Gingerbread Loaf with Glacé Cherries

I'm back!  I know it's been a long time since my last post.  I've been super busy lately. This time of year always gets me inspired so I am committed to posting more regularly on here!

This loaf is super moist, and works with or without the cherries.  I like the bit of crunch and sweetness the cherries add.  I also love anything to do with gingerbread this time of year.  This recipe is super easy, but it takes a long time in the oven to cook because it does not have eggs in it and the applesauce makes it so moist.



Ingredients:

1.5 Cups White Flour
1 tsp Baking Soda
2 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Nutmeg
1 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice
2 1/3 tsp Ground Ginger
1 tsp Salt
1 Cup White Sugar
1/2 Cup Margarine
1 tsp Lemon or Orange Extract
1 Cup Apple sauce
Glacé Cherries, red and green

Directions:

1.  Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and grease a loaf pan.

2.  Combine all of the dry ingredients except the baking soda.  Combine the margarine, and sugar in a mixer until fluffy.  Then add the extract, baking soda, and apple sauce to the margarine/sugar mixture..  Slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry, and then fold in the cherries.

3.  Pour the batter in the loaf pan and cook for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.  I had to place some foil on the top of mine after about 40 minutes so the top wouldn't get too brown, but the inside would continue to cook through.

4.  Add some cream cheese icing if available and, enjoy!

St. Nicholas Cupcakes

Greetings! This is another entry for my Christmas Series.  This particular recipe is my mother's favourite at Christmas.  It is our traditional, family recipe which we make every year.  I can't remember a Christmas when we didn't have this!  

It started as the St. Nicholas Cake.  It was made in a bundt pan and was decorated in the same way, with four sets of blossoms on top.  We started making the cupcakes about 5 years ago when cupcakes starting to get so popular!  I prefer them this way because they cook quite a bit faster (the cake would take almost an hour to cook), and they are easier to gobble up on Christmas Eve!  

This cake is very light, due to the 4 eggs in the recipe.  The almond extract adds such a unique and festive flavour.  I absolutely love this cake, and it isn't quite Christmas until the house smells like sweet almonds.

In other news, I think I am basically done all of my shopping for Christmas!  How about you guys?  



Ingredients:

Cake:

2 Cups White Flour
1 3/4 Cups White Sugar
2 tsp Baking Powder
Pinch  Salt
1 Cup Crisco Shortening
3/4 Cup Milk (Any kind will do, I used soy)
1 tsp Almond Extract
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
4 Eggs


Glaze:

1 1/2 Cups Icing Sugar
1/2 tsp Almond Extract
2 1/2 TB Warm Water

ALSO:  You will want to get some red and green glace cherries for the garnish!


Directions:

1)  Start by preheating your oven to 365 degrees.

2)  Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in your electric mixer.

3)  Add the shortening, milk and extracts and beat for 2 minutes.

4)  Add the eggs and beat for another 2 minutes.

5)  Fill greased cupcake liners 3/4 full.  Bake for 18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.  As always, if you notice your cupcakes getting too brown on top, place a greased sheet of foil over the top.  Crease the foil in the middle to make a tent so it does not stick to the cupcakes.

6)  While the cupcakes are cooling you can start the glaze.  Combine all of the ingredients in the mixer until it is smooth.

7)  Before you put the glaze on the cupcakes you will want to cut your cherries.  The red cherries get cut in half, and the green cherries get cut into 8 pieces, you will need 4 to make the leaves as shown here:

8)  Cover the cupcakes in the glaze, we took the liners off and placed the cupcakes upside down to see how that would look.  You can leave them in the liners if you would prefer!  Arrange the cherries as seen in the picture below, making sure the green leaves are all going in the same direction.  It is important to place the cherries before the glaze sets, otherwise when you put the cherries on the glaze will begin to crack.

 

9)  Enjoy!!  Only 14 more days until Christmas!  Yay!

Gingerbread Cake with Chocolate Peppermint Icing

 Ho Ho Ho, and Merry November 30!  Oh man, it is almost December!  I know that some of you can probably relate with me when I say that sometimes people give you a raised eyebrow when you start getting into the Christmas Spirit in early November.  As it nears the beginning of December I have realized that one of the benefits of starting the Christmas season so early is that you can fit a lot more awesome stuff in!  25 days is not enough time to experience everything, am I right?

This is another addition to my Christmas series, but unlike the previous ones, this is something I have never tried before.  I am a huge fan of gingerbread.  I love the lattes, the cookies, and that malevolently delicious gingerbread loaf you can get a Starbucks, it mocks me when I stand in line for my coffee!

I decided to experiment with combining the flavours of a gingerbread cake, and peppermint.  These are two of my favourite Christmas-time flavours, but I was curious how they would taste together.  I can now report, that they are a fracking awesome combo!

