Tag Archives: cinnamon

Caramel Apple Cake

Posted in Cakes by

Simple, homey, comforting apple cake

– the perfect tea time treat for fall.

It’s fall and the time of year when it just seems right to put apples and cinnamon in everything. And what goes perfectly with apples and cinnamon, why caramel of course!

Filled with apples and topped with a delicious caramel sauce, this cake is quick, easy and oh so good. It makes for the perfect fall treat with its warm cozy flavors.

You start off by making a simple oil based cake. Followed by folding in chunks of apples and toasted walnuts. Finish off by drizzling the mist freshly baked cake with a thick velvety caramel sauce, a sauce which literally takes minutes to make, and is SO good..

Caramel Apple Cake
Servings: 10-12
 
Ingredients:
 
Cake
·         2 cups all-purpose flour
·         ¼ tsp salt
·         ¾ tsp baking soda
·         ½ tsp cinnamon, optional
·         ½ cup walnuts chopped
·         1 cup vegetable oil
·         1 cup granulated sugar
·         2 eggs, at room temperature
·         ½ tsp vanilla
·         2 cups apples, peeled and chopped into 1/2″ thick pieces
 
Caramel Sauce
·         ½ cup brown sugar 
·         2 Tbsp milk 
·         45g salted butter 
 
Directions:
 
For the cake:
Preheat oven to 180˚C. Grease a 9-inch spring form pan or a Pyrex dish with butter or oil.
In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, beat the eggs, oil, vanilla and sugar on medium speed with an electric mixer until well blended.
Mix in the dry ingredients until just combined.
Using a wooden spoon, mix in the walnuts and the chopped apples.
Bake the cake until golden brown about 45 to 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Once the cake is done, poke it all over with a fork or a skewer. Pour the prepared sauce over hot cake while still in the pan. Give the cake a few minutes to absorb the sauce before slicing and serving.
For the sauce:
1.       Place sauce ingredients into a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir constantly and bring it to a gentle boil. After it begins gently boiling, continue to stir and allow to cook for about three minutes on low heat. It should be loose and will lightly coat the back of a spoon.
 
Notes
·         You can choose not to use the caramel sauce. In that case, let the cake cool for 10 minutes, dust with icing sugar and serve.
·         I like to toast my walnuts before adding to the cake batter. To toast walnuts, simply heat them on low heat in a nonstick frying pan for a couple of minutes until they are light brown and fragrant.
 
 
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Small Batch Chocolate Mocha Cinnamon Rolls

Posted in Breads, Breakfast, Desserts by

Happy Holidays, folks! Finally we are getting proper winter feeling. Can you believe it’s almost end of December and not finger-freezing cold yet?

Your standard cinnamon rolls amped up a notch with the glorious addition of coffee and chocolate.

Here I have for you the perfect holiday recipe. Have it for breakfast, lunch and dinner (sneak in a few snacks too, if you can). I know would, if those pesky things called adipocytes (fat cells) didn’t exist.

Your standard cinnamon rolls amped up a notch with the glorious addition of coffee and chocolate.

I don’t know how many of you worship at the shrine of pastry heaven called Cinnabon like me (don’t tell my mother I said that) but cinnamon rolls are one of the scrumptious essentials of life.

Your standard cinnamon rolls amped up a notch with the glorious addition of coffee and chocolate.

MY rolls are, however your standard cinnamon rolls amped up a notch with the glorious addition of coffee and chocolate.

Your standard cinnamon rolls amped up a notch with the glorious addition of coffee and chocolate.

The gooey center. My favorite bit.

My three favourite Cs: Cinnamon, Coffee, Chocolate.

They’re soft and gooey, with a caramelized bottom, and melty chocolate chips in between. The light mocha touch enhances the chocolate flavor ever so slightly. And the mocha glaze does not take the glory away from the cinnamon sugar, just makes it even better (yes, its possible my friend).

Your standard cinnamon rolls amped up a notch with the glorious addition of coffee and chocolate.

This recipe makes a smaller number of rolls than the usual recipes. It is perfect for when you have the cravings and want to bake your own but don’t want to end up with trays and trays of rolls that you then stuff into your freezer (although you are secretly happy).

This recipe makes six large cinnamon rolls or 9 small ones. Super easy to make. They literally take 2 hours to go from your thoughts to the oven to your belly (I timed).

Your standard cinnamon rolls amped up a notch with the glorious addition of coffee and chocolate.

Knead the dough using a stand mixer or by hand. Plop it in a well-oiled bowl. Allow to rest in a warm place (the microwave, or near a window with the sun shining in), roll it, and fill with the most amazingly sinful filling ever (butter+cinnamon+sugar+cocoa powder+chocolatechips+instant coffee), roll them, slice them, arrange them on a greased dish, let them rest again, bake, glaze, and devour. Voila!

Your standard cinnamon rolls amped up a notch with the glorious addition of coffee and chocolate.

For the extra special Christmas morning (for those celebrating), make these tonight and place covered, unbaked rolls in the fridge. You can then just bake them tomorrow and win the hearts and tummies of your family!

Happy holidays, again!

Your standard cinnamon rolls amped up a notch with the glorious addition of coffee and chocolate.

Chocolate Mocha Cinnamon Rolls

Yields: 9 small rolls
Ingredients:
Dough
1/2 cup whole milk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
1 1/2 to 2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg yolk
Filling
6 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon instant coffee powder
3/4 teaspoon cocoa powder
pinch of salt
1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Glaze
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon instant coffee powder
3 tablespoons heavy cream or milk; enough to make a pourable glaze
Directions:
In a small saucepan combine milk, butter, and sugar. Stir continually until the sugar has dissolved and the butter has melted completely. Remove from heat and allow mixture to cool till it comes to room temperature.
In a large bowl, combine the; 1 ½ cup flour, salt, egg yolk, and yeast. Add in the prepared milk and butter mixture. Mix. Bring the dough together into a ball and knead a few turns with your hands. Add more flour, a few tablespoons at a time if the dough feels to wet. Knead well for 3-4 minutes till the dough feels compact and is no longer sticky. Place in a lightly oiled bowl.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow to rest for 30 minutes.
Roll the dough out on a lightly floured work surface. Roll into a roughly 9 x 12-inch rectangle.
Spread with about 4 tablespoons of butter. In a small bowl stir together sugar, cinnamon, coffee powder, cocoa powder, and salt. Generously sprinkle over the melted butter. Sprinkle with chocolate chips. Roll starting at the longer edge into a tight coil.
Slice into 6 large pieces or smaller ones.
Use remaining 2 tablespoons of butter to lightly grease the bottom and sides of an 8×8-inch baking pan or any other baking dish. Place rolls in the pan leaving about 1/2 inch of room between them. Cover the rolls and allow to rise for 30 minutes.
While the rolls rise, preheat oven to 180 degrees C.
Bake the rolls for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown and doubled in size.
Remove from the oven, allow to cool just slightly.
In a small bowl whisk together powdered sugar, coffee powder, and cream or milk. Drizzle over warm rolls.
Enjoy.
Recipe source: Joy the Baker

Your standard cinnamon rolls amped up a notch with the glorious addition of coffee and chocolate.