.

                                     
Gingersnap Cookies aka Gingerbread Horses

2/3 cup butter, margarine, or butter substitute
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
3/4 cup molasses

3 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg

Mix first four.  Combine dry ingredients.  Add dry to wet and mix until well-combined.
Refrigerate for 2 hours.  When chilled, roll out on floured surface and then using cookie cutters cut desired shapes.  Place on cookie sheet and sprinkle with sugar or cinnamon-sugar.  Bake at 375 F for 8 minutes.

Happy Birthday, my sweet Fire.  I hope to enjoy many more with you!

Quick, Easy, Healthy, and Delicious Apple Turnovers

If you've ever made puff pastry, you know it is made up of quite a bit of butter, and it takes time.  This involves rolling, folding, and refrigerating butter blocks a number of times. I had read about frozen puff pastry in Baking at Home with the Culinary Institute of America , one of my baking bibles, so I thought I would give it a try. 

I happened to be shopping at Whole Foods where I found, in the frozen section of course, Aussie's Puff Pastry, a frozen product made by a Seattle-area based bakery called Aussie's Bakery.  What a great find!  It turned out to be not only delicious but healthy as well!  Imagine that, a healthy puff pastry:

        While Angus Wood initially set out to replicate a taste of home, he ended up creating a relatively  health-conscious product as well. The company's puff pastry, for example, is made of wheat flour and contains no trans fat, no cholesterol and no artificial additives. Many of its products, except for the meat pies, are vegan friendly.  -- from an article in the Herald 

Check them out: http://www.aussiebakery.com/pg/about-herald.html

So recently, when I got a hankering for apple turnovers, I pulled my frozen puff pastry out of the freezer and got to work, or show I say play!  In a very short time, the kitchen smelled wonderful and my pastries were ready to be devoured. 

First things first:  Make the apple filling and set aside so it can cool before using. 

Apple Filling

2 ounces of butter
4 tart apples peeled and diced
1 cup brown sugar
pinch of salt
1 Tablespoon cornstarch (depending on apple season, if full storage apples use 2T)
1 Tablespoon water (depending on apple season, if full storage apples use 2T)

1. In a large saute pan, melt butter, add apples, and cook for 3 minutes.
2. Add sugar and salt. Simmer 2 minutes.
3. Combine cornstarch and water (this is called a cornstarch slurry) and add to apple mix and cook until sauce thickens. Cool before using.             

                                          

 (If too watery after cooled, strain apples, place juice in a small pan, add another cornstarch slurry, and stir until thickened, add to apples.  Let cool again.)

Puff Pastry

Thaw the puff pastry in the fridge for 8 hours, or if you're in a hurry, at room temperature (though once at room temp, it's a good idea to return to the fridge for 15-20 minutes to firm up). 

1. There are three sheets in the package,  Roll each one out on a floured surface. (Flour the rolling pin as well.)  Don't roll over the edges, just keep an even pressure  right up to the edge.
2. Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife, cut them into squares that will be folded diagonally to form a triangle once they are filled.  So make them whatever size you'd like.  Mine were probably about 6" squares.
3. Place apple filling in center, fold diagonally and press the edges together with your thumb or a fork. (Don't over fill.)
4. Brush with cream (or an egg wash) and sprinkle with sugar.
5. Place on a parchment covered baking sheet.
6. Bake at 350 - 400 F about 20-25 minutes until golden.  (I used 400 due to my high altitude location.)

        
I had some leftover chocolate ganache in the fridge, so I also made a few chocolate-filled puff pastries, and they were yummy too!

Have fun baking...and eating!

My Cakes to Date--Updated

1. First cake done at Cake Crumbs class

2. Fake cake done at Cake Crumbs class

3. First cake done on my own at home

4. Calla Lily cake.  My favorite so far.

5. Fondant cut outs

6. 4th of July

7.  Sunflower cupcakes

8. Yolande's birthday cake--August

9. Chuck's Who's Hunting Whom? birthday cake- September

10. Dean's Mighty Ducks Hockey birthday cake-October

 

                                       

11. Bruce's Lake Arrowhead cake:

Winter Wonderland / Summer Fishing on the Lake

November 

     

12. Claire's Sunflower birthday cake

February