Are you guys experimenting with any new recipes this holiday season?


Ingredients:

Gingerbread Cake:

2 Cups White Flour
1 tsp Baking Soda
1/4 tsp Salt
1 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Nutmeg
1 tsp Ground Ginger
1/2 Cup Margarine
1/2 Cup Packed Brown Sugar
2 Eggs (Large)
1 Cup Liquid (I used water, but milk would work also)
1/2 Cup Molasses 
Miscellaneous Candy


White Peppermint Icing:

1 1/2 Cups Icing Sugr
1/2 tsp Peppermint Extract
1 TB Margarine
1/4 Cup Water  


Chocolate Peppermint Icing:

2 Cups Icing Sugar
2 TB Cocoa Powder
1 TB Margarine
1/4 Cup Water


Directions:

1.  Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and flour two cake dishes, mine were approximately 8 or 9 inches.

2.   Combine the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ground ginger and nutmeg.

3.  In an electric mixer combine the margarine and sugar, mix for about two minutes.  Add the eggs one at a time and beat well.  Lastly, add the molasses and combine!

4.  Alternate between adding the dry ingredients and your cup of liquid, beginning and ending with the dry mixture.  This ensures that everything gets well combined.

5.  Distribute the batter equally between the two pans and place in oven.

Make sure the tops are fairly level!

6.  Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick can be placed inside the cakes and come out clean.  Keep an eye on your cakes because they will cook faster due to separating the batter between the two pans.  While the cakes are cooling, you can start the icing!

7.  You are going to want to start with the white peppermint icing.  Combine the peppermint extract and margarine in your electric mixer.  Add the icing sugar and water and mix until smooth.  Make sure you scrape down the sides of the bowl in case there is any icing sugar that hasn't been combined.

8.  When the cakes are cool ice the top of one with the peppermint icing, letting the icing fall down the sides.  Place the second cake on top of the iced cake.  The top of the second cake is going to be iced with the chocolate peppermint icing.  Add a garnish of crushed candy cake around the sides of your cake to add extra Christmasy flare!  You can always do with more flare!

9.  Begin the chocolate peppermint icing by combining the cocoa powder and margarine in an electric mixer.  Add the water and icing sugar until smooth.  Lick the spatula if no one is watching, share it with them if they are.  

10.  You want this icing to be slightly thinner than the white icing, so it pours easily down the sides.  Add a couple of teaspoons of additional water at a time until it is the consistency you want.     

 

11.  Garnish the top of your cake with an assortment of Christmas candy!  This will make it fun for your guests when they get their piece.  I placed my cake in the fridge for a bit to make sure the icing on top had set so the candy wouldn't sink in too much.  Here are some of the candies I got from the bulk section at Save-on-Foods:

 

Okay guys, can we talk about the creepy, red Santa Penguin?  What is happening here?  He was delicious.

Maple Cinnamon Cupcakes with Pumpkin Icing

 I wanted to make these as my last hoorah to Halloween because come November 1st it is going to be all things Christmas!  I am so excited for Christmas, and plan on trying out a lot of new recipes for my favourite holiday.  I hope you like these festive Fall cupcakes.  You can never have too much pumpkin, am I right?



Ingredients:

Cake:

1 cup White Sugar
1/2 cup Margarine
2 Eggs
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1 tsp Maple Extract (or substitute an additional tsp of Vanilla)
1 1/2 cups White Flour
1 3/4 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 Cup Water (You could also use milk)
1 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Nutmeg
1/2 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice (optional)


Icing:

1/4 cup Pumpkin Puree (Pure)
1 TB Margarine
1 tsp Maple Extract
1/2 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice (Or cinnamon)
3 1/2 cups Icing Sugar


Directions:

1.  Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and place your liners in your muffin tins.  Cool looking Halloween themed liners preferred.

2.  Combine the sugar and margarine in your mixer.  Add eggs one at a time with the vanilla and maple extract.  Mix until smooth.

3.  In a separate bowl combine the flour, baking powder and spices.  Add the dry ingredients to the wet.  Add the water until fully combined.

4.  Spoon into the muffin tins, filling the liners about 2/3 full.  Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when poked into the center of a cupcake.

5.  While the cupcakes are cooling begin to make the icing.  Start by mixing the pumpkin puree, margarine and maple extract in your mixer.  Slowly add the icing sugar until the icing is your preferred consistency.  I like mine pretty thick, but you could stop adding icing sugar at 3 cups and go for a slightly lighter icing.

6.  When the cupcakes are completely cool, ice and enjoy!

 

Evil Scientist Beaker Sprinkles from Save-on-Foods