Cake Slice: Cinnamon Pecan Coffee Cake

Remember a while back how I mentioned getting back into a routine? Well, participating in The Cake Slice each month was part of getting back into my routine. It's been a while since I had participated and when I saw the cakes made by other Cake Slicers each month, I was reminded of how dumb it was of me to have not participated as well. Quite a bit has changed since I last baked along with this group. The biggest change is that they are baking from a new book, Southern Cakes. I was beyond thrilled when I saw this change because now we'll be making different kinds of cakes instead of just the layer cakes of Sky High.

To kick off a new book and a new type of cake, this month's selection was the Cinnamon Pecan Coffee Cake. This cake is the perfect morning cake and it is just oozing with cinnamon-brown sugar goodness. Putting the cake together is easy and enjoying the aroma of it baking is something that makes you want to bake this cake every day of the year. My favorite part of the cake was the pecans in the middle. You know the pecans are there, but it's still a nice surprise when you bite into one and its flavor mixes with the cinnamon and the cake.

Cinnamon Pecan Coffee Cake

Source: Southern Cakes by Nancie McDermott

Makes a 13 x 9 inch sheet cake

For the Cake

3 cups all purpose flour

1 tbsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup milk

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

For the Cinnamon Raisin Filling

1½ cups light brown sugar

3 tbsp all purpose flour

3 tbsp cinnamon

1½ cups raisins (I omitted)

1½ cups coarsely chopped pecans

¾ cup (1½ sticks) butter, melted

Method

Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 13 by 9 inch pan.

To make the filling, combine the light brown sugar, flour and cinnamon in a bowl and stir with a fork to mix everything well. Combine the raisins and pecans in another bowl and toss to mix them. Place the cinnamon mixture, nut mixture and melted butter by the baking pan to use later.

To make the cake batter, combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Stir the vanilla into the milk. In a large bowl combine the butter and sugar and beat with a mixer on high speed until pale yellow and evenly mixed, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the bowl to ensure a good mix. Add the eggs and beat for another 2 minutes, scraping down the bowl now and then, until the mixture is smooth and light.

Use a large spoon or spatula to add about a third of the flour mixture to the butter mixture and stir only until the flour disappears. Add a third of the milk and mix in. Repeat twice more until all the flour and milk mixtures have been incorporated. Stir just enough to keep the batter smooth.

Spread half the batter evenly into the prepared pan. Sprinkle half the cinnamon mixture over the batter followed by half the melted butter. Scatter half the raisins and nuts over the top. Spread the remaining batter carefully over the filling, using a spatula to smooth the batter all the way to the edges of the pan. Top with the leftover cinnamon, butter and nut mixture, covering the cake evenly.

Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until the cake is golden brown, fragrant and beginning to pull away from the edges of the pan. Place the pan on a wire rack and allow to cool in the pan for 5 to 10 minutes before serving in squares right from the pan. The cake is delicious hot, warm or at room temperature.

Mmmm...cinnamon-sugar goodness

TWD: Sweet Potato Biscuits

Sometimes I think I am a bland person. Or maybe I just really like traditional things. When I saw that Erin of Prudence Pennywise chose Dorie's Sweet Potato Biscuits for us to bake this week, I was a little skeptical. Would it taste as good as a regular biscuit? I know it's different, but how would this biscuit compare? Making half the recipe answered this question, and while it was good, I'll take a regular biscuit any day over this one. The Sweet Potato Biscuit is sweet and doesn't have the same consistency as a regular biscuit. I honestly had trouble with what to pair the biscuit with and no matter what I paired it with Alex didn't like it. It was too sweet for us to have as breakfast and too sweet for us to have with dinner. I think this biscuit is a great alternative to regular biscuits if you are open to not having regular biscuits.

Thanks to Erin for this week's pick. Make sure to head over to her blog for the recipe and to the TWD site to read about everyone else's reactions to the Sweet Potato Biscuits.

Memories of Fall

The weather has taken a lovely turn into the 50s and 60s. There is something about the crisp coolness in the air that has revived and recharged me. I am absolutely prepared to face the rest of the year and the cooler temperatures have me looking forward to the upcoming holiday season. If only this cool weather would last...

I'm craving all things apples, from apple crisp...
...to apple cider donuts.
I'm missing apple picking....
...and the changing colors.

How a Pregnant Woman Gets Drunk

One of the drawbacks to being pregnant is not being able to drink. Now I'm not one that drinks a lot but I do appreciate a good glass of wine with my dinner or a margarita on a Friday night. I haven't missed drinking that much, but there are days where I wish I could have a glass of something. There are also days where Alex has a cold beer and says "I wish you could taste this." That jerk! Instead of drinking liquor the normal way I've taken to adding it to things I eat. I figure the cooking/baking process zaps out all the bad stuff and leaves the flavoring behind. And if that's not the case, then that's what I tell myself so I don't feel guilty about consuming foods with alcohol in them.

I have seen a ton of recipes that include beer as one of the ingredients and I have always been curious about the taste. My biggest concern was whether there would be an overwhelming bitter taste. I decided on this recipe and decided to make cupcakes because the last time I made cupcakes was back in April (!!!!!!). I topped mine with a Kahlua topping. The recipe is for a ganache but if you whip it enough you'll get a thicker consistency. The end product was delicious! The cupcake is light and chocolaty and it has an interesting taste. Not interesting in a bad way, but interesting in the way that lets you know there is something special about the cake. And the topping?? Holy cow is it sinful. The Kahlua topping goes amazingly well with the cupcake.

Chocolate Guinness Cupcakes

Source: South in Your Mouth (here)

This is the whole recipe, halving it will yield about 15 cupcakes.

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pans
2 cups sugar
3/4 cups cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup vegetable oil (I used canola)
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup Guinness Beer

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a cupcake pan with paper liners.

Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on low speed until combined.

In another bowl, combine the sour cream, oil, eggs, vanilla, and beer.

With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry.

Pour the batter into the cupcake cavities between 2/3 to 3/4 full. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then cool to room temperature on a cooling rack.

Frost and enjoy!

For Kahlua topping recipe, go here.

And now, the lifespan of a cupcake in 4 words:

Wrapped.

Unwrapped.Naked.

Bitten.

TWD: Allspice Muffins

Are you in need of some food that's going to make you warm and happy? If so, you absolutely must try these muffins. To me, they are the essence of fall. The allspice makes these muffins smell fantastic and gives them such a subtle nutmeg-cloves taste. The muffins are soft and fluffy and have just enough sweet, crunch with the streusel topping. This is the kind of muffin that reminds you of how good it feels to stay bundled up inside when the temperatures start to drop and it makes you think of the leaves changing. Maybe I'm stretching here and maybe I am missing the true fall season, but these muffins remind me of everything I loved about fall.

A huge thank you to Kayte of Grandma's Kitchen Table for making this week's selection. Make sure to head over to her blog for the recipe and to head over to the TWD site to read about others experiences with this sweet treat.

Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies

Do you ever get stuck when it comes to those over-ripe bananas? I feel like I always make banana bread when the bananas in the house have gone into that too squishy and too brown zone. I really wanted to make something different and I really wanted to make this banana creme brulee recipe I've had marked off for months, but I didn't have the necessary ingredients and I wasn't about to make a late night trip to Publix. So instead I decided to make these cookies I had seen on Annie's Eats. These cookies smell and look fantastic but they were hit or miss in my household. Some people liked them while others could do without them. I think the best way to describe them would be to say they are like mini bites of banana bread with chocolate chips. I guess there was more of a banana flavor to these cookies and that threw people off when I said they were a type of chocolate chip cookies. Who knows...

Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies
Source: Annie's Eats (here)
Makes approx. 30 cookies

½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup sugar

1 egg, at room temperature

1 cup of mashed bananas (about 2 ½ large bananas)

1 tsp. baking soda

2 cups flour

pinch of salt

½ tsp. cinnamon

½ tsp. nutmeg

½ tsp. ground cloves

1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350°. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and the sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the egg and continue to beat until well incorporated.

In a bowl, mix the mashed bananas and baking soda. Let sit for 2 minutes. The baking soda will react with the acid in the bananas which will in turn give the cookies their lift and rise.

Mix the banana mixture into the butter mixture. Mix together the flour, salt and spices and sift into the butter and banana mixture until just combined.

Fold chocolate chips into the batter. Drop into dollops on baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 11-13 minutes or until nicely golden brown. Let cool on wire racks.

These cookies were more puffy and fluffy than chewy or crispy.

Easy Peasy Chicken Pot Pie

Something came over me. I don't know what it was, but I really wanted chicken pot pie. I've only had chicken pot pie a handful of times and it's not a dish that shows up regularly in my dinner line-up. The craving hit and I had to make it. I was a little scared because the last (and first) time Alex had chicken pot pie he didn't like it. Granted, it was a store bought one and the pie dough-chicken filling ratio was off, but I was still scared that I would invest a lot of time in making this and have him hate it. So I didn't invest too much time. I didn't make the pie dough from scratch and my veggies were pre-chopped and frozen. I did everything else though. So how did dinner turn out? It was a complete success! It was delicious and Alex ate a quarter of the pie all by himself. Now I have the confidence to make this again and again and again!


Chicken Pot Pie
Source: Le Petit Pierogi (here)

1 box (15 oz) Pillsbury refrigerated pie crusts, softened as directed on box
1/3 cup butter
1 small-medium onion, chopped
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1 3/4 cup chicken broth
 1/2 cup milk
2 chicken breasts, chopped into bite-sized pieces
2 cups frozen mixed vegetables
Salt
Pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a medium skillet, brown chopped chicken until the chicken is cooked through and there is no pink left inside the pieces. Set aside to cool.

In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook 2-4 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onions are translucent and tender. Stir in flour, salt and pepper until well blended. Keep stirring for about 3-5 minutes until the roux has a very light golden color. Gradually stir in broth and milk, cooking and stirring until bubbly and thickened, about 10 minutes or so. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Stir in chicken and mixed vegetables. Remove from heat. Roll out refrigerated pie dough and place on the bottom of a pie pan. Then spoon chicken mixture into crust-lined pan. Top with second crust; seal edge and flute. If desired, brush top of pie with an egg wash. Cut slits in several places in top crust.

Place foil around the edges of the pie crust to prevent excessive browning. Bake 30 to 40 minutes or until crust is golden brown. During the last 10 minutes or so, remove foil from edges to allow them to brown as well.

So delicious. I couldn't get any decent fresh-out-the-oven pictures, so here it is the day after.

Things to Do: Art in the Park

This is another Miami freebie. It's called Art in the Park and it's held the first Friday of the month in conjunction with the Coral Gables Gallery Night. There are local artists, drinks, and live music from 7pm to Midnight. This event is great for bringing a blanket and a container full of food and perching yourself under the night's sky for an evening picnic and a free concert.

Don't want to bring a blanket? No problem. They set up couches.

TWD: Split Level Pudding

I came to a realization this week. One that was met with some serious questioning from Alex. What was my realization? I don't like pudding. I told Alex this and his response was, "But you've eaten pudding before." I told him he was correct but if he remembered I only took a couple of bites of the butterscotch pudding and the chocolate pudding and then left the rest for him. Then he asked me the question that has kept my mind occupied since I made the pudding, "Custards are similar, why do you like them?" I was stumped. I rambled off about egg-based versus milk-based but he didn't buy it and I wasn't satisfied. Why can I eat creme brulee for days but not pudding? I can barely make an argument based on consistency because the truth is, the consistencies of puddings and custards are similar. So it's a mystery and maybe this just goes into that category of weird likes and dislikes. Any explanations?

Aside from my general dislike of pudding, Alex loved this dessert. He is a huge fan of puddings and thought this one was "brilliant." He loved the two layers and thought they complimented one another perfectly. The rich ganache was a perfect match for the light vanilla pudding.

Thanks to Garrett Flavor of Vanilla for this week's selection. Make sure to check his blog for the recipe and don't forget to stop by the TWD site to see what everyone else thought of this pudding.

Finished pudding.

It really was a pretty pudding.

Things to Do: Biltmore Hotel

Image source: Wikimedia Commons

This is going to be a new thing here on the Confessions Blog. Because money is tight (isn't it for everyone?) and there's a baby on the way, we have cut back on our eating out. This is a little sad because I love to explore new restaurants, especially now that I am so unfamiliar with the dining scene here in Miami, but priorities are priorities. As a result, I have become obsessed with free/inexpensive things to do.

Going to the Biltmore Hotel is something I have always wanted to do. Luckily enough, the Dade Heritage Trust conducts free tours on Sundays. The hotel is gorgeous and has the most incredible history. From being a posh hotel in the 20s to a hospital during the World War to completely abandoned in the 60s and 70s to beautifully restored in the 80s, the hotel has been through it all. It is located in Coral Gables and was the brain child of Coral Gables founder George Merrick. Probably the most interesting thing about this hotel and what draws people in is the ghost of Al Capone's bodyguard. If you are lucky, they take you up to the 13th floor where the murder occurred and you get to walk through the same space where the body and blood were.

Lobby

Ballrooms

Courtyard.

Suite where the murder took place. Look familiar? Think Bad Boys.

View from 13th floor.

This is the room the ghost haunts.

For more information on the Biltmore Hotel go here. For more information on Dade Heritage Trust go here.