Mini Applesauce Bundt Cakes

Months ago my grandmother gave me her recipe for her traditional applesauce cake when I asked for it.  She didn't jot it down on a slip of paper.  She handed me a recipe card she had typed it out on (as in with a typewriter!) many years ago.  I have had it stuck to the side of my fridge tuck in among photos of my son when he was toddler and little notes & cards I have received from various family members and friends.  

Her applesauce cake in large bundt cake form has been a staple every single year at our family's annual Christmas Eve dinner & gathering.

I cannot leave my grandparents' home Christmas Eve until I have had at least one slice, and often she sends me home with a few more if there happens to be any left over at all.

When Julie from White Lights on Wednesday and Jen from Four Marrs... One Venus announced that this month's Get Your Chef On Challenge ingredient was applesauce, I knew it was time to take that recipe card off of the fridge.

I have been wanting to give my grandmother's traditional applesauce cake a little makeover (no pun intended since I did go with four mini bundt cakes and not one large bundt cake ;) ). 

My grandmother's cake is perfect the way that it is, don't get me wrong...

But when it calls for a entire box of brown sugar, a cup of Crisco... you get my drift.

So, I mini sized the cake and I lightened it up a little as well.

The results were lightly spiced, airy yet moist apple cakes studded with delicious walnuts.

My grandmother's cake is a little denser and super moist and studded with walnuts AND raisins...  I have never been a huge fan of raisins in anything, so for my version I opted to leave them out.  If you love raisins and want to toss in some, I would go with a 1/2 cup of them for this recipe.

Also, my grandmother's cake is plain, never frosted or glazed.  I figured since I was saving a few calories by leaving out the Crisco, it would be more than safe to add a little cream cheese frosting to the centers and down the sides of my Mini Applesauce Bundt Cakes. ;) I just used a store bought icing, but feel free to whip up a homemade version if you have a favorite.

Mini Applesauce Bundt Cakes

by Frugal Foodie Mama

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 30-35 minutes

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Ingredients (4 mini bundt cakes)

• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 2/3 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 4 tbsp butter, softened
• 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1 1/2 cups cinnamon applesauce (you could use plain as well- just up your ground cinnamon in the recipe by a 1/2 tsp)
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup white flour
• 1/2 cup store bought cream cheese frosting, or your favorite homemade cream cheese frosting (optional)

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 250 degrees.

In a large bowl, mix together the brown sugar, walnuts, salt, butter, Greek yogurt, and spices and set aside.

Pour the applesauce into a medium saucepan. Heat the applesauce until hot over medium heat. This should only take a few minutes. Remove the applesauce from the heat and quickly mix in the baking soda. The applesauce will double in size and become bubbly.

Pour this over top of the mixture in your bowl and stir.

Now add in both of the flours and stir until well combined.

Pour the batter evenly into your 4 mini bundt pans. I used silicone ones so there was no need to grease and flour them. If you are using regular mini bundt pans, be sure to grease and flour them so your cakes do not stick!

** You could also just make one large bundt cake instead of the 4 mini ones. Your bake time will increase to around an hour.

Bake the cakes for 10 minutes at 250 degrees and then increase the heat to 350 degrees for the remaining 20-25 minutes.

The cakes are done when a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Allow to cool in pans for about 10 minutes, and then pop out on a wire rack to cool completely.

**Note- The bottoms of my cakes puffed out slightly, so I used a serrated knife to trim the rounded part so the cakes would stand flat. These pieces make a great little snack to taste test it while you are waiting for the cakes to cool! ;)

Optional- Once the cakes are cooled, place a dollop of cream cheese frosting in the center of each cake. I zapped the remaining frosting in the microwave for a few seconds and then drizzled it over the top and down the sides of each cake.

Enjoy!

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These mini bundt cakes are totally shareable.  In fact, one by itself was a bit much for me, and I shared the other half with my husband.  So, you could technically get 8 servings and not just 4 from this recipe. ;)

Do you have a family heirloom recipe that you have given a "makeover" or that you would love to trim down the calories and fat a bit on?

