The 2012 Fall Baking Thread

[Loves Vintage]

Missy!!!!!!!! Your post could not have been more timely!! I am certain I bought a pound of butter earlier this week, but it is no where to be found. I really really do not want to go to the store. Then I saw your post! The dough is chilling in the fridge. I didn't have corn oil, so I sought out a canola oil recipe. Who knew? I had no idea I could use oil, until I saw your post, so THANK YOU. I can only hope my crust turns out as lovely as your DH's! Lucky lady, you are!

 

[Ellen]

Hi Deb, great thread! *waves*

I will share this cake we have been enjoying of late, and the recipe is being requested regularly. So if you make it and take it somewhere, might want to bring the recipe.

In exchange for this, maybe someone can give me an answer to a perplexing problem. When I bake this cake (3 times this fall), every time it has come out lopsided. Sitting the pan longways from left to right, the right side is way higher. The last time I made absolutely sure it was even going in, came out off. We checked everywhere with a level, it's spot on. I baked a pecan pie this morning, it came out perfect. What in the world could be causing this? *scratches head*


Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

4 eggs

1 2/3 c. sugar

1 c. canola oil

15 oz. can pumpkin

2 c. all purpose flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

1/2 tsp. nutmeg





Grease 9x13 pan. Heat oven to 350.

Mix eggs, sugar, oil and pumpkin with mixer til light and fluffy. Have dry ingredients mixed, and add to batter in a couple batches, mix well after each. Pour and bake for 25-30 min. Cool completely, then frost.




Frosting

8 oz. soft cream cheese

1 stick butter soft

3-4 cups powdered sugar (I use just over 3)

1-2 tsp. vanilla extract (I use just over 2)



Beat butter and cheese til smooth. Add powdered sugar in 1 cup additions, mixing well. If it gets too thick, add a Tbsp. or two of milk. (I do)


Enjoy!

 

[Missy]

Missy!!!!!!!! Your post could not have been more timely!! I am certain I bought a pound of butter earlier this week, but it is no where to be found. I really really do not want to go to the store. Then I saw your post! The dough is chilling in the fridge. I didn't have corn oil, so I sought out a canola oil recipe. Who knew? I had no idea I could use oil, until I saw your post, so THANK YOU. I can only hope my crust turns out as lovely as your DH's! Lucky lady, you are!

Oh, I hope the apple pie turned out well for you Loves Vintage!!

Our Thanksgiving was delicious but I ate way too much. My sister brought my favorite dessert- peanut butter chocolate brownies. I overdid the desserts for sure as the apple pie and pumpkin pie were awesome too so you know I didn't skimp on eating them all lol. Now I'm stuffed!!

 

[zoebartlett]

My mom made this yesterday and it was really good! I just chose the first recipe that came up under a quick Google search. I'm not sure if this is the actual recipe she used but they're all pretty similar.



PUMPKIN PUDDING CAKE
1 box yellow cake mix
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. butter
4 eggs
2/3 c. milk
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 lg. can pumpkin
1/4 c. butter

Reserve 1 cup of cake mix, add to it 1/2 cup butter. Cut in with pastry blender. To rest of cake mix add 1/2 cup of melted butter and 1 egg; mix by hand. Press into 9 x 13 inch pan (ungreased). Mix 3 eggs, 2 teaspoons cinnamon, 2/3 cup milk, sugars and pumpkin. Pour pumpkin mixture over cake mixture. Sprinkle the reserved cake mixture over the top of pumpkin mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

 

[alpha238]

Missy, those peanut butter chocolate brownies look incredible! Do you have your sister's recipe?

 

[Deactivated member 42515]

The pumping cheesecake was a success! But now everyone is saying I gotta make it every year! Haha! Thanks pinkjewel!

 

[Missy]

Missy, those peanut butter chocolate brownies look incredible! Do you have your sister's recipe?

It's so easy- at least according to my sister and dh. Here's the recipe and there is a video showing how to make it as well.
It is really amazingly delicious if you like peanut butter. It tastes even better than Reese's Peanut Butter cups!!!! No baking involved!

http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/peanut-butter-bars-i/Detail.aspx

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup butter or margarine, melted
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 cup peanut butter
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
4 tablespoons peanut butter
DIRECTIONS:
1. In a medium bowl, mix together the butter or margarine, graham cracker crumbs, confectioners' sugar, and 1 cup peanut butter until well blended. Press evenly into the bottom of an ungreased 9x13 inch pan.
2. In a metal bowl over simmering water, or in the microwave, melt the chocolate chips with the peanut butter, stirring occasionally until smooth. Spread over the prepared crust. Refrigerate for at least one hour before cutting into squares.

