Pumpkin-Maple Sourdough Cake with Carmel Buttercream Frosting

The first helping...

I have been caring for a sourdough started for about six months now and have finally branched out to trying recipes that I would have never associated with sourdough. This was my first dessert sourdough recipe and it killed two birds with one stone. I have a ton of pureed pumpkin in the freezer to use up and was neglecting my sourdough starter in a bad way. I don't remember where I found this recipe, but it's definitely a keeper. If you don't have a sourdough starter at home it's okay. You can come over and I'll give you some of mine or you can visit Sourdough Home for the directions I used to start mine. It's really not as complicated as it sounds. It just takes time, planning and patience. Needless to say, keeping a sourdough starter has been good for me in a number of ways.

This cake is one of those almost healthy desserts - It uses maple syrup, whole wheat flour, and it has vegetables it in! See? I told you it was healthy! Okay, maybe healthy is a bit of a stretch, but it is definitely better for you than lots of other dessert options. It tastes very similar to carrot cake and has a dense and chewy texture that is more like a muffin than cake. There is a very mild sourdough flavor that I found to be very enjoyable. In my limited sourdough experiences, the sourness of the end product continues to develop in the days after baking, but we didn't have a chance to test that. The recipe makes one eight-inch cake, which is just the right amount for a small gathering or for my husband's after dinner snack. I'm not kidding - he ate the entire cake in one evening! Oh ok, I helped. A little. Or maybe a lot. I am almost certain it wouldn't hold up well if you tried to layer them, but prove me wrong if you must.

The frosting recipe can be found in my post for Samoa Cupcakes. I had about a cup of the caramel frosting leftover, so I froze it and used it here. It was a over little sweet for my taste, but the flavors paired well. If I were to make a frosting specifically for this cake, I'd probably opt for a maple glaze or a brown sugar cream cheese frosting.

Pumpkin-Maple Sourdough Cake
1/2 cup pumpkin or squash puree (canned or homemade)
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup “fed” 100% hydration sourdough starter
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
heaping 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and move rack to center position.  Butter an 8-inch round cake pan (or coat with baking spray).

Start with all ingredients at room temperature. In a mixing bowl, whisk together squash puree, maple syrup, egg, and vanilla.  Fold sourdough starter into squash mixture into until well combined. In a separate small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, soda, salt, and pumpkin pie spice. Add dry ingredients to squash mixture and stir just until incorporated. Stir in melted butter. Pour batter into the greased 8-inch round cake pan.

Bake at 400 degrees for about 25 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched.

Warning: Husband Cooks Too

Yes, that's right folks. We drink our mimosas from a Mason jar. If that's too country for ya, then ya'll can just go to IHOP!

Happy New Year's everyone! We have never done anything special to ring in the new year at the Baker house, but today we started a new tradition that I am excited to plan and execute in a more fashionable way next year - we had friends over to have New Year's brunch and it was just so much fun!

My husband is not much of a cook, but me oh my can he whip up some crepes! It's his specialty and its always a treat to have him make a meal. We've mastered sweet, fresh fruit fillings for our crepes and decided it was time to venture into the savory category. With the help of Pinterest, we decided to try ham, cheese, and egg crepes. We used our old stand-by recipe for crepes from America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook - you know the big red one that I use every single day. Best wedding present ever. Anyway... on to the point...

We also tried a new sourdough crepe which was so, so good. There are lots of great site with info on how to start and maintain your own sourdough starter, but if you'd rather bring me a mason jar I'd be glad to pass mine along. The sourdough crepes were delicious with the ham, egg and cheese filling, but I have a hard time imagining them being very good with a sweet filling. Maybe if you add a dash of vanilla and a tablespoon or two of honey to it? Give it a try though and let me know what you think! Here is the recipe for the Sourdough Crepes... please note - this is not my recipe, but I have had it for sometime and don't remember where I got it.


Sourdough Crepes
makes about (9) 10-inch crepes

1 cup sourdough starter (mine is 100% hydration, all whole wheat flour)
3 eggs
3 tablespoons butter, melted
3 pinches of salt
1/4 cup milk (more or less may be needed depending on your sourdough starter)

In a medium size bowl, whisk 3 eggs, 3 tablespoons melted butter, and 3 pinches of salt until combined. Add to this mixture 1 cup of sourdough starter. Stir well.

Add milk slowly until you get a thin batter. Preheat skillet over medium heat for two full minutes, then turn down to low before lightly grease the skillet.

