Chocolate Fudge Bundt Cake

No one has to know that this is made with zucchini!

Chocolate Fudge Bundt Cake

The holiday season is the season for chocolate. It's also the season we start to use all of those fruits and veggies we have canned, frozen or preserved during the summer. This chocolate fudge cake combines the best of both; it has a rich, chocolate flavor, and its incredible moistness comes thanks to the inclusion of shredded, frozen zucchini squash. The squash is undetectable, so even veggie haters will relish this cake.

In addition, this recipe requires only two pieces of equipment: one medium mixing bowl for the dry ingredients and a food processor that holds at least 11 cups. The recipe is a gem when it comes to easy preparation and clean up.

This recipe creates enough batter for a three-layer cake, but because it really needs no frosting, I prefer baking it in a Bundt pan or tube pan. This makes 12 - 16 hefty slices.

The cake freezes well, making it ideal for baking ahead and serving when time is short but the craving for something sweet is not.


Chocolate Fudge Bundt Cake


3 c. all purpose flour
1/2 c. baking cocoa
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
3 c. shredded zucchini
1/2 c. butter (no substitutes), softened to room temperature
1/2 c. sour cream
2 1/2 c. granulated sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract

Measure flour, baking cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a medium mixing bowl. Whisk together until dry ingredients are thoroughly blended.

Using the blade attachment in the food processor, add the zucchini to the bowl. Puree on high speed. Add eggs, sour cream and vanilla; pulse together until mixture is well blended. Add granulated sugar and butter, one tablespoon at a time; process until butter is incorporated. Add in dry ingredients, pulse to incorporate, then process for two minutes until all of the dry ingredients are incorporated and batter is smooth.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9" Bundt or tube pan with a nonstick spray for baking. Pour batter evenly into pan; shake to eliminate air bubbles. Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until cake tester comes out clean and edges begin to pull away from the sides of the pan. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before releasing from pan.

Golden Honey Whole Wheat Bread

Honey Whole Wheat Bread

Now that it's the holiday season and the outside temperature is a good reason to light a fire in the wood burning stove, it is also a good time to bake yeast bread. Yeast dough rises perfectly in a warm, moist environment; a wood stove and stainless steel pan of water help to create this environment that also is quite comfy for humans and cats.

I happen to love whole grain breads, and this loaf not only has a wealth of wheat flavor but bakes to a lovely brown color. The extra pizazz added by braiding the dough adds a lightly festive touch to it all. The addition of honey rather than granulated sugar adds a depth of flavor that is unique, and it also creates a baked good that is light rather than dense.

Although this is not a sweet bread, it is a treat. Slather a thick slice with real butter or cream cheese and enjoy with a cup of hot tea.

Honey Whole Wheat Bread

1 pk. (2 1/4 tsp) dry yeast
1 c. all purpose flour
2 c. whole wheat flour
1 tsp. salt
1 large whole egg
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1/4 c. golden honey
1 c. warm water


In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flours and salt. Measure one cup of dry mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer. Add in yeast and blend at lowest speed.

In a microwave-proof measuring cup or glass bowl, heat water, oil and honey together for 1-2 minutes or until liquid reaches 165 degrees. With blade turning slowly on the mixer, add warm liquid. Beat on low-medium speed for 5 minutes.

Add in the rest of the flour mixture and egg. Beat using blade until thoroughly mixed, then switch to dough hook. Blend until dough forms a ball and clears the edges of the mixing bowl.

Using vegetable oil pan spray, grease the inside of a large bowl. Turn dough out of the mixing bowl into the greased bowl, greasing the top and sides of the dough. Moisten several paper towels and cover the mixing bowl. Place dough in a warm, draft-free area (85 - 100 degrees is best) to rise until doubled, about 1 hour.

Grease and flour a 9 x 5 loaf pan. Punch down dough after it has risen, and separate into three pieces that are equal in size. Using your hands, shape each piece into a 14" long rope. Braid the ropes together on a nonstick surface (parchment paper is excellent). Tuck the ends under, and place braid into the loaf pan. Cover with moistened paper towels and allow to rise a second time, about 30-45 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place loaf, uncovered, into oven and bake for 40-45 minutes. Allow to cool 10 minutes before removing from pan.

Holiday Favorites: Anise Slices Cookies

Holiday Favorites: Anise Slices

The herb anise is a traditional flavor for Christmas cookies in both Italy and Germany. Anise tastes like black licorice, so if you love black jelly beans then these butter cookies are for you. They are flavored with both essential oil and anise seed; the seed gives them a little crunch as well as taste.

