spiced apple cake recipe

Haven't tried it yet, but here it is: (I tried to find it online at the Williams-Sonoma website, but it didn't show up there. However, their Thanksgiving pages had some fabulous ideas. Personally, I'd take a few shortcuts with the following recipe, but I'm giving it as is. As putsy as it occasionally sounds, I'll still try this one out sometime. And I repeat: it's a miracle I don't weigh 500 pounds. Have you checked out the first ingredient? And that's only the first time butter is mentioned...And it's supposed to serve 16 to 20. They don't say different people because it could be me 8 days in a row! (I don't believe in saying 'no' to seconds on good dessert.) Sorry the picture's a little lopsided, but I don't have time to re-scan anything.)

Ingredients: Cake
24 Tbsp. (3 sticks) plus 3 Tbsp. unsalted butter
2 3/4 cups granulated sugar
3 Braeburn or Golden Delicious apples, about 1 1/4 lb. total, peeled, corred and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
3 2/3 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 Tbsp. ground cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1. tsp. salt
3/4 cup milk
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
3/4 cup unsweetened natural applesauce
6 eggs

Ingredients: Frosting
6 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
1 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 lb. cream cheese
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tsp. brandy (optional)

Ingredients: Topping
3 Tbsp. finely chopped crystallized ginger (optional, and apparently available at WS)
1 Tbsp. granulated sugar (optional)

Directions:
Have all the ingredients at room temp
1. To make the cake, in a large frying pan over medium-high heat, heat 1 1/2 Tbsp. of the butter and 2 Tbsp. of the granulated sugar until the butter melts. Add half of the apples and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and golden, 7 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Repeat with 1 1/2 Tbsp. of the butter, 2 Tbsp. of the granulated sugar and the remaining apples. Let cool to room temperature.
2. Position 1 rack in the lower third of an oven and another rack in the middle. Preheat to 325 degrees F. Grease and flour three 9-inch round cake pans.
3. Over a sheet of waxed paper, sift together the flour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, baking powder and salt. In a small bowl, whisk together the milk, vanilla and applesauce. Set aside.
4. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, beat the reamining 24 Tbsp. (3 sticks) of butter on medium speed until creamy and smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the remaining 2 1/2 cups granulated sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes, stopping the mixer occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the milk mixture and beginning and ending with the flour. Beat each addition just until incorporated, stopping the mixer occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Using a silicone spatula, gently fold in the apples.
5. Divide the batter among the prepared pans, spreading it evenly. Bake until the centers of the cakes spring back when touched and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer the pans to a wire rack and let the cakes cool in the pans for about 15 minutes. Turn the cakes out onto the rack and let cool completely, about 1 hour.
6. To make the frosting, whisk together the confectioners' sugar, ginger and cinnamon in a bowl. Set aside.
7. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, beat together the cream cheese and butter on medium speed until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes, stopping the mixer occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the vanilla and brandy and beat until combined. Reduce the speed to low and slowly add the confectioners' sugar mixture. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes, stopping the mixer occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Refrigerate the frosting for 30 minutes before using.
8. To assemble, place 1 cake layer, top side down, on a plate. Spread one-third of the frosting over the surface, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Set another cake layer, top side up, on the first layer and spread with one-third of the frosting, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Set the third cake layer, top side down, on the second layer and spread the remaining frosting over the top. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to set the frosting. In a small bowl, toss together the crystallized ginger and granulated sugar, coating the ginger thoroughly. Pour through a fine-mesh sieve to remove excess sugar. Sprinkle the cake with the ginger. Serves 16 to 20.

spell check, anyone?

Ok, just had to ask this: Why does the blogger spell checker suggest the word "Josef" in place of the word "Cosby"? And then "blocker" for "blogger"? what is wrong with this picture?

Oh, the insanities when one tries to use spell check. I don't very often, but with the previous post and my use of "feat" I felt compelled to at least attempt correct spelling once in a while.

It's a miracle I don't weigh 500 pounds

I'm really into making dessert these days. The homemade, luscious kind. For example, the past couple weeks I've made baked apples, apple pie, apple dumplings with caramel cinnamon sauce; southern-style banana pudding (why would I ever go back to Jello pudding? Not even the entertaining Bill Cosby could convince me it's better than the real stuff, all warm and gooey), cookies galore, and tonight's masterpiece (straight from a Martha Stewart cookbook, and it still only took 30 minutes to prep! no small feat as any who've prepared MS's recipes know), pear upside-down cake. Mmmmmmm. It's all gingery. I love dessert. (OK, so maybe mine didn't look quite this artistic given the mere 30 minutes I had; but it wasn't too shabby.) (And I found a different pear upside-down cake recipe on Martha's website, but this is a different one. Maybe i'll try it some day...)
Next up, pumpkin pie. Or pumpkin tarts. or maybe something pecan...or cranberry apple galette. ooo, ooh, ooo! I got a recipe for applecake with cream cheese frosting from a booklet I got at Williams Sonoma over the weekend. Or maybe I'll stick with the ginger theme and do gingerbread with daffodil lemon sauce (an ol' favorite with my fam). Hmmm. Too many choices, but plenty of time for savoring.

