Bready or Not Original: Walnut Apple Dump Cake
Bready or Not is being gifted a day early this year since Wednesday falls on Christmas Day!
‘Dump cake’ is not the most appetizing of terms, but I assure you, this Walnut Apple Dump Cake is delicious. It’s also quick and easy to throw together if you need something for breakfast or dessert on Christmas Day or on New Year’s a week away.
Dump cake is the broad term that encompasses regional dishes like crisps, cobblers, brown betties, etcetera. It means the fruit is dropped into a dish and some kind of bready topping (flour, oats, granola, dumplings) is baked over it.
In this case, the topping is a thin, golden cake. It’s enough to encase the apples and lock in moisture and flavor–plus add in some chewiness and crunch. The walnuts especially add to the latter.
This is not a cake to be tidily cut into pieces. This is a cake that is scooped out onto a plate or bowl. Hence, I advise NOT using foil to line the pan as I do with most other casserole dish-style recipes. The spoon will just tear up the foil. Plus, the dish will clean up pretty easily afterward.
I also advise that you eat this along with vanilla ice cream. It really does make for the perfect pairing, especially if you’re eating the cake warm.
Bready or Not Original: Walnut Apple Dump Cake
Equipment
- 9x13 pan
Ingredients
- 6 medium apples like Granny Smith or Pink Lady, or a mix
- 2 1/4 cups brown sugar packed, divided
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 cup unsalted butter 2 sticks
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup walnuts chopped, divided
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Use nonstick spray or grease with butter the inside of a 13x9 pan (note: don't line with foil).
- Peel and slice apples and place in pan. Sprinkle 1/4 cup brown sugar and cinnamon over apples.
- In a large bowl, cream together butter and remaining brown sugar. Add eggs and vanilla extract. Follow up with flour and 1/2 cup of walnuts.
- Drop dollops of dough all over apples, covering as much as possible. Sprinkle remaining walnuts over top.
- Bake for about 40 minutes. Top should be golden and apples tender when poked with a fork.
- Serve warm, at room temperature, or cold. Store covered in foil, in fridge or on counter top, for up to three days. Fantastic with ice cream!
OM NOM NOM!
Book Blog: Little Apocalypse by Katherine Sparrow
I review everything I read and post reviews on Goodreads and LibraryThing. That’s not enough. Good books are meant to be shared. Therefore, I’m spotlighting some of my favorite reads here on my site.
Little Apocalypse by Katherine Sparrow
out now; Indiebound, B&N, and Amazon
I received a gratis copy of this book for reviewing purposes.
Little Apocalypse feels like a delightful mash up of Neil Gaiman and Charles de Lint, all wrapped up in a middle grade package. There’s a level of darkness here–a wise, thoughtful look at how adults can make children into monsters–that is accessible to kids, and thoroughly enjoyable for adults as well.
Celia has been awfully lonely in her new city, at her new school. Her solid relationship with her parents can’t make up for that. She’s trustworthy enough that her parents leave her alone for a weekend to go take care of her grandmother–and that’s when awful things happen. A terrible earthquake hits the city, cutting off the island from the outside world. She sees a strange, sad boy–a boy who happens to love books like she does–but his strange behavior and stranger friends make her leery. It turns out there are monsters around. Big monsters, little monsters, and a war that involves kids, and Celia is at the center of a prophecy that could change the world.
I loved everything about this book. It’s so intense, I blazed through in about a day. Every single character feels vivid and real. As fun and entertaining as the book was, I loved what it said about major issues like relationships, self-control, and what it means to be a monster. I’m adding this to my shortlist of children’s books to nominate for the Norton Award for the year.
Read MoreBreath of Earth $1.99 Ebook Sale! Happy Holidays!
For a limited time, snag the ebook of Breath of Earth for a mere $1.99! This book hasn’t been on sale for nearly a year. Get it while you can, then go on to read the next two books in the completed Blood of Earth trilogy. No wait required!
About Breath of Earth:
After the earth’s power under her city is suddenly left unprotected, a young geomancer must rely on her unique magic to survive in this fresh fantasy novel from the author of the acclaimed The Clockwork Dagger.
In an alternate 1906, the United States and Japan have forged a powerful confederation— the Unified Pacific—in an attempt to dominate the world. Their first target is a vulnerable China. In San Francisco, headstrong secretary Ingrid Carmichael is assisting a group of powerful geomancer wardens who have no idea of the depth of her own talent—or that she is the only woman to possess such skills.
When assassins kill the wardens, Ingrid and her mentor are protected by her incredible magic. But the pair is far from safe. Without its full force of guardian geomancers, the city is on the brink of a cataclysmic earthquake that will expose the earth’s power to masterminds determined to control the energy for their own dark ends. The danger escalates when Chinese refugees, preparing to fight the encroaching American and Japanese forces, fracture the uneasy alliance between the Pacific allies, transforming San Francisco into a veritable powder keg. And the slightest tremor will set it off. . . .
