Caramel Apple Slices

Today is Halloween and our last apple post as well. Our final apple post is a yummy one, we’re doing a variation of the caramel apple which is quite fitting as caramel apples remind me of Halloween. We’ve tried a sliced dipped apple with toppings that you can dip your apple in. You can try so many different variations and toppings. Check out our apple dipping Friday night...

First of all we sliced up some Granny Smith apples in some good bite sized slices.

We got some bamboo skewers; you can also just dip or use a fork as well.

We found some toppings and for fun we put them in muffin wrappers in a muffin tin. You can also put the toppings in little bowls or ramekins as well.

For toppings we decided on chocolate chips, mini marshmallows, ground Graham crackers, crushed pretzels, sprinkles, and crushed Oreos. We also melted some white chocolate and made some caramel sauce and went to town! 

Blue Ribbon Apple Cake

Are you ready for another apple post? I am. I even just had an apple snack in preparation for this post.

Today we are going to share with you our recent attempt at a Blue Ribbon Apple Cake. It was a huge success and so delicious with a nice dollop of vanilla ice cream. It’s perfect if you want the flavours of an apple pie but you don’t actually have time to make one or if you want a different take on it. It’s warm and very apple-ly and you can put lots of ice cream on it so take a look at the recipe and steps we have for you below...

Blue Ribbon Apple Cake

Apple Layer:

4 Tbsp. of butter

½ cup of packed brown sugar

3 medium-large Granny Smith apples

1/8 tsp. of salt

Cake:

½ cup of sour cream

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

½ tsp. of vanilla

1 ¼ cups of flour

¾ cup granulated sugar

½ tsp. of baking powder

¼ tsp. of baking soda

¼ tsp. of salt

8 tbsp. of butter, softened

Let’s start with the apples. In a pan, melt the butter over high heat. Stir in the brown sugar and cook until the sugar looks dark brown. Add in the sliced apples along with the salt and cook until the apples have softened and the juices are thickened, about 7 minutes.

Now take those apples and layer them into the bottom of a greased and floured 9 inch round pan. It might look like it’s almost full, but that’s ok.  Set aside and make the cake batter.

For the cake, whisk the sour cream, egg, egg yolk, and vanilla in a small bowl.

In bowl of your mixer, whisk the flour, sugar, baking, soda, baking powder, and the salt. Now beat in the butter to the flour mix until it looks like wet sand.

Slowly beat in the sour cream mixture and increase the mixer to incorporate it all in. You want it to be light and fluffy, so for about a minute.

Spoon the batter over the apples and spread into an even layer.

Bake the cake in a 350 degree oven for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. We didn’t do this from the start, we should have though, but it’s wise to put a cookie sheet under your cake pan as we had lots of juices bubble up and over during baking and they burnt on the bottom of the oven and cake pan. It was quite smelly and it even got into the flavour of the cake a bit.

Once it’s all cooked, allow the cake to cool slightly and then place a large plate or serving platter over the top of the cake pan and invert the cake. Let it sit until the cake releases from the pan. You can give it tap to help it along if you like.

Once the cake is out, serve it nice and warm. This is definitely the type of cake that you want to eat warm, just like pie. Finish it off with a nice big scoop of vanilla ice cream or leave it plain if you wish!

All About Apples

We’re fully into Fall now. The leaves are changing colours and the weather is getting crisper and rainier. One of the things that you think about when you think of Fall, when it comes to food at least, is apples! Apples come in so many varieties; there’s more now than ever. I remember before that you’d only really see a few types like Red Delicious, McIntosh, and Granny Smith. For the next few weeks we are going to look at creating things with apples whether it be crafts or food treats. This week though, we are going to take a look at the many different varieties of apples and see what you can do with them and how to find them at the grocery store. 

Apples:

McIntosh: Deep red with green - Juicy, tangy, and tart - Best used for snacking and applesauce -Best months...September through May.

Red Delicious: Stripy red to solid midnight red - Sweet and soft -This is the apple that is most recognized; it’s got the feet at the bottom and tall body and is best used in salads or as a snack but eat it fast as it turns brown fast - Found all year round.

Golden Delicious: Yellow with a pink “blush” sometimes - Mild sweet flavour that’s buttery and honey tasting - Best as a snack, beverages, in pies and crisps but mixed with more tart apples - Found all year round.

Granny Smith: My absolute favourite! Green sometimes with a red blush - Very tart and tangy - Best used for baking but also a good snack if you don’t mind sour - Found all year round.

Gala: Creamy yellow to red and yellow striped and reddish orange - Very sweet, crispy, and juicy - Great for snacking, beverages, baking, and making applesauce. Found all year round.

Fuji: Striped yellow and red - Sweet and firm - Good for snacking, beverages, baking, freezing, and applesauce- Found all year round starting in September. 

Jazz - Orangish red with yellow patches - Sweet, firm, and juicy - Best for snacking and baking - Found all year round.

Pink Lady: Pinkish red with yellow - Sweet, crunchy, and tangy at the same time - Best for snacking and baking - Best months... November to August.

Ambrosia: Yellow pink - Floral aroma, honey flavour, and sweet - Good for snacking, salads, and baking. Best months... September through March.

Honeycrisp: Red over yellow - Crisp, coarse, juicy, and sweet - Good for snacking, beverages, salads, applesauce - Limited supplies starting in September.

Braeburn: Orangey or red over yellow or green - Rich, spicy, juicy, and sweet - Good for snacking, applesauce, salads, and baking. Best months...October through July.

Spartan: Crimson red with green near the top - Soft with bright white flesh, crisp, juicy, tangy. Good for beverages, snacking, baking, and applesauce. Found all year round.

Envy: Reddish with yellow shining through - Sweet and crisp - Good for snacking, salads, and baking - Best months...October to March.

Jonagold: Red with green poking through - Crunchy and sweet with tartness - Best used for snacking, salads, baking, and beverages. Best months...October to July.

Crispin: Green - Sweet, refreshing, and crisp - Best for snacking, baking, sauce, and freezing - Found all year round.

So there you have a list of different apples and what they look and taste like and when they can be found. Coming up next week...we pick some to bake with!