White Chocolate Cranberry Cake

This cake tastes even better than it looks! The tart cranberries are complemented by the perfectly sweet white chocolate icing. It’s the perfect cake to celebrate the winter season and the holidays. The cake is so rich and buttery, it’s reminiscent of an old fashioned pound cake. I think this would be awesome with raspberries or blueberries. The possibilities are endless! This cake is sure to please and impress everyone at your holiday party!

For the Sugared Cranberries:
2 cups fresh cranberries
1 1/2 cups sugar, divided
1 cup water

Bring 1 cup sugar and water to a simmer in a saucepan and cook until sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from heat and allow to cool for about 10 minutes. Pour cranberries into syrup and coat fully. Place berries on a wire rack to dry, about an hour. Add sugar to a large ziplock bag. Add berries and shake until fully coated with the sugar. Set aside and allow to dry for another hour.

For the Cake:
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups sugar
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups butter, softened
3 eggs
2 tbsp vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream
1 cup milk
2 cups fresh cranberries

Preheat oven to 350. Prepare three 8 inch cake pans. Whisk together flour, sugar and baking powder in a large mixing bowl. Add butter, eggs, vanilla, sour cream and milk and mix on medium speed until smooth. Gently stir in cranberries by hand. Divide batter between the prepared pans. Bake 35-40 minutes, until slightly golden brown on top. Allow to cool completely before icing.

For the White Chocolate Icing:
12 oz white chocolate chips
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream +2 tbsp to finish
1/2 cup butter, softened
6 cups powdered sugar

Place white chocolate chips in a metal bowl. Heat heavy cream until it starts to boil. Pour over chocolate chips and cover the bowl with saran wrap for 5-7 minutes. Whisk chocolate and cream until smooth. Allow ganache to sit until thickened and cooled. Beat the ganache with a mixer for about 2-3 minutes, until smooth and fluffy. Add butter and beat until it is fully combined. Slowly add powdered sugar a cup at a time, mixing after each addition. Add remaining 2 tbsp of heavy cream to finish the icing.

Ice cake and top with sugared berries and garnish with rosemary sprigs.

Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies

I’m back! Just in time for the the most wonderful time of the year. Don’t worry, my epic Thanksgiving recap post will be coming soon, but first COOKIES! As you know, red velvet is always a hit on Mahogany Trail. These were no exception. They’re the perfect holiday cookie. You can make the dough ahead of time and keep in the fridge. I always add in red velvet bakery emulsion to really boost the flavor and the color. You can pick it up at Sur la Table. These cookies are perfectly chewy with a rich chocolate flavor. Bottom line, if you love red velvet these are for you. Enjoy!

3 cups flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 1/3 cups sugar
3 large eggs
1 tbsp milk
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
5 tsp red food coloring
1 cup powdered sugar

In a mixing bowl whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whip butter and granulated sugar with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy. Mix in eggs 1 at a time, blending until combined after each. Add in milk, vanilla, lemon juice and red food coloring. On low speed, slowly add in dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and chill 1-2 hours. The dough needs to be firm enough to roll into balls. Preheat oven to 350. Pour powdered sugar into a bowl. Roll dough into medium balls. Roll balls into powdered sugar and evenly coat. Transfer to lined baking sheets and flatten slightly. Bake in preheated oven 12-14 minutes. Eat immediately, it’ll be worth the burns. LOL! Store in an airtight container.

Bake Apples

8 apples (I used fuji apples)
4 tbsp butter
⅓ cup brown sugar
½ tsp cinnamon

½ cup flour
¼ cup oats
⅓ cup brown sugar
¼ cup sugar
¼ tsp salt
½ tsp cinnamon
4 tbsp butter, chilled and cut into cubes

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. First, prepare the crumble topping. In a medium bowl whisk together flour, oats, brown sugar, sugar, salt, and cinnamon. Cut in the butter with a pastry knife, or two forks, or with your hands until mixture is crumbly. Peel and chop 4 of the apples. Add chopped apples, butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon to a medium sauce pan and sauté over medium heat for 8-10 minutes or until apples are tender. Remove from heat. Chop the tops off of the remaining 4 apples and use a spoon to scoop out the flesh. You don’t need to get every little bit out, just enough to make a “bowl” for the filling. Fill apples with apple filling from the sauce pan. Top with a generous amount of crumble topping. Place stuffed apples on a baking sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes until crumble topping is crispy. Serve warm and top with ice cream and caramel sauce.

