Improv Cooking Challenge: Streuseled Zucchini Bundt Cake

.  What a crazy busy week for LSM, huh?  Three posts in one week?  We're coming up on the limit.

But for one reason or another [apparently I felt ambitious] I decided to participate in all three clubs this month: SRC, TWD, and featuring in today's post, ICC.  And they all happened to be due the same week.  Go figure.

Most of you have probably forgotten I'm a part of ICC [or maybe you even forgot what ICC is] because it's literally been months since I last participated.  And to be honest, this is probably my most favorite club because it forces you to get those creative juices flowin'.  And who wouldn't have fun with that?!

Anywho, this month's ingredients were a bit tricky...

Zucchini and Brown Sugar

Not gonna lie, I initially thought I would sit out again for this month because it appeared like this would be a savory challenge.  But then I thought 'Hey!  This is called a challenge for a reason!' [and yes, I really did think that].  So here we are!

I wouldn't say I came up with anything ground breaking, but I guess this recipe is a bit different!  I actually had a hard time finding any recipes that used both zucchinis and brown sugar, but thanks to my tried and true Taste of Home Cookbook, I bring you Streuseled Zucchini Bundt Cake.  Nom, nom, nom.

The cake itself is rather simple, a plain vanilla cake made uber moist due to the addition of the zucchini.  But the fun and flavor comes from the cinnamon-raisin streusel ribboned throughout the bundt.  A simple glaze drizzled across the top serves as 'the cherry on the top.'  And together, these elements make a wonderful, comforting breakfast treat paired perfectly with a piping hot cup of coffee.  Can the weekend be here, already?

Gosh, I love ICC.  Can't wait to see what next month brings!  .

My Notes:

• I omitted the walnuts from the original recipe but after tasting, they definitely are needed.  The cake was still great but it could have definitely used that crunch.  If you don't have to, I wouldn't leave them out.

Adapted from Taste of Home Cookbook

Ingredients:

Cake:

2 c. (about 1-1/2 medium zucchinis) shredded zucchini

1-1/3 c. vanilla-flavored yogurt

3/4 c. sugar

2 egg whites

1 egg

1/3 c. canola oil

3 tsp. vanilla extract

3 c. all purpose flour

1-1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tbsp. dry bread crumbs

Streusel:

1/3 c. packed light brown sugar

1/3 c. chopped walnuts

1/3 c. raisins

1 tbsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground allspice

Glaze:

3/4 c. powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 to 3 tsp. milk

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F.  In a large bowl, beat zucchini, yogurt, sugar, egg whites, egg, oil, and vanilla extract until well blended.  Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl; gradually beat into zucchini mixture until blended.
2. For streusel, combine brown sugar, walnuts, raisins, cinnamon, and allspice; set aside.
3. Sprinkle bread crumbs into a greased 10-inch bundt pan.  Add a third of the zucchini batter to the pan.  Sprinkle half of the streusel mixture over the batter.  Top with another third of the batter and sprinkle with remaining streusel mixture.  Top with remaining batter.
4. Bake 55 to 65 minutes or until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean.  Cool 10 minutes and remove from pan to wire rack to cool completely.
5. In a small bowl, combine powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and enough milk to achieve desired consistency.  Drizzle over cake.

Yield: 14 servings

Double-Apple Mini Bundt Cakes

. This last weekend was complete craziness.  And when I stop to think about the next month [literally], the craziness will not be dying down.  But who's to complain about actually having things to do?!

So here's the run down: end of an audit at work [always hectic] and the beginning of another, throw in a wedding shower, bachelorette party, Robbie traveling for work, football [I know, sad I have that scheduled], and two weddings.  Whew!  Maybe that's nothing for you, but I'll tell you that for Robbie and I, that's a JAM. PACKED. SCHEDY.  Seriously, we've never had this many things to do in a row...and it feels like I may be leaving something out?  (Couple minutes pause while I think...) Oh yeah, practicing wedding cupcakes!