This recipe was submitted as an entry in the...

Blackberry Coconut Custard Cobbler

Juicy, sweet blackberries are baked into a creamy coconut custard filling in this Blackberry Coconut Custard Cobbler...

The taste of blackberries will always evoke summertime memories of my childhood.  Every summer, decked out in long sleeves and jeans, we would venture to these secret blackberry patch spots that my grandparents always seemed to know of.  After being briefed (yet again...) to watch out for thorns, snakes, and yellow jackets, we would all set out with buckets in hand to fill them with fresh, juicy wild blackberries.  Of course, several of the largest, sweetest berries would never make it in the bucket. ;)

We would bring the bounty home to be washed and then divvied out among the various families in attendance.  I couldn't wait for my mom start rolling out the dough for one of her homemade blackberry pies.  My mom had a talent with homemade pie crust.  They were always perfectly crimped and latticed.  

We would all eagerly wait for the pie to bake and then cool enough so that she could slice into it and serve it with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream.  Not that it really needed the ice cream, if you ask me.

Double Dark Chocolate Chunk Ice Cream {Get Your Chef On}

I am not going to lie- when Julie from White Lights on Wednesdays and Jen from Four Marrs and One Venus announced that this month's Get Your Chef On ingredient was CHOCOLATE, I was pretty stoked.  I actually had a deep, rich, decadent chocolate recipe stashed in my back pocket (or at least in my Draft posts) that I had not published yet to my readers.  Plus, I had won Get Your Chef On once before with an ice cream recipe...  Maybe another ice cream recipe could get me back the GYCO title? ;)

What you will need:

1 can of sweetened condensed milk

1/2 cup cocoa powder

2 oz (2 squares) of baking chocolate, chopped

2 cups of milk

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp salt

2-3 oz of  your favorite dark chocolate bar, chopped

In a small saucepan over medium heat, mix together the sweetened condensed milk and the cocoa powder.  Continue heating for about 2 minutes.  Add in the chopped baking chocolate and heat for an additional minute until everything is melted and well incorporated- mix the entire time!

Pour the heated chocolate mixture into a bowl and then quickly and vigorously whisk in the 2 cups of milk.  I am serious here- whisk vigorously.  The chocolate mixture will try to seize on you when you add the milk so it has to be a constant whisking.  We want creamy ice cream here, folks.  Not fudge. ;)

Once well mixed, whisk in the vanilla and salt.  

Chill the chocolate mixture in the fridge for 1-2 hours.

In the meantime, be sure to chill the container for your ice cream maker.

Once chilled, process the chocolaty ice cream base in your ice cream maker according to your maker's specifications.  (I churned mine for about 25 minutes.)

Once churned, use a spatula to scoop and scrape the chocolate ice cream into a freezer safe container.  Fold in your chopped dark chocolate bar.
Cover and place in the freezer for at least 2-3 hours, or overnight.

Because homemade ice cream always freezes harder than the store bought varieties, allow your container to sit out at room temperature for 10-15 minutes before scooping it out.

This Double Dark Chocolate Chunk Ice Cream is seriously the best, most chocolate loaded ice cream I have ever ate.

Ever.
And I am not just saying this because I really want to win Get Your Chef On again. 

I am a dark chocolate fiend, and this cured my craving for it every single time.

Double Dark Chocolate Chunk Ice Cream

by Frugal Foodie Mama

Prep Time: 2 hours, 10 minutes

Cook Time: 3 hours or overnight (to freez

Keywords: freeze dessert chocolate milk sweetened condensed milk ice-cream

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Ingredients (6-8 servings)

• 1 can of sweetened condensed milk
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 2 oz (2 squares) of baking chocolate, chopped
• 2 cups of milk
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2-3 oz of your favorite dark chocolate bar, chopped

Instructions

In a small saucepan over medium heat, mix together the sweetened condensed milk and the cocoa powder. Continue heating for about 2 minutes. Add in the chopped baking chocolate and heat for an additional minute until everything is melted and well incorporated- mix the entire time!