Forced on the run, Ingrid makes some shocking discoveries about herself. Her already considerable magic has grown even more fearsome . . . and she may be the fulcrum on which the balance of world power rests.
#SFWAPro
Read MoreBready or Not Original: Quick Peanut Butter Chocolate Fudge
Holiday time can be all kinds of hectic, but if you need a sweet treat in limited time, this Quick Peanut Butter Fudge will be adored by all chocolate and peanut butter lovers!
This thing literally comes together in under five minutes. Give it a couple hours to set in the fridge, and there you go. Plus, it keeps for weeks in the fridge (if you can make it last that long) and it can be frozen for ages.
I love using walnuts in this fudge, but any nut will do. Can you make it without nuts? Sure, but I find that a little bit of crunch is great for texture. Some seeds could work in this, too, if you need to avoid an allergen (keeping in mind, this already includes peanut butter chips!).
My husband had co-workers describe this fudge as “crack.” Consider yourself warned.
I’ve shared a number of quick fudge recipes over the years. Here are some others to try out!
Five-Minute Spicy Mexican Fudge
Quick Cake Batter White Chocolate Fudge
Gingerbread Cookie Dough Fudge
No-Bake Peanut Butter Pretzel Fudge
Bready or Not Original: Quick Peanut Butter Chocolate Fudge
Equipment
- 8x8 or 9x9 pan
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter
- 10- ounce bag peanut butter chips 1 bag
- 8- ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips about 3/4 bag
- 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 cup walnuts or other nuts, chopped
Instructions
- Line a small square pan with foil and apply nonstick spray or butter.
- In a large microwave-safe bowl, melt butter with a zap or two in microwave. Add peanut butter, chips, chocolate chips, and sweetened condensed milk. Heat in a couple 30-second bursts, stirring well between each, and continuing until the mixture is smooth. Fold in nuts.
- Pour into prepared pan. Smooth out using an uneven spatula, taking fudge to edges and pressing down to remove any bubbles.
- Chill in fudge for at least two hours. Use foil to lift onto cutting board for easy slicing. Store in a sealed container with waxed paper between the layers; keep in fridge as long as a month, or freeze for longer.
OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not Original: Blueberry-Gingerbread Loaf
Fresh blueberries and gingerbread! This combo never occurred to me before, and wow was I missing out. Find out how good it is when you bake this Blueberry-Gingerbread Loaf.
I’m growing increasingly convinced that blueberries can make almost everything better. Case in point: Wensleydale Cheese with Blueberries. DIVINE. This recipe ranks up there, too.
As any gingerbread should be, this loaf is packed with spices that sing of autumn and winter. Blueberries add an incredibly fresh note, a literal burst of flavor that stands apart from the usual tart cranberry.
This bread is very moist and tender. It is perfect to slice for breakfasts or snacks, and it doesn’t even need an additional pat of butter.
I’m sharing this recipe in December because of the gingerbread/Christmas association, but let me fervently remind you that delicious foods should not be confined to any season. Print this out and save it for when summer blueberries are bountiful and cheap. Heck, even bake the bread and freeze it for later.
This bread smells so good, though, I bet you’ll find it hard to resist a slice or two.
Bready or Not Original: Blueberry-Gingerbread Loaf
Equipment
- 9x5 loaf pan
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup fresh blueberries 6 ounce pack
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour or mix in whole-wheat, plus extra flour
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter 1 stick, softened
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar packed
- 1 cup applesauce
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Cut a piece of parchment to fit inside a 9x5 loaf pan, with paper extending up the two long sides to form a sling. Apply nonstick spray or butter to pan, place parchment inside to adhere, then grease paper as well.
- Wash and pick through blueberries to remove any stems, smashed berries, or moldy ones. Dry blueberries and gently toss with a couple spoons of flour to coat. Set aside.
- In a medium-sized bowl, combine the 1 1/2 cups flour, cinnamon, ginger, salt, and cloves.
- In a big bowl, beat butter until creamy. Add both sugars, beating until combined and fluffy. Add applesauce, vanilla, and baking soda. Follow up with flour mixture, mixing until combined. Gently fold in the blueberries. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.
- Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes, removing loaf only after middle has passed the toothpick test. Cool in pan no more than 20 minutes. THIS IS IMPORTANT, as otherwise the loaf can steam up and collapse! Let loaf continue to cool on a rack.
- Keep stored in a plastic bag or plastic wrap for at least two days. Loaf can also be frozen for later enjoyment.