The secret to having these cookies be light and have that melt in your mouth texture is to work the dough just until it comes together. Overbeating the dough will toughen the gluten in the flour, which makes the cookies dense. A good dough will begin to form large clumps, which can be shaped into a log by hand.

Dough shaped into a log and ready to chill

Anise Slices
2 1/4 c. all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 c. unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 c. granulated sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp. anise oil
2 tbsp. anise seed

In medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and anise seed. Set aside.

Cream butter and sugar together in a large mixing bowl. Add egg and anise oil, and beat until thoroughly mixed. Add dry ingredients, beating slowly to incorporate and then until dough begins to form clumps and comes together.

Separate dough into two halves. Place each half on a separate sheet of waxed paper. Roll into a log 2" in diameter. Twist ends of paper shut and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Slice each dough log into 1/4" slices, and place slices on baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until edges are slightly golden. Immediately slide parchment off hot baking sheet and allow cookies to cool. Makes 3 dozen.

Blueberry Pound Cake

Frozen blueberries, sour cream and real butter
add body and flavor to this pound cake.

Blueberry Pound Cake

Pound cake of any kind is a favorite of mine. Rich, moist and essentially foolproof, poundcake doesn't require special flour, sifting or a lot of fussy preparation. The typical poundcake is baked in either a standard loaf pan or a Bundt pan. It doesn't need frosting, and it can be used as a breakfast bread or as a dessert.

This particular recipe contains sour cream and frozen blueberries. It tastes a lot like a blueberry pancake in loaf form. It is made for noshing with tea or a fresh cup of hot dark roast coffee.

Blueberry Pound Cake
3/4 c. butter (no substitutes)
1 1/2 c. granulated sugar
3 eggs
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 c. all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 c. sour cream
1 1/2 c. frozen blueberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and lightly flour 10x4 inch tube pan, Bundt pan or two 8 1/2 x 5 1/2 inch loaf pans.

Using the microwave, melt butter in a large mixing bowl. Add granulated sugar and blend on low speed until sugar is dissolved. Add the vanilla and eggs, beating until thoroughly incorporated.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in medium mixing bowl. With mixer on low speed, alternate adding flour and sour cream. When all ingredients have been added, increase mixer speed to medium and beat for 2 minutes.

Pour 1/3 of the batter into prepared pans. Top this layer with 3/4 c. frozen blueberries. Add another 1/3 of the batter, and layer with 3/4 c. blueberries. Cover with final 1/3 of batter. If desired, swirl blueberries gently throughout the batter using a knife or spatula.

Bake in preheated oven - 45 to 50 minutes for loaves, 60 - 65 minutes for tube or Bundt pan, or until cake tester comes out clean. Cool slightly in pan before removing.

NOTE: Keep the blueberries frozen for this recipe, otherwise they will stain the batter blue.

Oatmeal Honey Cookies

Oatmeal Honey Cookies

Just in time for Rosh Hashana, a recipe that uses honey as one of its main ingredients. These oatmeal cookies are soft, mildly sweet and full of oat flavor. They capture the essence of autumn, and are a nice addition to your new year's table. There is no dairy in this recipe (butter makes the cookies much too soft) so they are fine with meat or dairy meals. Bake them with or without nuts; they are good either way.

Oatmeal Honey Cookies
1 1/2 c. all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
2/3 c. vegetable shortening
1 c. packed dark brown sugar
1/3 c honey
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 1/2 c. quick cooking rolled oats
(optional) 2 c. chopped pecans or walnuts

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Set aside.

Melt the vegetable shortening in a microwave-safe bowl, and pour into the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the brown sugar, honey and vanilla. Using the hard paddle blade, mix together until sugar has dissolved into the melted shortening. Allow to stand at room temperature for about 5 minutes; the shortening will begin to firm.

Alternate addition of the dry ingredients with the eggs, beating after each addition. Fold in nuts, if desired. Cover dough with plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes; dough will be very sticky.

Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Using a cookie scoop or tablespoon, drop dough about 2 inches apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake for 10 - 12 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden.

Immediately slide parchment onto wire cooling racks; allow to cool for 5 minutes, then slide cookies off parchment and onto cooling racks to cool completely. Makes 30 - 36 cookies, depending on the scoop size.