Pour the heated chocolate mixture into a bowl and then quickly and vigorously whisk in the 2 cups of milk. I am serious here- whisk vigorously. The chocolate mixture will try to seize on you when you add the milk so it has to be a constant whisking. We want creamy ice cream here, folks. Not fudge. ;)

Once well mixed, whisk in the vanilla and salt.

Chill the chocolate mixture in the fridge for 1-2 hours.

In the meantime, be sure to chill the container for your ice cream maker.

Once chilled, process the chocolaty ice cream base in your ice cream maker according to your maker's specifications. (I churned mine for about 25 minutes.)

Once churned, use a spatula to scoop and scrape the chocolate ice cream into a freezer safe container. Fold in your chopped dark chocolate bar.

Cover and place in the freezer for at least 2-3 hours, or overnight.

Because homemade ice cream always freezes harder than the store bought varieties, allow your container to sit out at room temperature for 10-15 minutes before scooping it out.

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Bring your favorite chocolate dessert to Roxana’s home baking #chocolateparty and win amazing prizes from OXO, Calphalon, Keurig, Imperial Sugar, Honey Ridge Farmsand Land O Lakes® Butter

Beer Cheese Risotto with Bacon {GYCO ~ Beer}

I have some redeeming to do for this month's Get Your Chef On Challenge from Julie at White Lights on Wednesdays and Jen from Four Marrs and One Venus.  I totally skipped out on January's challenge after winning the GYCO title in November for my Cranberry Cheesecake Ice Cream.  January's ingredient was pears.  

Pears.  I have no idea why, but my mind just completely blanked.  Maybe it was too much champagne on New Year's?  ;) But I just couldn't come up with a pear recipe I would be proud to enter for the life of me.

Then Julie announced March's ingredient... BEER.  

Beer I can do.

Beer could be my redeemer, maybe even my chance to reclaim the GYCO title? 

My inspiration for my Beer Cheese Risotto with Bacon came from our favorite appetizer at our favorite restaurant to eat at when we are in the Pittsburgh area- the Beer Belly fries smothered in Beer Cheese & Peppered Bacon from Bocktown Beer and Grill.

Yeah, I am sitting here drooling now daydreaming about those fries, and their Three Rivers Burgher, and that vast & amazing selection of craft beers...

*sigh*

What you will need:

4 cups of chicken broth

1 cup arborio rice

1 small onion, chopped

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp butter

1 cup of beer + a splash (I would suggest a pale ale.  I used Saranac Pale Ale in my risotto.)

4-5 slices of bacon

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese + 1 tbsp butter

Salt & pepper

Pour the chicken broth into a large saucepan.  Over medium-low heat, start to slowly heat the broth to a low simmer.

Heat the butter and olive oil over medium heat in a large dutch oven.  Once the butter is melted, add the onion and saute for 2-3 minutes until tender.

Add the cup of arborio rice to the onions.  Saute for another 1-2 minutes to slightly toast the rice.

Pour in your cup of beer.  Cook and stir the rice/beer mixture over medium heat until all the liquid is absorbed.  

Using a ladle, scoop in one ladle full of the chicken broth.  Cook and stir over medium-low heat until all the liquid is once again absorbed.  

Continue doing this- ladling in the broth, stirring until absorbed until you have used all the chicken broth.  This entire process should take between 30-35 minutes.

Risotto is a labor of love, folks.  But a labor that is well, well worth it. ;)

In between ladling in chicken broth, cook your bacon strips.  Personally, I am a huge fan of baking bacon.  It is easy.  You don't get splattered with bacon grease trying to flip frying pork.  And your entire house doesn't smell like a grease pit all day.  

Simply line a RIMMED baking sheet with foil, lay out your bacon strips, & place in a cold oven.  Then heat the oven to 425 degrees.  In about 20-25 minutes, you should have crispy perfect bacon.  Easy, peasy!