a fleecer I am not

I finally joined the majority of my friends and learned how to play Texas Hold 'Em tonight (or last evening, I should say since it's 2am now). The one time I played poker prior to this evening I was about 13 years old, and trust me, nothing stuck. This time around, I found it to be greatly entertaining and plan to play again sometime soon. Never fear, however: I shan't be rope-a-doping anyone (as my father would say) in the foreseeable future for I must confess to winning several hands quite cluelessly. For instance, once I had a pair of queens and didn't even realize I had a flush.

and talk about luck! The kicker of the evening for me was when I bet 100,000 (of what, I still don't know because we weren't playing for $$$, yet we still tacked on lots of zeroes to the denominations to make us feel better, I suppose - I started thinking in terms of condiments: mayo, mustard, catsup and blue cheese, each correlating to the chip color; or else there is the Mexican food theme...sour cream, cheese, salsa and blue corn chips) and had the perfect cards for a straight on both ends and lost to 4 sevens. How unlucky was that? (And no, I sincerely doubt cheating was involved.) But all in all, not a bad showing. The only thing I missed was the little section of the screen dedicated to percentages when you're watching tournaments on tv.

Blustery November

My theories are flawed. Well, one of them is, at any rate. Remember that whole rant about leaves and that I was done with them? And that my theory of the wind blowing them all away would never happen?

Alas, it's true. My theory can never really happen. We had quite a gusty day earlier this week, with very strong winds that lasted for nearly 24 hours. Granted, most of our leaves had already been raked and bagged, but it might have worked. Our neighbor (the recycling neighbor of previous tales) had not yet raked all her leaves; I cannot fault her for this since she was in Amsterdam on vacay until yesterday. What Kevin said in his comment turned all too true: the blustery winds of November blew all her leaves into our yard.

The fault with my theory is that I had not factored in the fence. It would have worked beautifully without the fence! All of them would have been blown into oblivion, and I would not be sitting here writing about this subject. You see, we have a fence on one side of our backyard. Based on wind direction, this fence is not on the side that would keep the leaves out of the yard (the south side), but on the side that keeps the leaves in our yard (the north side). This is a serious flaw. But it's not our fence, so I can't just go rip it down; it belongs to the other neighbors, the ones on the north side. Besides, I probably wouldn't rip down a fence just to remedy a two-week per annum situation. And also, the wind might blow the opposite direction next year, and all my problems will be solved!

The good part is that at least all the leaves are neatly lined up along the fence and not scattered about the entire yard. Bah! Who am I kidding? The weathermen are predicting snow on Tuesday, and in the off-chance that it sticks, I won't be able to see the leaves any more, so who cares?

"How many squad cars do we give a deputy before we put him behind the desk?"

This is just plain ol' cause for concern.

SS Edmund Fitzgerald

Today, November 10th, is the 30th anniversary of the sinking of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald on Lake Superior; this always puts me in the proper mood to then remember war vets on November 11, Armistice Day, now commonly known as Veterans' Day in honor of those who served in all wars, not just WWI veterans.

To read the full Edmund Fitz story, visit this page.

Pearls of wisdom...straight from an Oyster

Thanks to Erica and her dragon-ness about being a dragoness (I'm kidding! She wasn't horrible at all), I took this quiz. So guess what I am? That's right, an oyster. (Though that pearls of wisdom thing is questionable.)

You're an Oyster!

You don't have a ton of complexity or identity on your own, so you've made an effort to focus on making a nice and sturdy house. It gives you the appearance of being interesting as well as a good place to hide from your critics and those who might expose your secrets. At least you can remind us all of what humble beginnings we've all come from. People associate you with really good crackers.


Take the Animal Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.

I am also wont to believe that my animal character could change - all depending on my mood. For now, though, I like to think that there are pearls somewhere inside me, and that I hang out with good, friendly crazies.

All confused

I don't go to church on Saturday evenings very often, but I did this weekend, and then slept in on Sunday morning. I am totally confused! I can't figure out what day it is (even though I went to orchestra rehearsal on Sunday night as usual). I think I'll stick with Sunday morning church as much as possible for my own sanity - except when the Vikings play in Minneapolis at noon. (Too much traffic, since the Metrodome is about three blocks away from church, and that is why I went to church on Saturday night in the first place.)

night v. day

I am a night person. I've often wondered how true this is as I've gotten older (because many days I don't like the day or the night and would rather get my preferred 9 hours of daily sleep).

