Bready or Not Original: Sugar-Crusted Pumpkin Cake
This Sugar-Crusted Pumpkin Cake is moist, delicious, and packed with autumnal flavors!
There is a definite pumpkin pie-like vibe to this thing. The white chocolate chips melted along the bottom (hence the direction to grease the foil well) and formed a sort of scrumptious crust, too.
This thing is even pretty. I like using turbinado sugar as a top crust because it’s pretty, texturally delightful, and tastes darn good!
This cake will keep for at least 3 days, covered and chilled, and maybe longer. It also freezes like a champ.
Since this makes a 13×9 pan, it’s probably a good thing it can be portioned out over days and weeks!
Bready or Not Original: Sugar-Crusted Pumpkin Cake
Equipment
- 13×9 pan
Ingredients
Cake
- 4 large eggs room temperature
- 2 cups white sugar
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup applesauce
- 2 cups cake flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin spice
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 cup white chocolate chips
Topping
- 1/2 cup turbinado or other coarse sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin spice
Instructions
- Line a 13×9 pan with foil and apply generous nonstick spray or butter. Preheat oven at 350-degrees.
- Mix together the eggs, white sugar, vegetable oil, and applesauce. Add the cake flour, baking soda, pumpkin spice, and salt. Follow up with the vanilla extract and pumpkin puree. Fold in the white chocolate chips.
- Pour batter into the pan and level out. Mix together the two topping ingredients and sprinkle over the cake.
- Bake for 1 hour, or until the middle passes the toothpick test. Let cool at room temperature, then store in fridge. Cake will keep for at least 3 days in the fridge, but can also be sliced and frozen for later enjoyment.
OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not: French Apple Cake in a Springform Pan
This French Apple Cake is thick with apples, not cake. There’s actually just enough batter to adhere everything together.
The apples are the star, so get good ones. I recommend doing about half Honeycrisp and Pink Ladies, but go for a combo of two good kinds of baking apples. (Not sure which ones are best for baking? Google has lots of recs!)
I’ve had a springform pan for years, but I’ve never used it like I did in 2020. That particular pan makes this cake extra good, too, because it creates a high cake with nicely browned edges.
One thing I’ve noticed about French and Irish apple cakes is that they really emphasize the fruit. American cakes and pies add a lot more spice. As much as I love loading on the cinnamon, it’s refreshing to do a take like this sometimes.
Let the fruit taste… well, fruity. Here, the addition of Calvados or another apple brandy brings that out even more. You don’t end up with an alcohol taste in the final result, but it does draw out more of the apple flavor.
This cake is a great one to slice up and freeze for later, too. Make the goodness last even longer!
Modified from Bake from Scratch September/October 2020 issue.
Bready or Not: French Apple Cake in a Springform Pan
Equipment
- 9-inch springform pan
- uneven spatula
- parchment paper
Ingredients
- 8 large baking apples totaling about 800 grams mix of Honeycrisp and Pink Lady recommended
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 3/4 cup white sugar
- 3 Tablespoons apple brandy use Calvados to make it especially French
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or substitute vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2/3 cup unsalted butter melted and cooled
- 1 Tablespoon sparkling sugar
- Confectioners' sugar for serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Prepare a 9-inch springform pan by cutting a piece of parchment to fit the base. Apple nonstick spray to the pan, then add the parchment, and spray it as well. In addition, tear a piece of aluminum foil to cup the bottom of the pan to catch any drips.
- Peel the apples and chop into 1-inch pieces. Toss with lemon juice. Set aside.
- In a big bowl, beat eggs until they are pale and foamy. Add the white sugar, apple brandy, and vanilla.
- In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Gradually mix the dry ingredients into the big egg-sugar bowl along with the melted butter. Scrape the bowl as needed, stirring everything until just combined. Don’t expect a huge amount of batter–it’s there to act like delicious glue for all of the apple pieces!
- Reserve 1 heaping cup of the apple chunks. Fold the rest of the apples into the batter, coating them. Dump the mix into the prepared pan and even out with an uneven spatula. Arrange the remaining apples on top, pushing them into the batter and smoothing them out as much as possible.
