Double Apple Post: Butterscotch Apple Pudding & Apple Butter

We have a gorgeous apple tree in our garden that my husband planted when he was younger. About two years ago we had apples everywhere! As I was handing them out to friends and family I kept getting asked what type of apples they were and I had no clue!

Well I was was on Twitter and saw a tweet promoting Winchester Mill’s Apple Day. When I looked into it further they said that if you brought in your apples they would identify them for you. So, of course I had to go! I was told that they were pretty sure they were Spartan apples. They looked at the skin, shape, and most importantly the seeds. If you cut them in half it’s how the star is shaped.

Well, last years apple hull was disappointing, as it usually is after a good year, so I didn’t go crazy with apples. However, this year we have had loads! So, I’ve got to baking and eating! Here are two things I have made so far.

The first being a simple apple pudding from Rachel Allen and the second an American favorite Apple Butter.

The Butterscotch Apple Pudding is a super easy and comforting dessert. Just before your comforting roast or stew or pie in the oven start preparing this dessert. It can bake in the oven while you eat and then will be warm and ready for a big spoon of ice cream!

Butterscotch Apple Pudding 

2 large or 3 average apples, peeled, cored, and chopped
125g self-rising flour
1/4 tsp salt
200g brown sugar,
100g butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
200ml milk
2 tablespoons golden syrup
150ml boiling water, be sure to measure after the water is boiled

Heat the oven to 180C. Scatter the chopped apples evenly into the bottom of a 20x30cm ovenproof dish.
Put the flour, salt, and half the sugar (100g) into a bowl and gently whisk. In a jug measure out the milk and then add the melted butter, vanilla extract, and egg. Like when making muffins, pour the wet ingredients into the dry ones and whisk just until it’s mixed. Pour the mixture over the chopped apples.
To make the butterscotch put the golden syrup in a sauce pan with 150ml boiling water and the rest of the sugar (100g). Stir while the water is starting to boil and continue until the sugar has dissolved. It is a bit more liquidy then I thought it would have been, but don’t worry it all sorts out in the oven! Pour the sugar mixture over the batter as evenly as possible.
Pop it in the preheated oven and bake for 30 minutes, the sponge should be a golden light color and spring back when prodded.
I served mine with salted caramel ice cream, but feel free to use cream or custard or any other flavor of ice cream!

Apple Butter: 

The next thing I made with all the excess apples we have hanging around was Apple Butter. There isn’t actually any butter in it, incase you didn’t know! There are many recipes out there and most of them American, because it’s an American thing. Apple Butter that is!

When you make Apple Butter it is better then having any-old smelling “Apple Spice” candle in your house, it makes the whole house smell delicious with spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves how could it not?

My apple butter wasn’t as thick as I thought it should be, it’s possible because I didn’t do mine overnight, but through the day. So, when it was down to the 12th hour I was ready for bed! Perhaps I jumped the gun a little and blitzed it before it was ready. Oh well, it’s still tasty and a whole jar has already been used, with the majority of it being given to friends and family.

For the recipe visit Cakeyboi for his Easy Apple Butter which is the recipe I used! He’s also recently made Pumpkin Spice Latte Butter in his slow cooker! Thinking I might have to try that out next!!

notes: The recipe was adapted from Rachel Allen’s Home Cooking, but can also be found online here. The Winchester City Mill Day was talked about in this post here! I am currently rounding up the Apple Linky I hosted from early September to October so be prepared for lots of apple recipes! Apples have had a really good season this year!

Cinnamon Bun Cupcakes from Robicelli’s: A Love Story, with Cupcakes {a book review}

I had read a few reviews for Robicelli's: A Love Story, with Cupcakes, in various places before staring at it in my wishlist on Amazon, then moving it to the basket, then back to the basket and so on…

I have an excessive collection of baking/cook books. So, its kind rare for me to purchase one, even though I covet loads of titles, these days. I’m running out of space and I do get anxiety attacks.

Basically if I know I have 2 or more recipes for the same type of cake or dessert I’m after I panic because I want the one that’s the best. However I am well aware that if I don’t try them out how will I know which is the best. I just don’t always want to try them all out; I just want the best right now. Then I wonder well, what if there isn’t one that is better then the other? What do I do then? Maybe I should make something else?

