Whole Wheat Applesauce Coffee Cake (High Altitude Style)

 Continuing on my breakfast treats for baking this week...

Whole Wheat Applesauce Coffee Cake (High Altitude Style)

Yields: 1 cake (9x9)

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

CAKE:

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

3/4 cup brown sugar (I did partial light and partial dark)

1 1/2 cup apple sauce

1/2 cup raisins

1/3 cup butter, melted

1/2 tsp allspice

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

1 egg

3/4 tsp baking soda

TOPPING:

2 tbsp whole wheat flour

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup walnuts, chopped

1 tbsp butter

1/8 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp nutmeg

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 375

2. Grease bottom of a 9x9 cake pan.

3. In a medium bowl, combine melted butter, applesauce, egg, and brown sugar.

4. In a large bowl, combine WW flour, baking soda, spices, and salt.

5. Add butter mixture to flour mixture. Mix well.

6. Add raisins.

7. Pour batter in pan and sprinkle topping over top.

8. Bake 45 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean and the top springs back when touched in the center.

9. Enjoy!

Blueberry Muffins & Morning Glory Muffins (High Altitude Style)

Did you know how many changes you have to make to baking recipes when you are in high altitude? Neither did I! King Arthur has an incredible resource to augment recipes, which I have been doing with some of my regular cookbooks. But, I also decided I should purchase a high altitude cookbook so that I didn't have to augment everything! I decided to cook a few muffin recipes from it. 

 Blueberry Muffins (High Altitude Style) 

Yields: 12 muffins

Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

2 cups flour

1/4 cup sugar

2 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp salt

1 egg

1 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 1/2 cups frozen blueberries (you can use fresh - I have just found that frozen don't bleed as much) 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425

2. Grease muffin tin

3. In a bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt and make a well in the center of flour mixture.

4. In a separate bowl, combine egg, milk, vanilla and oil. Then add to the well int he flour mixture.

5. Stir quickly with fork until flour mixture is moistened.

6. Add blueberries in the last few strokes

7. Fill muffin cups about 2/3 full

8. Bake 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

9. Enjoy!

Morning Glory Muffins (High Altitude Style)

Yields: 24 muffins

Total Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

1 cup golden raisins

Hot water to soak raisins

2 cups flour

1 cup sugar

2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

2 cups grated carrots (approx. 3 carrots)

1 tart green apple peeled and diced (I used a Granny Smith)

1/2 cup sliced almonds

1/2 cup shredded coconut (it's okay if it's sweetened)

3 large eggs

2/3 cup butter melted and cooled (approx. 1 1/2 sticks)

2 tsp vanilla

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350

2. Cover raisins with hot water and let soak 20-30 minutes then drain well.

3. Grease muffin tins or use paper liners.

4. In a large bowl, sift together flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.

5. Add drained raisins, carrots, apple, almonds, and coconut. Stir to combine.

6. In a small bowl, whisk together eggs, butter, and vanilla.

7. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture but do not over mix!

8. Spoon batter into muffin tins until 3/4 full

9. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

10. Let cool 5 minutes in tin then remove from tin and let cool fully.

11. Enjoy!

Cranberry Curd Tart

 I needed another try at curd but honestly, this recipe was not my favorite. It felt like it didn't have as strong of a cranberry flavor..

Cranberry Curd Tart

Yields: 1 tart

Total Time: 1 hr 30 minutes

Ingredients:

CRUST: 

1 1/4 cups raw hazelnuts

1 cup rice flour

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup sugar

6 tbsp butter (softened)

CURD:

12 ounces cranberries

1 cup sugar

1 orange (peel and juice- about 1/2 cup)

1 stick butter (softened)

2 eggs plus 2 egg yolks

Directions: 

1. Heat oven to 325. Put hazelnuts on baking sheet and roast 10-15 minutes (until skins are dark and crack). Put roasted nuts in a clean towel and rub off skins. Discard skins and let nuts cool.

2. In a food processor, grind nuts with half the rice flour until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Then add remaining rice flour and salt and pulse.

3. Cream sugar and butter in a mixing bowl with a wooden spoon until pale and thick. Add nut mixture and combine until dough comes together. Note: If dough is crumbly, add 1-2 tbsp softened butter or a little cold water (I added 2 tbsp water).

4. Press dough into a 10 inch tart pan. Use half the dough for the sides and half for the bottom. Prick bottom with a fork and freeze for 30 minutes 

5. Heat oven to 350. Bake chilled tart about 15 minutes then cool.

6. Make curd: Put cranberries, sugar, juice, and peel in a saucepan in a medium hit. Simmer until cranberries have popped and softened (about 10 minutes). Transfer to a mesh sieve or puree then press through sieve. Then whisk the butter into the warm liquid.

7. Put eggs and egg yolks into a bowl and beat lightly.  Then whisk liquid into the eggs to temper.

8. Combine both and whisk together over low heat until bubbling and thickened.

9. Let cool to room temperature then pour cranberry curd into prefaced tart shell.

10. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes to set curd. Then cool.

11. Enjoy!

Lemon Bars

 I think next time I would tweak this curd recipe a bit (to set a bit more) and do less crust. But otherwise, it was delicious and a gorgeous tart flavor.

Lemon Bars

Yields: 8

Total Time: 1 hr 30 minutes

Ingredients:

CRUST:

1 1/4 cups flour

1/4 cup sugar

3 tbsp confectioner's sugar

1 tsp lemon zest

1/4 tsp salt

10 tbsp butter (cut in cubes)

CURD:

4-6 lemons (enough to make 3/4 cup juice and 1/2 tbsp zest)

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 large eggs plus 3 yolks

1 1/2 tsp cornstarch

pinch of sea salt

4 tbsp butter

1/4 cup olive oil

confectioner's sugar and flaky sea salt

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 325 and line a 9x9 baking pan with enough parchment to hang over two of the sides.

2. Pulse together flour, sugars, lemon zest, and salt in a food processor.

3. Add butter and pulse to cut the butter into the flour until a crumbly dough forms

4. Press dough into a prepared pan and bake until shortbread is pale golden all over (30-35 minutes)

5. While shortbread is baking, prepare the lemon curd by whisking together 3/4 cup lemon juice, sugar, eggs, yolks, cornstarch, and salt over medium heat until boiling and thickened (2-5 minutes). Note: You should see it thicken before you take it off the heat but, once it boils do not cook for longer than 1 minute or you risk the curd thinning out again.

6. Remove from heat and strain into bowl. Whisk in butter, olive oil, and 1/2 tbsp zest.

7. When the shortbread is ready, take it out of the oven and pour in lemon curd.

8. Return the pan to oven and bake until topping is just set (10-15 minutes).

9. Allow to cool and refrigerate.

10. Sprinkle with sea salt or confectioner's sugar before serving.

11. Enjoy!