Books, Tea, and the Trinity: Apple Buttermilk Cake

Back in 2020, some friends and I started a Tea Party/Bible Study/Book Club. We met every Wednesday and worked our way through the Chronicles of Narnia and are currently working through The Chronicles of Prydain. When we started I resolved to share all the recipes, we have made-but I haven’t gone through them as quickly as I hoped.

When we completed The Magician’s Nephew,The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe; and A Horse and His Boy; we moved on to book four, Prince Caspian. This book is one of my favorites in the series as I love Prince Caspian (although the Disney film version is horrible). Like A Horse and His Boy, this book did not mention a lot of specific foods, so we planned whatever we wanted to make.

As I wasn’t in charge of this book, there will be no discussion questions, just recipes. 

The first week we had Apple Cinnamon Scones: Salmon Radish Cucumber Canapés, Cinnamon Bread-Honey-Cheese-Apple and Ham Sandwiches, Kellogg’s Cheese Potato Crisps, and Applesauce Cake; all paired with Caroline’s Coffee Roaster Princess Earl Grey (as we needed to have some royal-tea).

The next week we had lavender flowering tea, Irish Soda Bread, Tuna Salad, Twice Baked Potatoes, carrot soup, and Quaker Oatmeal Cookies with Chocolate Chips.

For our final discussion of Prince Caspian we had Earl Grey Lavender Scones, Salmon and Cucumber Sandwiches, Radish-Dill Canapés, Cheese Potato Crisps, and Buttermilk Apple Cake.

Today’s recipe is the Buttermilk Apple Cake from two peas & their pod. I first came across this recipe when I was looking for something to make with the leftover buttermilk from my Irish Soda Bread.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon, divided
• Pinch of fresh nutmeg
• ½ stick unsalted butter, softened
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 large egg
• ½ cup shaken buttermilk
• 1 large Granny Smith apple, peeled, and sliced 
• 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
• Turbinado sugar (to sprinkle on top of cake) [I didn’t have any so I used brown sugar instead)
• Powdered Sugar (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F with rack in middle. Butter and flour a 9-inch round cake pan.
2. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ½ teaspoon of the cinnamon, and nutmeg. 
3. Beat butter and 2/3 cup sugar with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy.
4. Beat in vanilla. Add egg and beat until combined.
5. At low speed, mix in flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour, and mixing until just combined.
6. In a small bowl, combine the apple slices with the brown sugar and other ½ teaspoon cinnamon.
7. Stir until apples are coated.
8. Spoon batter into cake pan, smoothing top. Place sliced apples evenly over top and sprinkle with turbinado sugar.
9. Bake until cake is golden and a wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean, about 25 minutes.
10. Cool in pan 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack and cool to warm, 10 to 15 minutes more.
11. Invert onto a plate. Serve with vanilla ice cream if you wish or add powdered sugar on top.

This was delicious and is a wonderful way to use up the leftover buttermilk if you are looking for something different to try. It looked a little plain so I added the powdered sugar, next time I make it I am contemplating forgoing sugar on top and maybe adding a glaze? But yes, it was absolutely delicious and I recommend it.

For more from our Books, Tea, and the Trinity tea times, go to Radish-Dill Canapés

For more cake recipes, go to Applesauce Cake

For more dessert recipes, go to Brown Butter Matcha Brownies

For more recipes, go to Dark Chocolate Peppermint Scones

For more tea posts, go to Spill the Tea: Alley Cat Cafe

Brown Butter Matcha Brownies

Do you love Matcha? I do!

And I’m always on the lookout for a new matcha recipe. I discovered this brown butter matcha brownie recipe on Cooking Therapy, last year around Saint Patrick’s day and thought it would be perfect it makes as it is green. Unfortunately, they were out of white chocolate chips and I had to use regular chocolate. It tasted good, but didn’t look very matcha-y. I decided to try it again and make sure this time I had white chocolate.

Ingredients:

• ½ cup unsalted butter browned
• 4 oz white chocolate
• 2 tbsp matcha powder
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• ¼ cup light brown sugar
• 3 eggs room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• ¼ tsp flaky salt optional

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Grease a 8×8 baking pan with butter and line with parchment paper. Set aside.
3. Heat the butter over high heat until it melts. Lower the heat to low. Heat the butter until small brown bits start to appear. Remove from the stove.
4. Add white chocolate and matcha powder to a small bowl. Pour the brown butter over the top and stir until all the chocolate melts. Let the mixture cool for 2 minutes.
5. In large bowl, combine granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, and salt. Beat with a hand mixer or stand mixer until thick and creamy (5-10 minutes).
6. While mixing, stream in your matcha chocolate ganache from step 4. Whisk until a uniform green batter appears.
7. Lastly, sift your flour into the bowl. Using a spatula, gently fold the flour into the batter using a until a green batter forms.
8. Spoon into your prepared baking pan.
9. Bake for 20-30 minutes.
10. Take out the brownies and slam them on the counter to get rid of some the air. Sprinkle some flaky sea salt over the top and put the brownies back in the oven. Bake for another 10 minutes.
11. Let cool for 20 minutes before serving.

