Chai Pumpkin Cake with Maple Browned Butter Frosting

Remember way back in April when I last posted a recipe? A lot has happened since then, which is why it's been months since I posted here. Since this blog is about delicious food and serves as my virtual recipe box, I'll just leave this amazing cake from Half-Baked Harvest here. A friend introduced me to her blog, and I've already made two recipes from her amazing collection.

What's the occasion for this cake? Well, first of all, it sounded amazing with some of my favorite flavors: chai and browned butter. Secondly, tomorrow I'm planning to run the furthest I've ever run: a 14-mile training run. I have run many half-marathons fueled by cake from the evening prior (thanks to half-marathons that fall right around our families' birthdays). Also, I feel entitled to delicious cake as a treat after running 14 miles, so I made myself a cake.

The frosting is amazing. It seems like too much maple syrup, but it all pulls together and tastes incredible.

Chai Pumpkin with Maple Browned Butter Frosting

Cake
3 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. ginger
2 tsp. cardamom
1/2 tsp. allspice
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 cup canola oil
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 Tbsp. vanilla
4 large eggs
15 oz. pumpkin puree
Frosting
3 sticks butter, divided
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
2 cups powdered sugar, may need more
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease 2 8-inch cake pans or 3 6-inch pans. Line with parchment paper, and butter pans. 

In a medium bowl, whisk together all dry ingredients. In a mixer, beat together canola oil, sugar, vanilla, eggs and pumpkin until combined. Gradually add in dry ingredients until smooth. 

Pour batter into cake pans, and bake 35 to 40 minutes or until tops are just set. Let cool 10 minutes, run a knife around the edges of the pan and turn onto cooling racks to cool completely. 

To make frosting, brown two sticks of butter. (Search for browned butter if you need guidance on this.) Cool to room temperature, and allow butter to solidify again. (It can be refrigerated to speed the process.) Combine browned butter with remaining stick of butter and cream cheese. Add powdered sugar and maple syrup. Beat until light and fluffy. Add vanilla, and beat to combine. If needed, add more powdered sugar to thicken the frosting. 

To assemble, place a layer of frosting between each cake layer, and cover cake with remaining frosting. Makes a delicious cake perfect for a celebration ... or a post-run treat!

Garlic Herb Cheese Bread

This is another recipe from Half-Baked Harvest. When I was looking for this recipe to share, I got lost in her blog and found another 4 cheesy bread recipes I want to try.

This looks and feels fancy, but it's relatively easy to make if you've ever made something like homemade cinnamon rolls. I used the cheeses I had on hand, but I think the sharper cheeses listed in the recipe would be even more amazing. I happened to have all the recommended fresh herbs on hand.

This bread was our supper (and then lunch the next day), devoured while warm with pizza sauce for dipping. It's worth the time!

Garlic Herb Cheese Bread

3/4 cup warm whole milk (microwave 30 seconds)
2 1/2 tsp. yeast
2 Tbsp. honey
3 large eggs
3 1/2 to 4 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
2 cups shredded cheddar
1 cup shredded mozzarella
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
1/3 cup chopped Italian herbs (I used sage, oregano and basil)
1/4 tsp. cracked black pepper
2 cloves garlic, grated

In a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine milk, yeast and honey. Let sit 5 to 10 minutes until bubbly. Add the eggs, 3 1/2 cups flour and salt. Use the dough hook to mix until the flour is incorporated, about 4 to 5 minutes. If the dough is not coming together, add additional flour until the dough is smooth to the touch.

Cover the bowl, and let it rise at room temperature for 1 hour or until doubled in size. Meanwhile, combine remaining ingredients in a bowl. 

After the dough has risen, gently roll the dough to a 12 x 18 rectangle. Sprinkle the cheese mixture evenly over the dough. Starting with a long edge, roll the dough into a log, keeping it as tight as possible. Use a sharp knife to cut the log in half lengthwise, leaving a small portion at one end intact. Twist the halves to expose the filling, and then cross the dough ropes over each other, repeating the twisting until entire log is twisted. Coil the dough into a circle, and carefully transfer to parchment-lined baking sheet. Stick any cheese that spills out back into the top of the dough. Cover, and let rise 15 minutes. 

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the top is golden brown. Slice and serve warm. Makes 1 loaf.

Sourdough Discard Crackers

These are amazing. I can make a triple batch, and they're gone within a couple days. They truly are best if you follow the proportions in the recipe from Little Spoon Farmer. I may have winged a few batches that just weren't quite as tasty. I've tried these with a chipotle-type seasoning that was tasty, but I preferred everything bagel seasoning over that version. Lately, I've been on a rosemary kick, and those are my favorite thus far. I can't wait for fresh rosemary to make these instead of buying jars of rosemary ... seriously, who buys two jars of rosemary in a month?

Sourdough Discard Crackers

200 grams sourdough discard

2 Tbsp. butter, melted

1/4 tsp. salt

2 tsp. dried herbs

1/4 tsp. flaky salt for sprinkling on top

Preheat oven to 325°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 

Melt the butter, and combine with the discard, 1/4 tsp. salt and herbs. Mix until thoroughly combined. Use a spatula to spread the mixture in a thin, even layer onto the parchment paper. Sprinkle the top with flaky salt. 

Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven, and score the crackers. Return to the oven, and check them again in 15 minutes. Continue to bake them until they are crispy. (I often will pull off the edge crackers that are crispy and done and put the pan back in.) 

