Fall Recipes

Autumn has many delicious flavors and foods associated with it. One of these foods is apples, so I have selected some recipes to share. These recipes are easy to make at home, and taste amazing. 

This first recipe is for an apple coffee cake (but without any actual caffeine). It is from Food Network, and was created by Emeril Lagasse. The crumble is more of a cake-like texture, but it still added a nice brown sugar flavor.  According to the website, it makes 12 servings and takes about 1 hour 15 minutes to make.

Ingredients

Cake: 

1 stick plus 2 teaspoons unsalted butter

1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar (I suggest using a little less sugar than stated in the recipe, because the cake turned out to be really sweet.)

2 large eggs

2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 cups peeled, cored and chopped apples

Crumble Topping:

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 13 by 9-inch glass baking dish with 2 teaspoons of the butter.

In a large bowl, cream together the remaining stick of butter and sugar until it is light and fluffy. Add the eggs 1 at a time, beating after the addition of each. In a separate bowl or on a piece of parchment, sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Add this mixture to the wet ingredients, alternating with the sour cream and vanilla. Fold in the apples. Pour it into the prepared baking dish, spreading it out to the edges.

To make the topping, in a bowl, combine the sugar, flour, cinnamon, and butter, and mix until it resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle the topping over the cake and bake until it is golden brown and set (the batter is cooked all the way and the pastry is solid). This should be 35 to 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and let it cool on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes. 

Apple crepe pancake breakfast pastry

The other recipe that I found is for an apple crepe pancake breakfast pastry. This makes a good breakfast for four people, although I encourage using syrup, because the dough ended up being a little bland. The cooked apples were a nice addition to the normal pancake, as they brought it a slightly tart flavor. This recipe is also from Food Network, and created by Ina Garten.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.

1 large Granny Smith apple

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, divided 

2 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided 

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 

1/2 cup whole milk 

2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature 

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 

1/2 cup all-purpose flour 

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt 

Confectioners’ sugar 

Pure maple syrup, for serving 

Peel, core, and slice the apple about 1/8 inch thick. Melt 3 tablespoons of the butter in a 9-inch ovenproof crêpe pan or skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Add the apple, 1 tablespoon of the granulated sugar, and the cinnamon and toss well. Sauté the apple for 5 to 7 minutes until tender, tossing occasionally. Sautéing is just normal cooking. When cooking the apples, make sure to stir them occasionally so that the cinnamon and butter is coated over all the apples. Spread the apple out in the pan and keep it hot over low heat.

Meanwhile, melt the remaining tablespoon of butter in the microwave. In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, melted butter, and vanilla. In a small bowl, combine the flour, the remaining tablespoon of granulated sugar, and the salt. Whisk the flour mixture into the milk mixture, whisking until there are no lumps. Pour the batter over the cooked apple in the hot pan and immediately place it in the oven.

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until the pancake is puffed and the edges start to get crispy and brown. Dust it lightly with sifted confectioners’ sugar, cut in wedges, and serve hot with maple syrup.