This was absolutely delicious and I cannot stop eating it. I had to give it away to family it is so good.

Cannot stop!

For more Matcha recipes, go to Blueberry Matcha Smoothie

For more desserts, go to Applesauce Cake

For more recipes, go to Twice Baked Potatoes

Books, Tea, and the Trinity: Applesauce Cake

Back in 2020, some friends and I started a Tea Party/Bible Study/Book Club. We met every Wednesday and worked our way through the Chronicles of Narnia and are currently working through the Lorien Legacies. When we started I resolved to share all the recipes, we have made-but I haven’t gone through them as quickly as I hoped.

When we completed The Magician’s Nephew, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe; and A Horse and His Boy; we moved on to book 4 Prince Caspian. This book is one of my favorites in the series as I love Prince Caspian (although the Disney film version is horrible). Like A Horse and His Boy, this book did not mention a lot of specific foods, so we planned whatever we wanted to make.

As I wasn’t in charge of this book, there will be no discussion questions, just recipes.

The first week we had Apple Cinnamon Scones: Salmon Radish Cucumber Canapés, Cinnamon Bread-Honey-Cheese-Apple and Ham Sandwiches, Kellogg’s Cheese Potato Crisps, and Applesauce Cake; all paired with Caroline’s Coffee Roaster Princess Earl Grey (as we needed to have some royal-tea).

This recipe comes from my myrecipes.com.

Ingredients:

Cake

• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup thick applesauce
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg

Glaze:

• 6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

•2 cups confectioners’ sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Butter a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan, line bottom with parchment and butter paper.
3. In one bowl beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.
4. Add the egg to the butter and sugar mixture.
5. In a separate bowl, stir baking soda into the applesauce.
6. In a third bowl mix the remaining ingredients
7. Add the second and third mixture to the first butter mixture in 3 additions; alternating between the two.
8. Pour the batter into the pan and bake until the top springs back when pressed, about 50 minutes.
9. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then turn out onto rack.
10. Make the glaze by mixing the lemon juice and confectioners’ sugar.
11. Spoon the glaze over cake.

These are so delicious. You can’t go wrong with potatoes and cheese! This is also easy to make, and doesn’t take that long to bake. I definitely recommend!

For more from our Books, Tea, and the Trinity tea times, go to Cheese Potato Crisps

For more cake recipes, go to Lemon Gingerbread Cake

For more dessert, go to Marmalade Rolls

For more recipes, go to Rice Krispies Chocolate Chip Cookies

For more tea posts, go to Spill the Tea: There & Back Again Cafe

Books, Tea, and the Trinity: Rice Krispies Chocolate Chip Cookies

Back in 2020, some friends and I started a Tea Party/Bible Study/Book Club; Books, Tea, and the Trinity. We met every Wednesday and worked our way through the Chronicles of Narnia and are currently working through the Lorien Legacies. When we started I resolved to share all the recipes, but have fallen behind in posting and are trying desperately to catch up.

After we finished The Magician’s Nephew and The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe; the next book in the series was A Horse and His Boy. This book was a bit harder to plan recipes as it didn’t have as many starting off points as The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, but that also meant we could make whatever we wanted to.

For the first week we had Cederberg Tea Co. Classic Red and Red Chai Tea. We also had Apple Cinnamon Scones, Heirloom Tomato Tarts with Basil, and a Healthy Waldorf Salad.

The second week we had veggies and Greek Yogurt Dip, Teatime Magazine’s Red Pepper Triple Stack Sandwiches, Zuppa Toscana, and Chocolate Covered Strawberries; with Vanilla Rooibos Tea

The third week of going through the A Horse and His Boy we had Tea Time Magazines’ Sweet Cream Scones, Homemade Strawberry Preserves, Tea Time Magazines Egg Salad and Cherry Tomatoes Sandwiches, Hummus and Veggie Sandwiches, Empanadas, and Rice Krispies Chocolate Chip Cookies; with Celestial Tea Devonshire Breakfast Tea.

I don’t have the empanada recipe as my friend made it and she winged it, but using a real recipe. As I don’t have that, I’m going to skip ahead to the next recipe, Rice Krispies Chocolate Chip Cookies.

This recipe I borrowed from my sister blog, Mysterious Eats and is one I LOVE to make over and over again.

“Not your traditional oatmeal cookie-an even better one! RICE KRISPIES add that extra crunch and the [chocolate chips] supplies the extra sweetness.”