For a 10-inch skillet, pour 1/3 cup of crepe batter into the center of your skillet. If you are using a smaller skillet you will need 1/4 cup of batter. Quickly pick up the skillet and roll the batter towards the outer edges. Put the skillet back on burner and cook until edges are a bit dry and small bubbles dot the surface of the crepe. It may take less than a minute to cook each side of the crepe. Cook times depend on the skillet type, burner heat, and crepe thickness. If you try to flip your crepe and it does not seem ready, let it cook a few moments longer. Flip. The second side will take less time to cook than the first.

Place your crepe on a plate. Make your second crepe. Continue stacking finished crepes until you are ready to serve. Stacking keeps the crepes soft and warm.


If you want to make the ham, cheese and egg filling your process is slightly different. You will need to have a cup or so of finely shredded cheddar cheese, a cup with 4-5 eggs scrambled with a little bit of milk or cream, and deli ham sliced into halves or thirds depending on the size of your pan, prepared and near the stove top. As soon as you flip your crepe you will add about 1/4 cup of scrambled egg on top of the cooked side of the crepe. Place a lid on top and cook for about 1 minute. When the egg is nearly set, sprinkle with cheese and top with ham slices. Cover until cheese is melted, then fold in half, then in half again so you're left with a triangle. These would be awesome with some finely chopped scallions in them or on top for garnish.

They are great hot out of the skillet or at room temperature, so making them up a little in advance for a crowd is no problem. Abby and her 3 year old friend Andrew gobbled these "sandwiches" up, which is awesome because I have a hard time getting her to eat much protein! We experimented with freezing them and were very pleased with the results. We will be making a very large batch in the near future for quick and easy meals or snacks.

I am very much looking forward to having these crepes on my birthday... and on Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, our anniversary, and well pretty much any other time I can persuade my husband to make them again!

Granola

For my one and only devoted follower....

This recipe is pretty basic and is easily adapted to your preferences. It was my go-to midnight snack while pregnant and truth be told, it still is! I like it best straight out of the oven when it is still warm with a little milk poured over it, but it's pretty delicious with homemade yogurt and fruit too! Or by the handful. Dang it, it's just good, okay? You're going to have to make it yourself to see!

Granola
6 cups rolled oats (or any combination of rolled grains)
2 cups flour (soft white whole wheat is preferred)
1 cup unsweetened flaked coconut
1 cup raw wheat germ
2 cups nuts
1 cup oil - olive oil, melted coconut oil, or butter
1 cup honey
3/4 cup olive oil
1 Tbsp vanilla
2 tsp sea salt
1 Tbsp cinnamon
2 cups dried fruit
Optional: 2 Tbsp acid medium (whey, lemon juice, yogurt, kefir, apple cider vinegar, or cultured buttermilk)

Soaked version: Combine acid, water, oil, honey, flour, oats, and wheat germ. Cover and allow to sit at room temperature for at least seven hours, preferably 12-24 hours. Add all remaining ingredients except dried fruit. Spread mixture on two cookie sheets and bake for one hour at 250 degrees, stirring every 15 minutes.

Unsoaked Version: Combine oats, flour, coconut, flax seed meal, and nuts in a large mixing bowl. In another bowl, combine water, oil, honey, vanilla, salt and cinnamon. Spread mixture on two cookie sheets and bake for one hour at 250 degrees, stirring every 15 minutes.

Don't be tempted to bake your granola longer. It will crisp up as it cools, so it may seem a little soft when you first take it out of the oven. Add your dried fruit and enjoy!

Some of my favorite fruit-nut combinations:
Blueberry-Pecan with a little lemon zest.
Blueberry-Walnut.
Cranberry-Almond. Add 1 tsp almond extract and a little orange zest! Yumm!
Apple-Raisin-Walnut, a classic. Also good with apple juice or cider in place of the water.
Peach-Almond.
Cherry-Almond.

What's your favorite way to eat/flavor your granola?

Grilled Balsalmic Chicken with Brown Rice Salad and Grilled Garlic Scapes

Phew... just saying that is a mouthful! Wait until you get it all on your plate!

