Apple Spice Cake

I reposted the recipe for Sharron's Carrot Cake the other day and someone asked about a spice cake recipe. I didn't have one until NOW!  I reworked the carrot cake recipe and turned it into something delicious! I added some grated apple and applesauce and the result was an extremely moist cake that's extremely good. The addition of the cinnamon cream cheese frosting just adds to the yumminess!

Apple Spice Cake



2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1 1/3 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
2 cups grated apples (I used Golden Delicious)
2 cups applesauce


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13 inch pan with cooking spray.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, oil and eggs. Mix on low until ingredients come together then increase speed to medium. Mix for 2 minutes.

Stir in grated apples and applesauce.

Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 45 - 50 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Allow cake to cool then frost.

Frosting for cake:

1/2 cup butter ~ softened
1 8-ounce package cream cheese ~ softened
1 tablespoon cinnamon
2 - 3 cups powdered sugar
A little milk to thin frosting, if needed.

Combine butter and cream cheese in a mixing bowl.

Add powdered sugar and cinnamon and mix on low to combine, adding a few tablespoons of milk to thin and create a spreadable frosting.

Frost cooled cake.

Our ingredients.

Mix the flour, sugar, eggs, spices,

 baking soda, oil and salt until combined.

Stir in the applesauce and the grated apples.

Pour batter into the prepared pan.

Bake!

For the frosting:

Combine the butter and cream cheese.

Then add the powdered sugar and the cinnamon.

A little milk...

..to make it spreadable.

Then spread.

Then eat! Moist and delicious!

Crock Pot Rotisserie Chicken

I use rotisserie chicken all the time in lots of my recipes. I think they are a great time saver and they taste great. I decided to try my hand at making my own. I only have a crock pot so that's what I used because I figured it would cook low and slow and infuse the chicken with flavor. You HAVE to try this! I cooked my chicken on "high" about 8 hours because I think my crock pot doesn't get all that hot so you'd need to adjust yours....but MAN...this was good! The chicken literally fell apart as I was taking it out of the crock pot so the picture of the whole chicken isn't that great...but it sure tasted great!! So easy and flavorful!!!

Crock Pot Rotisserie Chicken

1 whole roasting chicken ~ about 2 - 3 pounds
Spice rub (recipe follows)
1 large onion
1/2 cup chicken stock

Rub chicken with spice rub making sure you get in all the nooks and crannies.

Slice onion and place in the bottom of your crock pot. 

Pour in the chicken stock.

Place chicken on top of sliced onions.

Cook for about 8 hours (I cooked mine on high) until chicken is done and juices run clear. 

You can make a yummy gravy with the juice from the cooked chicken!!



Spice Rub: 

2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon rosemary
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon black pepper

I had a small brisket that I was going to throw in the crock pot but it needed a little oomph. This rub turned out really good. You can just as easily cook this in the oven or on the grill but I'm all about easy these days.

Spicy Rub



1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon salt
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 bay leaf, crushed
2 pounds beef brisket
1 cup beef stock

Combine all spices in a small bowl. Rub all over roast.

Place roast in the crock pot and pour in the beef stock.

Set to low and cook for 8 - 10 hours (or on high for 5- 6) until tender.

The line-up. I used a brisket but 

you could put this on chicken or pork!

Put all the spices in a small 

bowl and give them a whisk.

Rub the rub on both sides of the 

roast then put it in the crock pot.

Pour the beef broth in the 

crock pot but not over the rub.

Let it cook until the 

meat is tender and yummy!

 

 

Cranberry Orange Spice Scones

Scones are fun! You can do so many different things with them. I decided to make some to celebrate fall. Plus I love the combo of orange and cranberry so it was a no-brainer for me to come up with something that had these two things. With the addition of some cinnamon and nutmeg, these little babies turned out perfect. Then..the added orange/cinnamon drizzle just topped it off! If you're looking for something to serve that has an autumnal flair to it..this is it!