Yaytacori- that dessert looks awesome!

 

[Loves Vintage]

Missy - Sadly, my crust did not come out that great, which is typical for me as far as pie crust goes, regardless of what I put in it. Try, try again!

YayTacori - Yummo!! It's nice to have a dish you are known for, and it sounds like you have one now!

Ellen - I wanna make your cake! Love a cream cheese frosting!

I also want to make homemade twinkies! All this talk about twinkies lately!!!

 

[Skippy123]

Missy - Sadly, my crust did not come out that great, which is typical for me as far as pie crust goes, regardless of what I put in it. Try, try again!

YayTacori - Yummo!! It's nice to have a dish you are known for, and it sounds like you have one now!

Ellen - I wanna make your cake! Love a cream cheese frosting!

I also want to make homemade twinkies! All this talk about twinkies lately!!!

LV, I saw this the other day and my cousin says it tastes a lot like twinkies!!! http://www.topsecretrecipes.com/Hostess-Twinkie-Recipe.html

YayTac, that looks yummy!

 

[minousbijoux]

Ooh, ooh, I have something to add! We made a fantastic apple pie (I don't know what's wrong with me, but I'm not a pie lover, so it was my DS who pushed for it)! I made the pie crust with vodka from here: http://www.cooksillustrated.com/recipes/detail.asp?docid=11482
we didn't have vegetable shortening, so used all butter instead. It was so easy to work and was the best crust I've had in forever.

As to the filling, my son uses his own, umm, "proprietary" recipe - that is, he throws a bunch of stuff together and tastes it until he likes it. It had 6 apples (we tried both Granny Smith and Pink Lady, he quickly nixed the Granny Smith, pronouncing them "too sour"), combination of brown and white sugar, about 1TBS of Grade B maple syrup (grade B has more intense flavor), cinnamon, with flour as a thickener. Even for a non-pie person, it was great!

 

[minousbijoux]

In exchange for this, maybe someone can give me an answer to a perplexing problem. When I bake this cake (3 times this fall), every time it has come out lopsided. Sitting the pan longways from left to right, the right side is way higher. The last time I made absolutely sure it was even going in, came out off. We checked everywhere with a level, it's spot on. I baked a pecan pie this morning, it came out perfect. What in the world could be causing this? *scratches head*

Ellen: could it be that one side of your oven is hotter than the other? Would it be possible halfway through baking to turn it around?

 

[Missy]

In exchange for this, maybe someone can give me an answer to a perplexing problem. When I bake this cake (3 times this fall), every time it has come out lopsided. Sitting the pan longways from left to right, the right side is way higher. The last time I made absolutely sure it was even going in, came out off. We checked everywhere with a level, it's spot on. I baked a pecan pie this morning, it came out perfect. What in the world could be causing this? *scratches head*

Ellen: could it be that one side of your oven is hotter than the other? Would it be possible halfway through baking to turn it around?

I agree with minous, it sounds like it is not getting even heat. In cake you use dough or baking soda or powder that makes the dough rise. Try rotating the pan halfway through the heat cycle. The pecan pie isn't turning out lopsided because you are not using a rising agent like baking powder so the uneven heat doesn't matter as much. But I bet the pecan pie has an uneven brown on the crust.

Is your oven a convection oven? That would give it more even heat.


Loves Vintage-
Sorry your pie didn't turn out the way you had hoped. Hope it turns out better next time! I have such admiration for those who bake. It takes so much patience and preciseness.

 

[alpha238]

Thanks Missy for the recipe. I think I'll try making it next week.

 

[Ellen]

mb and missy, I asked my braniac brother and eldest son tonight at dinner, and they said the same thing. So I think you all are on to something, it's the only thing that makes any sense. To be honest, I didn't realize an oven could be off like that... So I will definitely try turning it next time and see what happens. Thank you both!


LV, you must try the cake, it is truly awesome. Seriously, I don't even want to make it anymore because I can't stay out of it. lol

 

[Missy]

Thanks Missy for the recipe. I think I'll try making it next week.

You're very welcome! I hope it comes out yummy! I am going to be enjoying these for at least a week or 2 because I am not sure I am sharing these with my dh! Nah, just kidding! I'll let him have a couple.

Ellen, your cake looks amazing. That might be next on the to bake list. We do have another month plus of holiday baking left!

 

[minousbijoux]

Thanks Missy for the recipe. I think I'll try making it next week.

You're very welcome! I hope it comes out yummy! I am going to be enjoying these for at least a week or 2 because I am not sure I am sharing these with my dh! Nah, just kidding! I'll let him have a couple.

Ellen, your cake looks amazing. That might be next on the to bake list. We do have another month plus of holiday baking left!