I find that I am a much more adventurous cook when my husband is away. It's probably got something to do with the first time I tried to cook him a meal and how utterly disastrous it was. I'd chosen a simple dish - herb stuffed roasted turkey breast - or something like that. Well unfortunately, Safeway was out of cilantro. They did, however, have lots of really great looking parsley and it was on sale! Really, how different can two green, leafy herbs be?! So I subbed the parsley for the cilantro. Needless to say, we ate out that night, but only because I literally took the plate away from him and dumped it in the trash! I have only had a handful of recipes come out so terribly that I considered them inedible, but each time I have had to pry the food out of his hands. Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful he's not a picky eater, but am equally hard pressed to get a wow out of him so when he's away I play - in the kitchen! ;) I'm pretty sure this meal will get a wow when I fix it for him (hint hint Honey!).

"Wow!"

Balsamic Grilled Chicken
This recipe is the result of combining several others, so I can't really credit anyone in particular nor can I fully accept the credit myself. I have to say that this is probably the best chicken I have ever made and possibly ever eaten. The chicken was moist and flavorful throughout, not just the outer edges. I absolutely loved it! As I was assembling the marinade I felt like there were a lot of different flavors going on and wasn't really sure how I'd feel about the end result. My usual philosophy is that food is supposed to taste like what it is, or less is more. Olive oil, salt and pepper are my usual M.O., but I was really very pleasantly surprised and will definitely be making this again! 

Ingredients 
4 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup olive oil
1 (generous) tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tsp dried onion flakes
1 tsp each: marjoram, thyme, rosemary and oregano
2 tsp ground mustard
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp fresh black pepper

Mix olive oil, balsamic vinegar, herbs, salt, pepper and onion flakes in 1 gallon resealable plastic bag along with chicken Allow chicken to marinate for at least 1/2 hour. Heat grill place chicken on grill and sear both sides.

 ******

Brown Rice Salad
Loosely based on Whole Foods Markets' recipe

This is one of those really great recipes that doesn't really require measurement. It's also very adaptable to what you like, have on hand, and need to use up. It was a great way for me to use up some leftover rice! It was beautiful, colorful and very refreshing. You could also try using any cooked grain in place of the rice - Israeli cous cous would be nice!


Ingredients
2 1/2 cups cooked brown rice
1/2 cup chopped carrots

1/2 cup sliced radishes

1/2 cup chopped bell pepper (whatever color you have/prefer)
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1 cup frozen peas
1/4 cup chopped watercress
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon coarse ground Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper 

Combine all ingredients into a large bowl and toss gently to combine. Serve immediately or chill until ready to serve.

******

Grilled Garlic Scapes

Oh. My. Word. I'd invited a friend over for dinner and when I bit into these I was glad she'd declined because I wouldn't have wanted to share!! I am convinced that garlic scapes are the best thing that God created for us to eat! I am absolutely in love!! I only just recently heard about them from my CSA farmer, which served to build quite some anticipation. When I picked up my box today, I knew I'd be making them for dinner. I would have to say that its somewhere between a green onion and asparagus with a mild garlic undertone. You just have to hunt them down and try them for yourself. I mean it. Right now!! This is probably the simplest way to prepare them and since it's the only way I have ever had them prepared, I'd have to say it's the best!

Ingredients

Garlic scapes

olive oil

Sea salt

Fresh cracked pepper  

Wash scapes. Drizzle with oil, salt and pepper and toss to coat. Grill over medium flame until tender and just slightly charred, about 5 minutes.

Enjoy!

Pumpkin 2 for 1

I have several freezer bags of pumpkin that I put away last Fall and need to use up before the next crop is ready, so I have been looking for creative ways to use it up. I don't usually explore beyond the safety of my favorite pumpkin muffins, so I really had to stretch myself here. I tried two different recipes and am so glad that I did. I am more excited about this Fall's pumpkin crop than I have been in years! And yes, I do realize it is only June.

The first recipe I tried was pumpkin pancakes. I consider myself a connoisseur of pancakes and these were hands down THE best pancakes I have ever eaten! The texture was inexpressibly wonderful! You just have to try them! I used yogurt as opposed to buttermilk. I imagine that if you use buttermilk you will need less additional liquid to thin the batter to the desired consistency than I needed. The recipe made enough for four servings, which could have easily been stretched to six if I'd served eggs and bacon or sausage.

Pumpkin Pancakes
adapted from Trying it Traditional

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup cultured buttermilk or yogurt
• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 egg
• 1tsp baking soda
• 1 Tbsp butter, melted
• 1 Tbsp honey
• 1/4 tsp ginger
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground allspice
• 1/4 tsp cloves
• Additional milk or buttermilk as needed

1. Combine flour with yogurt or buttermilk the night before you plan to make the pancakes. Allow to sit at room temperature to soak for at least 12 hours.
2. Combine all remaining ingredients.  Add milk to get the proper consistency for pancakes (this varies depending on your pumpkin puree, yogurt vs buttermilk, personal preference, etc. 
3. Serve with butter, a sprinkle of cinnamon, and real maple syrup.

