Pumpkin Crumble Cake - Recipe Review

 

I joined a book club in September and I love it! But more importantly, I love my book club ladies! They're a great group, full of support and humor and great conversation. Our weekly meetings are about 20% book discussion, 60% chit chat and 20% coffee and treats.

I like to try to bring a new treat every week. Cookies, squares, muffins, etc... This week I decided to try a cake. It's risky because I have limited time in the morning, and cakes take some time in the oven. I have three kids to feed, dress and get off to school (at three different schools), a baby who wants to nap right around the time we have to be out the door, and I like to look somewhat presentable which requires me sneaking in a shower in the hour and twenty minutes we have from when we wake up to when we're running out the front door.

 
I needed a cake recipe that was easy, fast and of course, delicious. I went to lifemadedelicious.ca and right on the homepage was a picture of this cake. The name drew me in, Pumpkin Crumble Cake. When I read the ingredients and saw how easy it is I decided to give it a try. I made a little modification, I wanted to bake it in a bundt pan (purely for the pretty) and so I put the crumble in the bottom of the pan and poured the batter over top. If I were to do it again in the bundt pan I'd pour the batter in and then put the crumble so when it's turned out on a plate it would be easier to slice through. But any way you bake this recipe it'll be delicious (I may try cupcakes next time)! The cake has a great light, fluffy, soft texture similar to red velvet cake and it tastes like a slice of pumpkin pie but with an amazing, sweet, pecan crunch. My book club absolutely LOVED it!  My friend Jeannette's two year old kept coming back to steal bites off her mom's plate, which, she begrudgingly shared. 

My book club ladies!

We read some heavy material :)

I'll definitely be making this one again as it was a big hit!

For the recipe for this amazing cake, head on over to lifemadedelicious.ca!

http://lifemadedelicious.ca/en/recipes/p/pumpkin-crumble-cake

Please read my Disclosure Page to learn about my relationship with General Mills Canada.

Stuffed Hazelnut Cookies & Luscious Chocolate Truffles - Recipe Review

I received a copy of the Betty Crocker Big Red Cookbook from the good people at General Mills Canada a little while ago and I was asked if I would do a recipe review. I sat down with a cup of hot chocolate the night I got the book and read it cover to cover. Not only does it have 1500 recipes ranging from appetizers, to breakfast, to soups and desserts, but there are tons of handy information sheets. Things like how to cut up a whole chicken and how to can your own fruits and vegetables as well as measurement conversions and what to substitute for brown sugar if you're all out and in a pinch. The cookbook is broken down into 23 sections and includes a tab entitled "Do It Yourself" and another for meals that take "20 Minutes or Less". I'm a visual learner and I eat with my eyes so I really love that there are pictures for every recipe.

 Since I'm a baker at heart I quickly decided to make something from the Cookies, Bars and Candies section of this huge cookbook and began to drool over all the recipes. The holidays are quickly approaching so I picked two recipes that work great with my other favourite holiday treats. Everyone loves truffles and these super easy, dark chocolate balls of yumminess taste like the expensive specialty shop kind but cost only a fraction of what you'd pay in a store. And the Hazelnut Stuffed Cookies *cough*nutella*cough* are rich and chewy and perfect with a cup of hot cocoa or a minty mocha.

If you're looking for the perfect gift to give the at-home chef this year, or you want a new cookbook for yourself, I highly recommend the Betty Crocker Big Red Cookbook. Trust me, your tummy with thank me for it!

 Stuffed Hazelnut Cookies

Filling

1/2 cup hazelnut spread with cocoa

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1/4 cup chopped hazelnuts (filberts)

Cookies

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup hazelnut spread with cocoa

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 egg

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

Glaze

1 cup dark chocolate chips

2 tsp shortening

6 tsp finely chopped hazelnuts (filberts), if desired

Instructions:

1. Heat over to 375˚F. In a small bowl, mix 1/2 cup hazelnut spread, powdered sugar and chopped hazelnuts . Shape into 24 (1-inch) balls.

2. In a large bowl, beat the sugar, hazelnut spread, butter and egg with an electric mixer on medium speed, or mix with a spoon, until well blended. Stir in flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

3. Divide dough into 24 (1-inch) balls. Flatten each ball into 21/2 inch round circles. Shape cookie dough rounds around 1 hazelnut ball, covering completely. Repeat with remaining dough and hazelnut balls. On ungreased cookie sheets, place filled dough rounds about 3 inches apart.

4. Bake 9 to 10 minutes or until edges are set. Cool for 5minutes on the cookie sheet and  then transfer to cooling racks.

