October 30, 2013

Candy Corn Sugar Cookies

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Candy Corn Sugar Cookies

Candy Corn Sugar Cookies

October 30: National Candy Corn Day

On the eve before All Hallow’s Eve, make a treat that is good to eat—sugar cookies simply embedded with a single candy corn. This tri-colored confection is most popular around the autumn harvest, as it resembles the kernel of a corn. Traditional colors are white, orange and yellow, but there are seasonal variants to the color scheme.

We usually bake a batch of both vanilla and chocolate sugar cookies and decorate them with candy corn for a color contrast on a tray. Kids (and kids-at-heart) enjoy eating them when we bring these desserts to different fall festivals and Halloween parties. Candy corn sugar cookies are especially appropriate on National Candy Corn Day, too!

Recipe

(Adapted from Martha Stewart)

For the vanilla candy corn sugar cookies

  • ¼ cup (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 1 egg yolk, large
  • ¼ teaspoon vanilla
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon baking powder
  • ¾ cup flour
  • candy corn

Directions

In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter with the sugar until smooth. Beat in the egg yolk and vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine the salt, baking powder and flour.

Candy Corn Sugar Cookies

Gradually add the flour mixture into the butter mixture and mix until a smooth dough is formed. Roll out an inch round ball. Place two inches apart on a greased cookie sheet. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F for 10-12 minutes or until the edges are firm and the middle of the cookie is dry.

Candy Corn Sugar Cookies

Remove from the oven. Press a candy corn in the center of each cookie.  Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Yield: 1 ½ dozen cookies.

Candy Corn Sugar Cookies

For the chocolate candy corn sugar cookies

  • ¼ cup (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 1 egg yolk, large
  • ¼ teaspoon vanilla
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ cup flour
  • ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • candy corn

Directions

In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter with the sugar until smooth. Beat in the egg yolk and vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine the salt, baking powder, flour and cocoa powder. Gradually add the flour mixture into the butter mixture and mix until a smooth dough is formed. Roll out an inch round ball.

Candy Corn Sugar Cookies

Place two inches apart on a greased cookie sheet. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F for 10-12 minutes or until the edges are firm and the middle of the cookie is dry. Remove from the oven. Press a candy corn in the center of each cookie.  Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

Candy Corn Sugar Cookies

Notes

  • The chocolate candy corn sugar cookies yield fewer than the vanilla ones. The tops also need to be slightly flattened with the palm of the hand before baking. The cookies’ darker color contrasts well with the bright candy corn.
  • Candy corn sugar cookies are a nice Halloween and seasonal treat. Try using candy corn to decorate Oreo turkey cookies for Thanksgiving.
 

October 10, 2013

Petal Cake

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Petal Cake

Petal Cake

October 10: National Cake Decorating Day

Although Islander has taken cake decorating classes from the Wilton headquarters in Illinois, she does not consider herself an expert like the professionals in her local cake club in Texas. But she likes to learn new techniques from the more advanced members and decided to try making a petal cake herself for National Cake Decorating Day.

This blog post focuses not on a recipe but on a frosting technique. Islander baked a three-layered cake as a taller display works best to showcase the petals. After crumb-coating it, she used a large, round tip to pipe dots down the side of the cake. Then she got into a rhythm of using a spatula to swipe the petal design, piping dots and swiping with the spatula again and finishing the back of the cake with dots. She repeated this technique on the top of the cake, starting from the outside and working her way toward the center.

Frosting a layered cake in a petal design is a simple yet impressive way to decorate a cake. Try this technique for a birthday, anniversary or other special event and especially for National Cake Decorating Day.

Recipe

Ingredients

  • 3 8-inch round cake layers (any flavor)
  • Whipped cream or buttercream frosting (enough to cover the cake)

Directions

Frost the cakes and stack the layers. Crumb coat. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes to set.

Petal Cake

Pipe some dots down the side of the cake using a large round tip. Gently use a spatula to swipe lightly in one direction, wiping the spatula blade clean each time so the frosting does not stick. Move about half an inch over and pipe more dots. Use the spatula to swipe in the same direction as the others. Repeat until the entire side of the cake is done.

Petal Cake

End the back of the petal sides with dots. Pipe the top of the cake in the same manner, beginning from the outer edge. Pipe a dot, swipe it with a spatula, repeat towards the center of the cake and end with a dot in the middle. Refrigerate to set the frosting. Garnish with fresh fruits or candles.

Petal Cake

Notes

  • For this particular post about our petal cake, we made a strawberry-and-whipped cream cake and topped it with a trio of fresh strawberries. We just used a boxed strawberry cake mix and Cool Whip frosting for something fast and fabulous.
  • For another frosting technique, try decorating a layered cake with rosettes. See our photo tutorial here.
 

October 1, 2013

Applesauce Spice Mini Bundt Cake

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Applesauce Spice Mini Bundt Cakes

Applesauce Spice Mini Bundt Cake

October: National Apple Month

After seeing some fall foliage at Lost Maples Natural State Park in Vanderpool, Texas, we decided to have lunch with our friends in nearby Medina—the Apple Capital of Texas. We stopped in a cute café and ate hamburgers with applewood smoked bacon. For dessert, we chose from an array of apple-flavored treats, such as pie, dumplings, bread, cobblers, cookies and even ice cream! The “Apple Store” (not to be confused with the one that sells Macintosh computers, iPads, iPods and iPhones) has souvenirs, gift items and other products from Love Creek Orchards, such as jellies, jams and sauces and butters. We also walked around the grounds to see a variety of dwarf apple trees.

Applesauce Spice Mini Bundt Cake

Celebrate the season with a recipe that includes the quintessential fall fruit—apples. Make mini applesauce spice bundt cakes during National Apple Month.

Recipe

(Adapted from Southern Food)

For the applesauce spice mini bundts

  • ¾ cup applesauce
  • ¾ cups sugar
  • ½ cup vegetable oil
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspooon vanilla
  • 1 ¼ cup flour
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
  • ½ cup raisins
  • ½ cup walnuts, chopped

Directions

In a large bowl, mix the applesauce with the sugar and oil. Beat in the eggs. Add vanilla. Mix until smooth.

Applesauce Spice Mini Bundt Cake

In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice. Gradually add this to the wet mixture and combine well. Fold in the raisins and walnuts.

Applesauce Spice Mini Bundt Cake

Pour batter into a well-greased mini bundt pan. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes, testing with a toothpick for doneness. Remove from the oven. Carefully invert the pan onto a wire rack. Cool the cakes completely.

Applesauce Spice Mini Bundt Cake

For the caramel glaze

(Adapted from Southern Food)

  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • pinch of salt
  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • ½ cup heavy whipping cream

Directions

Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the pinch of salt. Stir in the brown sugar until cooked. Pour in the cream and bring to a boil over medium heat. Keep stirring until thickened (about two minutes). Remove from heat and let cool for about an hour.

Applesauce Spice Mini Bundt Cake

Line a lipped pan with foil. Place a wire rack with the mini bundts on top. Drizzle the caramel glaze on the cakes and let flow to the sides. Decorate the tops with fall-themed candy sprinkles (optional).

Applesauce Spice Mini Bundt Cake

Notes

  • We used Wilton brand jumbo leaves mix sprinkles to decorate each mini bundts for the fall season.
  • Some sources state that National Apple Months are from September until November. National Apple Week is the second week of August.
  • Learn more about apples from the U.S. Apple Association website at http://www.usapple.org/.
  • Search our blog for more apple recipes.
 

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