Peach Pound Cake

Its 88 here and I'm still in the summer mood.  I like cooking apple and pumpkin things when its cooler so I'm still making summer dishes.  A few weeks ago we went to Alstede Farms and picked some peaches with the two grandchildren. They had signs posted everywhere not to eat the peaches while out in the field but how do you tell a 18 month old and a 2-1/2 year old they can't eat a peach until its paid for when there are thousands of them are hanging from trees in front of them. They each had one they picked. When it was time to get back on the tractor to go back to the farm stand and pay for our peaches it was obvious to anyone that looked at them that they had eaten a peach in the field from the peach juice all down the front of their shirts.  There is nothing better than fruit picked fresh off the tree.  Apple picking time will be here soon!      

This recipe is from Gonna Want Seconds but I changed the quantities as my bundt pan is a 10 cup and not a 12 cup like her recipe and I put a crumb topping and powered sugar over top instead of a glaze.

Ingredients:
crumb topping
1/3 cup flour
1/3 cup brown sugar
3 tbsp unsalted butter
cake
2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups sugar
4 eggs at room temperature
2 cups all purpose flour
1/3 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup sour cream
1 tsp vanilla
1-1/2 cups fresh peaches, peeled, pitted and diced
sprinkling of sugar for top of cake
4 tbsp powdered sugar

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.  Spray a 10 cup bundt pan with PAM cooking spray.  Make topping first by combining flour, sugar and butter.  I like just using a fork to combine everything.  Pour into bottom of prepared pan.

Make cake by beating butter until smooth in a stand mixer bowl.  Add sugar and beat at medium speed for 5-7 minutes or until mixture is light and fluffy.  Add eggs, one at a time.  Mix flour, salt and baking soda into another bowl.  Add to butter mixture, alternating with sour cream, beginning and ending with flour mixture.

With mixer on low, stir in vanilla and peaches until just combined.  Give the batter one final stir with a spatula to make sure the peaches are mixed through.  Pour batter into prepared pan filling 3/4 of the way up.  Bake
for one hour and test with a wooden skewer inserted into the center of the cake.  If no batter comes up and the skewer is clean the cake is done.  Cool on wire rack for 10-15 minutes and then invert onto a cake plate.  Some of the crumb topping might stay in the pan but you can just pick if off from the pan and put onto the top of the cake.

Dust with powdered sugar if desired.

Enjoy!!

Inside Out Carrot Cake Muffins

This month for Secret Recipe Club we were given the blog Secrets from the Cookie Princess. Colleen is a mom from Massachusetts who loves to bake treats and sweets but don't let the name of her blog deceive you she has way more than just cookies to share with everyone. I chose to make her Inside Out Carrot Cake Muffins and they didn't disappoint. She uses Fiori di Sicilia in her cream cheese filling. I had never even heard of it before so I looked it up online and is an Italian extract that combines Orange and Vanilla flavors together. I used just plain Vanilla extract as a substitute.

Ingredients for Muffins:
2 1/4 Cup Flour
1/2 Cup Sugar
1/4 Cup Brown Sugar - Packed
1 1/2 Tsp Baking Powder
1/4 Tsp Baking Soda
1 1/2 Tsp Cinnamon
3/4 Tsp Ginger
3/4 Tsp Salt
2 Eggs
3/4 Cup Water
1/3 Cup Canola Oil
1 Cup Shredded Carrots

Ingredients for Filling:
8 oz Reduced Fat Cream Cheese - Softened
1/4 Cup Sugar
1 Tsp Vanilla Extract

Preheat the oven to 400. Put liners in the cupcake tin and set aside. In a large bowl combine all of the dry ingredients (flour, both sugars, salt, spices, baking soda and baking powder) and whisk them together.

Add the wet ingredients (eggs, water, oil) into the bowl with the dry ingredients and mix them together. Shred the carrots into the batter and gently mix them in until just combined.

To make the filling in a small bowl combine the softened cream cheese with the sugar and the vanilla extract until smooth and creamy.

