Pumpkin Bread with Dark Chocolate Walnut Streusel for The Leftovers Club

I have never been a big fan of leftovers. There's something about eating day old food that just doesn't sound appealing to me. Even foods that typically taste better the next day get the big thumbs down. Chili? Nope. Meatloaf? Not happening. But someone else's leftovers'? Now that's a whole nother matter.  When I read about The Leftovers Club on Food Ramblings, I knew it was an idea I could embrace - swapping leftover baked goods with fellow food bloggers? Count me in!

 

For this month's Leftover Club, I was excited to be paired with Joanne from Eats Well With Others. I have actually been a fan of Joanne's blog for a while and have pinned a few of her recipes. (Ok, to be honest, I was a little intimidated and had a hard time deciding what to bake). In the end, I decided to go seasonal...and what ingredient embodies the flavor of Fall more than Pumpkin? While the options for baking with pumpkin are endless, I knew I had to bake something I could ship in the mail that wouldn't disintegrate and would stay fresh for a few days.

 

This Pumpkin Bread with Dark Chocolate Walnut Streusel baked in pretty paper bundt pans is not only both delicious and shippable, but they make a great holiday gift as well!

** If you're interested in joining The Leftovers Club, please click on this link for details **

Pumpkin Bread with Dark Chocolate Walnut Streusel
Makes 1 large bundt cake or 3 small 6" bundt cakes
Adapted from Mama's Gotta Bake

Cake Ingredients:
3 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cinnamon (use Vietnamese if you have it)
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg (use fresh if you have it)
1/8 teaspoon allspice
1/8 teaspoon cloves
1 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temp
2 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs, room temp
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream
1 cup pumpkin puree

Streusel Ingredients:
3/4 cup chopped toasted walnuts
1/2 cup light brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 cup dark chocolate chopped

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350f and lightly spray paper bundt pans with non-stick cooking spray. If using a regular bundt pan, grease and lightly flour the pan.

In a small bowl, combine the streusel ingredients and set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine the dry ingredients and spices.

In the bowl of your electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar at medium speed until light and fluffy (approx. 2 minutes).

Add the eggs one at a time, mixing at low speed until combined scraping down the bottom and sides of the bowl as needed.

 Mix in the vanilla extract, pumpkin and sour cream at low speed until combined.

With the mixer at low speed, gradually add the flour mixture until just combined.

Divide half of the batter evenly between the 3 bundt pans (or into one regular bundt pan if using). Top with half of the streusel mixture, then divide the remaining batter evenly between the 3 bundt pans (to prevent overflow, your pans should be no more than 3/4 full).  Sprinkle with the remaining streusel topping.

Place the bundt pans on a rimmed baking sheet (to catch any overflow if it happens) and bake for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Don't forget to adjust your bake time if you're baking in a regular full size bundt pan.

Tips for baking in a regular size bundt pan:
~ Place baking pan in center of the oven
~ If bread starts to brown too quickly before it is done baking, tent with a piece of foil to prevent over-browning
~ If you are concerned about the streusel on top becoming overly browned during baking (since bake time is longer), you can omit the streusel on top and just sprinkle it on the inside only

Remove to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

Store leftovers tightly covered at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Vanilla Roasted Strawberries & The Easiest Cinnamon Sugar Dusted Strawberry Shortcake for Two

Roasting fruits and vegetables is a great way to concentrate and elevate their flavor and these Vanilla Roasted Strawberries are no exception. They're so easy to make and make a great topping for ice cream, yogurt, pancakes, waffles, French toast, pound cake, folded into Banana Bread to make Roasted Strawberry Banana Bread (recipe coming soon) or as a topping for Strawberry Shortcake.

 

Please give this recipe a try. It just might become your new favorite way to enjoy strawberries!

 

 

 

Vanilla Roasted Strawberries

Makes about 1 1/2 cups

 

Ingredients:

16 oz fresh strawberries, washed dried and halved

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste

Pinch of salt

 

Directions:

 

Preheat oven to 425f and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

 

Place all of the ingredients in a large bowl and toss gently with a spoon or rubber spatula to coat evenly.

 

Spread into a single layer onto the prepared baking sheet.

 

 

 

Roast for 15 minutes. Remove and transfer to a small bowl. Cool to room temperature.

 

 

 

Store tightly covered in the refrigerator for 3 days.

 

 

 

This is the Shortcake Recipe I used. It's light, no too sweet, easy to make and doesn't require any butter. Just mix and bake, top with your roasted strawberries and fresh whipped cream and enjoy!

 

 

 

 

Cinnamon Sugar Dusted Short Cake Ingredients:

Serves 2-3

 

1 cup of all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon baking soda

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

3/4 cup heavy whipping cream + more for brushing

sugar and cinnamon for dusting

 

Preheat oven to 400f

 

Line baking sheet with parchment paper or silpat mat.