Cranberry Orange Spice Scones



3 cups flour
2/3  cups sugar
5 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg
1 tablespoon orange zest
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
pinch salt
2 sticks butter, chilled and cut into chunks
1 egg - beaten
3/4 cups heavy cream
1 cup Craisins
½ cup finely chopped pecans 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two large baking pans with parchment paper. 

In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Using the paddle attachment, add the butter chunks. Combine until mixture is crumbly. 

Combine the cream and beaten egg. Add slowly to the flour/butter mixture until well combined. Add orange juice and zest.

Gently mix in pecans and Craisins. 

On a floured work surface, dump out the scone mixture. Shape into an oblong. 

Gently roll dough out into an 18x9 inch rectangle then cut into three long strips. Cut across strips into 6 equal parts to form 18 squares. Cut diagonally to form 36 triangles. 

Place scones on prepared baking sheet and bake for about 20 minutes or until lightly golden. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Drizzle with glaze.

Makes 36 scones.

 
The line-up.

 
Add flour, sugar, salt and baking 
powder to a large mixing bowl. 
Oops....add the cinnamon and nutmeg 
here, too! Stir that around a bit.

 
Then add your chilled and chunked buttah. 
Whiz that around some.

 
Then pour in your beaten egg/cream 
mixture. Then add the orange juice and orange zest.

 
Dump in the pecans and Craisins.

 
Turn out onto a floured surface.

 
Roll out to a 18x9 inch rectangle. 
Cut three strips lengthways. Lengthwise? 
Then cut across into 6 short strips.

 
Then cut each square in half to 
get triangles. You should end up 
with *about* 36 triangles.

 
Place them on your prepared cookie sheets.

 
And bake 'em!!

Drizzle:

2 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons orange juice
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon orange zest
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg
Half & half to thin

Combine powdered sugar, orange juice, orange zest, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg in a mixing bowl. Add enough half & half to thin.

Drizzle over cooled scones. 


 
Here's the stuff for the drizzle.....

 
In a mixing bowl, combine the 
powdered sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, 
vanilla, orange juice and orange zest.

 
Then pour in enough half & half 
to thin it to drizzling consistency. 
A few tablespoons should do it.

 
I poured mine into this little squeeze 
bottle but you can just use a spoon.

 
Allow icing to dry (or not) 
then chow down!

Candied Spiced Pecans

You know what's good? Spiced Candied Pecans! The first time I had these...a friend (Hi Denise!!) and I were in Charleston, SC at the public market. They sell all kinds of things there....T-shirts, SC trinkets, those VERY cool sweet grass baskets (that are so incredibly expensive that I can't afford one) and food items. As we were strolling through the market, Denise saw the pecans and on a whim...bought a bag. Well...let me tell you...we should have purchased TWO bags...one for each of us. When we got back to our rental car, we opened the little cone shaped bag and practically inhaled them! They were SO good! After we got home, I went on the hunt for a way to make them in my kitchen. When I came across this recipe, I knew I had a winner! Maybe not quite as good as what we had in Charleston, but a very close second. I've used these in salads...given little bags of them as gifts....used them in recipes...or just for munching!! They are delicious!

Candied Spiced Pecans



1 pound pecan halves
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon water
1 egg white

Preheat oven to 300 degrees

Mix sugar, salt and cinnamon together and set aside. 

In a large mixing bowl, whisk the egg white and water together until foamy. 

Dump the pecans in the egg white mixture and STIR to coat. 

Pour sugar mixture over pecans and stir until all pecans are coated. 

Place on a parchment paper lined (or greased) rimmed cookie sheet. 
Bake for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. Allow to cool then break into pieces.

 
The ingredients....

 
Stir the sugar, salt and cinnamon together...

 
Whip the egg white and water until foamy.

 
Dump the pecans into the egg white 
mixture. Stir to coat.....then....

 
..sprinkle the sugar/cinnamon mixture 
over the pecans and stir to coat again.

 
Spread the coated nuts onto a cookie 
sheet and bake. Don't forget to stir 
every 15 minutes. That's 3 times total 
during the 45 minute baking time.

 
Mmmm....now to decide 
what to do with them. 
Not a hard decision, if you ask me.