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

The Magician’s Nephew Tea Party/Book Club: Mini Pumpkin Crème Brûlée

So every Wednesday, starting in October, I have been a part of a Tea Party/Bible Study/Book Club on The Magician’s Nephew by C.S. Lewis. This is different from my book club and the Book Club Picks I have been reviewing (and desperately need to catch up on). I also need to catch up on these recipes. Week three we had Organic India Tulsi Masala Chai Tea, Parmesan and Chive Scones, Cucumber Aioli Canapés, Ham, Cheddar, and Apple Tea Sandwiches, Cranberry, Brie, and Rosemary Bites, and Mini Pumpkin Crème Brûlée.

I couldn’t share the recipes in October as I was in the middle of Horrorfest IX, so I am catching up and of course next is the dessert.

Let’s spill the tea.

This recipe comes from Better Homes & Garden.

Ingredients:

• 2 Cups Whipping Cream
• 3 Egg Yolks, Lightly Beaten
• 2 Eggs, Lightly Beaten
• 1/2 Cup of Sugar
• 1/2 Cup of Canned Pumpkin
• 1 Teaspoon of Ground Cinnamon
• 1 Teaspoon of Ground Ginger
• 1/4 Teaspoon of Salt
• 1/4 Teaspoon of Ground Cloves
• 10 Baby Pumpkins
• 1/4 Cup of Sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a small saucepan, heat whipping cream over medium heat until bubbly.
3. Remove from heat; set aside
4. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine egg yolks, eggs, 1/2 Cup of Sugar, pumpkin, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves.
5. Beat with a whisk or rotary beater just until combined.
6. Slowly whisk the hot whipping cream into the egg mixture.
7. Use a small serrated knife to cut off the top 1/2-inch of the baby pumpkins.
8. Discard the tops, use the spoon to scoop out the seeds.
9. Place the pumpkin in a roasting pan.
10. Divide custard mixture evenly among the pumpkins.
11. Place roasting pan on oven rack.
12. Pour enough boiling water into the the roasting pan to reach halfway up the sides of the pumpkins.
13. Bake 30-40 mins or until the centers appear nearly set when gently shaken.
14. Carefully remove pan from oven.
15. Remove pumpkins from water; cool on a wire rack.
16. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour or up to 8.
17. Before serving, let custards stand at room temp for about 20 mins.
18. Meanwhile, for caramelized sugar: in a heavy 8 inch skillet, heat 1/4 cup of sugar over medium high heat until sugar begins to melt, shaking skillet occasionally to heat sugar evenly-do not stir.
19. Once sugar starts to melt, reduce heat to low, cool 3-5 mins or until all sugar is melted and golden brown, stirring as needed.
20. Quickly drizzle sugar over the custards. (If sugar starts to harden in skillet, return to heat, stirring until melted.)
21. Serve immediately.
22. ***Instead of caramelizing the sugar in a pan, you can sprinkle the sugar evenly over the custards and use a culinary torch.

 

I’m not a Crème Brûlée type person, but everyone loved it!

For more from The Magician’s Nephew Tea Party/Book Club, go to Cranberry, Brie, and Rosemary Bites

For more recipes, go to Ham, Cheddar, and Apple Tea Sandwiches

For more desserts, go to Lemon Gingerbread Cake

For more tea posts, go to How the Queen Found the Perfect Cup of Tea

For more pumpkin recipes, go to Harvest Pumpkin Scones

The Magician’s Nephew Tea Party/Book Club: Lemon Gingerbread Cake

So every Wednesday, starting in October, I have been a part of a Tea Party/Bible Study/Book Club on The Magician’s Nephew by C.S. Lewis. This is different from my book club and the Book Club Picks I have been reviewing (and desperately need to catch up on). I also need to catch up on these recipes. Week two was Chami Spice Ginger Plum Tea, Dark Chocolate Ginger Scones, Curried Egg Salad Triple Stacks Sandwiches, Turkey-Apple Tea Sandwiches, Fotina Flower Puffed Pastry, and Lemon Gingerbread Cake.

I couldn’t share the recipes in October as I was in the middle of Horrorfest IX, so I am catching up and of course the last thing we have to review is dessert.

This comes from Tea Time Magazine andI actually screwed this dessert up as I thought it was cookies, but realized after I had already started the batter-it is cakelets. Not only did I read that wrong, but it turns out that I did not read through all the directions and did not have all the right supplies. There wasn’t time to go get other ingredients or do another recipe so instead I converted it into a cake, with some substitutions.

From Clueless

Oh, well!

Ingredients Cake Batter:

• 2.5 Cups of Flour
• 1/3 Cup of Granulated (White) Sugar
• 1.5 Teaspoons of Ground Ginger
• 1 Teaspoon of Baking Soda
• 1 Teaspoon of Cinnamon
• 1/4 Teaspoon of Ground Cloves
• 1/4 Teaspoon of Salt
• 1/2 Cup of Unsalted Butter, Softened
• 1 Large Egg
• 1 Tbsp of Fresh Lemon Zest
• 3/4 Cup of Hot Water
• 1/2 Cup of Molasses (Or Substitute with Honey)
• 1/2 Cup of Honey
• 1/4 Teaspoon of Vanilla Extract

Lemon Glaze Ingredients:

• 4 Cups of Confectioner’s Sugar (Powdered Sugar)
• 1/2 Cup of Fresh Lemon Juice

Cake Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Spray loaf pan with nonstick cooking spay or grease pan.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together flour sugar, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt.
4. Add butter, egg, lemon zest, hot water, molasses or the substitute, honey, and vanilla extract.
5. