Summer is really losing its grip here in the Northeast. The temperature has cooled off a lot - we have days of mellow sunshine and the beginnings of fall colors. It's the perfect time to make this Double Bourbon Apple Cake. When apples are just beginning to get ripe, nearly any variety is good for baking. Later in the season, everyone wants Granny Smiths and Northern Spies, but in September and October, my favorites are Cortlands. Cortland apples, developed about 20 minutes from my ... Read More about Double Apple Bourbon Cake
Cakes
Pumpkin Yogurt Crunch Cake
Things have been really busy around here so far this year. Lots of visits with kids and grandkids, with more to come, lots of poring over seed catalogs and gardening books, and lots of cooking. Lately I have not felt that a lot of the recipes I've worked on have been blog-worthy. I have a certain standard in mind for what I share here, and while I have some good ideas that I am working on, not many of them have gotten to the point where they are ready for prime-time. This cake is a huge ... Read More about Pumpkin Yogurt Crunch Cake
Upside Down Grapefruit Cake
You don't see that many recipes using grapefruits in baking. I guess they don't have quite the same pizzazz as lemons and limes, and they are not as sweet as most oranges. If you juice them, the flavor isn't really bold enough to hold up much grapefruit flavor - unless you reduce it, and then it loses a lot of it's pop because you lose the fresh uncooked flavor. The trick is to use the fruit itself. I love fresh grapefruits, and don't mind the trouble involved to section them, but Larry can't ... Read More about Upside Down Grapefruit Cake
Banana Streusel Coffee Cake
I actually made this a few weeks ago, after yet another family visit that left behind the remains of a bunch of bananas. Neither of us is at all fond of eating fresh bananas, particularly ones that are getting past their prime. On the other hand, such bananas are just reaching the perfect stage for baking, and we are both big fans of baked stuff with bananas. And if your grandkids happen to leave behind some nearly-overripe bananas and you don't feel like baking with them right away, did you ... Read More about Banana Streusel Coffee Cake
Blueberry Ginger Buttermilk Cake
A lovely late summer cake! Alas, this will be the final blueberry post for the summer of '14. Not the last blueberry thing we'll eat, for sure. We freeze blueberries to use in the wintertime. They are equally good as the fresh ones in a cake like this. If you run across this recipe for Blueberry Ginger Buttermilk Cake later on in the year, don't hesitate to use frozen berries in it. But fresh ones are what we have today. A final picking that Larry did with his Mom the other day. Blueberry ... Read More about Blueberry Ginger Buttermilk Cake
Strawberry Cheese Coffee Cake
I started work on this recipe last year, and didn't get it quite where I wanted it. Then, along came cherries, and I got distracted. I came back to it this year though, because it is definitely worth getting right, and now I am very happy with this final version. Local strawberries are just now coming into season here - we will have them for about a month or so, but no longer than that. Pick-your-own strawberry places are big around here, and I think you can find them just about anywhere. ... Read More about Strawberry Cheese Coffee Cake
Brown Butter Rhubarb Cake
Rhubarb is definitely one of my favorite things in all the world, and this Brown Butter Rhubarb Cake is not the only reason. There are few things that are more rewarding to grow. Once established, it will continue to produce pretty much for the rest of your life. It is a big plant, but not unattractive, so it's not hard to find a spot for it, even in an urban setting. You have to give a couple years after first planting before picking very much, but after that, so long as you keep the flower ... Read More about Brown Butter Rhubarb Cake
Quick and Easy Chocolate Snack Cake
Snack Cakes are a very good thing to have in your bag of tricks. A snack cake implies a fast prep, probably without a mixer, and fairly simple ingredients. This Chocolate Snack Cake is all that, and results in a cake that is richer, moister and with a more refined texture than you might expect. You can thank the buttermilk for the texture, because it gives this cake a nice light rise, while it enhances the chocolate flavor. If you spend any time on this blog at all, you are probably already ... Read More about Quick and Easy Chocolate Snack Cake
Upside Down Ginger Pear Cake
This post isn't just a recipe. It's also an ode to my favorite cast iron skillet. Larry and Ellyn gave it to me for my birthday in 1981, before Lauren was even born. He got it at the local hardware store, and I think he paid something like 8 dollars for it. I can still remember how excited Ellyn was when I was ripping off the wrapping paper. As do most kids, she loved giving presents and being part of the surprise. Though, only a few months earlier, she had over the course of a couple days, told ... Read More about Upside Down Ginger Pear Cake
Chocolate Pudding Cake
Why do we equate chocolate with affection? And Valentines Day? Who cares? Not me, that is for sure. I never have a struggle finding reasons to have chocolate in any case, but an actual chocolate-sanctioned holiday? I'm there. I can completely buy that chocolate means love, and if we are going to celebrate love, chocolate is the best way to do it. The trouble is, my own object of affection isn't very fond of chocolate in large amounts. He hid this from me until after we were married, which I ... Read More about Chocolate Pudding Cake
Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bundt Cake
As you are reading this today, I hope that you are enjoying memories of a wonderful Christmas. We spent it up north, as we usually do, and this year Larry's Mom went with us, as it less than a month since we lost his Dad. It has been awhile since she could travel anywhere, because Larry's Dad was ill for so long, so she had never been to our older daughter's house before. As expected, it was a bit bittersweet for her, but I think it helped her get through a difficult time a little more easily. ... Read More about Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bundt Cake
Summer Squash Gingerbread Loaf
The best of summer veggies combined with fall baking! This Summer Squash Gingerbread Loaf was conceived from a conversation. Though I live in a rural area, I am very fortunate to have a group of blogging friends to hang out with. These are other people who actually understand what it's like to work from home. How to be your own boss, but also to slave for hours over a post. To work forever to get your photos to tell the story, or to wrestle a sentence into submission, no matter how long it ... Read More about Summer Squash Gingerbread Loaf