Applesauce spice bundt cake with a brown sugar glaze

A busy week of Diwali festivities and excitement and then the sudden lull ....schools have reopened with the elder one s exams starting today,and the little ones sports day practices.So back to the monotonous humdrum life with lunchbox preparations,dirty laundry,healthy menu plan, homework, etc.

Thanks to the blog and my blogger friends ,have something to look forward to every single day.Checking out the food posts with my morning cup of tea has become my favourite time of the day.

Took quite a long break for Diwali as it was quite hectic with squadron coming home and my eccentric streak making me prepare every single delicacy at home.But theres a different kind of satisfaction when you see the pleasure on people's faces while gorging on the dish prepared by you.

Finally my break ended today when I remembered that it was Monday and time to send my weeks baking to the weekly baking event held by Helen of Casa Costello.

Last week my fruit basket was overflowing with apples and my girls were busy gorging on the sweets of the festivities.Before the apples got spoilt I decided to make apple sauce and freeze it  and made a applesauce cake with spices and drizzled home made brown sugar glaze on it.You can refer to my Home made Apple Sauce recipe here.If spice is your thing you will love this moist and spicy cake.The lemon zest in the cake brightens the flavour of the cake and the delicious brown sugar glaze gives a nice edge to it.

You Require

For the Cake
2 1/4 C all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp ground all spice ( substitute with  ground 1/2 tsp cinnamon,cloves nutmeg each)
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 C unsalted butter( room temp)
1 tsp grated lemon zest
2 large eggs ,room temperature
3/4 C ground sugar2/3 C  brown sugar
1C applesauce
1 big Apple ,peeled and chopped
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 C walnuts or pecans chopped( optional)

For the brown sugar glaze
3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp brown sugar ,packed
3 tbsp heavy cream
3/4 C powdered sugar or icing sugar,sifted
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Method

• Preheat the oven to 180 deg C,grease a 9 " pan bundt or tube pan and dust it with flour .
• Sift the flour,salt,baking soda and all spice and Add the pecans if using and keep it aside.
• Beat the butter and lemon zest with an electric mixer till smooth and creamy.
• Add the sugar gradually and blend it well with the mixer,add the brown sugar and beat till smooth.
• Now add the eggs one at a time and beat well till well blended.
• Add the chopped apples and vanilla and blend with mixer speed low.
• Finally with the mixer speed low or medium add the flour/ nut mix in 3 additions and the applesauce in 2 additions starting and ending with the flour.Mix just until incorporated .
• Spoon the mixture into the bundt pan,level the top and bake in the preheated oven for 35-40 mins or till a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean.
• Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool for 10-15 mins and add the glaze when the cake is still warm,so invert the cake carefully onto a rack so that it doesn't break.
• For the glaze,melt the butter with the brown sugar in a saucepan over low heat.
• Add the heavy cream and cook till it comes to a gentle boil and let it simmer for 1-2 minutes.
• Take the pan off the heat and add the sugar in two additions whisking constantly.
• Add the vanilla and whisk until smooth.
• If it is too runny ,add some more icing sugar and if it's too thick add little cream.
• It should be of pouring consistency and hardens fast,pour the glaze on the warm cake quickly and let it drip naturally down the sides.
• Enjoy the moist,spicy cake with a cup of tea.

Apple Cinnamon Chimichangas

My younger one has been blessed with a strong ,deep rooted sweet tooth genetically passed on to her from the father.To satisfy her sweet cravings becomes a Herculean task for me ..breakfast,lunchbox,post lunch and dinner,the TV time snacking every single meal needs to have a sugary sweet element in it.When the cravings had crossed limits and I could foresee future health problems I put my foot down and had stopped making anything sweet at home except some occasional knick knacks which I could successfully hide from her in the secret niches and corners only known to me.Never in my wildest dreams had I thought that I had to be creative regarding hiding places for the sugary sweet nothings.After one whole week of deprivation finally two days back I gave in and made these Mexican ,melt in the mouth sugar coated chimichangas as a sweet treat and reward for exceptionally matured behaviour which took me by surprise too.We can't expect impeccable manners and excellent behaviour from a six year old but sometimes she does start pushing my buttons.

