Bloomin’ Baked Apples

Ingredients:

• 2 Honeycrisp apples (or other crisp apples)
• 2 tbsp butter
• 3 tbsp brown sugar, packed
• 1 tbsp flour
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 4 caramels
• Optional toppings: vanilla ice cream, caramel sauce and cinnamon

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. To get the blooming apple look, you need to cut the apples. Slice off the top ¼ to ⅓ of the apples. Scoop out the core. I don’t have an apple corer so I used my metal ½ teaspoon measuring spoon. Then, use a thin knife to make two, deep circular cuts around the center of the apple. Next, turn the apple over and make narrow cuts all the way around the apple. Flip it back over and you can see all of the cuts.
3. Place the apples in an oven safe dish and put two caramels into the center of each apple.
4. Heat butter and brown sugar in the microwave for 30 second, stir and continue heating for an additional 30 seconds. Remove from the microwave and stir in flour and cinnamon. Divide the mixture over the top of the two sliced apples.
5. Bake at 375 for 25-30 minutes. (Check apples after 25 minutes and continue cooking until tender. Some apples can take 45 min to 1 hour to soften.)
6. Remove from the oven and use a large spoon to move the apples into bowls.
7. Top with a scoop of ice cream, drizzle with caramel and sprinkle with cinnamon. The ice cream will cause the caramel in the center to harden so eat quickly or put the ice cream scoop on the side.

Click Here for tutorial.

Source: thegunnysack.com

Tips For Light And Fluffy Dough

We’ve all read it a thousand times: “Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy.” But a lot of cooks don’t take it far enough—it’s as if we’re worried that we might, by some magic, make things too fluffy. In fact, there’s little risk of that; if you’re using a hand mixer, it’s best to stick with it for at least four minutes. As the butter and sugar combine, the sugar’s sharp edges cut through the fat and create air pockets that lighten the texture of baked goods. As you mix, watch the mixture go from grainy to creamy, and then increase in volume and lighten in color. Voila! That’s the sort of fluff quotient you should strive for.

Think you’ve mastered this crucial step? Try your mixing skills out on our:



Pound Cake With Grand Marnier-Poached Apricots Recipe.

Beating the butter and sugar until light and fluffy is essential to this pound cake’s moist, tender crumb and the Grand-Marnier Poached Apricots add a boozy yet sweet kick.

Servings: 12 Active: 45 minutes Total: 3 hours

Ingredients:

Cake:

• 2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
• 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pan
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
• ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
• 2 cups superfine sugar
• 6 large eggs
• ½ cup heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Apricots and Assembly:

• ⅔ cup Grand Marnier
• ⅔ cup granulated sugar
• 2 cups dried apricots (about 8 oz.)
• 1 1½” piece peeled ginger, sliced
• Lightly sweetened whipped cream (for serving)

Nutritional Information:

Calories (kcal) 630 Fat (g) 35 Saturated Fat (g) 22 Cholesterol (mg) 200 Carbohydrates (g) 72 Dietary Fiber (g) 2 Total Sugars (g) 45 Protein (g) 7 Sodium (mg) 200

Directions:

View Step-by-Step Directions

Special Equipment:

• A 10”-diameter tube pan or angel food cake pan

Cake:

• Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 325°. Butter and flour pan. Whisk salt, cream of tartar, cardamom, and 3 cups flour in a medium bowl.
• Using an electric mixer on high speed, beat 2 cups butter until very light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Reduce speed to low and gradually add superfine sugar. Increase speed to high and beat until very light and creamy, 6–8 minutes longer. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating to blend between additions. Beat in cream and vanilla. Reduce speed to low; gradually add dry ingredients, mixing until mostly combined. Finish mixing with a rubber spatula just until combined. Scrape batter into prepared pan.
• Bake cake, rotating halfway through, until top is golden brown and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 70–80 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack; let cake cool completely before turning out.
• DO AHEAD: Cake can be baked 3 days ahead. Store tightly wrapped at room temperature.

Apricots and Assembly:

• Bring Grand Marnier, granulated sugar, and ⅔ cup water to a boil in a small saucepan, stirring to dissolve sugar. Add apricots and ginger, reduce heat to low, and simmer gently until apricots are very soft, 20–25 minutes. Let cool.
• Remove ginger just before serving. Serve cake with apricots and syrup and whipped cream.
• DO AHEAD: Apricots can be poached 1 week ahead. Cover and chill.
  
  Recipe by: Melissa Hamilton and Christopher Hirsheimer
  Photograph by: Hirsheimer & Hamilton
  
  Source:  bonappetit.com

Oatmeal Cake

Ingredients:

Cake:

2 1/2 cups boiling water
2 cups quick cooking oats
1 cup butter or margarine
2 cups sugar
2 cups brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsps. soda
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsps. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg

Directions:

Pour boiling water over oats, cover and let stand for 20 minutes. Beat butter until creamy; slowly add sugars; beat until fluffy. Blend in vanilla and eggs. Add oats mixture and mix well.

Add flour, soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Mix well. Pour into a sprayed 9 x 13 inch cake pan and bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 1 hour. Let cool.

Frosting: 

1 cup melted butter or margarine
2 cups brown sugar
6 tablespoons half and half or can use evaporated milk
1 cup chopped or broken walnuts (can use pecans)
3 cups shredded or flaked coconut
For frosting, mix all ingredients together, spread over cake. Place cake under broiler in oven until frosting becomes bubbly. Serve cake warm or cold.

Source: Foodgasms