Wednesday, May 20, 2020

Earl Grey Yogurt Cake

Another really quick recipe for you! Plus, you probably have all of the ingredients on hand! And who doesn't love Earl Grey?!







Early Grey Yogurt Cake Basically


Ingredients


1          cup vegetable oil, plus more for pan

2          cups (250g) all-purpose flour

1-1/2    teaspoon kosher salt

1/2       teaspoon baking powder

1/2       teaspoon baking soda

2          large eggs

1-1/4    cups (250g) granulated sugar

1          cup plain whole-milk yogurt

3          tablespoons loose-leaf Earl Grey tea or 1/4 tea from bags

2          teaspoons vanilla extract

1          tablespoon raw or granulated sugar


Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 325°. Lightly coat a 9x5" or 8½x4½" loaf pan with vegetable oil and line with parchment paper, leaving overhang on long sides. If you’re not sure what size your loaf pan is, measure it with a ruler from inside edge to inside edge for both the length and width. If you measure from the outside edge, you’ll get an inaccurate reading of the width of the pan, and your cake may end up overflowing! It's the actual empty space of the pan where the cake bakes that matters here, not the width of the entire pan including its edges.

2. Whisk 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour, 1-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon baking soda in a medium bowl to combine.

3. Vigorously whisk 2 large eggs and 1-1/4 cups (250 g) granulated sugar in a large bowl 1 minute (seriously, time it!); mixture should be pale yellow and frothy. Whisk in 1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt, 3 tablespoons loose-leaf Earl Grey tea (or 1/4 cup tea from bags), and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract.

4. Gradually stream in 1 cup vegetable oil, whisking constantly until incorporated. (Place a kitchen towel under your bowl to stabilize it so that you have two free hands.) Add dry ingredients and whisk to combine. Scrape batter into prepared pan and smooth top. Gently tap pan against surface to eliminate any air bubbles.

5. Sprinkle evenly with 1 Tbsp. raw or granulated sugar. Bake cake until a skewer or toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 1 hour.

6. Let cool 15 minutes in pan, then run a butter knife or offset spatula between the cake and pan to release. Lift it out using parchment overhang and transfer to a wire rack. Serve warm or room temperature (or even better, toast slices and slather them with butter!).

Wednesday, May 13, 2020

No Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Bars

Very quick and easy to make! Enjoy!






No Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Bars Sugar Apron

Prep: 15 minutes  Chill: 2 hours


Ingredients


1          cup butter


½         cup brown sugar, packed


1         teaspoon vanilla extract


3          cups rolled oats


1          cup semisweet or dark chocolate chips


½         cup peanut butter


Instructions:

1. Line an 8-inch or 9-inch square baking dish with parchment paper and set aside.
Overhangs the edges of the parchment paper to lift the bars easier from the baking dish.
You can use a 9x13-inch if you want thinner bars.

2. Melt butter and brown sugar in large saucepan over medium heat, until the butter has melted
and the sugar has dissolved. Stir in vanilla. Mix in the oats. Cook over low heat for 3 to 4
minutes, or until ingredients are well blended.

3. Pour half of the oat mixture into the prepared baking dish. Spread out the mixture evenly
pressing down. Reserve the other half for the second layer.

4. To make the filling, melt the peanut butter and chocolate chips together in a small
microwave-safe bowl (15 second increments, stir each time) and stir until it's smooth.
Reserve 1/4 cup of chocolate mixture, set aside. Pour remaining chocolate mixture over
the crust in the pan. Spread evenly.

5. Pour the remaining oat mixture over the chocolate layer, pressing in gently and drizzle with the
remaining chocolate mixture.

6. Refrigerate 2 to 3 hours, or overnight. Bring to room temperature before cutting into bars.

7. Note: Like any no-bake cookie, the final texture of these really depends on how long you boil
the sugar mixture. If it doesn't boil long enough, the cookie/bars mixture will be too soft, if you
boil too long, they could turns out dry and crumbly.

Wednesday, April 15, 2020

King Arthur Flour: Vanilla Cake Pan Cake

Today, with life the way it is, a lot of baking supplies are in short supply. I was happy to wake up and see a post from King Arthur Flour, showing off their Vanilla Cake Pan Cake. It does not call for eggs or milk. A super easy cake to whip up... tasty too!

           

Vanilla Cake Pan Cake  King Arthur Flour


Cake

2            cups (241 grams)  King Arthur Flour All-Purpose flour

3/4         teaspoon salt

1-1/2      teaspoon baking powder

1/2         teaspoon baking soda

3/4         cup + 2 tablespoons (198 grams) water

1/2         cup (99 grams) vegetable oil

3/4         cup (149 grams) granulated sugar

4-1/2      teaspoons (21 grams) cider or white vinegar

1            tablespoon (14 grams) vanilla extract

1/2         teaspoon almond extract



Frosting

1/4         cup butter (57 grams), regular or vegan, at room temperature

2-1/2      cups (283 grams) confectioner's sugar, sifted if lumpy

1/8         teaspoon salt

1/2         teaspoon vanilla extract

About 2 tablespoons (28 grams) water



1. Preheat the oven at 350 degrees F. Lightly grease an 8" square or 9" round pan that's at least 2" deep.

2. To make the cake: In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside.

3. In a separate bowl or large measuring cup, whisk together the water, vegetable oil, sugar, vinegar, vanilla, and almond extract.