Hence the anxiety attacks I get over deciding what to make because I have so many cookbooks. We won’t even go into meal planning…. 

Yet, even though I know all this I still love a good book about food. And that is why this one stood out to me. All the reviews said how well written and funny it is.

Then one day, as I went to stare at it in my wishlist, Amazon informed me that there were only 9 copies left! Well, that just started another anxiety attack and now I am the proud owner of one of those 9 copies! 

I haven’t been back to check if they are fully back in stock, but I would have to assume so.

I read the book front to back and all the other reviews were right it’s laugh-out-loud funny, but what I really liked best was how real it was.

When you read a book or sometimes even blogs only the good things are there in black and white and we think: “How lucky are they to be where they are!” or “There life is perfect! I wish my life were more perfect.” But life isn’t like that. I guess I just appreciated that it shared the good, the bad, and the funny.

As I’ve been homesick lately I chose to try out the Cinnamon Bun Cupcakes first. I do like my cinnamon and these are full of it! They are good, but not exactly what I was expecting. Which I guess isn’t fair, as I really just want a proper cinnamon roll.

The cakes tasted good, but were heavier then I like them to be and the cinnamon goo sunk straight to the bottom. It’s probably due to something I did. I may have over mixed or converted the butter from sticks to grams wrong? The homemade butterscotch was good. So good, that it has finger impressions in it. Usually mine.

Then I thought I’d try this French Buttercream that they promote throughout the book. However, I found it to be a bit rich.  Maybe I don’t have a sophisticated enough palate for frosting that might as well be a slab of butter creamed and slapped on the top of a cake? Maybe it would be better on a different cake like their Bea Arthur cupcakes, which is a black coffee chocolate cake? Maybe I should make them I have plenty of frosting leftover?

If not I will use their tip of freezing the leftover buttercream in ice cube trays and using it for pancakes!

The recipes throughout the book are refreshing and far from the cute cupcakes being sold across the world. They make everything from scratch, but give tips on how to cut corners if you must. I have lots of others I’d like to try despite my not so great first attempt.

One recipe does not a cookbook make.

I will let you know how I get on with any other recipes I try!

notes: I read once that if you have more choice your brain thinks it’s an important decision. Therefore you find it harder to make a decision and likewise easier if you have fewer choices. I need to learn how to make myself proper cinnamon rolls. I bought myself a copy as stated above. Amazon is probably the only place you can buy this book in the UK as it’s a USA publication. Saying that it is in cups, sticks of butter, ounces and there are some things that aren’t readily available in the UK. Like Corn Syrup, I found mine at a big Tesco’s in their World Food section. 

Oatmeal Scotchies (butterscotch)

As I mentioned in my last post, winter is upon us. What that means for us residing in England is cold rain and gray cloudy skies. The only difference between winter and the other seasons is the “cold” part. Which doesn't improve it at all!!

Feeling the need to make the house warm and cozy I thought I’d make some cookies. I had some butterscotch Nestle Toll House morsels/chips hanging out in the cupboard. I thought, even though I know there are about a million dozen recipes online and in my books that could make good use out of these chips, that I’d just use the recipe on the back of the package.

Having Goggled “Oatmeal Scotchies” (after I made the cookies may I add) so many bloggers added clever things like coconut and stuff. Ah well, maybe next time. They were good just as is! Enjoy!

Oatmeal Scotchies

1 ¼ cups all purpose flour (plain flour)

1 tsp baking soda (baking powder)

½ tsp salt

½ tsp ground cinnamon

1 cup (2 sticks (228/230g) unsalted butter or margarine, softened

¾ cup granulated sugar

¾ cup packed brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

3 cups quick or old-fashioned oats (rolled oats)

1 2/3 cups (11oz. pkg) Nestle Toll House Butterscotch flavored morsels

Pre-heat oven to 375F/190C

Combine flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Beat butter, both sugars, eggs, and vanilla in a large mixer bowl. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in oats and morsels. Drop by rounded tablespoons onto ungreased baking sheets.

