Cranberry Orange Bread

My family doesn't have a well-defined set of Thanksgiving traditions.  Growing up with divorced parents, I often divided my time between two Thanksgiving dinners, having the main meal at one house and dessert at another.  Things always felt briefly desolate as I was shuttled between the two under the cover of early nightfall, but a slice of pie (or three) put an end to that pretty fast.  And I wouldn't have wanted to miss out on spending time with either of my families.  

My mom and I usually had dinner at a friends' house, and didn't have to do much of the cooking.  (I don't think either of us has ever roasted a whole turkey, unless she did a bunch of turkey-roasting before I was born and neglected to tell me about it.)

Maple Apple Spice Cake

My boyfriend doesn't like things made with apples, pumpkin, or squash, so fall is kind of a hard time for us.  I'm all like, "It's time to apple-pumpkin-squashify all the things!" and he's all like, "Oh, it looks like there's some bread over there for toast."  Literally, he had toast for lunch the other day.  I could not even get him to try a bite of this butternut squash soup with fried garlic and chili oil.

I've been a paleo food blogger for long enough that I feel like a little bit of a failure when my boyfriend has toast for lunch.

Things are going a little bit better on the apple front, though, because Ben really liked this cake.  Unless you're the one to stir the grated apple into the batter, which would be a pretty major tipoff, you probably won't know that there's any apple in it.  It does help make the batter extra moist, though, kind of like the zucchini in zucchini bread, and also adds a little more sweetness.

Cranberry Chocolate Truffles (Paleo, Vegan, Gluten-free)

I promise that after today's post we will take a *short* break from all the cranberries.

Did you make a batch of cranberry maple syrup and cran-maple compote yet?  You're going to need it for these amazing cranberry chocolate truffles! 

The inside of these candies is a beautiful dark pink color thanks to the cranberry maple syrup, and has just a hint of cocoa powder.  The truffles are dipped in dark chocolate to make their snappy outer shell, and then sprinkled with shredded coconut or chopped pecans just before the coating has time to set.  They may be the most festive thing I've ever made, other than this tart.  They are great for gifting.  I love the way the tart cranberry filling tastes with the rich dark chocolate, and I bet you and your lucky giftees will, too.

I think I just made up a word.  It's probably time to for me to stop and just get on with the recipe.

One more thing: these are adorable packaged in an egg carton.  Wrap that all up and see how befuddled people are when they open it and think you're giving them a carton of eggs for Christmas.

Cranberry Orange Tart (Paleo, Gluten-free, Dairy-free) & Pompeian Grapeseed Oil

I had this bag of cranberries left over from Thanksgiving that was begging to be used up, and it had been far too long since I'd made any kind of a curd.  The folks at Pompeian sent me a bottle of their grapeseed oil spray, and it gave me the perfect idea: a cranberry orange tart that would give me the chance to use up my cranberries, make a curd, and finally do something with my tart pan.

I am so pleased with how this tart turned out!  Just looking at it makes me really happy.  The cranberry orange curd is just tart enough, but still plenty sweet thanks to the honey.  The crust is a delicious combination of almonds and pecans with a touch of Pompeian olive oil.  The whipped cream on top seals the deal.  Also, how gorgeous are those cranberries and those orange zest curls?  I'm obsessed with looking at pictures of this tart.  And also with eating it.  I did share some with my mom, though, and she said it was one of the best things I've ever made!  If you don't have cranberries on hand, this tart would also be fabulous with any other kind of curd--try classic lemon, dairy-free lemon, or strawberry.  The curd possibilities are endless!  This cranberry orange curd would be equally delicious on pancakes, toast, scones or ice cream if you don't feel like making a tart.  A jar of curd also makes a wonderful homemade gift!

Chocolate Cake with Peppermint Ganache (Paleo, Gluten-free, Dairy-free)

Ben and I celebrated the two-year anniversary of our first date yesterday.  In addition to being an important relationship milestone, I thought having an anniversary was a great excuse to bake.  I asked Ben what dessert I should make for our special day, and he said, "Why don't you make a cake?".

It was such a brilliant idea, not only because cakes are the most majestic of all the desserts, but also because I have not posted any cakes on this blog yet.  I've posted lots of cupcakes (too many, some might say), but no actual cakes.

I set off in search of a great paleo chocolate cake recipe to use, since I haven't really made any paleo chocolate cupcakes that I could adapt (although these muffins came pretty close).  When I found this recipe from Zenbelly Catering, I could tell it was a hit from the dozens of raving comments.  Food blogs are the best!  Try to find that many (or any) reader responses to a recipe in an actual print cookbook.

All those readers were right--this is an awesome cake!  I made a few changes to the cake recipe, including adding some coffee to deepen the chocolate flavor.  Don't worry, the cake won't taste like coffee (or coconut, or almonds--the flavor is pure chocolate!).

For the ganache, though, I wanted to try something a little different, so I added peppermint extract.  If you don't like mint and chocolate, you can just leave that out.  Ben and I both loved it, but we are the kind of people who drink hot chocolates with peppermint schnapps all winter long.  (Is it time for those yet?  Almost?  They are basically the only thing I like about cold weather).