Salted Caramel Apple Tart

This tart looks really impressive and takes absolutely no time to put together.

1 sheet (half of a 17.3-ounce package) puff pastry, thawed
2 small Granny Smith apples
2 tbsp lemon juice
3 tbsp brown sugar
1 large egg
15 caramels melted with a dash of milk
Sea salt

Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment or baking mat. Slice the apples into thin (about 1/4-inch) pieces. Place them in a large bowl then add the lemon juice and brown sugar to the bowl and toss to combine. Unfold the sheet of puff pastry onto the lined baking sheet. Lightly score the dough by cutting a border 1 inch from the edges (do not cut through the pastry). Prick the pastry all over with a fork. Arrange the apple slices on the puff pastry inside the border area. Whisk together the egg with 1 Tablespoon water. Brush the edges of the pastry with the eggwash then bake the tart for 15 to 17 minutes until golden and puffed. Melt the caramel and milk for 30-60 seconds to create a caramel sauce. Remove the tart from the oven oven, drizzle it with caramel sauce and sprinkle it with sea salt. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Pie Cinnamon Rolls

Pumpkin pie + cinnamon rolls = PERFECTION

Mahogany trail is ready for Fall. The wreath has been hung, the the scarecrow is out, the tables is set and all things pumpkin are on the menu. So when I ran across this recipe I had no choice but to try it out. I altered it slightly from the original version to add the spices into the icing. It turned out amazing, the warmth of the flavors is fantastic! I will definitely be doubling the icing recipe for cupcakes. It would be fabulous on apple, pumpkin or brown sugar cupcakes. The best part about this recipe is how quick and easy it is. You’ll be done start to finish in 30 minutes. One bite and I felt like Fall was officially here, which is a big deal since it was 85 degrees here today. Ha! If you’re a fan of pumpkin pie and cinnamon rolls you can’t go wrong with these!

Top them with the icing as soon as they come out of the oven to ensure it gets in all the cracks and crevices. Amazing!

2 cans Pillsbury Crescent Rounds
1/2 cup pumpkin puree (not pie filling)
1 tbsp milk
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg

4-oz cream cheese, softened
1-1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg

Preheat oven to 375. Prepare two 8 inch cake pans. Separate dough into 16 rolls and unroll. In a small bowl, mix together pumpkin puree, milk, brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Evenly divide pumpkin filling and spread over each piece of rolled-out dough. Carefully roll up each dough. Arrange the rolls 1 inch apart in the prepared cake pan. Bake for 16 to 18 minutes, or until tops are golden brown. In the meantime prepare the frosting. Place cream cheese in your mixer’s bowl and cream for 1 minute. Gradually add in powdered sugar and continue to beat until well combined, then add in spices. Remove pans from oven and immediately top with icing.

Buttermilk Biscuits

These are my go to biscuits. This recipe is from Bobby Flay’s Bar Americain cookbook. I bought the book for his famous Kentucky hot brown recipe, but this is absolutley the most used recipe from the book. You will not be disappointed. One thing I like to do with the biscuit dough is cut it into 4 square peices and stack it top before patting it out again. This builds the flakey layers to make them even more mouth wateringly delicious! Thanks to Jason for this tip! Bobby likes to top these with fresh cracked pepper, which I usually do or half for a more savory version. Enjoy!

4 cups all purpose flour
1 tbsp + 1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
12 tbsp unsalted butter, cubed
1 1/2 buttermilk
1/2 cup heavy cream

Preheat the oven to 450. Combine the flour , baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Cut in the cold butter using a pastry cutter until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the buttermilk and mix gently until the mixture just comes together. Scrape the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Pat the dough into a 10×12 rectangle about 3/4 inch thick. Cut biscuits with a 2 inch cutter. Place biscuits 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheet and brush the top with the heavy cream. Bake for 12-15 minutes until golden brown.