 

Sift all dry ingredients into a medium size bowl. Add heavy whipping cream and fold with a rubber spatula (or stir with wooden spoon) just until combined.

 

Using a large cookie scoop, place 3 - 4 large scoops of dough onto the prepared baking sheet. Gently shape if needed, then lightly brush with heavy whipping cream and sprinkle with a little cinnamon and sugar.

 

Bake 10-15 minutes or until lightly browned.

 

Remove and cool slightly. Serve topped with the vanilla roasted strawberries and fresh whipped cream.

 

 

Vanilla Cake with Passion Fruit Curd Filling and Cream Cheese Frosting

Yvonne and I recently made desserts for a friend's wedding. She requested an assortment of over 500 mini desserts. It was a daunting task, but we were up for the challenge!

 

 

 One of her requests was Mini Vanilla Cupcakes with Passionfruit Buttercream. Not having worked with Passionfruit in baking that much, I knew I wanted the flavor of the Passionfruit to shine, so I wanted to find Passionfruit in it's most concentrated form. No watered down, diluted juice or fake extracts. After searching high and low in numerous Asian markets, I just happened to find this frozen Passionfruit Puree in a local Mexican market. Who knew!?

 

 

Needless to say, the flavor was exactly what I was looking for & the Passionfruit Buttercream turned out amazing. You could smell the fresh Passionfruit. At the last minute, I decided to bump up the Passionfruit flavor even more by filling the cupcakes with a Passionfruit Curd. And boy am I glad I did! I have to say that this Passionfruit Curd is one of the most delicious curds I have ever tasted in my life. It was mind blowing good! Sorry Lemon Curd, there's a new favorite in town....

 

This curd is so good (and so easy to make), I knew I had to share the recipe. Please, please, please, find some Passionfruit Puree and make this curd. You will not be disappointed.

 

 

Passionfruit Curd

Makes about 2 cups 
 

Ingredients:

6 egg yolks

1 cup of granulated sugar

1/2 cup Passionfruit Puree

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed

dash of salt

 

Directions:

 

In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, combine the sugar, egg yolks and passionfruit puree. Whisk to combine and continue whisking until the mixture turns bubbly and thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon (this takes a few minutes).

 

Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter and dash of salt until thoroughly combined.

 

Strain through a wire mesh strainer (into a glass bowl or jar) to remove any small clumps of egg. Tip: You can skip this step if you don't have a strainer, but straining will give you a smoother curd.

 

Cool to room temperature before refrigerating.

 

Store tightly covered in the fridge for up to 1 week.

 

Use as a cake, cupcake or tart filling, as a topping for scones or toast or wherever you would normally use a fruit curd. Or just eat it with a spoon! I won't tell....

 

 

Recently, I used it as a filling for a Vanilla Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting garnished with toasted coconut. It was delicious!

Just use your favorite Vanilla Cake and Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe. Layer with the Passionfruit Curd and garnish with toasted coconut.

Here's the link to the recipe I used. It was easy to make and delicious! Just follow the cake and frosting recipe & fill with the Passionfruit Curd instead of the Lemon Filling.

http://what2cook.net/2013/03/21/lemon-coconut-cake/

 

Time Saving Tip: Make the curd the day before you make the cake.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Apple Blossom Cheesecake with Cinnamon Graham Cracker Pecan Crust

Fall is in the air and that means apple season! While apples are not on the top of my list of favorite fruits, I love apples baked into desserts; Apple Pie, Apple Streudel, Apple cake, Apple Crisp! The smell of apples and cinnamon baking is heavenly. This Apple Blossom Cheesecake with Cinnamon Graham Cracker Pecan Crust really captures the essence of these delicious Fall flavors.

 

 

 

I know, baking a cheesecake (especially one that looks fancy but really isn't), can be intimidating but is actually pretty easy when you follow the basic rules for baking cheesecake:

 

1. Your cream cheese and eggs absolutely must be at room temperature. This means taking them out of the fridge several hours before you use them. Cold cream cheese is a no-no and will make it difficult to blend resulting in a lumpy cheesecake batter.

 

2. Don't overmix. This incorporates too much air into the batter which may result in a cracked cheesecake.

 

3. Bake low and slow. Your oven temperature should be no higher than 300-325F max. Trust me on this one. A fussy water bath is not needed when you bake at a low temperature.

 

4. Don't peek! Opening and closing the oven too many times affects the oven temperature which can cause cracking.

 

5. Cool slowly. Again, this prevents cracking. The cool down process can take several hours. Be patient, it's worth it.

 

6. Don't stress! If, after all your best efforts, your cheesecake happens to crack, just cover it up with a topping! In the end, it's the flavor that matters anyway...

