Cranberry Almond Coffee Cake

November 16, 2011

 

Where the heck is time flying to?  I realized earlier today when people at work were referring to Thanksgiving, they actually meant NEXT WEEK.  I can’t believe it.  Within the next two weeks, I get to hop on a plane on three different occasions, one for a fun city weekend with a dear friend, one for the Thanksgiving holidays, and one for a job interview.  It’s crazy.  While I welcome the holiday season, this year it has not only crept up on me, but it has completely jumped out of nowhere.

So now begin my Thanksgiving festivities…already. Like many of you out there, Thanksgiving has always been one of my favorite holidays…for obvious reasons.  I started celebrating a little early this year, making sure that I could have some great Thanksgiving-inspired recipes for all of you.

Let’s start with this Cranberry Almond Coffee Cake.  No, it’s not a traditional side or main dish for the big meal itself, but it would serve as a fantastic (and easy to prepare) dish for breakfast or brunch the day of or the day after (use those leftover fresh cranberries!)  This is sweet enough to even be served as a dessert-warm with some vanilla ice cream, even, in my opinion.

 

Cranberry Almond Coffee Cake

Servings: One 8 x 8-inch cake pan

 

Ingredients

3/4 cup (1 and 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 and 1/2 cups sugar, plus more for sprinkling on top of the coffee cake

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon almond extract

1 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Pinch sea salt

2 and 1/2 cups fresh cranberries, plus more for the top of the coffee cake

1/2 cup coarsely chopped almonds (I like mine in bigger pieces-I just pulsed whole almonds in the food processor a few times)

Instructions

1. In a microwave safe bowl, melt the butter in 30 second increments until completely melted.  Chill in refrigerator to cool slightly as you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

2. Set aside 2 tablespoons of the chopped almonds (these will be used on the top of the coffee cake).

3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

4.  Generously spray an 8 x 8-inch baking pan with cooking spray.

5. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and salt; set aside.

6. In the bowl of your standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the sugar and eggs until pale yellow and smooth, about 3 minutes.

7. Add the cooled butter and almond extract and mix until well combined.

8. With the mixer speed on low, slowly add the flour to the wet ingredients and mix until just incorporated.

9. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in the fresh cranberries and the almonds; mix well.

10. Pour the batter into the pan and smooth with an offset spatula.

11. Sprinkle the top of the batter with extra cranberries, the 2 tablespoons of almonds, and a light dusting of sugar, if desired.

12. Bake until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 50 minutes or so.  (Feel free to cover the cake with aluminum foil if it begins to brown too much-I didn’t have this problem, but the original recipe recommends this.)

 

Source:  Barely adapted from Bake at 350.

 

Filed in:Breads/Muffins/Etc. | Breakfast | Fruit | Holidays
comment
November 16, 2011 - 7:27 pm

Ann P. - some of the BEST fall flavors I can imagine… and they take you right into Christmas, too! Good thing, b/c that means more times you get to make these! yum.

November 18, 2011 - 1:59 am

Maria - This looks delicious! I can’t believe that thanksgiving is that close either.

November 18, 2011 - 5:02 pm

Kelsey - I am a sucker for ANYTHING cranberry. Time to add this to my list of must makes!

November 18, 2011 - 9:12 pm

Anna - I love this recipe for 2 practical reasons : One is, it can be multipurpose, as you have mentioned it can be a breakfast main course, a snack, a dessert, or cut in small pieces for finger food. Another is, leftover fruits and berries can be incorporated so you wont be guilty of throwing out stuff this holiday season. And the next reason is, oh! Did i just say two reasons? Whatever!? LOL! I love the fruity flavor of this cake too…Great post!

November 19, 2011 - 3:07 pm

Lizzie in Los Angeles - Lacking a stand mixer (I know, I know) I’m wondering if the texture of this cake would be compromised by combining everything by hand ….? This looks great but I don’t want to waste food if hand-mixing will yield a not-so-good result.

November 19, 2011 - 3:28 pm

srlacy - Go for it!

November 19, 2011 - 4:28 pm

Lizzie in Los Angeles - Thanks for the vote of confidence — appreciated!!

November 29, 2011 - 11:36 pm

Mallory - Oh my this looks divine… If you have the time you should try this YUMMY dessert that is a tradition every Thanksgiving for my family. It would be easy to make it more Christmas-geared… use red and green jello instead of yellow and orange! If you try it you should let me know how it turns out… I always want thicker crust but I don’t know how to do it. I love your blog, you’re awesome!