Ingredients:

• 1 Cup of All-Purpose Flour
• 1/2 Teaspoon of Baking Soda
• 1/4 Teaspoon of Baking Powder
• 1/4 Teaspoon of Salt
• 1/2 Cup of Butter or Margarine, Softened
• 1/2 Cup of White Sugar
• 1/2 Cup of Brown Sugar
• 1 Large Egg
• 1/2 Teaspoon of Vanilla Extract
• 1 Cup of Kellogg’s Rice Krispies
• 1 Cup of Quick-Cooking Oats
• 1/2 Cup of Coconut or Chocolate Chips

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degree Fahrenheit
2. Lightly coat two large cookie sheets with nonstick cooking spray or butter. Set aside.
3. Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a mixing bowl. Set aside.
4. Place the butter in the bowl and beat with an electric mixer on medium until light and fluffy.
5. Add the white and brown sugars and beat until blended, Add the egg and vanilla, beating to incorporate.
6. Stir in the flour mixture. When well combined, stir in the cereal, oats and coconut or chocolate chips.
7. Drop the cookie dough by tablespoonful onto the baking sheets, leaving room between the cookies.
8. Bake for 12 mins, or until the cookies are lightly browned.
9. Remove from the oven and let cool.

These are soo delicious! I love making them and once you try them, you will love them too!

And get those cookies out of the oven!

For more from our Books, Tea, and the Trinity tea times, go to Hummus and Veggie Sandwiches

For more cookie recipes, go to Snickerdoodles

For more desserts, go to Marmalade Rolls

For more recipes, go to Egg Salad and Cherry Tomatoes Sandwiches

For more tea posts, go to Sweet Cream Scones

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe Tea Party/Book Club: Marmalade Rolls

So last October, every Wednesday, I have been a part of a Tea Party/Bible Study/Book Club. We started on The Magician’s Nephew by C.S. Lewis, and when we finished moved on to The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. This is different from my book club and the Book Club Picks I have been reviewing (and desperately need to catch up on). 

For the third week we decided to go with the dinner meal that the beavers serve the Pevensie children. 

“Just as the frying pan was nicely hissing Peter and Mr. Beaver came in with the fish which Mr. Beaver had already opened with his knife and cleaned out in the open air. You can think how good the new-caught fish smelled while they were frying and how the hungry children longed for them to be done and how very much hungrier still they had become before Mrs. Beaver said, “Now we’re nearly ready.” Susan drained the potatoes and then put them all back in the empty pot to dry on the side of the range while Lucy was helping Mrs. Beaver to dish up the trout, so that in a very few minutes everyone was drawing up stools (it was all three-legged stools in the Beavers’ house except for Mrs. Beaver’s own special rocking chair beside the fire) and preparing to enjoy themselves. There was a jug of creamy milk for the children (Mr. Beaver stuck to beer) and a great big lump of deep yellow butter in the middle of the table from which everyone took as much as he wanted to go with his potatoes and all the children thought—and I agree with them—that there’s nothing to beat good freshwater fish if you eat it when it has been alive half an hour ago and has come out of the pan half a minute ago. And when they had finished the fish Mrs. Beaver brought unexpectedly out of the oven a great and gloriously sticky marmalade roll, steaming hot, and at the same time moved the kettle on to the fire, so that when they had finished the marmalade roll the tea was made and ready to be poured out. And when each person had got his (or her) cup of tea, each person shoved back his (or her) stool so as to be able to lean against the wall and gave a long sigh of contentment.

For this week we had Chami Tea Winter Apple Spice Tea, a loaf of Dutch Crust bread, trout (and chicken for the non-fish eaters), boiled potatoes, and marmalade rolls.

One thing I will be doing differently here than in my earlier posts, is that I will be sharing discussion questions that your group can discuss as you read and eat. I didn’t post discussion questions in the previous posts on The Magician’s Nephew, as I wasn’t in charge of that book. For discussion questions, click on this link. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe Discussion Questions Chapter 7-9.pdfDownload

This recipe is inspired by The Pioneer Woman but is much faster and easier.

Ingredients:

• 1 Package of Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls
• Orange Marmalade

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 400°F (or 375°F for nonstick pan).
2. Grease round cake pan.
3. Unroll cinnamon roll dough and add orange marmalade.
4. Roll dough back up.
5. Place rolls in pan, cinnamon topping up.
6. Bake 13 to 17 minutes or until golden brown.
7. Spread with icing.

These were absolutely delicious! I ate so many, and I’m not even super into sweets. I had zero willpower regarding these and had such a hard time not consuming a whole pan. I definitely recommend them.

No, stop! Alright.

For more from our The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe teas, go to What Excellent Boiled Potatoes

For more recipes, go to Blueberry Yogurt Scones

For more desserts, go to Turkish Delight

For more tea posts, go to Jane Austen Birthday Party: Party Favors II