Again I will stress that you use a rimmed baking sheet & be VERY careful pulling the baking sheet out of the oven so you do not spill any of the grease that has rendered out of the bacon onto the hot oven.  I learned this one the hard way once.   Not a good scene- had to break out the fire extinguisher, the fire department came... 

It was a good time. 

Once your risotto has absorbed all the liquid, remove from the heat and stir in the shredded cheddar cheese and butter.  I also splashed in a little more beer at this point as a finishing touch.  This is totally optional, but I highly suggest it. :)

Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Chop your bacon now that it has cooled.  Dish out your risotto and top with a little shredded cheddar cheese and chopped, crispy bacon.  And there you have it- Beer Cheese Risotto with Bacon!

Beer Cheese Risotto with Bacon

by Frugal Foodie Mama

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes

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Ingredients (Serves 4-6)

• 4 cups of chicken broth
• 1 cup arborio rice
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 cup of beer + a splash (I would suggest a pale ale. I used Saranac Pale Ale in my risotto.)
• 4-5 slices of bacon
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese + 1 tbsp butter
• Salt & pepper

Instructions

Pour the chicken broth into a large saucepan. Over medium-low heat, start to slowly heat the broth to a low simmer.

Heat the butter and olive oil over medium heat in a large dutch oven. Once the butter is melted, add the onion and saute for 2-3 minutes until tender.

Add the cup of arborio rice to the onions. Saute for another 1-2 minutes to slightly toast the rice.

Pour in your cup of beer. Cook and stir the rice/beer mixture over medium heat until all the liquid is absorbed.

Using a ladle, scoop in one ladle full of the chicken broth. Cook and stir over medium-low heat until all the liquid is once again absorbed.

Continue doing this- ladling in the broth, stirring until absorbed until you have used all the chicken broth. This entire process should take between 30-35 minutes.

Line a RIMMED baking sheet with foil, lay out your bacon strips, & place in a cold oven. Then heat the oven to 425 degrees. In about 20-25 minutes, you should have crispy perfect bacon.

Once your risotto has absorbed all the liquid, remove from the heat and stir in the shredded cheddar cheese and butter. I also splashed in a little more beer at this point as a finishing touch.

Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Chop your bacon now that it has cooled. Dish out your risotto and top with a little shredded cheddar cheese and chopped, crispy bacon.

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Make sure you stop by the other blogs competing in the Get Your Chef On ~Beer~ Challenge and check out their beer inspired recipes...

Cranberry Cheesecake Ice Cream {The Get Your Chef On Challenge}

I am excited to be participating in my second ever Get Your Chef On Challenge from Julie at White Lights on Wednesdays and Jen at Four Marrs and One Venus.  This Get Your Chef On Challenge is...

Cranberries!!
I love cranberries.  Thanksgiving just isn't Thanksgiving without the cranberry sauce, right? ;)  Last holidays, I made a cranberry upside down cake for family and it was a huge hit.  Cranberries can be tart.  With some sugar and a little heat, they can become syrupy sweet.  They are a great addition to savory meals.  They are perfect in desserts.  And dried they are a fabulous snack.  
Since receiving my very first ice cream maker as a birthday gift a few months ago, I have been obsessed with creating new and delicious homemade ice cream flavors.  I thought why not a festive cranberry cheesecake ice cream?  ;)  I have discovered that using sweetened condensed milk in my ice cream base has allowed me to eliminate three things typically found in homemade ice cream- sugar,eggs, and heavy cream.  The canned milk gives my homemade ice cream all the sweetness and creaminess that it needs.
What you will need: 1 cup of fresh or frozen cranberries 1/2 cup sugar 2-3 dashes of cloves (optional) 14oz can sweetened condensed milk 8 oz cream cheese, room temperature 1 tsp vanilla 1 cup half and half 1/2 cup sour cream 1/2 cup white chocolate chips (optional- you could also used toasted almonds or walnuts in this)
Rock salt and ice for ice cream maker
Be sure to chill the ice cream  maker container in the freezer while you prep the cranberries and the ice cream base.