In the cupcake liners put a half scoop of batter in the bottom. Put a heaping Tsp of filling on top of the batter. Cover the filling with another scoop of the batter so that it is completely covered.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, the tops will be firm. Cool for a few minutes in the pan and then on a baking rack for about 15 minutes. Be careful if you are having a muffin right away as the filling will be very hot.

Enjoy!!

An InLinkz Link-up

Blueberry Coffee Cake

Happy Sunday!! Can you believe it's already August?? This summer is flying by just as expected... In two short weeks I'll return to work for pre-season and my lazy summer days down the shore will be numbered. I made a plain version of this NY style coffee cake the first year we had the blog. I decided to dressed up my everyday coffee cake by adding a layer of blueberry preserves in between the topping and the cake. Give it a try this week with your morning cup of coffee or tea. 

Cake Ingredients:
11/2 Sticks Unsalted Butter - Softened 
21/2 Cups Flour (Not Self Rising)
1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1 Cup Sugar
2 Eggs & 2 Egg Yolks
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
2/3 Cup Low-Fat Buttermilk

Crumble Ingredients:
3 Cups Flour (Not Self Rising)
2/3 Cup Sugar
2/3 Cup Packed Brown Sugar
11/2 Teaspoons Cinnamon
2 Sticks Unsalted Butter
Powered Sugar for Dusting

1 Jar Smucker's Blueberry Preserves

Originally Adapted from www.noblepig.com

 Preheat the oven to 325 F. Spray a 9x13 baking dish with Pam and set aside. Whisk together your dry cake ingredients (flour, baking soda, salt) in a medium size bowl. In a stand mixing bowl combine the soften butter and sugar on medium for about 2 minutes. Once the butter and sugar become fluffy you can start adding the eggs and egg yolks one at a time. When they have been mixed in, add the vanilla. Alternating back and forth as it mixes, begin adding the dry ingredients then some buttermilk then more dry ingredients, then a little more buttermilk until everything has been combined. Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish.

Using the back of a spoon gently spread the blueberry preserves on top of the batter. Try and get them as even as possible over top of the entire batter.

In a large bowl mix together both of the sugars, cinnamon and flour.  Melt the butter in the microwave. Pour the melted butter into the bowl. Using your hand, mix the butter into the dry ingredients. Grab it in handfuls and squeeze little by little to create the crumbles. After a few minutes it will be fully mixed and moist. Top the batter with the crumble mixture until it is fully covered. Bake for about an hour, until the top is golden and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Let cool at least 60 minutes. Slice and serve when cooled.

Enjoy!!

Nutella Banana Bread & Happy 4th

Happy July 4th Weekend. I hope everyone has a great time BBQ-ing and spending time with family and friends. I can't decide if I like July 4th being on a Saturday or not. It doesn't seem like you get enough time off and that its just a regular weekend. This recipe is adapted from Chef in Training and was delicious. Perfect for breakfast with a cup of tea.

Ingredients:
2 cups flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1-1/2 cup mashed ripe bananas
1 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup milk
3/4 cup nutella, melted

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray 9 x 5 loaf pan with PAM.  In a medium bowl whisk together flour, baking soda and salt.

In a separate large bowl mix together the butter and sugar.  Add eggs one at a time beating after each time. Add mashes banana, milk, and vanilla.

Mix until well combined.  Add flour mixture beating at a low speed.  Don't overmix.

In a small bowl or measuring cup that is microwave safe add nutella and heat for 20 seconds.  Stir.

Add 1 cup of the banana bread batter to the Nutella and stir until well mixed.

Spoon Nutella batter alternately with the banana bread batter into prepared pan.  Swirl batters together with a knife.

Bake 50 to 60 minutes.  Cool in pan for 15 minutes and then remove loaf from pan and cool completely.
Slice when cooled.

Enjoy!!

Blueberry Almond Sour Cream Coffee Cake

It was the most gorgeous day today.  Maddy and Owen were over and we played outside all day.  With Mother's Day coming up next Sunday this is an ideal recipe for breakfast/brunch or dessert.  The almond flavoring is just perfect - just enough to taste it but not overpowering.  This recipe is from www.odense.com.