But I'll say that there's not one thing on that list that I'm not looking forward to.  Well, maybe one.

Anywho, I spent this last weekend shopping for an insane amount of gifts, cleaning the house, laundry, and working.  And yes, I made time for a little baking sesh Saturday night.  And thank the good Lord I did, otherwise these uber cutesy cakes wouldn't have made the table.  Aren't they A. Dorable?!

I was going for something incredibly Fall-feeling.  I stopped at the Farmer's Market early Saturday morning before heading to Starbucks to work for a bit, and spotted quite a number of apples.  They were a little small and had a couple worm holes, so I figured I'd give the vendors a couple more weeks to ripen that apple crop.  But I couldn't get the apples out of my head.  Once an idea is in this brain of mine, there's no talking me out of it.  Fact of life.

But back to these mini bundt cakes.  The flavors of Fall are oh-so-abundant in these little lovelies.  Cinnamony, nutmeggy, and gingery.  Chock full of apple bits, raisins, and pecans.  And topped with a simple citrusy icing that truly sets this cake apart.  The texture reminds me much of a banana bread loaf yet extremely moist and soft from the applesauce.  Nom, nom, nom!  I.  ❤.  Fall.  I think I need a t-shirt with that on it .

My Notes:

• I found this recipe in my new book, Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan.  Yes, THE Dorie.  Bloggers, you know who I'm talking about!  I barely adapted the recipe [except for below, but that was a matter of circumstance] because I've heard how wonderful Dorie's recipes are.  You don't mess with the best, especially the first time around.  And she did not disappoint.  But I also started thinking that mashed bananas would be to die for in this recipe as well.  Hmm...
• I couldn't find any apple butter at the grocery store [I'm still kicking myself for not buying some at the Farmers Market], so I substituted the apple butter with applesauce.  I was on the verge of throwing the whole batter away during the first batch because I thought I botched it, but the cakes turned out perfect.  So feel free to use either ingredient!
• The original recipe does call for a 9- to 10-inch bundt pan, however, I wanted to use my brand new William's Sonoma mini bundt cake pan.  So I did!  But if you use a regular-sized pan, bake the cake for 50 to 55 minutes at 350°F.

From Baking: From My Home to Yours

Ingredients:

Cake:

2 c. all purpose flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. grated nutmeg

1/4 tsp. ground ginger

1/4 tsp. salt

10 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature

1-1/2 c. sugar

2 large eggs

1 c. apple butter or applesauce (spiced or plain)

2 medium apples, peeled, cored and grated

1 c. pecans or walnuts, chopped

1/2 c. raisins (dark or golden)

Icing:

1/3 c. powdered sugar

2 tbsp. orange or lemon juice

Directions:

1.  Heat oven to 350°F.  Butter pan using a pastry brush.  If pan is nonstick, also dust interior with flour.

2.  Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and salt.  Set aside.

3.  In mixing bowl, beat butter ad sugar on medium speed until mixture is smooth, thick and pale (about 3 minutes).

4.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating for about 1 minute after each addition (batter will be light and fluffy).

5.  Reduce mixer to low and beat in apple butter or applesauce (batter will most likely curdle).

6.  Add in grated apples and mix to completely blend.

7.  Add in dry ingredients, mixing only until they disappear into the batter.  Using a spatula, fold in  nuts and raisins.

8.  Spoon batter into mini bundt pan, filling each cup about 3/4 full.  Smooth tops of the batter with a spatula.

9.  Bake 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  Transfer to rack to cool for 5 minutes before unmolding.  

10.  While cakes are cooling, for glaze, whisk together sugar and lemon juice in a small bowl.  Continue adding lemon juice until icing falls easily from the tip of a spoon.  Drizzle icing over tops of the cakes.  Let cakes stand until icing dries (about 1 minute).