4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir to combine. It's OK for a few small lumps to remain.

5. Pour batter into prepared pan.

6. Bake the cake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the top feels set, the edges begin to pull away from the sides of the pan, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

7. Remove the cake from the oven and either serve the cake warm from the over or allow it to cool completely in the pan before frosting.

8. To make the frosting: Beat together the butter, confectioner's sugar, and salt until no large pieces of butter remain.

9. Add the vanilla and 1 tablespoon water, beating to incorporate. Ass enough additional water, a teaspoon at a time, to make spreadable frosting.

10. Leaving the cake right in the pan, if desired, us a spatula or flat knife to apply the frosting.

11. Store the cake, well wrapped, at room temperature for several days. Freeze for longer storage.

**For gluten-free version, substitute King Arthur Gluten-Free Measure for Measure Flour for all-purpose flour; and add 1 large egg to the batter along with the wet ingredients.



Saturday, March 21, 2020

Caramel Sticky Buns

I don't enjoy reading long blog post before finally getting to the recipe that I am interested in. I don't generally care about some secret ingredient and how it was found on the shores of some tiny remote island.

I like to cut to the chase! I hope you don't mind.




Caramel Sticky Buns Pumpkin N Spice

1/4            cup unsalted butter

1/2            cup packed light brown sugar

Pinch of salt

2              tablespoons honey

2              tablespoons heavy whipping cream

1              teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract

1              (12 pack) King's Hawaiian Original Hawaiian Sweet Rolls


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease an 8-inch baking pan with cooking spray. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan, melt butter, brown sugar, honey, and salt over medium heat, stirring occasionally until sugar is completely dissolved and mixture is bubbling.

Remove pan from heat and add heavy whipping cream and vanilla extract, stirring to combine. Spread caramel sauce onto the bottom of prepared dish and top evenly with chopped pecans. Place uncut rolls upside down onto caramel mixture.

Bake for about 15 minutes, or until caramel mixture is bubbly. Remove from oven and invert dish onto a large serving platter or plate. Let dish remain inverted for 2-3 minutes, as caramel sauce will drip down sides of rolls and thicken. Slice and enjoy!

Notes:

Caramel sticky bins will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days.

Sticky buns can be frozen in a freezer-safe container for up to three months. When ready to serve, thaw in the refrigerator and then microwave for a warm treat.

Tuesday, March 17, 2020

North Carolina Lemon Pie

I am teaching from home, since my school has been closed, due to the craziness that is now occurring. So, with that comes a little bit more time to do stuff throughout the day. I decided to make this pie. It is very quick to mix up and bake. It does take a bit of chilling time (4 hours), so, keep that in mind.

My only suggestions... don't forget to add the corn syrup to the crust like I did. And, maybe care a little bit more when pressing the crust into the pie plate, so it is not uneven, like mine. Ha, ha.



North Carolina Lemon Pie America's Test Kitchen


Crust

6            ounces saltines (approx. 53 crackers)

1/8         teaspoon salt

10          tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1/4         cup light corn syrup


Filling

1            (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

4            large egg yolks

1/4         cup heavy cream

1            tablespoon grated lemon zest plus 1/2-cup juice (3 lemons)

1/8         teaspoon salt


Topping

1/2         cup heavy cream, chilled

2            teaspoons sugar

1/2         teaspoon vanilla extract


FOR THE CRUST: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Combine saltines and salt in food processor and pulse to coarse crumbs, about 15 pulses. Add melted butter and corn syrup and pulse until crumbs are broken down into oatmeal-size pieces, about 15 pulses.

Transfer saltine mixture to greased 9-inch pie plate. Using bottom of dry measuring cup, press crumbs into even layer on bottom sides of plate, using your hand to keep crumbs from spilling over plate edge. Place plate on baking sheet and bake until light and golden brown and fragrant, 17 to 19 minutes.

FOR THE FILLING: Whisk condensed milk, egg yolks, cream, lemon zest, and salt in bowl until fully combined. Whisk in lemon juice until fully incorporated.

With pie plate still on sheet, pour filling into crust (crust needn't be cool). Bake pie until edges are beginning to set but center still jiggles when shaken, 15 to 17 minutes. Place pie on wire rack and let cool completely. Refrigerate pie until fully chilled, about 4 hours.

FOR THE TOPPING: Using stand mixer fitted with whisk, whip cream, sugar, and vanilla on medium-low speed until foamy, about 1 minute. Increase speed to high and whip until stiff peaks form, 1 to 3 minutes. Spread whipped cream over top of pie.