Pumpkin Walnut Cake

I made this cake when I had a break, that is over Thanksgiving break :)  I know I'm way behind posting related recipe according to the season; but I've given up trying to follow the trend because it's just not enough time in my life to do that anymore.

I thought this cake is delicious all around; it was a moist and has tender crumbs.  It reminded me of my mom's pumpkin roll cake--flavor-wise--but hers uses no eggs while this has.  This year I'm in love with pumpkin spice all over again.  My favorite beverage right now is chai tea latte with lots of pumpkin spice; it's a nice drink to have when the weather is dropping down to the 30's.

The caramel whipped cream is equally good, I actually have never made it before and thought, why didn't I try this sooner?  Combining caramel and whipped cream is simply divine.  The original recipe doesn't use salt but I did put in a generous pinch of it because I really thought it needed it.

The recipe came from my favorite book in my book shelves, The Cake Book by Tish Boyle.  There are numerous recipes that I haven't even tried and all sounds very yummy.

Here is the recipe:

Pumpkin Walnut Cake

Makes one 9-inch square cake

1 3/4 cups cake flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup safflower oil or other neutral vegetable oil
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/3 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degree F.  Grease the bottom and sides of a 9-inch square baking pan.

Sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt into a medium bowl.  Whisk to combine well, and set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, using the whisk attachment, beat the eggs with both sugars at medium speed until pale, about 2 minutes.  Add the oil, pumpkin puree, milk, and vanilla extract and mix until blended.  Add the flour mixture at low speed in three additions, mixing just until blended.  Remove the bowl from the mixer stand and stir in the walnuts.  Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.

Bake the cake for 25 to 30 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean.  Cool the cake completely in the pan on a wire rack.

To serve, cut the cake into squares, and top each with a large dollop of the cream.

Caramel Cream

Makes about 3 cups

3/4 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons water
1/4 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 1/4 cups heavy cream, divided
Generous pinch of sea salt
1/4 cup mascarpone cheese
1 teaspoon vanilla extra


In a small heavy saucepan, combine the sugar, water, and lemon juice and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the sugar dissolves.  Increase the heat to high and cook without stirring, occasionally brushing down the sides of the pan with a wet pastry brush, until the syrup caramelizes and turns a golden amber color, about 4 minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat and carefully add 1/2 cup of the heavy cream (the mixture will bubble up) and sea salt, stirring until smooth.  Carefully pour the hot caramel into a heatproof glass measure and loosely cover with plastic wrap.  Refrigerate the caramel until chilled, about 2 hours.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, using the whisk attachment, beat the remaining 3/4 cup cream with the mascarpone cheese and vanilla at medium speed until blended.  Add the chilled caramel and beat at a high speed until the mixture forms soft peaks.  Use immediately, or cover and refrigerate.


Source:  The Cake Book by Tish Boyle

Apple Pie Filling

 This summer season was incredible that I wish it would not go away.  But as soon as I see apples, pears, persimmons, and other fall fruits start to appear in the market, my heart rejoices for the endless possibility of savoring them.  First thing I did was making apple pie filling.  This type of filling is suitable for canning because I like the idea of having it ready when I feel like making apple pie.

Canning has become an enjoyable chore for me surprisingly.  It's true that I have to make a time to do canning but I found that I'm quite proud of what I make into those glass jars.  And I can because of necessity; I want to preserve the flavors of whatever's seasonal but I don't have an extra freezer to store them.

This filling uses ClearJel because it's recommended for canning pie filling.  I've made numerous pie fillings using CearJel before and am always satisfied at how easy it is to process them.  I made this fillings using Honeycrisp apples, courtesy of one of my good friends who has a tree in her backyard.  I'm blessed to have a friend who graciously gives!!

Apple Pie Filling

Makes about 7 pints jars


12 cups sliced peeled cored apples
2 3/4 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup ClearJel
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 1/4 cups cold water
2 1/2 cups unsweetened apple juice
1/2 cup lemon juice


Treat apple slices by submerging them into a mixture of 1/2 cup lemon juice and 8 cups water.  Leave in the lemon juice water until ready to use; drain completely.

Prepare canner, jars, and lids.  I usually wash jars and lids in dishwasher and then submerge them in the canner pots; fill it with enough water to cover them, then I let it boil for 1 minute.  Leave the jars and lids inside the pots until ready to be used.

In a large pot of boiling water, working with 6 cups at a time, blanch apple slices for 1 minute.  Remove with a slotted spoon and keep warm in a covered bowl.

In a large stainless steel saucepan, combine sugar, ClearJel, cinnamon, nutmeg, water, and apple juice.  Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, and cook until mixture thickens and begins to bubble.  Add lemon juice, return to a boil.  Drain apple slices and immediately fold into hot mixture.  Before processing, heat, stirring, until apples are heated through.

Ladle hot pie filling into hot jars, leaving 1 inch headspace.  Remove air bubbles and adjust headspace; if necessary, by adding hot filling.  Wipe rim.  Center lid on jar.  Screw band down until resistance is met, then increase to fingertip-tight.

Place jars in canner, ensuring they are completely covered with water.  Bring to a boil and process for 25 minutes.  Remove canner lid.  Wait 5 minutes, then remove jars, cool, and store.



Source:  adapted heavily from Ball: Complete Book of Home Preserving

Cornmeal Pancakes

Hello again blog; hello falling leaves.  The last time I spent time writing seemed ages ago; I had my moment of not taking notes.  Frankly, I felt liberated to not have to write posts for the sake of audience.  I can come and go as I please, nobody seems to notice.  Lots of things have happened while I wasn't taking notes, life continues to be a series of some trepidation, decision-making, rushing forward to meet deadlines, appointments to make, never-ending work and chores, but only for a brief moment, a rejoicing week when my son turned a decade old.  I didn't mean to sound so tired but I'm merely waiting until everything passes away.

Breaking familiarity with something new is what I like in life; whereas my husband told me once he is comforted with anything that's familiar.  In food terms, his choice is boring, my choice is more exciting.  The same principle applies to pancakes, regular pancakes are plain and fluffy; cornmeal pancakes on the other hand are texture-wise interesting in each bite and the aroma is like the end of fall season rushes in.  My son who loves cornbread, adores these lacy-surfaced pancakes, stacked tall with butter and maple syrup.  I picked up the recipe from a book by Bill Neal, the godfather of Southern cooking.  His book is called Biscuits, Spoonbread & Sweet Potato Pie; an interesting book to read because of the wealth of information he put it in.  It was a chilly morning when I had these so I paired mine with spiced ginger-pear butter that I made earlier; there' no mistaken that I was craving foods that are in season right now.  There's much more to try in the book, none of it is too familiar to me, and that what makes life interesting--and keeps me going.

Cornmeal Pancakes

Makes about 18 pancakes

1 cup cornmeal

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 large eggs

1 1/4 cups buttermilk

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Sift the dry ingredients together.  Beat the eggs, add the buttermilk and melted butter.  Add to the meal and beat to make a smooth batter.  Let stand 10 minutes, then drop by the large tablespoon onto a lightly greased, medium-hot griddle.  Cook until brown on each side, turning once, and serve with butter, jam, fruit sauce, honey, or maple syrup.

Adapted from Biscuits, Spoonbread & Sweet Potato Pie by Bill Neal