 
The second recipe I made was inspired by Tracey's Culinary Adventures. I felt like the pumpkin flavor was much more noticeable in this application and I loved the texture it gave to the oatmeal. I didn't add any nuts or dried fruit because I was aiming for a pumpkin pie taste and texture combination. I think I nailed it!

Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal

• 1 cup thick rolled oats
• 1 Tbsp whole wheat flour
• 1 cup water
• 1 Tbsp acid medium (whey, cultured buttermilk, yogurt, kefir, or lemon juice)

Combine and cover. Soak at room temperature for 12-24 hours.

• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 tsp each: cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger

Combine all ingredients with soaked oats in a medium sauce pan. Bring to a boil over medium-low heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until done. Serve with butter and real maple syrup, or if you want to really indulge  - some freshly whipped cream!

I had a little bit of this leftover, but not quite enough for a serving so this morning I added it to a smoothie with spinach, frozen mixed berries, a banana, yogurt, and a splash of apple juice - oooooh my goodness it was delicious! My one year old had two glasses before I could finish mine!

Soaked Whole Wheat Pancakes

Supposedly soaking your whole grains before eating them is better for you, read about it here - Kitchen Stewardship - How and Why to Soak Whole Grains, try it, and decide for yourself. I can say that in the few weeks that I have been trying to eat (mostly) soaked grains I feel fuller after a smaller meal, have lost a few pounds and generally I am happier, but maybe that has more to do with the sun finally making an appearance. I have noticed that when I soak my grains they have a sourdough-like smell and flavor to them that I do enjoy, but have had to adjust to in some applications.

On to the important stuff - I seriously LOVED this recipe and will definitely be making it again. I made the batter according to the directions below, but added mix-ins to order - chocolate chip, banana, huckleberry, and huckleberry-banana! The recipe said that the pancakes take longer to cook than regular pancakes, but I didn't find this to be true. It also make a ton! I fed two adults and four kids and still had leftovers with one batch!

Soaked Whole Wheat Pancakes
From The Nourishing Cook, originally from Norishing Traditions.

Ingredients
2 cups freshly ground soft white wheat
2 cups cultured buttermilk
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Instructions
Soak flour in buttermilk on the counter for 12-24 hours. After soaking time, stir in other ingredients and add water to desired consistency (When I made my last batch of butter I saved the water from my first wash and used it here). Cook on a hot, oiled griddle or cast iron skillet.

Baked Oatmeal

Organic oats in the bulk bins at Super1 are $0.89/lb and a pound goes a long way in our house! This is probably why we've been having oatmeal for breakfast almost daily for the last few weeks. It's also easy to fix, delicious and very nutritious. I have been having my plain old oatmeal with frozen berries and honey; brown sugar and cinnamon; strawberries, bananas and cream; and my newest obsession - with bananas, walnuts and maple syrup! Even with all of the possibilities, I was starting to get a little bored with breakfast so I went out looking for oatmeal recipes and found LOTS to choose from. I've done muffins and granola in the past, but was looking for a different application. I decided to try a baked oatmeal recipe that didn't seem all that different from my usual flavor choices

I really, really liked this recipe and am very excited to share it with you. I scaled down the original from Nourished Kitchen to suit my family's size and what we had on hand in the pantry.

Ingredients 
1/2 lb thick rolled oats
1/2 cup walnuts
1 tbsp whey  for soaking
2 tbsp whole wheat flour
3 eggs
1 cup milk
1/8 cup maple syrup
½ cup raisins
1 generous tbsp cinnamon
1/8 cup butter, plus extra for greasing baking dish

Instructions

1. Pour the oats, flour, and walnuts into a glass bowl.
2. Add whey and enough water to cover. 
3. Cover with a towel or plastic wrap and allow to soak overnight.
4. In the morning, drain off as much water as you can. Don't worry about losing some of your flour, it's job is done.
5. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and grease a 9 x 9-inch square baking pan with butter.
6. Beat together eggs, milk, and maple syrup.
7. Pour the egg mixture over the soaked oats and nuts, stir to combine.
8. Add raisins, cinnamon and melted butter.
9. Pour into greased baking pan and spread it out.
10. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until a knife inserted into its center comes out clean.
11. Let it rest for five to ten minutes before serving.