Tuesday, May 5, 2015

Recipe: Apple-Brandy Cake

A traditional coffee cake with a twist! Soft, moist cake, tart apples, and sweet streusel topping combine for a delicious experience.



Ingredients

Filling
1-1/2 lbs. (.7 kg) tart baking apples, peeled, cored and sliced medium-thin
2 Tbsp. (28 g) butter
2 tsp. (4.7 g) cinnamon

Cake
1/2 cup (113.4 g) butter, softened 
3/4 cup (150 g) granulated sugar
3 eggs
3 cups (360 g) all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp. (14 g) baking powder
1 tsp. (13 g) salt
1/2 cup (118 ml) brandy
1-1/4 cup (296 ml) milk

Streusel
1 cup (90 g) rolled oats
1/2 cup (90 g) packed brown sugar
4 Tbsp. (57 g) butter, melted

Directions

Filling
Melt butter over medium heat in a covered skillet. Add apples and mix to coat. Add a sprinkle of cinnamon. Cover and reduce heat to low. Cook until apples are beginning to soften. The time this takes will vary depending on the apples you have, so check them often and give them a stir. Cool the apple filling to room temperature before adding to the cake batter. If you want you can reserve the cooking liquid to use in the cake batter. Just substitute it for some of the milk. When apples are cool toss with the rest of the cinnamon.

Cake
Cream butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Beat in eggs. In another bowl mix the flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir together the brandy, milk, and any reserved apple liquid to make 1-3/4 cup (414 ml) liquid. Alternately add liquid and dry ingredients to the butter mixture, combining well after each addition.

Streusel
Combine all three ingredients and mix well.

Grease a 13x9 inch baking dish. Pour half of the batter into the pan. It will seem like a thin layer, but it will rise quite a bit in baking. Layer the apples on top of the batter. Drop the remaining cake batter by spoonfuls on top of the apples. Sprinkle streusel evenly on top - the easiest way to do this is with your hands.

Bake in a 350°F (177°C) oven for 35-40 minutes. The toothpick and springback tests don't work for this cake, so cook until the top is golden brown and it looks done. When you smell it the second time it's almost done.

Notes and Substitutions

* You can use whatever apples you have on hand but you may want to reduce the sugar if you use a sweeter apple.

* If you hate peeling fruit you can skip that step, but the skins will make cutting the cake slightly challenging. Unless I'm baking for company I don't peel my apples.

* If you're really in a hurry you can use a can of apple pie filling. Toss it with the cinnamon as directed. No other recipe changes are necessary.

* If you're still in a hurry you can pour all the batter into the pan at once, put the apples on top, and the streusel on the apples. The cake might be just a touch dryer, but it'll still be tasty.

* If you don't want to use alcohol you can substitute soft cider or just use milk to make up the liquid.

* This recipe was developed using lactose-free low-fat milk and salted butter.

Wednesday, July 3, 2013

Dear Knit Picks,

I love you guys. You know that. You have some awesome support for independent designers and the best sock yarns in the business. However, your needles have gone to heck in a handbasket over the past 18 months. The quality has degraded so rapidly that it's shocking.

What's really shocking, though, is today's email ad.

> Thanks to savvy and subtle
> manufacturing improvements we're now
> able to offer the same beautiful
> product at an even more beautiful
> price.


What a load of crap. The "manufacturing improvement" in question is a move to fabrication in China. It's less expensive, but it's also cheaper. Cheaper as in, cheaping out on materials and workmanship.

They're not the same needles as you claim. They're much, much worse. They weren't worth the old price, but they're not worth the new price, either.

I won't be buying. The frustration isn't worth it. I just feel sorry for all the new knitters who think they're getting a great deal and then have endless problems with their knitting because of these cheap, junky needles.

Sunday, March 18, 2012

March Madness

In honor of March Madness and the Sock Knitters Anonymous March challenge, which is cables and traveling stitches, I have discounted my Garnet Lattice and Carborundum sock patterns.

Carborundum is a beaded sock with a diamond motif in traveling stitches. It includes charts for the leg, heel, gusset and foot and written instructions for sock construction. It is for sale on Ravelry using the button above or this link: buy now (no Ravelry account is necessary. You can use your PayPal account).


Garnet Lattice is an allover pattern of interlocking diamonds accented with beads and eyelets. The charted pattern includes a lattice-patterned toe. The download includes charts for two sizes and written instructions for sock construction. You can purchase using the button or this link: buy now.



If you don't want to use Ravelry for the transaction you may email me at maria.mckeeth@gmail.com. Please include your PayPal address and which patterns you wish to purchase. I will send you an invoice via PayPal. The sale prices are US$3.00 for Carborundum and US$2.50 for Garnet Lattice. You will receive a complete PDF of the patterns you order. No physical copy will be sent.

Thursday, January 5, 2012

On the twelfth day of Christmas my True Love sent to me...

Twelve noise citations,
Eleven tow trucks towing,
Ten Sharks a-skating,
Nine traffic cops,
Eight buskers busking,
Seven baby possums,
Six Canada geese,

Five live octopuses!

Four tabby cats,
Three hummingbirds,
Two Muscovy ducks,
And an egret in a western red cedar.

“I think I know what he’s going to get for Valentine’s Day this year.”
“Oh yeah? What’s that?”
“Divorce papers!”

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

On the eleventh day of Christmas my True Love sent to me...

Eleven tow trucks towing,
Ten Sharks a-skating,
Nine traffic cops,
Eight buskers busking,
Seven baby possums,
Six Canada geese,

Five live octopuses!

Four tabby cats,
Three hummingbirds,
Two Muscovy ducks,
And an egret in a western red cedar.

“What the...”
“HOA says the police cars were double parked.”
“Geez, those Scrooges would impound Santa’s sleigh.”
“Yeah, they wouldn’t know a reindeer if it ran over them.”

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

On the tenth day of Christmas my True Love sent to me...

Ten Sharks a-skating,
Nine traffic cops,
Eight buskers busking,
Seven baby possums,
Six Canada geese,

Five live octopuses!

Four tabby cats,
Three hummingbirds,
Two Muscovy ducks,
And an egret in a western red cedar.

“Well, there goes our chance at the Stanley Cup.”
“On the plus side, you got to see Doug Murray beat up an octopus.”
“He cheated! Officer Lodge distracted it!”

Monday, January 2, 2012

On the ninth day of Christmas my True Love sent to me...


Nine traffic cops,
Eight buskers busking,
Seven baby possums,
Six Canada geese,

Five live octopuses!

Four tabby cats,
Three hummingbirds,
Two Muscovy ducks,
And an egret in a western red cedar.

“He says he’s not going to take me in for kidnapping because even with the octopus climbing up his leg it’s still calmer in here than the 680 at rush hour.”