Ingredients:

Filling:
1 7 oz box almond paste, chilled
1 pint blueberries, washed and stemmed
2 tbsp flour
2 tsp grated lemon rind

Cake batter:
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1-1/2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
1-1/4 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream
2 tbsp confectioners sugar for dusting

Directions:
Grate the almond paste into a medium bowl.  Add blueberries, flour and lemon rind.  Mix well and set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and flour the 10 inch bundt pan. Sift the flour with the baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Set aside.  Beat together the butter and sugar until smooth.

Add eggs one at a time beating well between each one.  Mix in the vanilla extract.  Add the sifted flour to the creamed ingredients, alternating with the sour cream and ending with flour.

Spoon 1/2 of the batter into the bundt pan and top with all the reserved blueberry mixture.  Spread remaining batter on top.

Bake for 45 minutes or until cake is a deep golden color and a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.  Cool on wire rack for 20 minutes.  Gently loosen the sides of the cake and invert on the wire rack to finish cooling.

Dust with confectioners sugar.

Enjoy!!



Linked at: http://www.thecountrycook.net/

Orange Sweet Rolls

We must be in a citrus mood lately because our last two recipes have been make with lemons and now today I have a version of sweet rolls made with oranges. I made these sweet rolls for Easter brunch and everyone loved them!! They are time consuming since you have to allow the dough to rise 4 different times but they were completely worth every minute. These Orange Sweet Rolls would be perfect to make for your mom to eat her breakfast in bed when we celebrate Mother's Day in two weeks.

Ingredients for the Rolls:

1 3/4 Cup Warm Water

1 Small Package Active Yeast

1/3 Cup Sugar

2 Eggs

1/2 Cup I Can't Believe it's Not Butter - Melted

1 Tsp Salt

5 Cups Flour

Ingredients for the Filling:

1/2 Cup I Can't Believe it's Not Butter - Softened

1/2 Cup Sugar

Zest of 1 Orange

Ingredients for the Glaze:

2 Cups Powdered Sugar

2 Tbsp Orange Juice

Zest of 1 Orange

Adapted from: http://tastesbetterfromscratch.com/

In a small bowl combine the warm water, yeast and sugar. Let the mixture rest for 15 minutes, you will know the yeast is active when the water becomes frothy. In your mixer bowl with the dough hook attachment add the yeast mixture, eggs, melted butter, salt and flour. Knead the dough for 3 minutes on a medium speed. Cover the bowl with a towel and allow it to rise for 10 minutes. You will knead the dough two more times with the same amount of time. 3 minutes of kneading on a medium speed with 10 minutes of rest afterwards.

While the dough is resting and rising one of the three time you can make the filling for the rolls. In a small bowl combine the softened butter with sugar and orange zest. Make sure to wash the orange before you zest it. Also you don't want to zest down to the fruit because the white part under the rind is bitter so keep turning the orange as you zest it to make sure you don't go too deep into any section.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Lightly flour your table or counter-top. Using a spatula take all of the dough out of the mixer bowl. I had a hard time with this because it was very sticky. Section the dough into 3 large balls, making them as even as possible. 

Take each ball of dough and roll it out into a large rectangle. Spread each sheet of dough with some of the orange filling. I made a mistake by leaving a border and not spreading the filling all the way to the edges so learn from me.

Roll each dough sheet with filling up as tightly as you can. Using a serrated knife cut each roll every 2 inches or so to make the individual rolls.

Spray a muffin tin with Pam and place the individual rolls into each muffin tin opening. I have never made cinnamon rolls or anything similar like this I generally put them all together in a baking dish but this worked just as well with out any mess of trying to separate them after they were cooked. Allow the rolls to rise and rest once more for 30 minutes before baking them in the oven at 400 degrees for about 12 minutes or until the tops have gotten slightly golden brown.

While the rolls are baking you can make the glaze. In a small bowl combine the powdered sugar, orange juice and orange zest. Allow the rolls to cool for a few minutes before taking them out of the pans and drizzling them with the glaze.

Enjoy!!

Linked at: http://www.thecountrycook.net/