Yield: 1 dozen mini bundt cakes

Carrot Cake Cookies

. Gingerbread Bagels.  Okay, probably not the first thing that would come to mind in a Carrot Cake Cookie post.  But there's some rational behind my thinking [sometimes].  I'm not talking about actual Gingerbread Bagels (but that would be interesting, huh?!).  No, not bagels.  Rather, I'm talking about one of my favorite all-time blogs, one I came across when I first entered the blogging world.  Not only do the pictures make me want to pick the goodies right from my screen, but this recipe alone proves the legitimacy of her creations.  Seriously, these are THAT good!

I bookmarked this recipe the millisecond I laid my eyes on it and it far surpassed all of my long awaited anticipation!  And I say 'long awaited' because, duh!, I had to wait until Easter "season" to start whipping out my carrot-filled goodies.  But anyway, these cookies are wonderfully spiced.  And when you bite into them, every once in a while you come across a plump golden raisin that makes the cookie ultra chewy and fills your mouth with a simple pop of sweetness.  Oh, and the cherry [not literally] on top?!  These cookies are "garnished" with a thick, rich, creamy cream cheese frosting that brings all of the elements together.  The original recipe actually made these lovelies into cookie sandwiches, but since I was planning on sharing (and I only came out with 24 cookies = 12 sandwiches), I opted to leave the cookies as singles.  But obviously, making them into sandwiches gives you two times the yumminess and I would NEVER argue that!

I'm doing my best to describe every last bite of these cookies to you, but I already know I'm not in any way close to doing them justice.  Guess you'll just have to make them to get what I'm truly talking about! .

Carrot Cake Cookies

from Gingerbread Bagels

Ingredients:

Cookie:

1-1/4 c. all purpose flour

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1-1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp. ground ginger

1/4 tsp. allspice

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/3 c. plus 2 tbsp. light brown sugar, packed

1/3 c. plus 2 tbsp. sugar

1 large egg, room temperature

1/2 c. unsalted butter, room temperature

1 c. shredded carrots

1/2 c. golden raisins, chopped

1/2 c. sweetened flaked coconut

Cream Cheese Frosting:

2 c. powdered sugar, sifted

1/2 c. unsalted butter, softened

1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:

1.  Heat oven to 375°F.  Line baking sheet with parchment paper.

2.  Sift together flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and allspice; set aside.

3.  In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter, brown sugar, sugar, and vanilla extract until light and fluffy (about 2 minutes).  Add the egg and mix for another 2 minutes.

4.  Slowly add dry ingredients until almost combined.  Use a spatula or mixing spoon to fold the batter so that the flour is incorporated (be careful to not over mix).  Fold in carrots, coconut and raisins.

5.  Shape 1-1/2-inch balls of dough and place on sheet 2 inches apart.  Place the sheet in refrigerator for 20 to 30 minutes.  

6.  Bake 12 to 14 minutes.  Let cookies cool 1 to 2 minutes on sheet before removing to wire rack to cool completely.

7.  For frosting, combine cream cheese and butter in large mixing bowl (do not over mix).  Add in vanilla extract and blend.  Slowly add in powdered sugar with mixer on low speed.  Frost cookies as desired.

Yield: 24 cookies 

Study break snack for the taste tester boyfriend!

*My Notes:

• When making the dough balls, I shaped them into cylinders (seen in the above picture).  I picked up this particular technique during my stint at the Salty Tart, but for this particular batter which is quite soft, it didn't really matter.  Dang it...
• DO NOT forget to put the dough balls into the refrigerator before baking!!  This is an important step that Gingergread Bagels made sure to emphasize.  Doing so hardens this batter a bit, otherwise the cookies spread out way too thin while baking.
• Please take note of the Easy Accent Decorator I used to frost the cookies (also seen in above picture).  My cousin sent me this from Pampered Chef and even though this was my first time EVER using it, I will never frost a cookie without it again!  It was so, so easy and you can get some really cool designs out of it.  

