Gingerbread with Cream Cheese Frosting

I don't normally talk to myself. At least I don't think I do. But today I found myself in the kitchen, alone, taking a bite of gingerbread with cream cheese frosting and saying, "Wow, that's good."


I wanted to make this recipe a few days ago when we had some people over for dinner, but I didn't have enough cream cheese for the frosting so I put it on hold. Well, I still didn't have enough cream cheese last night, but I just had to make the gingerbread. My husband and I ate it as we normally do, with a dollop of whipped cream on top. I added some fresh nectarine slices, since I had them. We also have been known to eat this gingerbread with bananas or peaches. It's a very versatile cake with rich spices and a dense, moist texture.


But let me tell you, nothing could have prepared me for the combination of gingerbread and cream cheese frosting. It was like fireworks went off in my head. The smooth creamy frosting balanced the intense flavors of the gingerbread perfectly, and I found myself wanting more. And so, as soon as I was done taking pictures of this beautiful cake, I dug in to my second piece. And I'm sure I'll have a third before the day is over.

Gingerbread
from Lion House Recipes

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 egg, well beaten
1 cup molasses
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups sifted flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon powdered cloves
1 cup very hot water

Cream sugar and butter well. Add eggs and molasses. Beat well. Sift dry ingredients together and add to creamed mixture. Add hot water and beat until smooth (batter will be very thin). Pour into a well-greased 9x13 inch baking pan. Bake in a 350-degree oven for 35-40 minutes, or until cake tests done.

*As stated above, you can serve this with whipped cream. Peaches, nectarines, and bananas make nice toppings.


Cream Cheese Frosting

6 oz cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
2 cups powdered sugar

Mix cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and almond extracts together until smooth. Add powdered sugar slowly until well combined and a smooth, spreadable consistency.

Fall : Pumpkin

Every fall, right around September, my pumpkin craze hits. My husband knows it's coming (and he's usually not too excited about it). It always has. I want everything pumpkin - pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread, pumpkin cookies.


I've mentioned this before, but I haven't always had the best of luck baking with pumpkin. I don't know what it is. More often than not, my results are a gooey mess. And it makes me want to use the ingredient even more. It's my curse.

My daughter and I went on a walk the other day, and walked right by the local bakery. Naturally I had to stop in. They had a big sign advertising that they were now serving pumpkin muffins, so that's what I ordered. The muffin was full of pumpkin flavor, dense, moist, with the unique addition of walnuts. I was a fan.

Friday morning rolled around and I said to my husband, "I want to bake today." And I did. I turned to smitten kitchen for a pumpkin muffin recipe, hoping they would resemble that muffin from the bakery.


First, I need to mention that my pumpkin muffins turned out! I was extremely pleased with that fact. I made half of the muffins plain, and added walnuts to the other half. I'm really kind of digging the walnuts in the muffin. It's a pleasant combo.


Second, I need to mention that my husband actually liked these muffins. And he admitted it to me. He's not really a pumpkin fan, you see, so this was big.

If you're looking for an easy fall recipe, try this one. It was delicious and moist. And they freeze well.


Pumpkin Muffins
Adapted from the American club, in Kohler, Wisconsin via Gourmet Magazine

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup canned solid-pack pumpkin (from a 15 ounce can)
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pumpkin-pie spice
1 1/4 cups plus 1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Put oven in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Put liners in muffin cups.

Whisk together pumpkin, oil, eggs, pumpkin pie spice, 1 1/4 cups sugar, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl until smooth, then whisk in flour mixture until just combined. Add walnuts in using.

Stir together cinnamon and remaining 1 tablespoon sugar in another bowl.

Divide batter among muffin cups (each should be about three-fourths full), then sprinkle tops with cinnamon-sugar mixture. Bake until puffed and golden brown and wooden pick or skewer inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes.

Cool in pan on a rack five minutes, then transfer muffins from pan to rack and cool to warm or room temperature.

MIA

Yes, I've been gone a long time. For some reason, I didn't have much motivation for blogging this summer. I did bake, but I didn't take many pictures. Here are just a few highlights I enjoyed:

Open-Faced Fresh Blueberry Pie

Photo courtesy of
The Kitchen Sink Recipes

Levain Bakery Copycat Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookie

Photo courtesy of
Parsley, Sage, Desserts and Line Drives

Fresh Peaches 'n Cream Pie

Photo courtesy of
The Crafting Chicks

Now that it's fall, I'm feeling the motivation to get back on schedule and blog again. I've got a couple of muffin recipes coming up that I have enjoyed, so stay tuned!

