Gothic Revival

I decdied to make the Bundt Coffee Cake from the Dec. 2005 issue of Cooking Light. I made it, froze it, and will take it with us on our Christmas trip to VA. From start to finish, it was lovely. The pale yellow of the batter (left) promised the cake would be delicious.
I used the Gothic Cathedral (or some such name) bundt pan we received as a wedding gift from our then-neighbors across the street.

The secret (shh!) to this cake is the hidden layer of cinnamon, butter, brown sugar, and pecans. I cannot wait to cut into this and nibble on it with a hot cup of coffee! (You can see a dark ring around the middle -- that's the secret filling!)




Here is the recipe:


Bundt Coffee Cake

Cooking spray
1 tablespoon dry breadcrumbs
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
2 large eggs
1 large egg white
1 1/4 cups fat-free sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups cake flour (about 10 ounces)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup all-purpose flour (about 1 ounce)
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1 teaspoon powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350°.
Coat a 12-cup bundt pan with cooking spray; dust with breadcrumbs.
Place granulated sugar and 1/4 cup butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended.
Add eggs and egg white, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.
Beat in sour cream and vanilla.
Lightly spoon cake flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife.
Combine cake flour and next 3 ingredients (through 1/2 teaspoon salt), stirring with a whisk. Add cake flour mixture to butter mixture, beating at low speed until blended.
Lightly spoon all-purpose flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife.
Combine all-purpose flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and 1/4 teaspoon salt; cut in 1 tablespoon butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
Stir in pecans.
Pour half of batter into prepared pan. Sprinkle with pecan mixture.
Pour remaining half of batter over pecan mixture.
Bake at 350° for 40 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.
Cool completely on a wire rack. (I let mine cool and it wouldn't come out, so I reheated it for 7 mins., and it popped right out.)
Invert onto a platter.
Sprinkle with powdered sugar. (or before doing this, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and/or wax paper, then in aluminum foil or a freezer bag and freeze for up to one month.)

Yield: 14 servings (serving size: 1 slice)

CALORIES 316(19% from fat); FAT 6.6g (sat 2.4g,mono 2.8g,poly 0.8g); PROTEIN 5.1g; CHOLESTEROL 45mg; CALCIUM 91mg; SODIUM 309mg; FIBER 0.8g; IRON 2.4mg; CARBOHYDRATE 59.2g

Cooking Light, DECEMBER 2005

Banana Bread -- an old friend

I have been wanting to have something coffee-cakey with my coffee in the morning. I eat lots of high-fiber cereal, and sometimes just need a break. I also had to very black bananas sitting on my counter that needed to be repurposed. Thus, I dug out my banana bread stand-by recipe.
Instead of baking it in a loaf pan, I used my new Emile Henry heart-shaped baking dish. It is truly a lovely cake in this pan.

'Tis the season for cookies, dog cookies!

I made Pooches' Peanut Butter Cookies on Tuesday (12/13) night. I like this recipe because it is simple, all natural, and pretty healthy for the dogs. My husband and I only buy all-natural dog biscuits for our doggies, but this time of the year, I make them for our dogs and to give to doggie friends. They have received the Discriminating Canine's Four Paws of Approval.

Here is the recipe:

Pooches’ Peanut Butter Cookies

2 cups whole-wheat flour
1 cup wheat germ
1 cup peanut butter (I used all-natural so I had to add a bit more oil and another ¼ cup water)
1 egg
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Combine flour, wheat germ and salt in large bowl.
Mix in peanut butter, egg oil and water.
Roll dough out onto a lightly floured surface till about 1/2 inch thick
Cut out the cookies using a cookie cutter (I use a dog bone shaped cutter given to me by my MIL. It is rather large, so this year I added a small gingerbread person, star, and Christmas tree for those being given to dogs smaller than ours.)
Put the cookies onto an ungreased baking sheet (I used my Silpat – works fine as always). Bake 15 mins for the smaller sized cookies and up to 35 mins. for larger shaped ones. Store in the fridge as they have no preservatives ...if they last that long!!!!!!!!!

Here are two of the lucky recipients of this year's PB Cookies -- our dogs, of course!


Sprite is on the left.
Rosco is on the right.