I think so too. And if it tastes as good as it looks, I wouldn't care if its lopsided. All I know is that I want a piece.

 

[AGBF]

mb and missy, I asked my braniac brother and eldest son tonight at dinner, and they said the same thing. So I think you all are on to something, it's the only thing that makes any sense. To be honest, I didn't realize an oven could be off like that... So I will definitely try turning it next time and see what happens. Thank you both!

First,: Hi, Ellen! Where were you hiding? I haven't seen you in ages and I have missed you terribly! It is wonderful to be posting in the same thread with you again!

Second: I am so incredibly impressed with the scientific knowledge of missy and minousbijoux! Not only did they understand that an oven could heat unevenly, but also why a cake and a pie would be affected differently by an oven's lack of heat on one side because of the chemical composition of the pie and the cake! I feel as if I am in the the company of the geniuses on "The Big Bang Theory"! (Just call me "Penny".)

Deb/AGBF

 

[Ellen]

Hi ya Miss! *waves* It's so good to see you! You are too kind...


Not hiding, just kinda posted out. It was time to bow out and let the next generation take over.


And yes, I was quite humbled at the responses of mb and missy. Smartypants.... *sniff* However, my joy at finally knowing how to possibly fix this cake far outweighed my feelings of inferiority. So, it's all good. *big grin*


And lest anyone think I have been lurking since my last post, not so. I went to log in and found out I already was. Apparently things have changed, it used to be if you didn't move around/post long enough, it logged you out automatically. So please don't think I was sitting here ignoring you all.



missy, you gotta make this cake. It is SO moist, and delicious, it's, it's,.... words fail me. Just make it!

 

[Missy]

Hi ya Miss! *waves* It's so good to see you! You are too kind...


Not hiding, just kinda posted out. It was time to bow out and let the next generation take over.


And yes, I was quite humbled at the responses of mb and missy. Smartypants.... *sniff* However, my joy at finally knowing how to possibly fix this cake far outweighed my feelings of inferiority. So, it's all good. *big grin*


And lest anyone think I have been lurking since my last post, not so. I went to log in and found out I already was. Apparently things have changed, it used to be if you didn't move around/post long enough, it logged you out automatically. So please don't think I was sitting here ignoring you all.



missy, you gotta make this cake. It is SO moist, and delicious, it's, it's,.... words fail me. Just make it!

LOL Ellen- please don't even think I know anything about baking/cooking and the like haha. I wish!! My dh is the expert and I just sometimes absorb info by osmosis or something from him. I cannot bake a lick! Though I sometimes assist him because I love to sample.

I will definitely "help" him to bake this cake you are recommending though. It sounds great and with such high praise from you I know I cannot go wrong!! Thanks for the rec!!

 

[Lady_Disdain]

Ok, I have to share this recipe. It is ridiculously easy and the cookies are so light and melty! I made a batch earlier tonight and they came out perfect. I came across a similar recipe in an Australian site but the measurements were a bit different from this.

My aunt usually fills hers with lemon curds but I don't bother and just eat them plain. I may try Nutella in the near future, though, or a good ganache (Nutella is probably too sweet but I have it on hand).

1 cup butter at room temperature
1/3 cup icing sugar (I cheat and use plain old sugar - the recipe still works)
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 cup flour plus a little (sorry, no one ever measured what the "a little" is but add a little more so the dough isn't too loose)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Dash of salt

Cream butter and sugar well
Add other ingredients and mix lightly
Roll out into small balls and bake at very low temperature (170 Celsius) for around 15 minutes

 

[Ellen]

Hi ya Miss! *waves* It's so good to see you! You are too kind...


Not hiding, just kinda posted out. It was time to bow out and let the next generation take over.


And yes, I was quite humbled at the responses of mb and missy. Smartypants.... *sniff* However, my joy at finally knowing how to possibly fix this cake far outweighed my feelings of inferiority. So, it's all good. *big grin*


And lest anyone think I have been lurking since my last post, not so. I went to log in and found out I already was. Apparently things have changed, it used to be if you didn't move around/post long enough, it logged you out automatically. So please don't think I was sitting here ignoring you all.



missy, you gotta make this cake. It is SO moist, and delicious, it's, it's,.... words fail me. Just make it!

LOL Ellen- please don't even think I know anything about baking/cooking and the like haha. I wish!! My dh is the expert and I just sometimes absorb info by osmosis or something from him. I cannot bake a lick! Though I sometimes assist him because I love to sample.

I will definitely "help" him to bake this cake you are recommending though. It sounds great and with such high praise from you I know I cannot go wrong!! Thanks for the rec!!

You are too modest.

And as long as someone bakes that cake, it matters not who. You just, must, eat it.