 

7. Plan ahead - cheesecakes are best when allowed to refrigerate overnight or 10 hours minimum.

 

 

So now that you're a cheesecake "expert", I hope you'll give this recipe for Apple Blossom Cheesecake with Cinnamon Graham Cracker Pecan Crust a try this Fall while apples are in season.

 

 

Apple Blossom Cheesecake with Cinnamon Graham Cracker Pecan Crust
Makes one 8-9" cheesecake (serves 10-12)

Cheesecake Ingredients:
3  8oz packages cream cheese, softened to room temp
1 1/3 cup light brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 large eggs, room temp

Crust Ingredients:
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup melted butter
2 tablespoons light brown sugar

Apple Topping Ingredients:
4-5 Granny Smith apples, peeled and sliced into 1/3" slices
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon unsalted butter



Directions:

Make the apple topping:

Melt the butter in a large sauce pan or skillet. Add the apples, brown sugar and cinnamon. Cook over medium-low heat until apples are softened (approx. 5 minutes).

Transfer to a large bowl and cool completely.

Make the crust:

Preheat oven to 350f

Add the graham crackers and pecans to the bowl of a food processor and pulse until the pecans are finely chopped.

Place the crumbs into a medium size bowl and add the cinnamon and melted butter. Toss with a fork until well combined and crumbs are moistened.

Press into the bottom and up the sides of your 8-9" spring form pan. Bake for 5-6 minutes. Remove from oven.


Make the filling:

Reduce oven temp to 300f

Place the cream cheese in a large bowl and beat with your electric hand mixer  at low speed just until creamy. If your cream cheese is properly softened, this should take less than 15 seconds.

Add the brown sugar and vanilla extract at beat at low speed until combined. Tip: Make sure your brown sugar doesn't have any lumps before adding.

Beat in the eggs one at a time at low speed mixing just until combined and scraping down the sides & bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula after each addition.

Pour the filling into the springform pan. Place on a baking sheet.

Arrange the apple slices in a circular pattern (slices should be facing in the same direction) starting at the outer edges and finishing in the center.

Bake at 300 for approx. 60-70 minutes. or until sides are set but center is just slightly jiggly.

Turn oven off and prop oven door open slightly with a wooden spoon. Allow cheesecake to cool slowly in oven for 1 hour.

Remove from oven and cool on counter until room temperature (approx. 1 more hour).

Cover and refrigerate overnight or at least 10 hours.

Before serving, gently trim off any overly browned edges off of the apples (if desired) and lightly brush the apple topping with a little apple jelly to give the topping a shiny look. Tip: You can also sub apricot jelly if you don't have apple jelly. Be sure to stir the jelly to loosen it up before brushing it on if needed

Slice and serve with a dollop of fresh cinnamon whipped cream!

Easy Apple -Cranberry Strudel

When your apple tree give you apples, what do you do.. make strudel of course.  Well... maybe not, but that is what i made.   I have always loved strudel but actual thought it would be hard to make. So for my first attempt, i learned that its pretty easy, just a bit time consuming.   The layers take a bit of time to make since you need butter each layer. But once that is done, the rest is quite easy.   And two slices later, trust me, it is definitely worth the time.  The buttery layers filled with the sweet favors of cinnamon apples mixed with the tartness of the cranberries were so Delicious!

Ingredients:
6-7 Phyllo Dough sheets
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3 apples (cubed and cut)
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup butter (melted)
2 tablespoons white sugar(for top)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (for top)

**Special Note: Phyllo dough drys up very quickly.  Do not unfold until you are ready to start working with it.

Prep work:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Peel and chop apples and put into medium bowl (set aside)
3. Mix the 2 tablespoons white sugar with 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (set aside)
4. Melt butter
5. Remove Phyllo Dough from Refrigerator. Its usually frozen to make sure you have let it completely defrost as directed on box.
6. Foil a large jelly roll pan

--------------------------------
Directions:

1. Take one sheet of the Phyllo dough, lay flat, brush the top layer with butter until the sheet is covered. Lay next sheet of Phyllo dough on top of the butter one, continue till all the 6 to 7 layers are done.

2.Add brown sugar, cranberries, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon to chopped apples. toss together till all the apples are coated.

3. Add filling to the left side of the rectangle. Leave about 1 inch to the top and bottom.

4. Fold right side over on the left side, covering the filling.
5. Fold over the edges abour 1 inch up.

6. Brush butter on the top, sprinkle sugar cinnamon mixture on top.

7. Carefully place on Foiled baking sheet.
8. Bake for 30 minutes. top will be light brown color
9. Cool and cut!

Enjoy!!