5. In a small microwaveable bowl, beat chocolate chips and shortening in microwave on High for 30 seconds; stir. Microwave about 30 seconds longer or until mixture can be stirred smooth. Drizzle over cooled cookies; sprinkle each with 1/4 tsp finely chopped hazelnuts. Let cookies stand until glaze sets.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Luscious Chocolate Truffles

1 bag (12oz) semisweet dark or milk chocolate chips (2 cups) *I used dark

2 tbsp butter, softened

1/4 cup whipping cream

2 tbsp liqueur (almond, cherry, coffee, hazelnut, Irish Cream, orange, raspberry or any other flavour) *I used Kahlua

1 tbsp shortening

finely chopped nuts, white chocolate, sprinkles or anything else you'd like to decorate them with

Instructions:

1. In a 2-quart saucepan, melt 1 cup of the chocolate chips over low heat, stirring constantly; remove from heat. Stir in butter. Stir in whipping cream and liqueur. Refrigerate 10 to 15 minutes, stirring frequently, just until thick enough to hold a shape.

2. Line cookie sheet with foil. On the cookie sheet, drop mixture by teaspoonfuls; shape into balls. (If mixture is too sticky refrigerate until firm enough to shape.) Freeze 30 minutes.

3. In 1-quart saucepan, heat shortening and remaining 1 cup chocllate chips over low heat, stirring constantly, until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth; remove from heat. Using a fork, dip truffles, one at a time, into the chocolate. Return to foil covered cookie sheet. Immediately sprinkle some of the truffles with nuts or sprinkles. Refrigerate about 10 minutes or until coating is set.

Amanda's Tip: Before dipping the truffles into chocolate, melt peanut butter chips with a bit of butter and dip some of the truffles in. Let set in the refrigerator and then dip into the chocolate and freeze for 10 minutes for Peanut Butter Chocolate Truffles!

Disclosure: I received a free cookbook as part of this post. But my endorsements can't be bought. If I like something, I like it; If I don't, I'd tell you! Please see my Disclosure page to read more about my relationship with General Mills Canada.

Enjoy!

Amanda

Book Review & Giveaway - The Gourmet Pregnancy

I was contacted a little while ago by someone I follow on twitter and she asked me if I would be interested in reviewing a cookbook. I was absolutely flattered that someone would want my opinion and so I jumped at the opportunity. I was told the cookbook was called The Gourmet Pregnancy, which was perfect considering my belly has reached epic proportions!

Seriously? I'm only 22 weeks along, this is scaring me!

Pregnancy is a time you battle with food. Either it's making you queasy, or you just can't get enough of it. You crave the weirdest things and hate your usual favourites. And then there's the "forbidden" list. The foods you just shouldn't eat, which inevitably, makes you want them for the whole torturous nine months. (I'm dying for a sushi roll and a caesar!) The author of The Gourmet Pregnancy, Leah Douglas, struggled with what to eat when she was pregnant also. She found that there were so many conflicting opinions on what was safe and what wasn't that she wanted to create a cookbook that would make meal planning easy and worry-free. She partnered up with a doctor to make sure that the recipes included were not only tasty, but met the nutritional needs and restrictions of pregnant women.

Now, just because it's called The Gourmet Pregnancy doesn't mean that everyone won't enjoy these recipes! There is something for everyone in this cookbook from soups and sandwiches to burgers, pizzas and seafood dishes. And the desserts... oh lord the desserts, I read over each recipe like I was studying for the SATs! There is a picture with every recipe which is always something I look for in a cookbook (we eat with our eyes first!) and the photography is gorgeous.

I received the cookbook in the mail the day before the Canadian May Two-Four Weekend (or as it's officially know, Victoria Day Weekend) and we had guests coming to visit. I thought it was a perfect opportunity to make some of the recipes for my guests and treat them like guinea pigs. We flipped through the book and picked out a few recipes we wanted to try.

So here are the judges:

Phil - my husband's best friend, he's a Doctor (bonus!) and a health nut/runner
PJ - Phil's wife, a now stay-at-home mom to their adorably impish son Kieran who is also very health conscious
Jason - my husband, a lover all things junk food and picky eater when it comes to "green stuff"
and Me - pregnant, stay-at-home mother of two who will eat just about anything these days!

We tried 3 recipes which I will share in separate posts along with our reviews. We graded them on my patented cupcake scale:








White Peach Bellini










Mild Curry Chicken Pizza on Naan








Cherry and Fresh Mint Tart with Rustic Vanilla Shortbread Crust





And now for the GIVEAWAY!

The good folks over at Wiley and I would like to give away a copy of The Gourmet Pregnancy to one of my luck readers. To win, simply leave a comment telling me either

a) What your biggest pregnancy craving was/is, or
b) if you've never been pregnant, what your favourite food is.

The Rules
1.) Open to Canadian and continental USA residents only.
2.) One winner will be chosen on 05/06/10 by using random.org.
3.) Make sure that I have a way to contact you when you leave a comment; either through your blog or an email.
4.) I will contact the winner via email or commenting on the winner's site.
6.) You have until 05/06/10 to claim the giveaway, or I will have to choose another winner.

enjoy!