Apple Cake

Apple.

That single word added a single beat to my heart.

Apple cake.

That added a few more beats to my already pounding heart.

Apple pie.

Well, now I’m about to faint.
I know what your thinking: “If she likes apple pie so much, then why did she make an apple cake?”
I’ll tell you why. Because next week, on Wednesday May 18th, it’s my birthday (!) so I asked my lovely old super baker, my daddy, to make me my favorite cake – apple pie. Then, on May 18th, I’ll officially be 15 years old. I’ll admit and say a cheated a bit writing two posts before I’m really 15 and writing on the front of my blog that I am. Well dear readers, I hope one day you will forgive me….. (sigh)

My favorite types of apples are Pink Lady (I’m not sure that is the correct name but that is how we call it here), Red delicious, McIntosh and Granny Smith.
Pink Lady and Red Delicious are incredibly sweet and juicy. Granny Smith’s are acid, juicy, I love its flavour and best for cakes. McIntosh’s are just yummy and work great for some cakes, including this apple cake.

So now for the cake. I thought the cake was just perfect! It was one of those simple cakes that are the best. The cake is actually made out from four layers, two layers of the simple vanilla batter and two of the sugar+cinnamon apples. I like assembling cakes and decorating so I enjoyed making that cake very much. I would definitly make that cake again! Bon appetit!

Apple Cake
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

Baker’s note: Actually, I followed this recipe exactly as directed. I just did not have a tube pan so I used a regular round spring-form pan and it turned out completly fine. In adition, I did not have McIntosh apples so I used granny smith. The cake was delicious, delicious, delicious but next time I’ll try McIntosh apples.

6 apples, Mom uses McIntosh apples
1 tablespoon cinnamon
5 tablespoons sugar

2 3/4 cups flour, sifted
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups sugar
1/4 cup orange juice
2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
4 eggs
1 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a tube pan. Peel, core and chop apples into chunks. Toss with cinnamon and sugar and set aside.

Stir together flour, baking powder and salt in a large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together oil, orange juice, sugar and vanilla. Mix wet ingredients into the dry ones, then add eggs, one at a time. Scrape down the bowl to ensure all ingredients are incorporated.

Pour half of batter into prepared pan. Spread half of apples over it. Pour the remaining batter over the apples and arrange the remaining apples on top. Bake for about 1 1/2 hours, or until a tester comes out clean.

Minestrone and Parmesan Black – Pepper Biscotti. What a Dinner!

It was just another lazy sunday. My mom was up doing her fabulous soup while I was just out and about. actually, I was at home preparing for my English test. It is tomorrow and I am kind of nervous. I know all the things I need to know but still…. Who’s not nervous about English tests? Ninth grade is no piece of cake!
But…. the day got better with something as good as a piece of cake! (and that was an obvious similie!)
Parmesan and black pepper biscotti was delicious. The minestrone was very tasty and easy to make but I didn’t made it, my mother did. I’m not going to write about it so for whoever of you that are interested, just click on this link and smoke away your minestrone!
As I was saying, it was a lazy sunday, and what do you do when there’s nothing to do except studying?
You guessed it – BAKING!
So here is the result of my hard studying (but seriously, I did study hard!):

 Aren’t they the nicest? You can see the bleck pepper in there calling for you! And you can smell the real italian 30 months old parmesan ( my mother brought from Genua! Yum!). I’ll admit, the parmesan added a ton of flavour into my biscotti but I’m sure that with any kind of parmesan it will be tasty too. But… if a real Italian parmesan is in reach… I would definitly reccomend.

Me and my mother were like cooking soulmates. We complete each other’s cooking. Like this time, she made soup and I made biscotti to go with it. It’s really nice when you have someone with such a similiar taste as you. I love you mama!!!!!!!!

 In conclusion, I had a nice first ever blog post and here is the recipe for the biscotti. Bon appetit!

Parmesan Black – Pepper Biscotti
 Adapted from epicurios

Baker’s note: I had to reduced the baking times. When you bake the biscotti logs the recipe says to bake it for 30 minutes and I put it for about 22 – 23 minutes (not a big diference), when you bake the cut logs the recipe says to bake it for 35 – 45 minutes and I did abou 30 minutes because I felt the biscotti would have burn. In the end the biscotti did come out as crunchy as other biscotti I made so maybe they should have been longer in the oven in the second baking. The biscotti came out just a bit crunchy, but they were still really good. In adition, the recipe says to put black – pepper and parmesan on the logs before baking. I put just parmesan because the biscotti dough seemed really peppery (which it was).

1 1/2 tablespoons whole black peppercorns
4 cups all-purpose flour plus additional for dusting
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons salt
4 1/2 ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano, finely grated (2 1/4 cups)
1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into
1/2-inch cubes
4 large eggs
1 cup whole milk

Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and
preheat oven to 350°F.

Pulse peppercorns in grinder until coarsely ground.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, 2 cups cheese,
and 1 tablespoon ground black pepper in a large bowl. Blend in butter with a
pastry blender or your fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal. Whisk 3
eggs with milk and add to flour mixture, stirring with a fork until a soft dough
forms.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and quarter
dough. Using well-floured hands, form each piece into a slightly flattened
12-inch-long log (about 2 inches wide and 3/4 inch high). Transfer logs to 2
ungreased large baking sheets, arranging logs about 3 inches apart.

Whisk remaining egg and brush some over logs, then sprinkle
tops of logs evenly with remaining 1/4 cup cheese and 1/2 tablespoon ground
pepper. Bake, rotating sheets 180 degrees and switching position of sheets
halfway through baking, until logs are pale golden and firm, about 30 minutes
total. Cool logs to warm on sheets on a rack, about 10 minutes.

Reduce oven temperature to 300°F.

Carefully transfer 1 warm log to a cutting board and cut
diagonally into 1/2-inch-thick slices with a serrated knife. Arrange slices, cut
sides down, in 1 layer on a baking sheet. Repeat with remaining logs,
transferring slices to sheets. Bake, turning over once, until golden and crisp,
35 to 45 minutes total. Cool biscotti on baking sheets on racks, about 15
minutes.