Tuesday 10 January 2017

Hello 2017, and Sticky Upside Down Apple Gingerbread Cake


It's January.

Which means I've been pinning all of the detoxifying salads and cleansing smoothies.  I've joined photography challenges and seven day juicing challenges, and even looked at fitness challenges.

I bought a new planner.

And I've been eating Ferrero Rochers and pizza, and crackers with Brie and fig jam, and Eggs Benedict and smoked salmon and burgers with fries.

I've had zero smoothies.  I made a salad with dinner one night, but reached for the fresh baguette and butter instead.  I've walked back and forth to my car.  My planner is still blank.  I did manage to go through a closet and put a few bags of clothes together to donate, so there's that.

The mind is willing.  It's so ready.

Yet today, the second day back to school, we're having another snow day.  I think that makes five so far, and winter has only just begun.  So I made myself coffee with Bailey's and egg nog, and contemplated taking down the Christmas tree.

And I looked at the apples in the fruit basket, almost past their prime, and thought about baking.  Not muffins this time.  Gingerbread.  I should have posted this recipe in December, because it's amazing, but gingerbread is something that goes well with winter, not just Christmas.  And there's always apples waiting to be baked into something good.


Sticky Upside Down Apple Gingerbread Cake

Ingredients:

Butter for greasing pan

4 tbsp butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
pinch of salt
4 apples, peeled, cored and cut into 8 wedges each

2 1/4 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup molasses
1 cup buttermilk*

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325°F.  Grease a high sided 9" cake pan.

Melt butter in a small saucepan.  Add brown sugar and simmer over medium heat for a couple of minutes, stirring constantly.  Stir in salt, remove from heat, and pour into bottom of cake pan.
Overlap apple slices in a circular pattern on top of the caramel.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and spices.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs together with the brown sugar.  Add the molasses, then the melted butter and combine well.  Stir in buttermilk, then flour mixture.  Stir together and pour over apples in prepared cake pan.

Bake 45-50 minutes until centre of cake is set.  Mine cracked...that's OK :)  Let cool in pan on cooling rack for 15 minutes, then turn out onto plate large enough to catch any caramel spills or wayward apples.

Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or freshly whipped cream.  Tastes just as good once it has cooled.

*If you don't keep buttermilk on hand, make your own buttermilk with one tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar for each cup of milk. Put the tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar in your measuring cup, then add the milk to measure one cup of buttermilk. Allow to sit for a few minutes before combining with the other ingredients.


Happy New Year!


Thanks for featuring me!

1-meet-up-monday

15 comments:

  1. I'll have one of those Baileys with coffee and eggnog, hold the coffee and eggnog!

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  2. Oh - gingerbread and apples all caramelized - delicious! Thanks for sharing on the What’s for Dinner link up!

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  3. I took 2 days of rest this week because the whole holidays with 3 kids home all day and hosting duties and the responsibilities of making Christmas happen which always falls to the mom ----- zzzzzzz. I just wanted to be in bed all day long with a book. So one day, I did half a day and it felt great. I had a few treats over the holidays, but I didn't go crazy and I did keep working out. But now I just want to lay around. ha. This looks amazing!

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  4. Sounds like you've had a great beginning to 2017...it's at least tasted amazing anyway! This cake looks lovely!

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  5. You're back in blogosphere! I missed you, checked here a few times, but... This recipe simply sounds amazing, I bet it is wonderful on a cold and wet snow day. Enjoy it!

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  6. Gingerbread cake is my favorite winter dessert but your version with sticky apples - oh my does that sound amazing! Pinning to bookmark and share :) From one Canadian to another, thanks for the recipe!

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  7. Ginger and apple is always a winning combination and this looks delicious

    Mollyxxx

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  8. That sound amazing! So glad you linked up!

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  9. Hope you are having a great week and thanks so much for sharing your awesome post with us at Full Plate Thursday. We look forward to seeing you again real soon!
    Miz Helen

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  10. That cake looks dangerously yummy! I think I gained a pound just reading the recipe. But doesn't cold weather make one long for the warm and gooey and comforting? Salad just doesn't cut it in January (even thought I know it should).
    Blessings, Leigh

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  11. I have a almost full jar of molasses to use up from Christmas baking and this seems like a perfect way to do it.

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  12. This sounds heavenly! YUM!

    I would love for you to share this with my Facebook Group for recipes, crafts, tips, and tricks: https://www.facebook.com/groups/pluckyrecipescraftstips/

    Thanks for joining Cooking and Crafting with J & J!

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  13. Oh boy that looks good! It's such a shame I'm on a diet, I could *totally* eat that right now!
    Thanks for linking to #pocolo
    (sorry for the epicly late comment!)

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