Apples and Spice, Everything Nice

1826 Adare is restaurant in the village of Adare, Co. Limerick.

MARGARET M. JOHNSON

Ireland Hopping | Margaret M. Johnson

Bakers preparing for Thanksgiving will probably be surprised to see this week’s recipes featuring apples rather than pumpkin, squash, or cranberries. My thinking is that when it comes to this holiday, the last thing you need is another recipe for cranberry bread or pumpkin pie. Instead, I’m sharing some yummy ideas for spicy apple cakes topped with toffee/caramel sauces that will be a welcome addition to your holiday favorites.

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APPLE-DATE STICKY TOFFEE PUDDINGS

MAKES 24 PUDDINGS

These puddings, more like a cupcake than a pudding, make a perfect holiday dessert. In addition to the dates and nuts usually found in a sticky toffee pud, the grated apples add additional flavor and texture. The recipe was a contribution to my “Christmas Flavors of Ireland” cookbook from Wade Murphy, chef-proprietor of 1826 Adare, a lovely restaurant in the charming Limerick village. You can make these a day or two ahead, leave them at room temperature, and reheat the sauce in a microwave.

For the puddings

1 1/4 cups chopped dates

1 1/4 cups water

1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

8 tablespoons unsalted Irish butter, softened

1 1/4 cups sugar

3 large eggs

2 1/2 cups flour

2 cooking apples, peeled, cored, and grated

For the toffee sauce

1/4 cup water

3/4 cups sugar

8 tablespoons salted Irish butter, cut into pieces

2/3 cup heavy (whipping) cream


  1. Make puddings. In a medium saucepan, combine water, dates, and soda. Bring to a boil, stir once or twice, and then remove from heat and let cool completely.

  2. Preheat oven to 325° F. Spray cups of two standard 12-well muffin pans with non-stick spray.

  3. In a medium bowl, cream butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, and then fold in flour, date mixture, and apples. Spoon batter into prepared pans and bake for 25 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into center comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool on wire rack for 10 minutes.

  4. Make sauce. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, bring water and sugar to a boil. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes, or until mixture begins to caramelize. Whisk in butter until blended and then whisk in cream until smooth. To serve, spoon warm toffee sauce over warm puddings.



PHOTO: MCCORMICK

CHUNKY APPLE-SPICE CAKE WITH VANILLA BUTTER SAUCE

SERVES 10

This recipe is provided by McCormick, makers of spices, sauces, and other indispensable ingredients for bakers and cooks.

For the cake

1 cup flour



  • 1 tablespoon McCormick pumpkin pie spice

  • 1 teaspoon McCormick ground allspice

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

  • 8 tablespoons butter, softened

  • 1 cup (packed) light brown sugar

  • 2 large eggs


  • 2 teaspoons McCormick vanilla extract

  • 2 medium apples, peeled, cored, and chopped

  • 1/2 cup raisins


  • 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

    • For the butter sauce


    • 1 cup (packed) light brown sugar

      • 8 tablespoons butter




    • 1/2 cup heavy (whipping) cream

      1. Make cake. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch round cake pan. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, pumpkin pie spice, allspice, and salt; set aside.

      2. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed for 5 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla on low speed, until just blended. Gradually beat in flour mixture, beating well after each addition. Stir in apples, raisins and walnuts.

      3. Spoon batter into prepared pan and bake 35 to 40 minutes, or until skewer inserted into center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes; invert cake onto serving plate.

      4. Make sauce. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, slowly bring sugar, butter and cream to boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes, or until sauce thickens. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. To serve, spoon warm sauce over cake; cut into slices.






APPLE-SPICE MINI BUNDT CAKES

MAKES 24 MINI CAKES

If you have a mini bundt pan, by all means make these little cakes in it; if not, use a full size cupcake pan. I love the former because the sauce sits beautifully in the center and oozes down the sides — yum!

For the cakes

3 cups flour

1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cups canola oil

2 cups sugar

3 large eggs

3 1/2 cups chopped apples (peeled, and cored)

3 tablespoons brandy

For the sauce

4 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons (packed) light brown sugar

6 tablespoons granulated sugar

2 tablespoons heavy (whipping) cream

Confectioners’ sugar, for sprinkling


  1. Make cakes. Preheat oven to 300°F. Grease a 16-well mini-bundt pan (or standard muffin pan). In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, cardamom, soda, and salt; set aside.

  2. In another large bowl, whisk together oil and sugar until thick. Add eggs, one at a time, and whisk until smooth. Stir in apples and brandy.

  3. Spoon batter into prepared pan and bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into center comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool on wire rack for 10 minutes.

  4. Make sauce. In small saucepan over medium heat, melt butter; stir in sugars. Add brandy and cream, bring to boil, and then reduce heat and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, or until smooth. To serve, spoon warm sauce over cakes; sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar.


Margaret M. Johnson’s “Favorite Flavors of Ireland” is a “labor of love and tribute to her thirty years of travel there. It offers more than 100 best-loved recipes from her previous ten cookbooks and celebrates the special flavors of each Irish season: Spring/An t-Earrach, Summer/An Samhradh, Autum/An Fómhar, Winter/An Geimhreadh.” For ordering details, visit www.irishcook.com.

 

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