Mallory

Jello Recipe

December 18, 2011 - 6:31 pm

Mom Photographer - It’s in my oven right now 🙂

December 19, 2011 - 8:55 pm

If you’re sick bake a cake… Cranberry Walnuts Coffee Cake | - […] In the period of the last few days I’ve peeked at this cake (and this) several times. Those are actually the same cakes with the same recipe but called different. […]

May 12, 2013 - 1:47 pm

Cranberry Almond Coffee Cake - […] source:   thecurvycarrot.com […]

June 11, 2014 - 8:22 am

Apple Pecan Coffee Cake from Never Enough Thyme — Never Enough Thyme - Recipes with a slight southern accent. - […] Cranberry Almond Coffee Cake from The Curvy Carrot […]

Biscuits and Gravy

November 14, 2011

 

 

Yep, you read the title correctly.  It’s biscuits and gravy time.  A vegetarian biscuits and gravy, I might add.

So, coming from the Midwest, I was raised on this stuff.  Healthy?  Not so much?  My ultimate comfort food?  Yes.  And, sadly enough, it’s one of the things I miss the most about being meat-free.  I grew up on holidays, eating this for breakfast, watching my mom make the roux and add the sausage-just waiting for my serving so I could gulp it down with some fresh orange juice.  I would beg her for this stuff-even for celebratory dinners as a kid.  It’s what I wanted.

Now, I am a firm believer that one must know how to make a good gravy, regardless of the fat source (meat or not).  Don’t mess around with a woman (or man) who knows how to whip up a good gravy.  There’s a lot of power behind gravy-making-you need the right amount of fat, starch, and liquid for it to turn out palatable. It’s a magical concoction of deliciousness (in moderation, of course).

When I saw that Courtney posted a homemade biscuits and sausage gravy recipe, I couldn’t help but stare at the computer screen and drool a bit.  While I had made vegetarian versions of biscuits and gravy before (think: last Christmas morning when I made it for my mom and dad, and my dad literally licked his plate clean…and then suddenly realized that he had just eaten a vegetarian version and was slightly shocked by how much he-the ultimate meat man-had liked my version), I was ready to tackle another batch with some new seasonings.  First things first, this gravy is not for those who are keeping track of calories.  (It’s gravy, people).  Instead of fat from meat, I opted for a butter base (yes, I know, how terribly delicious).  I made up for the “lack of meat flavor” by adding in some fresh sage and different seasonings.  And while I am not usually a fan of substitute meat, the soy sausage protein I used in lieu of the real thing actually tasted really good with all the additional seasonings.  It tasted cleaner, lighter, and a little bit more earthy than what I remember.  Topped on my cream biscuits, this was a great comforting breakfast (and dinner for the next few nights.)

Biscuits and Gravy

Servings: approximately 4

Ingredients

1 14-ounce package of vegetarian sausage *I used GimmeLean brand

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

4 tablespoons flour

4 cups milk (any %)

1/8 cup fresh sage, chopped, or to taste

Red pepper flakes, to taste

Salt and pepper, to taste

Cream biscuits

Instructions

1. In a large and deep (at least 2 inches) sauté pan, cook and brown sausage as directed on the package label, place the sausage in a bowl and set aside.

2. Using the same pan you used to cook the sausage, over medium heat, melt the butter.

3. Add the flour, and using a spatula, scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan, stirring constantly.

4. Once the roux is golden brown, slowly add the milk to the roux and whisk constantly until the gravy is thickened, about 10-15 minutes.

5. Once thickened, add your cooked sausage, sage, and seasonings to the gravy.

6. Serve over warm cream biscuits.  Congratulations, you just made gravy, my darling.

Source: A Curvy Carrot original

Filed in:Breakfast | Curvy Carrot Original
comment
November 14, 2011 - 10:26 am

Melissa @ Kids in the Sink - I am a vegetarian too and have other meat-eaters in my life that aren’t too keen on eating meat substitutes. Perhaps I’ll give this a try! I’ll have to trick them but perhaps it’ll work!

November 14, 2011 - 1:22 pm

Marilyn - Oh dear. I also grew up in the Midwest, and therefore biscuits and gravy are a big soft spot for me too. I’m so looking forward to indulging again. Thanks. 🙂

November 14, 2011 - 3:26 pm

Maggie @ A Bitchin' Kitchen - I’ve found that soy sausage is one meat substitute that actually tastes really good. I’m not a vegetarian, but I often buy meatless sausage because it’s healthier and almost as tasty!

This gravy looks amaaazing.