Bake for about 7-8 minutes for chewy cookies or 9-10 minutes for crisp cookies. Cool on baking sheets for 1-2 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

I wasn't lying above where I said they were good. Because they are good, but…

…I don’t know if it’s just me or not, but they are not as addictive as a good ol chocolate chip cookie. I think it was because the morsels/chips are butterscotch flavored, not actual butterscotch. In the UK there are so many rules about additives in food I think that after 7 ½ years I can really tell the difference.

Thanksgiving is tomorrow. I will be celebrating on Saturday with my little family and in-laws. I can’t wait to share with you what I make! I am not one of those bloggers who bakes/cooks a head of time to have posts up before the actual holiday or event. I do apologize for this if you find that annoying. ;0)

Last year I made Spiced Pumpkin Cheesecake for dessert! It was good. This year I am going for a traditional pumpkin pie! Hope all my American friends, family, and followers have a great day of food, family, friends, and laughter! 

Boulder Bundt Cake {Baked in America/Outsider Tart} #AugustBreak

Last August (August Break 2011) I bought a copy of Baked in America by the Davids [Outsider Tart]. This August I am showing you the Boulder Bundt Cake (pg 144) from said book.
If you are a coffee/toffee lover this is the cake for you! It's amazing. My bundt/tube pan wasn't big enough and it was overflowing and a tiny part of it at the top was under done, but it is amazing.
I love coffee flavored stuff and this has hit the spot! If you have the book then by default you own the recipe and if you have trouble finding coffee extract as I did, no worries, just make it yourself!!
I am sorry that I am not sharing the recipe with you, but I have already shared a few recipes from this book. I have my own rules of sharing recipes from books. I  really love this book, it's one of the few I have baked a lot from. It's an all around good book has a little bit of everything you would ever need!

For those of you in America you have your very own version coming out soon! You get a cool cover...the UK cover isn't as exciting and the cake on the cover isn't even in the book! A gripe of many Amazon reviewers! lol. It's also has a different title- Piece of Cake: Home Baking Made Simple. I think this cover is way better!! I thought it was a brand new book and almost pre-ordered it! I would buy it just for the cover; yes, I judge books by their covers. I try not too, but I love art and book covers are a form of art. :0)

Butterbeer Float!! {Happy Birthday Harry!}

Everyone this weekend is all about the start of the Olympics; for me it’s about celebrating the greatest literary character ever! Harry Potter! 

His 31^st birthday is this Tuesday (31^st of July) and here at United Cakedom we’re going to celebrate with a weekend full of treats from Harry’s world!

Starting with Butterbeer!! I decided to do something a little different, as there are lots of Butterbeer recipes out there. I made mine a float!

Butterbeer Float

Serves 2

2-4 scoops of vanilla ice cream (or butterscotch if you can find it!)

2-4 tbsp of butterscotch sauce

1 can of cream soda

add a scoop (or two) to each cup

pour on butterscotch sauce (eyeball it) 

pour on top cream soda

It's a nice creamy rich taste of vanilla in cream soda with a hint of the butterscotch! Stating the obvious is something I am good at! :0)  Enjoy!! 

Keep a watch on this site for more Harry Potter treats!! Follow me on twitter (@unitedcakedom) or Facebook or Instagram for instant updates! 

Shrove Tuesday aka Pancake Day!!

In most traditions the day is known for the eating of pancakes before the start of Lent. Pancakes are eaten as they are made out of the main foods available, sugar, fat, flour and eggs, whose consumption was traditionally restricted during the ritual fasting associated with Lent. (taken from Wikipedia)

I had never heard of Pancake Day until coming to England. I think the States need to adapt this tradition. Who wouldn't love a day of Pancakes?!?!

I cheated this year and bought some from Marks & Spencers. Four pancakes for 1.49. (maybe a little spendy, but they were good!!) I chose American style pancakes one with chocolate chips with chocolate sauce and the other plain with butterscotch sauce.

If you want an awesome from scratch recipe check out my guest post on The Ex-Pat Bride!! Mr. Knightley and I had chocolate chip pancakes for dinner on our wedding night and when Sarah was on her honeymoon I guest posted our story. I love how food and memories go hand in hand! 

All you do is put the pancakes on a microwaveable plate and microwave them for 1 minute 30 seconds. Then place the chocolate sauce in a bowl and microwave for 30 seconds. They will be very hot, but don't wait too long otherwise they will go cool!! Then enjoy!!