Apple Carrot Bread

Apple Carrot Bread

The second wave of apples is ripening at my house. These are the heirloom variety, Pound Sweet, which live up to their name. The apples can weigh as much as a pound each, and the fruit is exceptionally juicy and sweet. The only downside is that these apples don't have that little bit of tart (malic acid) that characterizes the best eating and cooking apples.

Pound Sweet apples (and Golden Delicious, which shares a lot of the genetics) are very good for baking. They don't get mushy, and their size means that it doesn't require peeling and coring a lot of apples to have enough material for a recipe.  And since daytime temperatures have dropped from the high 80s to the mid-70s, I decided today was a good day to bake some loaves of apple carrot bread.

Is it bread, or is it cake? That's a difficult question. It doesn't require cake flour, but the texture and flavor are cake-like. It really doesn't matter, though, unless you are prejudiced against eating a piece of cake for breakfast.

NOTE: The flavoring I used in this is called Princess Cake and Cookie emulsion. This is a thick liquid that has a slightly floral flavor that combines vanilla and citrus. It can be purchased through Lorann Oils, or on Amazon.com.

Apple Carrot Bread

3 c. all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. butter (no substitutes)
1/2 c. solid vegetable shortening
2 c. granulated sugar
1 tsp. Princess Cake and Cookie emulsion (or substitute 3/4 tsp. vanilla and 1/4 tsp. lemon extract)
3 eggs
1 c. shredded carrots
1 c. grated peeled apples

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare two 9 x 5 loaf pans with nonstick cooking spray.

In medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.

In large microwave-safe bowl, melt butter and shortening on high. Pour into bowl of stand mixer. Add granulated sugar and Princess Cake and Cookie emulsion. Using flexible blade, cream together until sugar is dissolved in shortening.

Alternate addition of eggs, grated apples and carrots and dry ingredients on low speed. After all ingredients are folded together, increase speed to medium and beat for 2 minutes.

Pour batter evenly into 2 prepared loaf pans. Bake for 50 - 60 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean and bread begins to separate from sides of pan. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before turning out onto cooling rack.

If desired, frost with cream cheese icing or drizzle loaf with confectioner's icing. Because the fruit in the bread keeps it very moist, it is prone to molding if left at room temperature. Store in airtight container(s) in refrigerator, or freeze for future use.

Apple Pandowdy

Dutchess of Oldenburg apples are an early ripening heirloom variety

Apple Pandowdy

I grow heirloom apples. One variety that ripens very early is the Dutchess of Oldenburg. This particular apple is the size of a crabapple, but it has the genetics of a MacIntosh. So even though it requires harvesting, peeling and coring a large number of the apples to make anything, the end result is well worth the effort.

Because the apple variety is several hundred years old, I decided that it was best used in a traditional American recipe, using traditional American tools. Apple pandowdy baked in a cast iron skillet was the logical - and tasty - conclusion.

What is a pandowdy? It's basically a one-crust pie. The filling is heaped into the skillet, and pie pastry is latticed over the top. When the pandowdy is scooped out, the flaky crust mixes into the filling, absorbing all of the spicy and fragrant juice. Because apples are high in pectin, you don't need to add any thickening agents such as corn starch or Clear-Gel. However, if you like a really firm filling, you are free to do so.

You don't need a cast iron skillet for this recipe. If you have a traditional casserole dish (or if you sprang for one of those Copper Chef square pans) you can use these deep dishes to make your pandowdy. The beauty of cast iron is that it distributes heat evenly so your filling and crust aren't overbaked in one area and undercooked in another.

Pandowdy baked in a cast iron skillet

Pastry:

1 c. all purpose flour

1/2 tsp. salt

6 tbsp. vegetable shortening

2 - 3 tbsp. ice water

Filling:

1 gallon (8 cups) apple slices

3/4 c. light brown sugar

1 tbsp. lemon juice

1/2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. allspice

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1/4 tsp. ground cloves

To make pastry: whisk together flour and salt. Using a pastry blender, add shortening one tablespoon at a time, cutting in thoroughly until mixture resembles small pebbles. Add ice water, one tablespoon at a time, and blend until dough holds together. Remove pastry from bowl, shape into a ball and flatten into a disc. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least one hour before rolling out.