- Bake for 20 minutes. Add sparkling sugar over the top. Bake another 20 minutes and check on the cake. It is done with apples in middle are tender and a digital thermometer plunged into the center reads at least 200-degrees. If needed, cook longer; if it’s browning too much, cover with foil.
- Let cake cool in pan for 15 minutes on a cooling rack. Carefully release the springform ring to let it completely cool for at least an hour; place in fridge to speed the chilling process, if desired.
- Slice into wedges. Enjoy cold, at room temperature, or warmed, with confectioners' sugar sprinkled over the top. Pieces can also be individually wrapped and frozen for later.
OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not Original: Thin Mint Cake
Oh hey, it’s time for cake. A Thin Mint Cake that is neither too big or too small, something that keeps well stashed in the fridge, and looks as amazing as it tastes.
If you love chocolate and mint, this is the cake for you. The cake is loaded with chocolate flavor, and a ganache adds a shiny finishing touch.
The middle layer of the cake is essentially a peppermint or mint-flavored buttercream. Sweet but not too sweet, it gives good contrast to balance the prevalent chocolate flavor.
I used this cake to try out a technique I’ve only read about and seen on TV before–I used four toothpicks to measure the halfway point on the sides of the cake, then tugged a piece of floss to cut the cake evenly in half! It worked out well.
Of course, you can still use a knife to cut through. The toothpicks will still be a helpful guide.
This is an ideal birthday or special occasion cake for a small group!
Greatly modified from Eating Well Magazine May 2020.
Bready or Not Original: Thin Mint Cake
Equipment
- 9-inch cake pan
- ruler
- toothpicks
- unwaxed floss
- parchment paper
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup white whole-wheat flour
- 3/4 cup white sugar
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder sifted
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup water
- 1/3 cup canola oil
- 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar or other cider vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Mint Filling
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick), room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar sifted, more as needed for consistency
- 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract or mint extract
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1-2 drops green food coloring
- 2 Tablespoons half and half or milk
Glaze
- 1/2 cup half and half
- 1 1/4 cups semisweet chocolate chips
- pinch salt
Instructions
To prepare the cake
- Preheat an oven at 350-degrees. Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit inside a 9-inch cake pan. Apply nonstick spray inside pan, place parchment inside, and spray it again.
- Stir together all-purpose flour, white whole wheat flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt.
- In another bowl, whisk together water, oil, vinegar, and both extracts. Gradually mix the wet ingredients into the dry until the batter is smooth. Pour into the prepared pan. Tap and thump it gently on the counter to knock out as many bubbles as possible.
- Bake 25 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick in the middle emerges with few crumbs attached. Let the pan cool on a rack for 10 minutes, then invert cake onto the rack to cool completely.
Make the filling
- Beat the butter until it is creamy and light. Add the confectioners' sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, to fully incorporate; if the mixture is still too soft and loose, add more sugar. Add mint and vanilla extract, followed by the salt. Add a few drops of food coloring to achieve the desired tint. Add the half and half and beat to make the filling fluffy and light.
Slice the cake and fill
- Stick a toothpick into the halfway point at each side of the cake; four toothpick markers work well. Use a knife to barely slice into the cake above each toothpick. Continue to use a long-bladed knife to slice all the way through, or use a long piece of unwaxed floss with the toothpicks as a guide to divide the cake evenly in half.
- Place the base of the cake on a serving plate. Spread the filling over the cake. Place the top of the cake over it, cut side down.
Make the glaze
- Microwave the half & half in a microwave-safe bowl for about a minute, until hot. Stir in the chocolate chips and salt. Stir, stir, stir until the chocolate is smooth and glossy. Let cool about 5 minutes to thicken, then slowly pour and spread glaze over the cake. Let sit at room temperature or in fridge to set, then slice in and enjoy!
- Store cake in fridge. Exposed sides of the cake will dry out more, but it will still be tasty. Keeps for at least 4 days.
OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not: Snickerdoodle Brookie
Don’t struggle to choose between Snickerdoodles and Brownies. Have them both at the same time in this extraordinary Snickerdoodle Brookie!
This is essentially like a massive cookie-cake hybrid. It looks impressive, and the flavor is impressive, too. If the layers work out right, you get a bit of everything in every bite.
If you eat the brookie warm, the chocolate flavor is quite strong. I actually liked this best at room temperature. The flavors play together better then.
I mean, it’d be a shame to not get to enjoy the Snickerdoodle side of things. A travesty.
I modified this from the original in my favorite food magazine, Bake from Scratch. I tried to make it easier by using the microwave, prepping the pan with parchment, and clarifying the steps throughout.
I can also testify that this is a great recipe to portion out and freeze. Pieces don’t take long to thaw and the brookie is dense enough to be pretty portable, too, though the dusting of cinnamon and sugar on top can sometimes be messy.
Modified from the March/April 2020 issue of Bake from Scratch Magazine.
Bready or Not: Snickerdoodle Brookie
Equipment
- 9-inch round cake pan
- parchment paper
Ingredients
Brownie batter:
- 6 ounces semisweet chocolate chips or bittersweet (170 grams)
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter 1 cube
- 1 cup white sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup Dutch process cocoa powder sifted
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Snickerdoodle dough:
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
Topping:
- 1 tablespoon white sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350-degrees. Cut a piece of parchment to fit inside a 9-inch round cake pan. Apply nonstick spray in pan, place parchment, then spray parchment as well. Set aside.
Make brownie batter
- Melt together the chocolate and butter either in a double boiler on the stove or in the microwave in a microwave-safe bowl. Stir until everything is mixed and smooth. Stir in sugar. Set aside to cool for a few minutes before mixing in the eggs and vanilla.
- In a medium bowl, stir together flour, cocoa, and salt. Fold the dry ingredients into chocolate mixture just until combined. Set aside.
Make snickerdoodle dough
- Beat together the butter and sugar until they are fluffy; in a stand mixer, this will be at about 3 to 4 minutes. Scrape the sides of the bowl a few times. Add the egg and vanilla.
- In a separate bowl, stir together flour, cream of tartar, salt, cinnamon, and baking powder. Gradually mix the dry ingredients into butter mixture. Dough will be quite thick.
Assemble the cake
- Spoon large dollops (about 3 tablespoons each) of brownie batter into bottom of the prepared pan, leaving space between each lump. Crumble dollops of snickerdoodle dough in between brownie batter. Top with any more scoops of brownie batter and snickerdoodle dough. Gently use fingers to even out top.
- Bake until the middle passes the toothpick test, 33 to 40 minutes.
Make topping
- Stir together cinnamon and sugar. As soon as the cake is removed from the oven, sprinkle the mixture across the top.
- Let cool at least 15 minutes before cutting in. Cake can be served warm or at room temperature. It can also be frozen in slices and thawed for later enjoyment.
OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not: Cherry-Almond Coffee Cake
This Cherry-Almond Coffee Cake is more cake than cheesecake, and is all sweet, fruity goodness.
If you need a showstopper cake for a brunch or dessert, this one is perfect. It’s great to make ahead of time, too–slices can even be frozen for later, no prob!
I used Murray’s Spiced Cherry Preserves; that little kick of spice was fantastic in the cake. Other bold preserves would be great in this cake, too–raspberry, strawberry, blueberry, even tropical flavors.
This is a thick, rich cake. It tastes best when you get a bit of all the layers in a single bite: the sliced almonds, crumb topping, fruit, cream cheese, sponge.
My husband liked the cake cold but he liked it even more when warmed a bit–and not in the microwave, either, but gently brought to room temperature by letting a slice sit out for 30 to 45 minutes.
Don’t forget a slice on the counter, though. This does contain cream cheese and shouldn’t be left out for hours!
Modified from Taste of Home Magazine December 2015.