November 14, 2011 - 6:06 pm

kokocooks - A vegetarian version of red eye gravy!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you. Actually, I like the sausage version, but can’t get over how bad for you it is. This seems like a much healthier but still tasty option.

November 14, 2011 - 6:26 pm

Ann P. - I don’t think i’ve EVER had biscuits and gravy (from the West Coast–not quite as popular here), but this looks SO delicious that I may have to give them a try!

November 15, 2011 - 1:19 am

Jeff - Those look amazing! I would definitely be all over those! Great recipe!

November 19, 2011 - 9:00 am

Lauren - ohhhhhhhhhh wow, this looks DELICIOUS. I have wanted to try biscuits and gravy for years, but NO ONE makes a vegetarian version. Awesome! Thank you!

July 28, 2012 - 8:19 am

kaceyt - I totally agree with you about biscuits and sausage gravy being one of the worst things to give up! I’m craving it for breakfast right now! Your recipe looks delicious and I’ll keep it bookmarked, but I don’t have any veggie sausage right now, so it won’t fit the bill for this morning:(

August 2, 2012 - 12:56 pm

Kaitie - I just went to a breakfast-for-dinner dinner party and brought this gravy, and it was a hit! Even up against a real sausage gravy everyone said mine was better =] I added a little more sage than you call for and didn’t add the red pepper flakes and it turned out delish. Thanks for the great recipe!

August 7, 2012 - 4:36 pm

Neelam - I tried this recipe, and it came out delicious! I paired it with a warm kale salad with asian pears and tahini dressing, and miso soup. It was a perfect balance of heavy, warm foods and light vegetables. Thank you! I didn’t have any veggie sausage, so tried it without, and it was still delicious!

February 16, 2013 - 4:31 pm

Mr. B - I tried this using some gluten-free flour and corn-starch, as my girlfriend’s a veggie and gluten intolerant. This worked out quite nicely! She’d never had biscuits and gravy before, and when serving it up to her, I felt like I really provided the biscuits and gravy experience I so love. Thanks for your post!

July 8, 2013 - 5:00 am

Whole Wheat Blueberry Cinnamon Rolls (a Rosebud Remix) » The Curvy Carrot - […] a way, though,  I miss those things.  I’ve come up with a decent vegetarian biscuits and gravy since (although, I have to admit I now have a better version that my future brother-in-law asks for […]

December 5, 2013 - 12:27 pm

Vegetarian Biscuits And Gravy | Rock Out With My Wok Out - […] Original Recipe […]

August 22, 2014 - 6:47 pm

Stephanie - I made this gravy for my husband’s birthday dinner this week and it was delicious! I can’t wait to make it again.

White Chocolate Cupcakes

November 12, 2011

Yesterday was my friend, Jill’s, birthday.  Last week we were discussing her desired cupcake flavor for me to make, and I offered up this white chocolate cupcake recipe.  She immediately agreed, and I immediately envisioned these pure white little guys with my new cupcake liners and some white nonpareils on top.  Maybe it was the recent six inches of snow that the Upper Valley received that inspired all the whiteness, I don’t know.  But all I know is that I am darn glad she chose this flavor.

When I first met Jill, we were attending orientation at our new jobs.  She walked into the auditorium, beautiful, with a fantastic necklace on (I instantly thought, “I have to be friends with this girl because we have similar tastes in jewelry”), and she immediately sat down next to me out of all the seats there.  When we both discovered that we were in similar fields, were devoted fans of True Blood on HBO, and were both looking for places to buy home supplies (Target, anyone?), it was an instant friendship that I know will last a long time.  Since then, our dogs have become best friends, and Jill has become a surrogate mom to Scout (and even watched the cats for me once) when I go out of town.  She’s great, people.

These cupcakes are moist, yet dense.  And even though I traditionally associate white chocolate with having a little too much sweetness for my taste, the cupcakes were not overwhelmingly sweet.  I decided to pair them with a white chocolate cream cheese frosting (yes, another cream cheese frosting variation…can you really have too many?) because I figured the cream cheese base would counterbalance the potential oversweetness of the white chocolate.  It may have toned down the sweetness just a bit, but it almost seemed like the perfect pairing.  I used the leftover white chocolate bar (I used Lindt) to make a few white chocolate curls as a garnish (but, let’s be honest, I ate a lot of them….), and the end result did look a little like a snow-topped mountain (at least I hoped they did…they did to me…).  I have a sneaking suspicion that these cupcakes would do well with an add-in flavor…maybe some swirls of raspberry preserves, some Bailey’s Irish cream, or even some pumpkin puree.