I wanted to make a whipped cream filling as suggested in the original recipe, but my coconut cream didn't have enough time to set up in the fridge.  Make sure you click on over to the original recipe if you want to try the cream layer for your cake--it sounds amazing!  I'm all over that for our third anniversary, or the next time another cake-worthy occasion comes along.

Pumpkin Caramel Cheesecake Pie (Gluten-free, No-bake)

This pie is so easy, and so good!  If you already have your caramel sauce made (try salted caramel, salted maple caramel, or even store-bought), there is no cooking required--just a few rounds of food processing.  And, in case you need another reason to make this, there's pumpkin involved!  There's also caramel, whipped cream, and a delicious two-ingredient crust.  The cheesecake layer is rich, but not overpowering--I think even people who don't love cheesecake will probably love this.  

The recipe has several components, but they are all easy to whip up in the food processor.  You don't even really need to wash it in between layers.  Also, it's so much fun to press the crust into the pan, smooth all these amazing things on top, swirl in some caramel, and sprinkle on a few pepitas.  It's almost as much fun to make this pie as it is to eat it!

I made this for two hungry podcasters, and they both loved it.  Even though Ben at first insisted he "didn't want a piece right now", he changed his tune as soon as he laid eyes on my slice.  Basically, this pie is irresistible!

Pumpkin Cake with Molasses Cream (Paleo, Gluten-free)

It is only September 21st, and I may already be tired of pumpkin.

I mean, "tired" is a little extreme--I probably just need one week off, and then I'll be ready to get back on the pumpkin train.

The reason is that I had to make this pumpkin cake four or five times.  The first time, I tried to make a vegan version using flax eggs.  I baked the cake for a long, long time, but it still did not set completely.  It had a fabulous flavor, but it was like a pudding-cake.  After cutting off a few slices, the rest of the loaf couldn't even hold itself together, and slumped into the delicious pumpkin version of an old, dilapidated house.

The next time I made it, it ended up staying in the oven for over three hours (not on purpose).  You can see it here (and I'd be thrilled if you followed me on Instagram!).  The third time, I substituted molasses for the honey, and the cake was so dark that it looked burnt even though it wasn't.  I wanted a nice orange color, at least on the inside of the cake, so I tried a fourth time.  I loved the molasses flavor, so I used it in the glaze, along with some creme fraiche (my new favorite thing).  Finally, I got a cake I loved!  It's still very moist, but it hasn't fallen apart yet.  The molasses cream and pecans really take it over the top.  If you're not a nut person, you could try adding a similar amount of chocolate chunks.  I added them to the first batch and it was fabulous.

So, hopefully you're not tired of pumpkin!  I promise to feature a different main ingredient in my next recipe.

Pecan & Blue Cornmeal Scones (plus a baking bucket list)

In my head I have a running bucket list of things I'd like to bake or cook that I haven't tried yet.  I decided it's time to write that list down, so I'll have it when the inspiration to try something new strikes. What kind of bucket lists do you have?  If you have a kitchen bucket list, what's on it?

1. Scones (tackled today!)
2. Biscuits
3. Chocolate soufflé
4. Quiche
5. Pies (various kinds)
6. Tarts (various kinds)
7. Popovers
8. Baked Alaska
9. Cheesecake (not the no-bake kind)
10. Bundt cake
11. Cornbread
12. Bread
13. Creme brulee

Lucky 13!  I'm sure I'll be adding to the list as I think of more things and discover new recipes to try.

Anyway, this morning I tried scones.  I wanted to make them with the blue cornmeal I have from Bob's Red Mill, so I adapted this recipe.  I brought them to a meeting at work and they were a big hit!  Plus, scones are easy and quick to make.  For some reason I thought they would be tricky, but they're really not any harder than muffins and are much more elegant.



Recipe (adapted from this recipe on Living Tastefully; makes 16 small scones):

2 cups flour
1 cup blue cornmeal (or use yellow)
1/4 cup sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 egg
1/2 cup coconut milk or whole milk
2 teaspoons vanilla
5 tablespoons very cold butter (stick it in the freezer for half an hour)
1 cup pecans, chopped (or substitute raisins or your favorite nuts)

Preheat the oven to 450 and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, whisk together all the dry ingredients.  In a small bowl, whisk together, the egg, coconut milk or whole milk, and vanilla.

Using a cheese grater, grate the butter into the dry ingredients (this is why you need it to be super cold!).  Mix with your hands just to distribute the butter--you want little chunks of butter to remain in the dough.  They help give scones their light texture and characteristic cracks along the sides.

Add the wet ingredients and pecans to the mixture, and stir with a fork to form a dough.  If necessary, knead the dough with your hands to incorporate the last floury bits.

Break the dough into four equal pieces.  Pat each piece out into a 5-6 inch square.  Using a sharp knife, cut each square of dough into quarters. (This will make 16 small scones.  If you want larger scones, cut fewer pieces.)

Place the scones on the parchment-lined sheets and sprinkle a little granulated sugar on top of each one.  Bake the scones for about 8 minutes, rotating the pans back to front halfway through and checking them frequently to make sure they are not too brown on the bottoms.  When they're ready, they will be just firm to the touch.

Remove scones to a rack to cool and serve warm or at room temperature.  These would be great with butter, jam, lemon curd, or strawberry curd!