Classic Pumpkin Pie

Figured it was about time I finally wrote my pumpkin pie post. It's from an old cook book I photocopied from my mom and grandmother called Pies Husbands Like Best. Aaaahhahaha! But seriously, it's really simple, classic pie recipes, and they will never fail you!

Apple Almond Streusel Mini Muffins

I made these for a Halloween treat for my office. They disappeared from the kitchen almost immediately. Here we have apple almond streusel mini muffins!



The original recipe calls for Amaretto which usually I'm all for, but I didn't have any on hand. Someone must have drank it all...hmm... I've noted the substitution below! Also I suggest increasing the streusel topping, I wish I'd had more, so I've bumped it up in the recipe below. It's hard to have too much crumb topping. :o)

Apple Almond Streusel Mini Muffins
Adapted from ButterYum

For the streusel topping

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon plus a pinch extra ground cinnamon

3 tablespoons sliced or finely chopped almonds

3 tablespoons butter, chilled

For the muffins

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 cup sugar

2 ounces cream cheese

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon almond extract OR 2 tablespoons amaretto (almond liqueur)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 large egg

1/2 cup sour cream

1/4 cup milk

3/4 cup finely chopped apple apples

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

Make the streusel topping

1. In a small bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and almonds.
2. Cut in the butter using a pastry cutter, fork or by hand until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
3. Place in fridge until ready to use.

Make the muffins

1.  Preheat to 350F and line muffin pan with paper liners. 
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda and set aside.
3. In a second small bowl, combine apples and 1 tablespoon flour and also set aside for later.
4. In a third small bowl, combine sour cream and milk and set aside for later.
5. In a large bowl, cream together the cream cheese and butter.
6. Add the sugar and beat until fluffy. 
7. Add almond extract (or Amaretto), vanilla extract, and egg and beat until well blended. 
8. With the mixer on slow, add 1/3 of the flour mixture, then 1/2 of the sour cream mixture, the another 1/3 of the flour flour, then the remaining 1/2 sour cream, and finally the remaining 1/3 flour mixture. 
9. Stir in apples and spoon into prepared pan.
10. Go get your streusel topping and sprinkle it generously on top of the unbaked muffins.
11. Bake for 10 - 12 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
12. Cool in pan on wire rack for 15 minutes, then remove from pan and cool completely.

Easy Pumpkin Danish

I have but one photo to share with you of my pumpkin danish. Because we ate them all right away!



These are made by whipping up the filling, then cutting frozen puff pastry into quarters for each danish. I'm usually such a purist when it comes to baking, but I love puff pastry, and don't mind buying it! My advice on using the puff pastry is to let it thaw out in your fridge if possible, if it gets too warm, it's difficult to unfold! Also if you can, I recommend drizzling with glaze and dusting with powdered sugar right before you serve them, otherwise it melts into the danish!

Lemon Chiffon Layer Cupcakes

This is a repost of a recipe from my other, short-lived blog. I've decided to focus on masquerading domesticity here, so now it will be a one-stop-shop for all my baking cleverness! So here you go!

These are lemon chiffon cupcakes, with a layer of lemon curd in the middle and topped with vanilla glaze and a homemade candied lemon peel!

Lemon love!



So they weren't perfect! I'd never made chiffon cake before and it wasn't that difficult. But I wasn't really sure what to expect when I baked it into a cupcake. First I knew I wanted to slice them in the middle so I could add the layer of lemon curd, so I baked them without wrappers which is ALWAYS a headache! Never have I ever baked a cupcake or muffin where I didn't murder at least 3 before they came out of the pan when they had no wrappers.

Also I expected they would behave a bit more like an angel food cake which creeps up the side of the pan then keeps going. As you can see here, they didn't do that.

And, my vanilla glaze recipe was wrong wrong wrong, so I ended up adding too much milk. I adjusted the recipe below though so you can make a proper vanilla glaze.

Candying the lemon peel was fun though, if not a little stressful! If you're going to take on all parts of this cupcake, I suggest making the candy lemon peel first, then the lemon curd, then the cupcakes and finally the glaze.