Happy Birthday, Jill.  Thank you for being such a great new friend to me.

White Chocolate Cupcakes

Servings: 18 cupcakes

Ingredients

For the cupcakes:

1 and 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup butter (5 and 1/3 tablespoons-your stick of butter will probably give you the measurement in case you are like me and can’t do math), softened

3/4 cup sugar

2 large eggs

4 ounces good-quality white chocolate, chopped and melted

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup plus 1 tablespoon milk (I used whole because I had it on hand…use whatever you have)

For the frosting:

8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 ounces white chocolate, melted

2 teaspoons vanilla

6 teaspoons milk

4-6 cups confectioners’ sugar

 

Instructions

1. For the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

2. Line a cupcake pan (or two) with the cupcake liners of your choice.

3. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

4. In the bowl of your standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.

5. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.

6. Add the melted white chocolate and vanilla, mixing well.

7. Alternately add the dry ingredients with the milk in 2-3 portions, mixing well after each addition.

8. Divide the batter evenly into the prepared cupcake pan.

9. Bake the cupcakes until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 20-22 minutes or so.  Let cool completely before frosting.

10. For the frosting: In the bowl of your standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the cream cheese and butter on medium speed until smooth, about 1 minute.

11. Add the melted white chocolate, vanilla, and milk.

12. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the confectioners’ sugar, until you reach your desired consistency. *I added the full 6 cups of sugar for proper piping consistency.

13. Pipe as desired onto completely cooled cupcakes.

 

Source:  Cupcakes and frosting directly from Baking Bites.

 

 

 

Filed in:Desserts
comment
November 12, 2011 - 8:19 am

The Curvy Carrot » White Chocolate Cupcakes | Chocolate Crazy Online - […] View original post: The Curvy Carrot » White Chocolate Cupcakes […]

November 12, 2011 - 11:12 am

Notyet100 - Ummm too good,..:)

November 12, 2011 - 2:31 pm

Erin @ Texanerin Baking - I LOVE white chocolate! I’ve made a few white chocolate cakes before but was always disappointed by the lack of chocolate taste. I’ve been wanting to make these so it’s good to know that they’re worth trying. 🙂

November 12, 2011 - 2:45 pm

Ann P. - This post made me go “Aww!” I love new friendships. And with these amazing cupcakes, I bet that friendship is solidified for life! That is the power of baked goods. 😉

November 12, 2011 - 7:39 pm

Nicola @ unhip squirrel - Yummy! When I was a kid, I was obsessed with white chocolate – though, as you say, it had to be GOOD white chocolate. There’s nothing worse than the bad stuff! Thanks for sharing this recipe. 🙂

November 13, 2011 - 12:42 pm

Maria - White chocolate is underrated…sure it’s not real chocolate, but that doesn’t mean it cant be good!!!

November 13, 2011 - 5:21 pm

Jenn@eatcakefordinner - Sounds delicious – I love everything with white chocolate!

November 14, 2011 - 11:05 am

skr - So very pretty, plus I love the rich undertones that white chocolate gives out. Yummy idea! :]

November 14, 2011 - 4:44 pm

Kristi - I would love to try them with some raspberry preserves for my hubby’s birthday! How would you suggest adding it? Directly into the batter or swirl into each individual cupcake?

November 14, 2011 - 5:30 pm

srlacy - Hi Kristi-

You could do it either way, but it might be a prettier end product if you do each swirl individually. I can’t wait to hear how they turn out!

November 20, 2011 - 3:33 pm

Kristi - I did them individually and they turned out great! I made a few without just to compare and we prefer them with the raspberry. Thanks so much for the great recipe!

December 6, 2011 - 10:46 pm

White Chocolate Cupcakes « CT Sugar & Spice - […] I was able to adapt the recipe from the Curvy Carrot. […]

December 30, 2011 - 10:39 pm

New Year’s Eve Cupcakes « Mad as a March Hare - […] The recipe was adapted from here. […]

January 22, 2012 - 7:11 pm

Kaydoll - Made these (miniature cupcake size) for a party last night. What a hit! Women justified eating four or five saying it was equal to one regular sized cupcake. I went a little heavy on the white chocolate in the frosting, but cut back a tad on the powdered sugar. Works fine as long as its not over whipped.