Bready or Not: Cherry-Almond Coffee Cake
Equipment
- 9-inch springform pan
- parchment paper
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup white sugar divided
- 3/4 cup cold unsalted butter cubed
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup vanilla yogurt or sour cream, 8 ounces
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 8 ounces cream cheese 1 box, softened
- 1 cup cherry preserves
- 1/2 cup slices almonds
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Cut a parchment round to fit the bottom of the springform pan. Apply nonstick spray or butter on bottom of sides of pan, add the parchment, then grease it as well.
- In a big bowl, mix flour with 3/4 cup of sugar. Cut in butter until it is crumbly. Measure out 1/2 cup crumb mixture for topping; set aside.
- To the bulk of the flour mix, add baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir in yogurt, 1 egg, and almond extract, until blended. Spread batter onto bottom of the springform pan.
- In a small bowl, beat together the softened cream cheese, the remaining 1/4 cup sugar, and egg, to make it as smooth as possible. It's okay if it still has some clumps. Pour it onto the pan and smooth out. Spoon the preserves all across the top. Sprinkle with the reserved crumb topping and the sliced almonds.
- Bake for 50 to 60 minutes. The middle should no longer be jiggly, the top a nice golden brown. Cool on a wire rack for 10 to 15 minutes then unlatch and life away the pan's ring to let the cake cool for another hour. Then place cake in fridge to complete set and cool for a few hours.
- Cake can be eaten cold or after slices are brought to room temperature after about 30 to 45 minutes. Do remember to store cake in the fridge, as it does contain cream cheese! Slices can also be individually wrapped and frozen, and will thaw in the fridge with no issue.
OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not Original: Snickerdoodle Crumb Cake
Snickerdoodles are a regular theme on Bready or Not, and this new Snickerdoodle Crumb Cake version is something amazing.
This is a true cake, not simply a bar. It has a light, airy crumb that isn’t too moist or too dry.
Most importantly, it tastes like a Snickerdoodle. Despite what some store versions think these days, that doesn’t simply mean cinnamon and sugar, but the distinct taste of cream of tartar as well.
That cinnamon-sugar thing is important too, though. That’s why this cake has a visible layer through the middle–which looks gorgeous when pieces are cut–as well as a crust on top. To which I added a pinch of pretzel salt for contrast, because why not?
This recipe doesn’t produce a massive batch of cake, but if you are baking for a few people, know that you can safely slice up and individually wrap pieces and freeze them for later.
Bready or Not Original: Snickerdoodle Crumb Cake
Equipment
- 8x8 or 9x9 pan
- uneven spatula
Ingredients
Streusel
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup brown sugar packed
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter half stick, cut into pieces
Dough
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter 1 1/2 sticks, room temperature
- 1/2 cup brown sugar packed
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or paste
Filling
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 Tablespoons white sugar
Topping
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 Tablespoon white sugar
- pinch pretzel salt optional
Instructions
Make the streusel
- Stir together the flour, brown sugar, and salt. Use a pastry cutter or butter knife and fork to mash the butter into pea-sized pieces and crumbs. Set in fridge to chill.
Make the dough
- Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Line an 8x8 or 9x9 pan with foil and apply nonstick spray.
- In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt. Set aside.
- In a big bowl, beat the butter and both sugars until creamy. Mix in eggs one by one followed by the vanilla extract. Gradually mix in dry ingredients until just combined.
- Spread about half the dough in the pan, using an uneven spatula fully coat the bottom.
Make the layers
- Stir together the two filling ingredients. Sprinkle to entirely cover the base layer of dough.
- Dollop the rest of the batter on top, again using the uneven spatula to spread evenly to edges. Sprinkle the streusel across the top. Mix together the cinnamon-sugar topping, then sprinkle that over the crumbs.
- Bake for 33 to 37 minutes, until the middle passes the toothpick test. Cool completely. Use foil to lift cake onto a cutting board to slice into bars.
- Store in airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Can also be sliced into bars, wrapped in plastic, and frozen for an easy treat later.
