Caramel Apple Cider Bread

I got invited to lunch at a friend's house and wanted to bring something to share. This particular friend is of the gluten-free variety, so I wanted to make something delicious that she could enjoy.
I found a beer bread recipe that sounded phenomenal, and made it GF by subbing in Angry Orchard cider for beer and Namaste Food's GF Perfect Flour Blend for the regular flour.
This bread turned out delicious, and very very dense.

yield: 1 loaf of bread

ingredients
for caramel sauce
¾C sugar
2 tbs water
2 tbs butter, cut into cubes

for bread
3C all-purpose flour (I used Namaste Food's GF Perfect Flour Blend)
3 tbs sugar
2 ½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
¼C sliced almonds
½ tsp cinnamon
1 large pink lady apple, cored and chopped into small pieces
12oz Angry Orchard Apple Cider
4 tbs butter, melted

directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Grease a 1.5qt loaf pan.
3. In a small pot over high heat, add sugar, water, and butter.
4. Stir until the butter is melted.
5. Allow mixture to boil without stirring, for 5-6 minutes or until the sugar has turned an amber color.
6. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, almonds, cinnamon, and apple pieces.
7. Pour the beer and melted butter into the dry ingredients, stirring until just combined (you might have to use your hands because its a pretty thick dough).
8. Press dough into the loaf pan.
9. Pour caramel over the top of the loaf.
10. Place loaf pan on a baking sheet (this is just a precaution, I had a little bit of leak over and I didn't want to risk having to clean caramel off the bottom of the oven).
11. Bake for 45-55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
12. Enjoy!

Eggnog Coffee Cake Muffins

I had never had eggnog prior to this past holiday season. I'm still not sure that I like it, but after buying eggnog for my Gingerbread Eggnong Cupcakes, I had to find something else to do with my eggnog. This recipe from Pinterest sounded like a delicious breakfast idea. These muffins were sweet, but not too sweet and definitely felt festive.

yield: 10 muffins or 30 mini muffins

ingredients
for streusel
½C all-purpose flour
½C brown sugar
¾ tsp cinnamon
⅛ tsp ground nutmeg
5 tbs butter, cut into small pieces

for muffins
2C all-pupose flour
½C sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
⅛ tsp ground nutmeg
½ tsp salt
1C eggnog
1 egg, room temperature
5 tbs butter, melted and cooled
1 tsp vanilla extract

for eggnog glaze
1C powdered sugar
3 tbs eggnog
pinch of nutmeg

directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Line a muffin pan with paper liners or spray with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
3. for streusel: In a small bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
4. Add butter and mix together with your (clean!) fingers until mixture looks like coarse crumbs. Set aside.
5. for muffins: In a large bowl or stand mixer, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Set aside.
6. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggnog, egg, melted butter, and vanilla extract until smooth.
7. On low speed, slowly add liquid mixture to flour mixture.
8. Mix until just combined.
9. Fill muffin cups ⅔ full.
10. Top batter with streusel.
11. Bake muffins for 12 minutes (mini) or 20 minutes (regular), until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
12. Remove from oven and let cool.
13. for eggnog glaze: In a medium bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, eggnog, and nutmeg.
14. Whisk until smooth.
15. Drizzle glaze over muffins.
16. Enjoy!

Peanut Butter Fudge Cake

With a lot of snow hitting Maryland this year and a wedding to bake for in July, I've utilized some time at home to practice my cake decorating and making skills. I've had a lot of practice with cupcakes but am way behind in cake practice. I found this recipe on Pinterest and it sounded delicious.
I used a 1M tip to make the swirls. The swirls stick better if you spread a thin layer of frosting onto the cake first.

yield: one 9" cake

ingredients
for cake
2C all-purpose flour
2C sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1C butter, room temperature
¼ C cocoa powder
1C water
1/2C buttermilk
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract

for peanut butter frosting
½C butter, room temperature
1C creamy peanut butter
3 tbs milk
2C powdered sugar

directions

1. for cake: Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Grease and flour a round or square pan (I used a 9" spring form pan because it's what I had around).
3. In a large bowl or stand mixer, combine flour, sugar, and baking soda.
4. Melt butter in a heavy saucepan.
5. Stir in cocoa.
6. Whisk in water, buttermilk, and eggs; stirring well.
7. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until the mixture boils.
8. Add to flour mixture, stirring until smooth.
9. Stir in vanilla extract. 
10. Pour batter into pan.
11. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
12. Cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack.
13. Cool completely before frosting.
14. for peanut butter frosting: In a large bowl or stand mixet, beat butter and peanut butter until smooth.
15. Gradually on low, add in powdered sugar.
16. When mixture starts to thicken, add milk one tablespoon at a time.
17. Beat on medium-high for at least 3 minutes until the frosting is smooth and fluffy.
18. Spread a thin layer of frosting on the cake.
19. Pipe on swirls using a bag fitted with a 1M tip. (Or just spread frosting all over the whole cake).
20. Enjoy!

Stuffed Cinnamon Roll Casserole

We had a snow day yesterday and that had me scoping Pinterest for a new breakfast option. I settled on this delicious cinnamon roll casserole.
The recipe says it serves 6, I'd venture to say you're good for 8-10 people.

yield: 9x13 baking pan (8-10 servings)

ingredients
16oz loaf Italian or French bread, cut in half lengthwise and then sliced thinly

for custard
5 eggs
2 ¼C milk
2 tbs sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp ground nutmeg
¼ tsp salt

for cinnamon cream cheese filling
8oz cream cheese, room temperature
2 tbs butter, room temperature
1 egg
1 tbs cinnamon
¼C sugar

for topping
1 tbs ground cinnamon
¼C powdered sugar

directions

1. Preheat oven to 325°.
2. Lightly grease a 9x13 baking dish with nonstick spray.
3. Layer half of the bread slices in the baking dish, overlapping slightly so that they create an almost solid layer.
4. for custard: In a large bowl or stand mixer, whisk eggs until fully beaten.
5. Whisk in milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.
6. Pour half of custard over the bread in the baking dish, letting it soak in to the bread.
7. Set aside the remaining custard.
8. for cinnamon cream cheese filling: In a large bowl or stand mixer, beat softened cream cheese with butter, egg, cinnamon, and sugar.
9. Beat until very soft and whipped.
10. Spread over the layer of bread and custard in the pan.
11. Layer the rest of the bread over the cream cheese filling.
12. Pour the remaining custard on top.
13. for topping: Sprinkle cinnamon on top.
14. Bake, uncovered, for 50 minutes until firmly set.
15. Cool for 15 minutes.
16. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.
17. Enjoy!