January 24, 2012 - 10:45 pm

Lisa - These look amazing! Just curious, did you use unsalted butter, or salted? I want to assume unsalted, since you added that 1/2 tsp of salt- but just want to be sure, thanks! Can’t wait to try these

January 24, 2012 - 10:50 pm

srlacy - Hi Lisa-
Yep, you are right-I used unsalted. In fact, that’s the only kind I will buy! 🙂

February 7, 2012 - 12:29 pm

Raquel - just baked a batch of these to take on a trip. AMAZING recipe. delicious frosting but even more delicious cake! Spongy, fluffy and very very yummi, thank you for those! x

April 3, 2012 - 10:59 pm

White Velvet Cupcakes with Raspberry Frosting « baking all the rules - […] Adapted from The Curvy Carrot […]

April 9, 2012 - 10:18 am

A Solution of Sorts « Sweet&Savory Symphony - […] Chocolate Cupcakes, raspberry-filled, Smothered in Lemon Buttercream Cake (thank you, The Curvy Carrot, for this easy, delicious […]

April 17, 2012 - 12:28 pm

White Chocolate Cupcakes with Truffle Filling « thedishbytrish - […] approx. 30 cupcakes Click here for The Curvy Carrot’s recipe for 18 […]

June 4, 2012 - 1:50 am

Mary - These are a match to my Chocolate Reese’s cupcakes. My mom and daughter love the white chocolate Reese cups so I needed a really good recipe for white chocolate cupcakes. I used a peanut butter frosting and striped it with a white chocolate it works amazingly well. Thanks for the recipe.

June 12, 2012 - 11:03 am

Good eating, good prices, REAL EVIDENCE | Deep Fried Epiphany - […] White chocolate cupcakes with mixed berry buttercream (frosting was a concoction I could not create again if I tried) […]

July 3, 2012 - 4:05 pm

Bev Bracey - Really want to try this recipe but live in UK have managed to convert most of the measurements, but having difficulty with the measure of butter. Could you give the amount in either ounces or grams. Many thanks

July 4, 2012 - 11:06 am

srlacy - Hi Bev-

My suggestion would be to google it or try a conversion chart. One stick of butter is 8 tablespoons, if that helps. Good luck.

March 8, 2013 - 5:33 pm

Krystina - Hi! Trying these babies out tomorrow, will the truffle set after a few hours??
I don’t want them having hard chocolate in the middle?

March 8, 2013 - 5:36 pm

Krystina - Never mind sorry! Thought this was the recipe that added the white Lindt truffle to the middle!

March 11, 2013 - 1:16 pm

Tara - I made these this past weekend for a get-together. They were wonderful. My husband doesn’t like milk chocolate, but will eat white chocolate, so these were great for him too.

August 28, 2013 - 12:38 am

White Chocolate and a Dry Brut | bubblesandsprinkles - […] made this recipe up as I went along, but here’s a yummy one for a jumping off […]

December 23, 2013 - 4:15 am

Peppermint Bark Cupcakes | Peppermint and Paisley - […] Modified from recipe on The Curvy Carrot […]

January 28, 2014 - 6:28 pm

Derrick - Did you guys use bakers white chocolate for this?

January 28, 2014 - 7:42 pm

srlacy - Hi Derrick-

I actually used some bulk white chocolate (I forget which brand it was) from my local market. You could probably also use bakers white chocolate for this as well.

May 11, 2014 - 11:22 pm

Bake Sale Cupcakes | Blondie's - […] Recipe adapted from The Curvy Carrot. […]

May 18, 2014 - 4:23 pm

kimberly - hi! would this recipe adapt well to make an 8 inch round cake? do you have any suggestions?

May 20, 2014 - 9:46 am

srlacy - Hi Kimberly-

I apologize for the delayed response. Yes, you can absolutely adapt this to an 8-inch cake pan. I would increase the baking time, though. The best way to check if the cake is done is if you insert a cake tester into the center-when it comes out clean (without gooey crumbs), the cake should be done. Just test every few minutes. Hope this helps!

December 11, 2014 - 6:00 pm

Ivie - AH-MAY-ZING recipe. Used it for thanksgiving but I made a mistake and it was too hard (misread and underused the milk). Made another batch and Mother In Law and I lurrveeee it. It’s realy nice and fluffy.
Thank you curvy carrot

January 4, 2015 - 5:48 am

Peppermint Bark Cupcakes | - […] Modified from recipe on The Curvy Carrot […]

January 24, 2015 - 2:46 pm

White Chocolate Cupcakes with Truffle Filling | Heartfelt Hints of Heaven - […] recipe calls for 30 cupcakes but I only did the recipe for 18. I used her cream cheese frosting recipe cut it in half and made adjustments by adding a quarter of […]