Desserts | Simple By Cindy

Cinnamon Roll Coffee Cake

Nov. 5
2018

When I was growing up, my mother always had coffee cake in the house because she entertained regularly. There were even times when people would just show up after dinner unannounced, and she was always prepared. Impromptu company is not as common for me, but I can’t resist making a good coffee cake from time to time.

Coffee cake can be made many different ways. It is usually topped with things like cinnamon and sugar, glaze, nuts or raisins. It can come in different shapes such as round, rectangular or square. Some of the more intricate ones have a streusel swirl in them or are filled with fruit, nuts or chocolate.

When I was younger, I wondered why it is called coffee cake when it isn’t made with coffee.Turns out, it’s actually because it is usually eaten in the morning or after dinner with a good cup of coffee.They were thought to have originated in Germany. Now these little snack cakes are popular here because they are very easy to make and taste wonderful. These days everything seem to have its own celebration day, so FYI, National Coffee Cake Day is April 7th!

This coffee cake comes out so moist and delicious. Every single bite is luxurious and oh, so satisfying. There is scrumptious cinnamon every time you bite into it. The glaze is added sweet delishiness and tops the cake to give it a beautiful presentation. It is so easy to make and I am sure you have all the ingredients in your pantry.

This recipe is courtesy of Dinner then Dessert and will serve 12 people who just might start popping over unexpectedly after dinner.

Ingredients for Cinnamon Roll Coffee Cake

3 cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup sugar
4 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
4 tsp. vanilla
1 stick butter – melted
1 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp. cinnamon
3 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1-2 tbsp. water

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Mix flour, salt, sugar, baking powder with a whisk.

In a separate bowl, mix the milk, eggs and vanilla.

Mix the wet and dry together, then add in the melted butter.

Mix until well combined.

Use baking spray to spray a rectangular cake pan, 9 x 13-inch, then pour the batter evenly into the pan.

Mix brown sugar and cinnamon together and spread evenly on the cake. Use a knife or fork to swirl the sugar and cinnamon into the batter.

Bake for 30 minutes, let cool completely.

Mix the powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla and water until it is a consistency like pancake syrup.

Pour over the cake and it will set into a harder glaze.

Enjoy with a fantastic cup of coffee.

It’s that simple!

Fresh Homemade Pumpkin Pie

Oct. 29
2018

I was never a fan of dressing up for Halloween, even as a kid. I looked forward to seeing what everyone else dressed up as, but I never enjoyed it myself.

When my kids were growing up and they had a Halloween day parade at their school, I used to marvel at some of the costumes the other kids would wear. Some mothers were so creative, I still remember them today. Children were dressed up as dice, m&m’s, old men or women, and lollipops, to name a few. These costumes were all made by hand and they amazed me! I would admire creative mothers because my kids were not so fortunate in that way. My boys got store-bought costumes, but I know they were just as happy.

My kids have not celebrated Halloween in a very long time, so I miss those days. It was fun to watch all the kids parade around so proudly in their costumes. I live on a short street, nestled between two larger ones, so some years we would get a lot of trick or treaters, other years not so much. Lately, I am sorry to say if I just get a handful if I am lucky. Despite this, I still have that bowl of candy ready just in case, and I always will.

Even when we grow older, we crave sweets around halloween time. Pumpkin pie is my husband’s absolute favorite sweet treat. I never made him one, because all the recipes I came across used canned pumpkin. I rarely use anything in a can unless I have to. Using canned pumpkin just wasn’t going to happen, so I told him he would never get pumpkin pie from me. I don’t know why it has taken me this long to figure out that you can roast a pumpkin like you would butternut squash. Now that I have come up with this recipe, he is ecstatic. When I finally made one, he had a slice for breakfast and dessert almost every day.

In keeping with Halloween tradition, I decided to make one with fresh pumpkin. I am really happy with the results. This pie has a beautiful consistency. It is creamy, with all those savory fall spices: nutmeg, cinnamon, and ginger. They complement the roasted pumpkin perfectly. The reason I roasted the pumpkin flesh side up was to give it a caramelized flavor that is rich in sweetness.

This recipe will serve 8 people who will want to treat themselves to this perfect pumpkin pie year-round!