German Apple Pancakes

If my husband and I ever open a B&B, I know what one of our dishes will be. Have you ever had German Apple Pancakes? My friend, Teresa, over at A Blog About Food posted a recipe for some German Apple Pancakes that they made on Easter Morning. They. Are. Divine.


Now, I have had just plain German pancakes, and I liked them. But I had no idea you could add a few things and make it taste this amazing. First off, you use half and half. Awesome. Second, you caramelize the apples in a combination of butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Even better. To top if off, you give it a little dusting of powdered sugar. Oh yeah.

This is now my go-to recipe for any special occasion where breakfast is served. Or really, any day when breakfast is served. It's that good.


German Apple Pancake
from America's Test Kitchen

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
2/3 cup half and half
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/4 pounds apples (3-4) quartered, peeled and sliced 1/2 inch thick
1/4 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
confectioner's sugar

Adjust an oven rack to the upper-middle position and heat the oven to 500 degrees. Whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, and salt in a large bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, half and half and vanilla. Whisk the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until no lumps remain.

Melt the butter in 10-inch ovenproof nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the apples, brown sugar and cinnamon and cook until the apples are golden brown, about 10 minutes. Off the heat, stir in the lemon juice.

Quickly pour the batter around the edge of the skillet, then over the apples. Place the skillet in the oven and immediately reduce the oven temperature to 425 degrees. Bake until the pancake has risen above the edges of the skillet and is brown, about 18 minutes. Loosen the pancake edges from the hot skillet with a spatula and invert the pancake onto a large plate or serving platter. Dust with confectioners sugar, and cut into wedges before serving.

Tips for perfect cookies

I'm sitting here eating a 2-day old chocolate chip cookie. I'll let you take a guess as to whether or not it's still chewy and moist, or crunchy and dry. I'll let you know at the end of this post...


I've heard a lot of people say that they just can't make good cookies. I have such a hard time comprehending this! Now, don't get me wrong, I have had some cookie batches come out horribly wrong and threw them immediately into the trash. But for the most part the cookies I make come out as they should and taste delicious.

I thought I'd give a few simple tips to help make your baking experience better, and I'll throw in a recipe for some amazing chocolate chip cookies, too.

1. Follow the recipe! Sounds simple, right? I'm amazed at how many people "experiment" or don't measure out ingredients when baking. Please, for my sake, follow the recipe. At least the first time you make it.

2. Use a cookie scoop! A common thing I hear when I make cookies for other people is, "How do you get them all the same size and shape?" I wish I could say it was my talent for pulling the exact same amount of dough out of the bowl every time. But it's not. I am a huge fan of cookie scoops. They make your life so much easier (and cleaner). And they make perfectly round cookies.

3. Use a silicone baking mat or parchment paper! I HATED when my cookies used to stick to the baking sheet. I would have to use a heavy duty metal spatula to try to scrape them off, and they'd come out looking all battered and scarred. And then, a beautiful thing happened. Silicone. I never bake cookies without using my silicone baking mat or parchment paper (parchment is silicone coated paper).

4. Underbake! This is key to making chewy, moist cookies. I understand that there are times when you will want a crunchy cookie. But I think most people enjoy that chewy texture. When you're going to check on the cookies, you'll want them to look slightly underdone in the center.

That's it! Now go and make some perfect cookies and bring some over to me! Oh, and my 2-day old cookie? Chewy, moist, and delicious!


Chocolate Chip Cookies
Adapted from Jacques Torres, courtesy of The New York Times
Time: 45 minutes, plus at least 24 hours' chilling

2 cups minus 2 tablespoons (8 1/2 ounces) cake flour
1 2/3 cups (8 1/2 ounces) bread flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
2 1/2 sticks (1 1/4 cups) unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups (10 ounces) light brown sugar
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (8 ounces) granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons natural vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
Sea salt

1. Sift flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Set aside.

2. Using a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars together until very light, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla. Reduce speed to low, add dry ingredients and mix until just combined, 5 to 10 seconds. Drop chocolate chips in and incorporate them without breaking them. Press plastic wrap against dough and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours. Dough may be used in batches, and can be refrigerated for up to 72 hours.

3. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat. Set aside.

4. Scoop 1 tbsp of dough onto baking sheet. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt and bake until golden brown but still soft, 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer sheet to a wire rack for 10 minutes, then slip cookies onto another rack to cool a bit more. Repeat with remaining dough, or reserve dough, refrigerated, for baking remaining batches the next day. Eat warm, with a big napkin.

Laura Potter's Bread

Back when I was an intern, I would listen to podcasts from a local radio show. I don't remember what it was even called, but I do know that a lot of the show revolved around cooking. One lady in particular, I'm assuming her name is Laura Potter based on the name of the bread, peaked my interest. She talked about homemade bread, and how a good friend of hers came to her home one day to show her just how easy it was to make homemade bread.

Easy homemade bread? She had me. It probably helped that she was describing the sweet smell of bread cooking in her oven, and biting into that warm, tender bread. I rushed home that very day to make it.


This bread is everything you imagine in homemade bread. I made it with all white flour, and it reminded me of the kind of bread that was considered a treat when topped with some butter and homemade jam. It was light, fluffy, chewy, and delicious.


For some reason, I let this recipe fade away into my binder full of tried and true recipes. I'm not sure what it was that made me turn back to it today, but I'm so glad that I did! Try it out, and enjoy!


Laura Potter's Bread
Makes 2 loaves (adapted from a recipe that made 5 loaves)

2 cups hot water (out of the tap)
1/4 cup + 1 tbsp oil
1/4 cup + 1 tbsp honey
2 tsp salt
1/5 cup Powdered milk
2 1/3 cups flour (any combination of white and wheat - if mixing flours, start with white)
2 1/2 tsp saf-instant yeast
3 cups flour (any combination of white and wheat - if mixing flours, start with white)

Combine ingredients in the order listed above in a stand-mixer bowl fitted with dough hook, saving the last 3 cups of flour to add later. After adding the yeast, turn mixer on and let ingredients combine slowly. Add the remaining 3 cups of flour, until the dough starts pulling off of the sides of the mixer. Turn mixer to high and knead for 8 minutes. Cover the bowl and allow the dough to rise for 20 minutes. Preheat oven to 150 degrees.

Once dough has risen, divide the dough into 2 even balls. Place on a floured surface and with your fingers, lightly press each ball into a rectangular shape about the length of a bread pan. Roll into loaves and place them seam side down in pans sprayed with cooking spray.

Place pans in oven and allow to rise for 20 minutes. Then raise the temperature to 350 degrees and bake for 25-30 minutes. Remove from oven. Then remove the bread from the pans and allow to cool slightly before slicing.

Time flies!

Has it really been over a month since I posted? I've been baking and taking pictures, I just haven't done anything else! Here's a quick run down of the things I've made:

Mint Chocolate cookies. I was on a bit of a mint kick, and had some Andes Mints chips in the cupboard. I decided to use an old chocolate chip cookie recipe, and just made a few substitutions. I cut the flour amount by a half cup and added in a half cup of cocoa powder, and instead of vanilla extract, I used pure mint extract. I loved them! But then again, I love anything with mint...


In honor of Pi day (3/14 - yes, my husband is to blame for this one), I made a fresh strawberry pie. I used Sylvia's Perfect Pie Crust, and it was perfect for this pie (and now I have 2 more crusts in the freezer, just ready to use). I had a box of Danish Dessert in my cupboard, and decided to try it for the first time. It was great for the purpose I needed it for. This is kind of embarrassing, but my husband and I devoured this pie in 2 days.



And last, but not least, I made some shamrock cookies for everybody's favorite green holiday. I decided to try out Brown Eyed Baker's sugar cookie with royal icing. The cookie had great texture and a nice buttery flavor. I've never worked with royal icing before, and although it takes a bit of time, the result is beautiful. I'm still partial to cream cheese frosting, but I think there is something to be said for a smooth, perfectly iced cookie. Note to self - buy Wilton's icing color in green to get fabulous green color like Brown Eyed Baker.