FFWD: Marie Helene’s Apple Cake

This is Marie Helene’s Apple Cake from Dorie Greenspan’s Around My French Table.

I made 1/2 a recipe and baked in a 7 inch pan with removable bottom. I used 3 different kinds of apples (Jonagold , Honeycrisp, and Golden Delicious.) I know for 1/2 a recipe I should have used only 2 of them but I want to get a lot of variety in the mix.

This cake is super easy to make, probably one of the easiest cakes I’ve made. I don’t even have to crank on the KA mixer and that’s saying a lot.

Tasting impressions:
Hubby gave it a thumbs up and said it’s really good. As for me, on the day of baking, I thought the cake was good but not special. The next day, the taste improves and I am changing my verdict. It is really good. I love that there are more apples than dough in there. The dark rum definitely adds a dimension to the taste. This one will be repeated for sure.

RHC: Many-Splendored Quick Bread

This is Many-Splendored Quick Bread from RHC.

I had started ripening a banana 2 weeks ago, in preparation for this cake. On Friday though, as I prepared my grocery list, I hesitated on making this. Looking at the ingredients, this looks like something savory, whereas I am in the mood for something like a cake. But then my thought went back to the poor banana, all ripe and covered in lots of black spot. It is eye-ing me, saying, c’mon, you have put me through this process, don’t give up on me now, don’t “sacrifice” me to the trash can gods.

Well okay, banana, fine! Let’s make this bread!

First we have all the ingredients. Eggs, carrot, zucchini, toasted walnuts, and the very ripe and fragrant banana.

The zucchini and carrots were shredded and weighted.

Next, mixed the mushed banana, sugar, eggs, oil, water, and vanilla in the mixer. Then added the shredded veggies, flour, oatmeal, and the walnuts.

Into the oven, to be baked for almost an hour.

Rose said to make an attractive split down the middle, bake the bread for 15 minutes, then just as the top looks like it’s about to form/crack, cut the middle with a knife. Well, I set my timer for 15 minutes, then looked at the bread and it still looks liquid at the top. I set the timer for another 10 minutes, but by that time the bread already splits in 2 places. Too late! I should have waited an extra 5, instead of 10.

15 minutes before the bread is done, the kitchen is filled with heavenly smell of banana. YUM!

Doesn’t it look super yummy? The bread baked all nice and brown, and it was easy to unmold – no sticking to the pan! I am very pleased with the result.

With strong self-determination, I managed to wait until the bread is almost cool before having a slice. Well okay, not really self-determination, it’s more like “I am still full from lunch LOL.” And I had 2 slices instead of my usual one.

Tasting impression:

I am glad I didn’t skip this bread. This is the easiest thing to make from RHC – takes less than an hour to put together, and that even includes taking some pictures! This bread reminds me of a banana bread that I used to make, except it is better! I couldn’t taste the carrots and the zucchini, making this bread feels more like a dessert instead of something savory.  It is so so good and as I am typing this, I am chowing down a piece!