FYI: I doubled the recipe to make 2 pies, that is why there is so much batter in the pictures!

Ingredients for Homemade Fresh Pumpkin Pie:

1 deep dish pie shell

2 cups mashed, cooked pumpkin
1 (12 fluid ounce) can evaporated milk
2 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 400°F

Cut a medium sized pumpkin in half and scoop out the seeds.

Lay the pumpkin halves flesh side up on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Cook pumpkin for 35-45 minutes.

Scoop out flesh, enough for 2 cups.

In a large bowl, beat the pumpkin, evaporated milk, and eggs.

Add the brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and salt.

Pour into pie crust and bake for 40 minutes or until a knife inserted about 1 inch comes out clean.

It’s that simple!

Happy Halloween!

Apple Cinnamon Bread

Oct. 18
2018

Today was the first day it was actually cold out, and it’s looking like it will be this way all week. I woke up surprised. I actually had a sweater on today, but a lot of people were walking around in tee shirts. I couldn’t believe it. They are not ready to let go of the summer, that’s for sure!

As I have said, I love the fall. I enjoy the cool mornings, the warmth when the sun shines in the day and the windy nights. Although the leaves are falling and the days are getting shorter, the trees have not really changed color and I am especially looking forward to that. I do have to admit that I am not a fan of the acorns falling on my car.

This is a busy time for me as I have already begun working on my Thanksgiving festivities. I am excited to say that we recently began a new tradition for the holiday! Each year a family is assigned to pick a charity that has meaning to them and every person is asked to contribute to the charity. I base the colors I use to decorate my home on the charities logo. I can’t say what it is yet, because every year I like to surprise everyone. The charity that is picked has a special meaning to that part of the family, and when they share the story behind it, it becomes meaningful to all of us. One year we gave to The American Heart Foundation. The bartender that we hired for the evening donated his entire tip because his grandmother had stents put in a few weeks earlier. How nice was that? People feel good about giving, so our Thanksgivings have become even more sentimental.

This apple cinnamon bread is a perfect dessert for fall, and is going on my Thanksgiving list. It has two delectable layers of apples, cinnamon, and brown sugar. The butter warms your mouth with each bite. This dish is so amazingly aromatic, your neighbors might even get a whiff while it bakes.

This recipe is courtesy of All Recipes and will serve 10 people whose senses will be captivated by this delicious dessert.

Ingredients for Apple Cinnamon Bread

1/2 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract (I used a little more)
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup milk
1 large apple, peeled and finely chopped (about 1 1 /4 cups chopped) -(I used Granny Smith)

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Grease and flour a 9″ x 5″ loaf pan, and/or line it with parchment paper.

In a small bowl, combine the cinnamon and the brown sugar; set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter until smooth, then add white sugar and continue to blend until fully incorporated.

Add eggs and vanilla and blend until well combined.

Slowly add flour, baking powder, salt and then milk.

Blend just until all ingredients are well combined. Do not over-mix.

Pour half of the batter into the prepared pan.

Top batter with half of the diced apples and half of the cinnamon-sugar mixture.

Press apples and cinnamon sugar into the batter just a bit with the back of a large spoon. (I used my hand.)

Pour the remaining batter on top of the apple layer (spread as needed), then top with remaining apples and remaining cinnamon sugar.

Again, press the apples and cinnamon sugar into the batter a bit.

Bake for 50-55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean.

Cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to continue cooling.

It’s that simple!

Apple and Pear Crisp

Oct. 4
2018

One of the things I love about Autumn is that it is apple season. When my sons were young we used to take them apple picking on one of the most beautiful farms. The farm also had a hay-ride, which my boys looked forward to every year. It would take us up these long steep hills, where we could enjoy the vibrant colors of the leaves that had turned yellow, red, golden brown and orange.

I grew up in a town in New York that was very flat, with no hills or mountains. When I first moved to New Jersey, I remember being mesmerized my first fall. One weekend, I took my parents out on a highway with winding roads so they could enjoy the amazing autumn colors that I fell in love with. It quickly became my favorite season.