Last night I couldn't sleep. That doesn't happen very often to me. (again, I prefer 9 hours, and lazy though I may be, I'm not going to waste time trying to nod off! If I have any hope of making it to my goal, I best get started snoozing right away.) So, I turned on the light, read a bit, wrote a thank you note for a recent interview, and finally made out a list of all sorts of things to do. I enjoy making to-do lists, and then diligently checking things off as I complete them (until I get tired of that list, toss it, and start a new one with half the old things on the new one). It is only in the middle of the night that I can truly get into all the things I should be doing and goals I should be setting, and then design plans on how to accomplish them. I have probably made the majority of all my life's lists after nightfall. So, after creating my latest list, I turned out the light, only to be engulfed by thoughts of the list (and the interview; and also a same-sex marriage debate I recently attended at the U of M Law School, as long as I'm listing things about which I was thinking). around 2 or 3 this morning I was finally getting sleepy, so I dropped off in a happy state.

Only to awake this morning and not want to look at the list of things to do - the list that so interested me last night that the pondering thereof caused me lack of sleep. I cared neither for the interview (good thing i'd completed the thank you last night) nor the debate. This has happened to me often (as I'm sure it has to a great number of other people). I am excited about something right before bed or in the middle of the night, and then by morning i don't care. Not because it isn't such a good goal or the task can't be accomplished by daylight, but because I can only get excited about projects, be they short- or long-term, when I am at my most awake and alert. apparently that is nighttime; I sleeplessly dream at night.

I am a night person.

Poll Results: Halloween Costumes

The poll was a quick one this week. In light of the fact that it's no longer October, I figured it would be high time to remove it. A poll with a holiday theme that sticks around too long is kind of like Christmas lights sagging from the rooftop in March: a bit sad. Derelict and decrepit, this, too, should be put away.

With a majority of the vote, people would rather dress up as Willy Wonka, a la Johnny Depp, for Halloween. There was one lone vote for Martha Stewart, but the White Sox and Harriet Miers were all apparently last week's news. I'm kind of curious if anyone actually knew who the Crusher was - if you did, you still didn't vote for him. (Feel free to comment if you actually understood that reference. Also, feel free to comment if you have a great poll idea. I don't put a whole lot of thought into these things, as I'm sure you've noticed, so I could stand to do with a suggestion or two. What burning question would you like anonymous strangers to answer?)

The new poll is from television, and is definitely not a new concept. With criminalists and forensic experts taking over our tv's (at least until all the networks get their satires up and running, or whatever the new trend will be, to replace them), which kind of genre from the land of fictional cop would you rather be? If network programming were any indication (and it seems possible since much of it appears to be very loosely based on real life and the current scientific trends), you can help solve crimes in all sorts of interesting ways, using all sorts of professions. Doctors (& police officers), Lawyers (& officers of the law), Criminalists (& cops). You name it. So. Which would you want to play? (Or maybe you've been so inspired by them that you're going to pursue that career in real life? Can't say I know anyone personally who has chosen a career based on a tv show, so that'd be a new experience.)

Here are your choices, with a randomly selected example of each: would you rather be a doctor/M.E. (Crossing Jordan), a criminalist (CSI:someplace), a lawyer (Law & Order:pick any version), a mathematician (Numb3rs:apparently 3 is lucky or unlucky or something), a high school student/P.I. (Veronica Mars: female Magnum in the making), or just a plain old cop (Cold Case)?

Caveat: I am not recommending any of these particular shows. In fact, I cannot even say I've seen all of them or watch them on a regular basis. I only mean them to be examples of what you think it might be interesting to do at the same time as you fictionally solve/fight crimes. If you have a better suggestion on how to fight crime (even if it's only comicbook superheroes), feel free to comment. Or come up with your own poll question. Send it in.

I'm finally getting around to this...

I'll bite the bait, too, but I'm spitting out the hook, or something along those lines. Carrie tagged me a while ago to do the following, and I'll do my share. However, I am generally quite loathe to tag others, so that's where the hook is being spit out. if you feel like linking to this or posting in my comment section, feel free. otherwise, no obligations to any, and it is I alone who will be cursed. as the friendless blogger.

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"THE RULES: List five songs that you are currently loving. It doesn't matter what genre they are from, whether they have words, or even if they're any good, but they must be songs you're really enjoying right now. Post these instructions, the artists, and the songs in your blog, then "tag" five other bloggers/friends to see what they're listening to."

1. Symphony in D minor, by Franck (Just played it with the orchestra, and it grew on me)
2. Meditation, from the opera Thais, by Massenet (especially enjoyable when played by cellist Yo-Yo Ma)
3. Before the Throne of God Above, by Steve & Vikki Cook (I love singing this one in church, like we did this past weekend)
4. No Sleep Tonight, The Faders (Is it just me or is that song popping up everywhere? Radio, movies, ads, whatever. Can't get it out of my head, but that's a good thing. for now. and I don't know more than about five words of the song. I'm not very good at that, and it's quite frankly a miracle I know both the name of the group and song title.)
5. Running, Gwen Stefani (another that I can't get out of my head, what with its haunted little tune and more lyrics I've never actually known...)
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