Mimi's Apple Cake

I am still in shock about Tuesday; maybe I didn't have enough faith in this country.  After Obama's acceptance speech, we all walked down to the White House, where a huge crowd was gathered.  The energy was amazing, and it was so cool to be a part of it. And, it was Husband's first time voting in the US- not a bad first race! 

This is another recipe that we made with the seniors' nutrition class that I am an assistant for. Honestly, spending time with them on a Friday afternoon is the best way to wrap up the week.  

This cake comes courtesy of "Chef Jenny" who works at Sticky Fingers Bakery, among other places.  The recipe a healthified version of a cake her grandma used to make.  I am anti sugary sweet breakfast breads, so I only use about 1/4- 1/2 c of sugar when I make them. 

Mimi's Apple Cake 

Ingredients: 

1 c white flour

1 c whole wheat flour

1/2 c sugar (original recipe calls for 1 c sugar + 1/2 c brown sugar)

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ground allspice (not called for in original recipe)

1 c applesauce

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla 

2 1/2 c peeled, chopped apple

1 c chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

Preparation: 

Preheat oven to 350.  Spray a loaf pan with cooking spray and set aside. 

Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl and mix thoroughly.  Mix all of the wet ingredients well, reserving apples and nuts, if using.  Add dry ingredients to wet, and mix until just combined. Fold in apples and nuts.  Bake for about 45 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in bread comes out clean.  

Blueberry Banana Muffins

I haven't found the answer to this eternal question yet: how many irregularly shaped muffins does it take to erase the memory of a really bad day at work? But I am getting closer.

After (unsuccessfully) chasing my cat around the living room with an overgrown zucchini-- (Me: "Come on Simone, it's a photo-op! You love having your picture taken! And! The zucchini is bigger than you!" Cat: "For the love of all things normal, please stop that, Mommy. I will not submit to your absurd still-life idea. I am insulted that you think that a picture of me would be enhanced by the presence of a huge, probably tasteless squash. Unbelievable.")-- I was too dejected to even use the zucchini in the muffins.

So blueberry banana, it was. I used very ripe bananas that I had previously stashed in the freezer, as well as a handful of fresh blueberries I had frozen as well. I thawed them out, and they were ready to go. This recipe is based loosely on Mark Bittman's basic muffin recipe, although I made quite a few changes.

Blueberry Banana Muffins

Ingredients:

cooking spray

1c whole wheat flour

1c white flour

1/4 c sugar

3 TB baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp clove

1/2 tsp ginger

pinch allspice

1/2 c soy milk

3 TB canola oil

1 egg

3 very ripe bananas

1 c blueberries

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 400. Spray a 12 muffin tray with cooking spray. Set aside.

Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl (through allspice). Set aside. Combine all wet ingredients, except blueberries, in a separate bowl. Make a well in the dry ingredient bowl, and pour in the wet ingredients.

Mix gently with a wooden spoon, stopping when ingredients are combined. Add more soy milk if needed. Batter should be thick, lumpy and moist. Carefully fold in blueberries.

Spoon mixture into muffin tray. Bake for about 20-25 minutes. Check muffins for doneness with a wooden toothpick. Makes 12.