I love baking with apples. When we would bring freshly picked apples home from that farm, I would bake away! I wasn’t much of an apple dessert fan until I started baking with the freshly picked ones. Combine the apples or pears with cinnamon, butter, brown sugar, and ice cream and it is nothing short of magical.

I know it is pear season as, well, which is why I thought this recipe is perfect.

The combination of the apples and pears with the orange and lemon juice and zest is perfection. It gives them a nice tart flavor that blends beautifully. The nutmeg and cinnamon provide that savory goodness that is always in harmony with apples and pears. The oatmeal, butter and brown sugar are the perfect topping for this delectable treat. As always, Ina’s recipe is impeccable.

This recipe is courtesy of Ina Garten and its mouthwatering goodness will immerse 8 people into the autumn spirit.

Ingredients for Apple and Pear Crisp:

2 pounds Bosc pears (4 pears)
2 pounds firm Macoun apples (6 apples)
1 tsp. grated orange zest
1 tsp. grated lemon zest
2 tbsp. freshly squeezed orange juice
2 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

For the topping:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1 cup old-fashioned oatmeal
1/2 pound (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, diced

Preheat oven to 350F.

Peel, core and cut the pears and apples into large chunks.

Place fruit in a large bowl and add the zests, juices, sugar, flour, cinnamon, and the nutmeg.

Pour into a 9 x 12 by 2-inch oval baking dish.

For the topping:

Combine the flour, sugars. salt, oatmeal, and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.

Mix on low speed for 1 minute, until the mixture is in large crumbles.

Sprinkle evenly over the fruit, covering the fruit completely.

Serve warm.

It’s that simple!

Peach Cobbler Dump Cake

Sep. 3
2018

While I am out down the shore, I love walking through the towns nearby. They all have their own unique sense of charm. After enjoying the peace and simplicity of the beach, it is great to explore all of the things there are to do in these towns!

There are high-end clothing stores as well as beautiful vintage faire. You can find a five and dime store or a bookstore with comfy chairs for you to sit with your favorite book and a great cup of coffee. There are always movies to see and concerts to attend. You can try out one of the many food festivals, breweries, wineries or endless and beautiful vineyards. I love to rent a bike and ride to see the many historic homes, cottages and really drool-worthy beach homes! You can rent a boat, take a sunset sail and dine on the water. The possibilities are truly endless!

There are so many local farm stands down the shore, and I especially love the ones run by the owners of the farm. They are warm and friendly and offer so much good advice on cooking, produce longevity, how to store them and other friendly tidbits.

This year I got carried away and bought way to much corn. I gave some away to my friends and will cook and freeze the rest (so happy when I get to eat fresh wonderful corn in the winter). I also bought too many peaches, and I had to use them asap. That is why you are getting another peach recipe. I needed to find one that was super easy and quick to prepare.

This recipe whips up in no time. Originally, the recipe called for canned peaches, but I far prefer fresh. It used the juice from one of the cans in the recipe. Since I did not choose to do this, I used one of my peaches, mixed it with some water and sugar and cooked it until the water became syrupy. It was perfection! I loved this recipe. The baked peaches, along with the two sugars is amazing. It is topped with yummy cake mix and almonds that become beautifully browned during the baking process.

This recipe was loosely adapted from Tasteofhome and will serve 15 people who will be smacking their lips after they indulge in this ultimate sweet treat.

Ingredients for Peach Cobbler Dump Cake

5 peaches, peeled and sliced, with 1 set aside (6 in total)
1 tbsp. granulated sugar, plus 1/3 cup more
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 package yellow cake mix
3/4 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup cold butter

Preheat oven to 350º.

Place 1 peeled and sliced peach in a small saucepan with 1/2 cup of water and 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar, over medium heat.

Let cook about 15-20 minutes, or until the water in the pot gets thicker and syrupy.

Take off heat and let it cool about 10 minutes.

In a medium-sized bowl, add the cooked peach, the juice, and the freshly sliced peaches.

Add 1/3 cup granulated sugar, the brown sugar and cinnamon.

Sprinkle with cake mix and almonds.

Cut butter into very thin slices.

Arrange over top, spacing evenly.

Bake until golden brown and fruit is bubbly, 35 – 40 minutes.

Serve warm.

It’s that simple!