Before the conversation meanders to a different path I will log off here with the recipe of those Chimichangas.My little one still cannot pronounce it...after a day they became " pichitankas "in her memory's dictionary.

Chimichanga is a burrito filled with your choice of fillings,sweet or savoury,and deep fried to a golden perfection.I had a small box of frozen apple pie filling peeking from my freezer which I used as filling for the flour tortillas,folded them into burritos and shallow fried them.The final step was to dust them with powdered cinnamon sugar.

You Require

For the Tortillas(8- 10)
2C flour
1/4 C veg shortening /veg oil/olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 - 3/4 C warm water
For the apple pie Filling
3 big Apples,peeled and chopped
2 tbsp Sugar
1 tsp powdered cinnamon
1 tbsp butter

1C oil for frying
2-3 tbsp powdered cinnamon sugar for dusting

Method
For the tortillas

• Sift the flour,baking powder and salt in a bowl and mix the shortening or oil with your fingertips to combine.
• Add the warm water gradually and work into a soft dough,cover and keep for 30 mins.
• Roll out 8 medium sized round tortillas with the dough and cook them on a griddle till brown spots appear.Cover the dough with a damp tea towel as you cook the tortillas.
• Don't overcook as they will become dry and butter them and wrap them in a tea towel as you cook the other tortillas.
• For the apple filling
• Sauté the chopped apples in butter for few minutes till  they become little soft.
• Add the sugar and cinnamon and let it cook for 3-4 minutes till the sugar is caramelised and the mixtures becomes little saucy.
• For the Chimichangas
• In a tortilla lay out enough filling so that you can fold it into a burrito easily.
• Fold opposite sides over the filling and roll up from the bottom like a burrito.
• Place with the seam side down in a fry pan with pre heated oil,fry in a low flame,turn the other side when golden brown.( I shallow fried it with 3-4 tbsp of oil)
• Alternately brush with melted butter and bake at 200 deg C for 20 mins or till golden brown.
• Dab the extra oil with a tissue from the fried chimichangas and dust with powdered cinnamon Sugar.
• Cut into halves and serve hot with a dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream .
• Enjoy the divine Pichitankas oops sorry Chimichangaswith the saucy apples oozing out.

Homemade Apple Sauce

With an abundance of apples in the house and after innumerable batches of Apple Pies and Apple Crumbles finally decided to freeze the apples in the form of sauce so that it can be used later when apples are not in season.Apple Sauce in my household gets used in the form of cakes or in tarts ,a tasty accompaniment with meat dishes or just like that in a bowl with a dollop of Icecream or fresh cream.Apple sauce can be stored in airtight containers in the fridge for 7-8 days and in the freezer for nearly 2 months.Apple cider or Apple juice in the recipe gives a stronger apple flavour to the sauce but it's optional.Once stored the apple sauce has a tendency to settle down with a layer of liquid on top.It just needs a stir before using it.

You Require
6 medium sized Apples ( for 3 cups of Sauce)
3/4C water or Apple cider or Apple juice
2 tbsp Granulated Sugar
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp lemon zest
Ground cinnamon or grated nutmeg

Method

• Peel and core all the apples and cut them into dices.
• In a saucepan add the cider or juice or water to the apples and put it on the fire for 15-20 mins on medium heat till the apples are stewed soft and mushy.
• Check the liquid level in the pot and add more if it's dry and sticking to the sides.
• Add the sugar and lemon juice and zest and cinnamon( optional) and remove from heat.
• Purée in a grinder for a smoother texture or mash it with a wooden spoon if you like little chunks of apples in the sauce.
• Cool,store in bottles and refrigerate.