Bread Pudding Muffins

. So I finally made it back to Omaha from Spring, Texas, and I was warmly welcomed by 15°F and snowfall.  [In a highly sarcastic tone] "Oh, it's good to be home!"

As I mentioned in my previous post, I traveled to Spring for work for the week.  What I don't think I've mentioned before is that my boyfriend works for Deloitte & Touche, a large public accounting firm.  Of course, my travel plans happened to fall on the last week of their "busy season."  That fancy little collection of words basically entails their employees working all hours of the night for several weeks and you can bet that we rarely, and I mean rarely, ever saw each other.  Wait, don't we also have three dogs that never got to see their daddy?  Yep, there's the [three] little kinks in my story.  Fortunately, I was able to persuade a great mutual friend of ours to house/puppy-sit for the week.  Seroiusly, thank the LORD he is around.

Aside from [madly] cleaning the house last weekend, I figured a nice little breakfast treat for our knight-in-shining-armor was desperately needed.  If you've ever been to our house, you can vouch for me that we literally do not have any food besides MAYBE some chocolate chips that I used in a previous baking venture (ask my dad who visited for Christmas and claims that he lost 10 lbs. while he was here).  It's sad, and comical at the same time, but I'm working on it.

Anywho, I came across the recipe for Bread Pudding Muffins from JoyofBaking.com a while back.  Another one of my guilty, guilty pleasures?  Bread pudding.  So this fun twist definitely caught my attention.  Instead of baking the bread pudding in a 13x9-inch pan, which is usually the standard way, this recipe separates the mixture in to individual muffin cups.  A beyond perfect breakfast item for people on the go or just a quick snack in the afternoon.

The bread pudding itself is filled with luscious bread, cranberries (or raisins, your choice!), and chunks of apple.  Another great thing about these that I found is that the longer they are able to sit, the more flavorful they become.  So making them ahead of time is actually recommended and that always makes life a little easier, doesn't it?

MmMmmMm.  I ALSO recommend that you go make these right now.  Whether they're for breakfast, lunch, or dessert, everyone will thank you!  Happy baking! .

Bread Pudding Muffins

Ingredients:

7 c. bread cubes, cut into bite-sized pieces

1 c. half & half or light cream

1 c. milk

4 eggs, lightly beaten

2/3 c. sugar

2 tsp. vanilla extract

6 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1/3 c. all purpose flour

1/2 tbsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tbsp. grated lemon zest

1/2 c. raisins or dried cranberries

1 small apple, peeled, cored and diced

Directions:

1.  Heat oven to 350°F.  Place rack in middle of oven.  Butter or spray with nonstick vegetable spray 12 muffin cups.

2.  Place bread cubes in large bowl and add cream and milk.  Let stand 5 minutes.  Stir in beaten eggs, sugar, vanilla extract, and butter.

3.  In separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, ground cinnamon, and lemon zest.  Stir dried ingredients into bread mixture and then fold in raisins and apple chunks.

4.  Evenly divide mixture among muffins cups.  Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown and toothpick comes out clean.  Place on wire rack to cool.  Dust with powdered sugar before serving.

Yield: 12 muffins

*My Notes:

• If you've made bread pudding before, most recipes call for stale bread.  Knowing this, I let the bread (I used a loaf of challah from Trader Joe's, by the way) sit out for a day.  However, I DON'T recommend doing that for this treat.  My muffins turned out a tad dry at first (they got better as the days went on, as I mentioned they would) and I'm almost certain it's because the dry bread soaked up all of the liquid.
• When you mix the bread with the cream and milk, I would put the ingredients into a 13x9 pan and press down slightly to get the wet ingredients entirely over the bread (and keep the mixture in the pan the entire time until you're ready to put it in the muffin cups).  I initially did this step in a bowl and the constant folding to combine the milk and bread tore up the bread just a bit.  
• I used cranberries and a small Pink Lady Apple (my personal favorite) this time around.  The tartness of the cranberries with the sweetness of the apple was just...good!