Old-Fashioned Apple Crisp

My husband found this recipe a couple years ago after we made our first trip to the apple orchard. We were crazy about the recipe the first time we made it and, now that I've made it for a third time, it's still just as good. What we like about the recipe is, because of the zest and juices, you can pretty much use any kind of apples you want. Which is really good because, if we are using apples we picked at the orchard, we really have no idea what kind they are.

Some people complain that the citrus kick that all the zest and juice add to this apple crisp cover up the homey, delicious, comforting tastes of the apples and the cinnamon. That may be true, but we love it and it will definitely be a recipe we keep using year after year.

Old-Fashioned Apple Crisp
(Source: Food Network)

5 pounds McIntosh or Macoun apples
Grated zest of 1 orange
Grated zest of 1 lemon
2 Tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice
2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg

For the topping:
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 cup oatmeal
2 sticks (16 Tbsp) cold unsalted butter, diced

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 9 by 14 by 2-inch oval baking dish.

2. Peel, core, and cut the apples into large wedges. Combine the apples with the zests, juices, sugar, and spices. Pour into the dish.

3. To make the topping, combine the flour, sugars, salt, oatmeal, and cold butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until the mixture is crumbly and the butter is the size of peas. Scatter evenly over the apples.

4. Place the crisp on a sheet pan and bake for 1 hour until the top is brown and the apples are bubbly. Serve warm.

Spring Fling Layered White Cake

My aunt emailed me a couple of weeks ago with this recipe, wondering if I would be willing to make it for my grandma's birthday. My grandma is borderline diabetic, so she tries to avoid sweets as much as possible. I have never worked with Splenda before (or cake flour, for that matter), but I was up for the challenge and dove right in.

The recipe was straightforward and easy to follow. It really was no different than making any other kind of cake. I snitched a tiny taste of the cake as I was slicing the layers (an art I am in dire need of practicing) and was pleasantly surprised by how normal it tasted. I figured you would be able to tell that it wasn't made with real sugar, but I certainly couldn't.

I was not a fan of the frosting, but then again I'm not a cream cheese kind of girl. Unless it is heavily sweetened. Or the cream cheese flavor is barely noticeable. As it was, the frosting was mostly cream cheese (1 whole pound...yikes!) and a fat free cream cheese, which I have to believe takes some of the flavor out of it. I would have much rather seen the cake paired with this pudding-based frosting (or even this pudding/cream cheese/whipped topping frosting probably wouldn't be bad).

But the true test was what all of the guests would think of the cake. I was nervous, of course, and kept my fingers crossed that it would be a hit. The verdict? It was delicious! Grandma even had two pieces. I didn't try the finished product, but all of the guests that tried it raved about how good it was. I would definitely like to try this cake again and experiment more with the filling and the frosting.

Happy 84th, Grandma!

Spring Fling Layered White Cake
(Source: Splenda)

Cake:
1 1/2 cups SPLENDA® Granular
3 3/4 cup cake flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup unsalted butter, softened
7 large egg whites
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Diabetic Cream Cheese Frosting:
1/2 cup light butter, softened
1 cup SPLENDA Granular
1 pound fat-free cream cheese
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Apricot & Strawberry Filling:
3/4 cup reduced sugar apricot preserves
1 pint strawberries, thinly sliced

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly spray two 9-inch cake pans with baking spray. Set aside.

2. Make cake. Sift flour. Mix SPLENDA, flour, baking powder, baking soda and sugar together in a medium sized mixing bowl. Mix on low speed until ingredients are blended. Add softened butter. Mix on low speed until butter is very finely distributed (about 2 to 3 minutes).

3. Add egg whites. Mix on low speed until incorporated. Scrape sides of bowl. Mix on medium-high speed 1 to 2 minutes or until batter is light and well blended. Scrape sides of bowl. Add buttermilk and extracts. Mix on medium speed until blended.

4. Pour cake batter into prepared pans. Bake in preheated 350°F oven 20 to 25 minutes or until edges of cake appear slightly dry. Allow cake to cool in pans 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from pans and cool on wire racks until ready to ice.

5. Prepare Icing. Beat softened butter and SPLENDA briefly in a medium sized mixing bowl (until SPLENDA is just incorporated). Add cream cheese. Mix until lump free (about 1 minutes). Scrape sides of bowl and add vanilla. Mix well.

6. Assemble cake. Slice cooled cake layers in half. Using a serrated knife slice cakes in half horizontally, to create 4 cake layers.

7. Place 1 cake layer on cake stand or plate. Spread 1/3 of the preserves over the cake layer. Top with 1/3 of the strawberries. Repeat process until all layers are assembled.

8. Ice cake.

Makes 18 (1/2-inch thick slice) servings.

Our Favorite Blueberry Muffins

I haven't made muffins in practically forever...I think since Christmas. I love them, especially hot out of the oven with a tall glass of cold milk.

Did you know the Blueberry muffin is the official muffin of Minnesota? While that's not the reason I made them, it would certainly be a compelling reason to. I just like them. A lot. Even though I otherwise hate blueberries.

Our Favorite Blueberry Muffins
(Source: King Arthur Flour)

6 tbsp butter
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 cups All-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk
2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp almond extract
1 1/2 - 2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen
1 tbsp sugar mixed with 1/2 tsp cinnamon (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously grease muffin cups.

2. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture, and beat well. Stir in milk, vanilla, and almond extract, mixing only until smooth. Quickly stir in the berries.

3. Fill the muffin cups 3/4 to almost full. Sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar (I used white sparkling sugars). Bake the muffins for 25-30 minutes or until light golden brown. Place the pan on a rack to cool for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, run a knife around the edge of one muffin, and try to lift out of the pan. If the muffin lifts out of the pan without crumbling, remove all of the muffins and cool completely on a wire rack. If the muffin sticks or the top peels off, allow them to cool an additional 10 minutes, then try again.

Makes 12 Muffins (or 6 Jumbo Muffins)