Blueberry Corn Quick Bread

Ok, so I’m on a bread kick. I’ll blame it on the banana bread I started with. Ha! This bread was inspired by pancakes at my favorite hotel. The Four Seasons at Troon North serves blue corn lemon ricotta pancakes with blueberries on top. It might be September, but one bite of this bread I’m right there at the Four Seasons with my Mom for our annual Mother’s Day trip. Enjoy!

1 1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 stick butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup milk
Zest of 1 lemon (reserve juice)
1 cup blueberries

1/2 cup powdered sugar
Juice of 1 lemon

Preheat oven 350. Whisk together the dry ingredients. Beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, vanilla and lemon zest, followed by the milk. Add in the dry ingredients and mix until combined. Stir in the blueberries. Pour into prepared loaf pan and bake for 55-65 minutes. Mix the juice of the lemon with powdered sugar to make a glaze to pour on top.

Spiced Apple Walnut Bread

What could be more perfect for Fall than this bread? The answer is…nothing! It’s the perfect blend of warm Fall spices. The apples just melt away to create a luxuriously moist bread. This base recipe can be used for several other versions of quick bread. Swap out the apples for bananas, double the walnuts and omit the cranberries for a fantastic banana nut bread. Either way you can’t go wrong. Enjoy!

1 large apple, peeled and shredded
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup sour cream
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 350. Prepare a 9×5 loaf pan. Whisk the apple, oil, sour cream, eggs and vanilla. Separately combine the dry ingredients. Food the wet into the dry and mix until just combined. Add to loaf pan and bake for 55-65 minutes.

Salted Caramel Apple Hand Pies

 

Today is the first day of September, so here on Mahogany Trail we are celebrating the coming of Fall. Fall has always been my absolute favorite time of year! Fall means sweaters and boots, pumpkin, halloween, football, crisp, cool weather and the best baking of the year! These pies pretty much sum up all things wonderful about Fall. As you know caramel apple pie is the only apple pie I ever make (see post THE apple pie). I made the first pumpkin pie of the year, per my 11 year olds request and found myself with half of my homemade pie crust leftover. Wha to do? How about try a version of my famous caramel apple pie in a miniature had held version? Yes please! So that’s where I found the inspiration for these little pockets of perfection. Enjoy!

1 pie crust (as prepared for THE apple pie)
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled and cubed (think chocolate chips/corn kernels)
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tbsp flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup kraft caramel bits
Fleur de sel salt (fancy shmancy flaky salt…lol)
1 egg, beaten for egg wash
Turbinado sugar for topping

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Prepare your apples and mix with lemon, flour, sugar and cinnamon. Roll out the pie crust and cut 6 each 3 inch and 4 inch rounds. You w ill use the 3 inch as the bottom and the 4 inch as the top. Place a pile of apples on top of the 3 inch rounds. Top with caramel bits and a sprinkle of the salt. If you can’t find the caramel bits, you could always cut up regular sized caramels. Now place the 4 inch crust on top and press the edges with a fork to seal the pie. Slice vents in the top to let the steam out. Brush the top of the pie with the egg wash and sprinkle turbinado sugar on top. Bake until slightly golden brown and caramel bubbling, about 15 minutes. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving.

 

 

Peanut Butter Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

These muffins are perfect! They take less than 5 minutes to prep, taste amazing and are actually good for you. I’ve tried several versions of “good for you” muffins and never liked any of them. These are a winner! They will definitely be showing up in Cypress Village on a regular basis. Especially since we (the Hot Moms of Cypress Village) are all working toward out bathing suit bodies. LOL!

1 cup natural peanut butter
2 ripe bananas
2 eggs
1/2 tsp baking soda
i tsp vanilla
2 tbsp honey
Optional toppings- chocolate chips, raisins, cranberries, coconut, raspberries, blueberries

Preheat oven to 400. Place all ingredients, except topping, in blender and pulse until combined. Fill muffin cups 3/4 of the way full. Bake for 16-18 minutes. Makes about 9 muffins.