While your pastry chills, prepare the apple filling. Place sliced apples in large bowl and add lemon juice. In small bowl, mix together brown sugar, spices and salt. Add to apples; use a wooden spoon to stir and coat apples with sugar, spices and lemon juice.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray a deep casserole dish or a seasoned cast iron skillet with nonstick spray. Add apples to skillet; heap excess in the middle to avoid having the filling spill over the edges.

Remove pastry from refrigerator, unwrap, place on lightly floured surface and roll out to 1/8" thick. Cut into strips 1/2" wide; create a lattice over the top of the filling.

Bake the pandowdy for 35 to 40 minutes or until crust is a golden brown.

Hot Cross Buns for Easter brunch

Hot cross buns are an Easter tradition

The hot cross bun is a traditional end-of-Lent snack. Slightly sweet laden with dried fruit and topped with confectioner's icing, hot cross buns are a nice transition from Lenten austerity to Easter abundance.

Hot cross buns are made with a rich yeast dough. Using the microwave oven and electric mixer simplify preparation. The traditional recipes use dried currants and raisins, but you can create your own flavor combinations with other dried fruits, such as cranberries, chopped dried apricots and even dried blueberries.

Hot Cross Buns
1 pk. (1/4 oz, or 2 1/4 tsp) active dry yeast
1 c. whole milk
3 tbsp. butter
1 egg
2 tbsp. granulated sugar
3/4 tsp. salt
3 c. all purpose flour
1/2 c. dried fruit
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground allspice

In a medium bowl, whisk together 2 c. flour, salt, cinnamon and allspice. Add dried fruit, dredging to coat the pieces with the flour mixture.

Place milk and butter into a microwave-safe cup or bowl. Heat for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes on high, until milk is very warm and butter is melted.

Place 1 c. flour, granulated sugar and yeast into large mixing bowl. Using the paddle attachment, mix together at slow speed. Add hot liquid, incorporating well before increasing mixing speed. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes, then add egg. Continue beating on medium speed for 3 more minutes.

Lower mixer speed, and add the remaining flour mixture. Beat until a sticky ball is formed.

Remove dough and place on floured surface. Knead with floured hands until dough loses its stickiness and gloss. Place in a greased bowl, cover with a moistened towel or cling wrap and allow to rise at room temperature until doubled in bulk (about 1 hour).

Punch down dough. Prepare two baking sheets with parchment paper. Shape dough into 12 2" balls and arrange on baking sheets. Using kitchen shears, cut a cross shape into the top of each ball. Allow to rise at room temperature until doubled, about 1/2 hour.

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Bake buns for 15 - 20 minutes. Allow to cool slightly before piping confectioner's icing into cross.

Confectioner's Icing
1 c. confectioner's sugar
1 to 2 tbsp. water, milk or cream
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Sift confectioner's sugar into small bowl. Stir in extract and liquid, 1 tsp. at a time, until icing is of spreading consistency. Cover until ready to use.

NOTES:

If you prefer a bun that is browned, combine 1 egg yolk with 2 tbsp. water and brush the buns with the egg mixture before baking.

Soft and Chocolaty Peanut Butter Cookies

Peanut butter is a universal language. Combine it with milk chocolate and you have an irresistible flavor combination that begs you to eat. Traditional peanut butter cookies can be a little dry and crumbly, but these peanut butter cup inspired cookies are large, soft, chewy and swimming with flavor. They are excellent for dunking in milk or coffee, and the extra large size turns a single cookie into a satisfying between meal snack or dessert.


To shape these cookies, use an ice cream scoop. Level off the dough, and then deposit the cookies onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet using the lever that is attached to the scoop. Your cookies will be uniform in size and thickness.


These cookies freeze nicely. Make them in large quantities and then store them in recloseable plastic bags in the freezer for future cookie emergencies.



Soft and Chocolaty Peanut Butter Cookies
2 1/2 c. all purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 c. peanut butter (creamy or crunchy)
1/2 c. butter, room temperature
1 1/2 c. packed light brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2 c. milk chocolate chips


In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
Place peanut butter, softened butter and vanilla in large mixing bowl. Cream together at medium speed. Beat in brown sugar and eggs. On low speed, beat in dry ingredients just until the dough comes together. Fold in milk chocolate chips.


Using plastic wrap, cover dough and chill at least an hour, preferably overnight.


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Drop dough onto prepared baking sheets using a tablespoon or ice cream scoop.  Bake for 10 -  12 minutes using middle racks, rotating sheets halfway through baking. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before removing from sheet. Makes 2 - 3 dozen, depending on size of scoop used.