Cinnamon Swirl Sourdough Bread

This recipe from Ahead of Time is a fantastic sourdough recipe. I promise that it looks more complicated than it really is, as my 9-year-old son shaped this bread himself. The dough comes together fairly quickly, with less than 15 minutes of hands-on time to make the dough itself. Then it's about 15 more minutes the next day to make the filling and shape the bread. I love that it can be ready in less than an hour in the morning of baking from pulling the dough from the refrigerator to pulling it out of the oven.

I highly recommend slathering this with cream cheese frosting, although it would be delicious on it's own or with butter melted onto slices of it. I enjoy cutting a chunk and then peeling apart the layers. 

I have found that my baking time is longer, and I've also played around with making just a wreath without folding the ends under to ensure an even bake. Otherwise, I've found it to be a bit doughy. This is still a fairly dense loaf, not light and fluffy. It might be fluffier with more of a rise in the morning, but then it would take longer to get the deliciousness in my belly.

I highly recommend doubling the recipe, so you can either gift the second loaf or freeze it for later.

Cinnamon Swirl Sourdough Bread
Dough
100 grams active sourdough starter
80 grams water
1 egg
1 Tbsp. sugar
350 grams all-purpose flour
40 grams butter, melted
1/2 tsp. salt
Filling
50 grams butter, softened
4 Tbsp. brown sugar
3 tsp. cinnamon 

Make sure your starter is active when you prepare the dough. You can ensure it's active by testing if a small amount floats in a glass of room-temperature water.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the starter, water, yogurt, egg and sugar. Add in the flour, and whisk to combine. It may take a bit of of stirring or using your hands to combine, so no flour is visible. Cover the bowl, and let it stand for one hour.

After an hour, mix in the salt and melted butter. I find that it works best by mixing with my hands to work the butter into the dough. 

Let the dough stand for 30 minutes, and then gently fold it onto itself, pulling the dough up from each of the four sides. Let the dough rest again for 30 minutes, and then gently fold it onto itself. Let the dough rest 30 more minutes, and then gently stretch and fold the dough. 

Let the dough rest for an hour or so to let it rise until nearly doubled. Transfer the dough into a lightly greased container, and cover it with a lid. Chill for 8 to 12 hours.

In the morning, preheat the oven to 400°F.

In a medium bowl, mix together filling ingredients to form a paste. Transfer the dough onto a lightly floured surface, and roll it to 20 x 12 inches. Scoop the cinnamon paste onto the dough, reserving 1 Tbsp. of paste. Gently spread the paste onto the dough, only leaving 1/2-inch empty around all the edges. 

Roll the dough into a log, so that you have a 20-inch log. Cut the log in half lengthwise, leaving 1-inch on one end intact. Gently twist the halves, so the cut side is facing up. Gently braid the two halves by twisting them together while keeping the cut sides with the cinnamon filling exposed facing upwards. Pinch the ends together to form a coiled rope. Pull it together to form a circle, and tuck the two ends together in the middle like a wreath. Gently transfer to parchment paper, and brush with the remaining cinnamon sugar paste. You can also do an egg wash by beating an egg with a Tbsp. of water and brushing the dough with that if you want it to be a more golden color. 

Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown. (I find it takes at least 25 minutes.)

Serve warm, ideally with cream cheese frosting.

Graham Cracker Cake

My husband's favorite birthday cake through the years has been a graham cracker cake from a local bakery. I remember being unimpressed when I first ate the cake, probably because it included no chocolate, but I've attempted to replicate it a couple times for him through the years. 

This year's rendition was as close to the original as I've come, so I wanted to at least document the recipe I used from Cook, Nourish, Bliss. This cake is similar to what I've done for different cupcakes through the years, where it contains no flour aside from graham cracker crumbs. It's a denser cake for that reason, but man are the edges I cut off to level the cakes delicious. 

I think the difference this year was using a swiss meringue frosting, which I copied from this recipe. That is most similar to the frosting on the original cake. I also topped the cake with graham cracker crumbles. 

Graham Cracker Cake
4 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
5 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
6 large eggs, separated
2 cups sugar
2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/4 cups milk
Swiss Meringue Buttercream
Graham Cracker Crumbles
6 graham crackers, crushed
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
4 Tbsp. butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease 2 9-inch round cake pans, and line the bottoms with parchment paper. In a large bowl, whisk together graham cracker crumbs, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

Whisk egg whites on high until stiff peaks form. Set aside. Cream together sugar and butter about 2 minutes. Add in the egg yolks, and beat until combined. Add vanilla, and beat until combined. With mixer on low, add in 1/3 of graham cracker mixture. Then add half the milk and then another third of the graham cracker crumbs. Add in the rest of the milk and then the last of the graham cracker crumbs.

Gently fold in half the egg whites. Then fold in the remaining egg whites. Divide the batter between the two pans, and smooth with a spatula. Bake 35 to 45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool at least 30 minutes before removing from the pans, and then cool completely on wire racks.

While the oven is still hot, bake the graham cracker crumbles. Combine those ingredients and press together on a baking sheet in a thin layer. Bake 10 minutes, and set aside to cool. 

Follow recipe in the link for frosting. For easiest frosting, chill the cakes prior to frosting. Frost, and garnish with graham cracker crumbles immediately prior to serving.