What It Means to Me to Have a Food Blog

"I love this blog". That's not something I say out of vanity, but I do. I love it. I don't think of it as a job or a chore or look at it as something I "have" to do. I do it because I truly love it. I wake up every morning wanting to bake and I never run out of inspiration. I look forward to posting recipes and I get excited about every single recipe I share. I seriously can't wait to share these recipes and I want others to enjoy them as much as I do. Sure, I know there are millions of other Food Blogs out there so what makes this one different or special? Because it's us, simply put.

 

When Yvonne and I started Live Bake Love 2 years ago, I wasn't sure what to expect. Immediate success? Didn't happen. Tons of support from friends and family who love our baking? That didn't happen either. Open-armed acceptance into the blogging community? Eh...not. But something unexpected did happen. I never in a million years expected to love it so much. True, I do think about stopping (almost on a daily basis) especially when frustration sets in and you feel like you're talking to crickets, but then I remember the people who actually try the recipes and love them. I remember the person who commented that we inspired her to dust off her rusty baking pans and bake again. I remember the reasons I started. They are the reasons I continue... and because I know one day I will leave this world knowing that I put a piece of myself out there into the universe that is a true representation of me...a girl who loves to bake.

Someone I admire greatly in the Food Blogging community summed my love of baking up better than I ever could. He said "we cook out of necessity, but we bake out of love". And if you think about it, it's true.

So whether you've been following us at LiveBakeLove for a while or are just now reading your first post, I hope you continue with us for many more years to come.

Now, I firmly believe all good things should end with food, so I'm leaving you with the links to a few of my favorite posts from the past 2 years. I think they really capture the spirit of LiveBakeLove...

We were so excited to participate in the National Food Bloggers Bake Sale (click here) that we participated for a second time this year!

I auctioned off a Blueberry Coconut Almond Crumb Cake for Cookies for Cody to raise money for a sweet little boy in Texas who was battling a rare form of cancer (click here to read about it) and when Cody passed away I paid tribute by baking the lightest oven baked berry pancake you ever will eat (click here for the recipe).

Yvonne's authentic family recipes are priceless and always at the top of my list. Nothing beats her Mom's homemade flour tortillas and her Empanadas. Learn how to make her Empanadas straight from the pro herself here.

One of our favorite annual events is definitely our Christmas Cookie bake. We bake a whole lotta cookies and have a whole lotta fun! Stay tuned for this year's Cookie Bake. There's sure to be some fun in store!


Cheers everyone & Happy 2-year Blogiversary to us!!

Friendship cupcakes:Raspberry Cupcakes with Lemon frosting

Baking as a form of expression is one of my favorite ways to say thank you. Recently, I want thank two special women who have been very helpful so I went to the kitchen to see what I would come up with. After searching the ingredients I had to work with, I came up with this combination - lemons from my parent's tree and raspberries from the local farmers market, a perfect combination for these Raspberry Cupcakes with Lemon frosting! I found this recipe for Raspberry Cupcakes and the frosting was an adaptation from my Banana Boat Cupcake frosting recipe.  This recipe came out exactly the way I wanted, fresh, sweet and tart.  The cake is perfect, not too dense. And the frosting is light with bright lemon flavor.  

 

I hope you give this recipe a try.

Happy Cooking everyone!

Friendship Cupcakes: Raspberry Cupcakes with Lemon Frosting
Makes 1 dozen cupcakes

Cupcake Ingredients:
2 1/3  cup Flour 
1 tablespoon baking powder
¾ teaspoon salt
1 ¼ cup sugar
½ cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs (beaten)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ½ cup whole milk
1/3 cup pureed fresh raspberries

Frosting Ingredients:
1 cup of unsalted butter (softened)
1 vanilla bean (scraped)
1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1-7 oz jar Marshmallow Cream
2 cups powdered sugar
¼ cup half and half milk or whole milk
12 raspberries for decorating

Prep Work:
1. Preheat oven 325 degrees
2. Line cupcake pan with 12 liners. (I prefer the ones that have the aluminum interior)
3. Take about ½ cup of fresh raspberries and puree them using a fork and small bowl.  Set aside

Recipe
1.  In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Using a mixer, slowly add oil until the mixture looks crumbly. 
2. Add eggs, milk, vanilla and pureed raspberries to flour mixture. Beat for 2-3 minutes.
3. Fill each cupcake liner with raspberry batter till its about ¾ filled.
4. Bake for 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

FROSTING:
1. Beat butter until it is smooth.
2. Add vanilla ,lemon zest, lemon juice and marshmallow cream and mix until combined.
3. Gradually add powdered sugar at low speed.
4. Add half and half milk or milk and beat at high speed till nice and fluffy.
5. Place frosting in a pastry bag fitted with a decorating tip or in a plastic storage bag with the corner cut off. Frost as desired.
F. Garnish each cupcake with a fresh Raspberry.

Enjoy!