This week I'd love to share another recipe from Pie in the Sky, a cookbook with variations on recipes for all altitudes. She has traveled across the country, borrowing kitchens from "friends in high places" as she puts it.
While reading through her chapter about testing recipes at different elevations, it became very clear that this was a very taxing job. She describes making dozens of batches of bran muffins just to see them cave in every time. It took many tries to get the perfect dome. And that's how all of the recipes went.
If you can't get your hands on this cookbook or one like it, there are plenty of online resources to find pre-tested high altitude recipes. I'd recommend starting with blogs like Dough-Eyed and My Kitchen in the Rockies. There are so many great tips for baking at high altitude, so don't let yourself get discouraged!
This week's cake is a spicy and sweet dense cake that will get you in the holiday spirit. Don't let the long list of ingredients scare you off, it wasn't too challenging to make and you can do it too!
For this recipe you will need a bunt pan. They can be purchased anywhere, but my mom recently gifted me a new non-stick pink one! It's my newest obsession, so of course I had to find a cake to bake in it!
Ingredients:
- 1 and 1/2 Cups of Flour
- 1 Tsp. of Baking Soda
- 1/2 Tsp. of Salt
- 1/2 Tsp. of Ground Cinnamon
- 1/2 Tsp. of Ground Nutmeg
- 1/2 Tsp. of Ground Allspice or Cardamom
- 1/4 Tsp. of Ground Cloves
- 3 Tbsp. of Wheat Germ, toasted
- 1/2 Cups of Finely Chopped Walnuts
- 1 Stick of Room Temperature Butter
- 1 Cup minus 2 Tbsp. of Brown Sugar
- 3 Tbsp. of Maple Syrup or Honey
- 2 Eggs
- 1/3 Cup of Apple Juice
- 1 Cup of Applesauce
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees
2. In a bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, spices, and the wheat germ. Then set this aside.
3. In another bowl, toss together the raisins, cranberries, and nuts with 2 Tbsp. of the dry ingredient mixture. You'll want all of the dried fruit and nuts to be coated with the flour mixture. Then set aside.
4. In a larger bowl, combine the butter and sugar until it has made a paste.
5. Beat in the maple syrup or honey, eggs, apple juice, and applesauce. The batter might look a little curdled, but that's okay!
6. Slowly start adding in the dry ingredients and then the nut and dried fruit mix.
7. Scoop or pour the batter into a prepared bunt pan and place in the oven for 30-35 minutes or until completely baked.
8. Remove from pan. [This was the part I was most concerned about, but it slid right out and I had no reason to be worried!]
Set your cake aside and let it completely cool before adding icing.
Ingredients:
- 1 and 1/3 Cups of Powdered Sugar
- 2-3 Tbsp. of Milk or Water
- 1/4 Tsp. of Vanilla
Directions:
1. Combine all of the ingredients and mix until slightly runny.
2. Pour icing over top of cake and let sit to harden.
Now dig in and enjoy! I had a great time baking this cake and even though there were many steps, it was therapeutic for me. Hope you give this a shot at home and have fun!
Hi Makala! Wow this applesauce cake with icing glazing looks very delicious! Lately I’ve been purchasing baking utensils and by reading your post, I realized I’m missing a bunt pan. Maybe I’ll consider buying one in the future and try out this recipe. The list of ingredients is long, but you’re right it shouldn’t scare me off! I enjoyed reading your blog and learning new recipes!
ReplyDeleteA Bundt pan is something that can be used in so many baking projects. Another great recipe for your next brunch is Monkey Bread to add a little something sweet to the table. The great non stick feature allows the Carmel like stickiness slide right out of the pan.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading about your blog and love that you include pictures. I also liked how you talked about how hard it is to bake at this high altitude. I love making macaroons but it’s really hard to find a recipe for high altitudes. So I’m glad you linked to blogs that share recipes for high altitudes.
ReplyDeleteI like how everything that you bake is easy and do-able at home. During this quarantine I have been recently finding baking to be something that I enjoy as well. I also like that you make it more apparent to Colorado bakers by adding the information about cooking at high altitudes. It really lets the readers know your target audience.
ReplyDelete