In a small saucepan, combine the cranberries and sugar.  Heat over medium-high heat until the sugar is melted.  Add in a few dashes of cloves (I like the addition of the cloves because it is a flavor that just tastes like the holidays to me).  Continue heating until bubbly (like the photo above) and then remove from the heat.  Pour the cranberry mixture into a bowl and refrigerate for about an hour.

When the cranberry sauce is almost cool, start the cheesecake base for your ice cream.  In a large bowl, beat together the sweetened condensed milk, the cream cheese, vanilla, half and half, and sour cream.  Beat until smooth and then pour into your chilled ice cream container.

Churn according to your ice cream maker's specifications.  I churned my ice cream for about 30 minutes. 

Once it is done churning, scrape all of the cheesecake ice cream into a freezer safe container.  It will be somewhat runny.  Don't worry- it will thicken up in the freezer.  Carefully mix in your cranberry sauce and your white chocolate chips (or toasted nuts or both).  Do not over mix.  Just mix enough to get a few thick swirls of cranberry throughout your ice cream. 

Cover tightly and freeze overnight.

You will need to let the ice cream sit out at room temperature for 5-10 minutes before trying to scoop it out the next day.  Homemade ice cream tends to freeze harder than the store bought varieties. 

This Cranberry Cheesecake Ice Cream is creamy and sweet with a slight pop of tartness from the cranberry swirl. If you are looking for an unique dessert for your next holiday gathering, I think you have found it. ;) 

Want to check out the rest of my competition in the Get Your Chef On Cranberries Challenge?  Click below to check out some other cranberry inspired deliciousness!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Mousse Pie

Join the Pi Day Pie Party with Crazy for Crust and enter to win some fabulous prizes!

I love a good challenge, and recently learned of the Get Your Chef On challenge from White Lights on Wednesdays and Four Marrs and One Venus 's blogs.  Here is the quick low-down: Once every 2 months they give you an ingredient. You come up with your best using that ingredient and then link up on the start of the challenge.  The posts are drooled over by the lovely hostesses and then they pick a winner!  Fun, right? ;)

The secret ingredient this is round is..... Peanut Butter!!  I adore peanut butter, and there was no doubt in my mind that I would be submitting my Peanut Butter Chocolate Mousse Pie. :)  My recipe is an adaptation from a recipe for No Bake Peanut Butter Pie from the blog, One Ordinary Day.  

This creamy, rich pie comes together easily and with very little effort.

What you will need:

One graham cracker crust (store bought or homemade)

One 3.2 oz box of Chocolate Mousse mix (I needed 1 cup of cold milk for the mix I used.)

One 8 oz package of cream cheese

1/2 cup of sugar

1 cup of creamy peanut butter

1 tsp vanilla

Half of a 8 oz tub of Cool Whip

The rest of the Cool Whip, chocolate syrup, and peanuts for garnishing

(Like how I used the Lite Cool Whip and 1/3 Less Fat cream cheese? I saved just a few calories and fat grams there. ;) )

Prepare the chocolate mousse mix according to the package directions.  Spread the mousse into the prepared graham cracker crust.  Let the chocolate mousse layer set up in the fridge for an hour.

To make the peanut butter layer of the pie, cream together the cream cheese and sugar using an electric mixer until smooth.  Beat in the peanut butter and vanilla.  Fold in the 4 oz of Cool Whip.  Mix well.  

Spread the peanut butter mixture evenly over the chocolate mousse layer.  Return the pie to the fridge and let it chill for another 3-4 hours.  

Once chilled, slice the pie.  Garnish each slice with a dollop of your remaining Cool Whip, a drizzle of chocolate syrup, and a small handful of peanuts.  

And there you have it!  This is by far one of husband's and son's favorite desserts of mine that I make.  It is pretty fair to say that they were both beyond excited when I told them I was making it this past weekend for the Get Your Chef On challenge.  They never complain about being my personal taste testers. ;)