Lumberjack Cake

I saw this recipe in a magazine a couple of years ago and I ripped it out and have magically held onto it all this time. (If you know how many places I've lived, you know that this is a miracle.)

I have tried to figure out why they call it Lumberjack Cake. No one in the world seems to know. No one. So I'm just going to assume that its called Lumberjack Cake because lumberjacks really like delicious foods and this cake is a heavenly piece of gooey perfection. Richard is, apparently, not a lumberjack. He thought this cake was a little too gooey. But I think if you love German Chocolate cake, then you'll love this. Coconutty, gooey tastiness.

A disclaimer: I was not trying to be all Betty Crocker by grating fresh coconut. I would have gone straight for the bagged, shredded coconut but the store was out. However, a very helpful clerk told me "Why don't you grate it yourself? We got fresh coconut." As if that's just something you do every day. 

1 cup chopped, pitted dates
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract (I substituted coffee liquer and it was great!)
1 apple, peeled, cored, diced
1/2 cup shredded coconut


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 inch springform pan; line the bottom with parchment paper.


In a small saucepan bring dates and 1 cup of water to a boil. Stir in baking soda; set aside and allow to cool.


In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, salt.

In a large bowl or standing mixer, beat butter, sugar, egg and vanilla on medium speed . Slowly beat in date mixture until combined. Add flour mixture gradually until just combined.

Gently fold in apple and coconut.

Spread mixture evenly into prepared pan. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Cool on wire rack. Gently remove sides of pan and then parchment paper.

Your Midweek Dinner Menu

I'm on a big peanut butter kick right now. I have always loved peanut butter, but this week I'm really feeling the PB love. So I've put together a meal menu using peanut butter in every course. You might think this could be peanut butter overload. But it's not! It's the perfect showcase of how versatile this pantry staple can be.

Salad Course

NourishingFlourishing.com is the genius behind this delicious peanut salad dressing. If you are a big fan of Thai food, you're going to love this! Pair it with crisp romaine, grated carrot, sliced cucumber and chopped nuts.

Main Course

Over at Kitchen Confidante, Liren is busy putting together recipes that are definitely drool-worthy. This Indonesian Pork Tenderloin is just one of them. Serve it with some grilled veggies and rice for a perfect meal.

Dessert Course

Fresh & Simple Kitchen is killing me with these super simple and fantastic peanut butter coconut truffles. They only have three ingredients and almost no prep time. Just don't eat them all before dinner starts!

Peanut butter swirl brownies

The thing I love about baking is that it is all about science. With cooking, there is an artist element that I just can't always be bothered to deal with. But baking is like a delicious math problem. As long as you have all of the primary numbers in place your answer will always be right.

After a particularly trying day at work this week, I came home and went straight to the kitchen. All I wanted was the peaceful assurance that only baking can bring. The deliberate measuring of ingredients, the soft scrape of a spatula stirring melting chocolate, the zen feeling of accomplishment when a warm and inviting smell wafts out of the oven. But I didn't want to be baking for hours. Just a quickie to unwind. So I whipped up these bits of perfection. About 30 minutes of prep and 35 minutes in the oven and that's all it took!

You'll need:
7 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
6.5 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 tablespoons water
2 large eggs
3/4 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup honey roasted peanut butter (freshly ground if possible)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease an 8x8 inch square baking dish. Line dish with aluminum foil, allowing the foil to hang over the edges by about 2 inches and lightly grease the foil. (Why am I doing this?)

In a large saucepan over medium heat, bring butter, sugar, and water to a boil, stirring. Remove from heat and stir chocolate chips into the sugar mixture until completely melted. Let cool to warm. Stir in eggs until well blended.

In a small bowl thoroughly mix together flour, baking soda and salt. Add the flour mixture to the chocolate mixture and stir until just combined.

Pour batter into baking dish and spread batter to edges. Drop small bits of peanut butter on top of the batter and use two toothpicks to swirl the peanut butter through the batter.

Bake in the middle of the oven for 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.



Ringing in the New Year with a fluffy favorite.

Stollen is a traditional German bread and the grandfather of fruitcake. Now, this isn't some dried out, booze-flavored, candied fruit monstrosity. No, no. This, my friends, is a coveted delicacy. A lightly sweet, fluffy yet dense, glistening jewel of a treat.

The recipe below makes 2 loaves...I dare you not to eat them both. I made this yesterday and I will be giving one away tomorrow. I don't want to. I want to hoard this magical delight and eat it all in one sitting. You will get it once you try it.

A few helpful tips:
Don't use skim milk. Your bread needs the protein in fatty milk to make itself grow.
Don't use margarine. In fact, that rule goes for everything - always.
Let your eggs, butter and milk come to room temperature before you use them. Don't skip this step.

Best Stollen Ever. Ever.



Ingredients
4 to 4 1/2 cups of unbleached flour
1 package active dry yeast
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 1/4 cups milk (1% or higher)
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup granulated sugar plus one tbsp granulated sugar, divided
1/2 tsp salt
1 large egg
1 cup golden raisins
1 cup purple raisins
1/2 cup dried apricots, diced
1/4 cup powdered sugar
2 tbsps hot water
1 teaspoon butter

In a large bowl, combine 2 cups of flour, yeast and nutmeg.

In a saucepan, heat milk, 1/2 cup butter, 1/4 cup granulated sugar and salt until warm and butter melts. Add to flour mixture along with egg.

Beat with an electric mixer on low for 30 seconds. Scrape sides and beat on high for 3 minutes.

Mix in as much remaining flour as you can. Be careful not to over work the dough here.

In a separate bowl, combine raisins, apricots and 1 tablespoon sugar. Toss to coat. Stir fruit into dough.

Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface and knead for 4 minutes. Shape into a ball and place in a lightly greased bowl, turning to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and a towel and let rise 1 hour and 45 minutes.

Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface and cut dough in half. Reshape loaves and place on separate greased cookie sheets. Cover with plastic wrap and a towel and let rise again for about an hour.

Bake, one at a time, at 375 degrees for 20 minutes. Place the second in the fridge while the first is baking to stop the dough from rising too much.

Allow baked bread to cool on a wire rack.

In a saucepan, heat powdered sugar, butter and water until well combined. Allow to cool slightly and them brush mixture over cooled loaves. Sprinkle with granulated sugar.

Cranberry Walnut Tart

Thanksgiving is upon us and that means it is time to take advantage of all of the seasonal goodies this time of year offers. Cranberries are an excellent anti-oxidant and they add a tangy kick to baked goods. Pairing them with sweet, velvety walnuts is a great way to showcase the flavors of fall. Add this dessert to your Thanksgiving menu and wait for the compliments to come pouring in. ;) Enjoy!

Cranberry Walnut Tart

Ingredients

Crust:

1 cup flour

1/2 tsp salt

6 tbsp unsalted butter, softened

4-5 tbsps cold water

Filling:

1 cup flour

1 1/2 cup sugar, granulated

2 eggs, beaten

12 tbsps unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1 tsp Grand Marnier or other orange flavored liqeuor

1 1/2 cups walnuts

2 1/2 cups cranberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large mixer or bowl, combine flour and salt. Then cut in butter. Add water one tablespoon at a time, mixing well between each.

Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate while you make the filling.

In a large bowl, combine flour and sugar. Add eggs and butter and mix well. Add Grand Marnier, walnuts and cranberries and combine well.

Roll out dough and place in 9" pie pan. Pour filling into crust and fold edges up and over the top. Make sure to leave an opening at the top for steam to escape.

Bake for 30 - 40 minutes or until golden brown. Let it rest for about 20 minutes before serving.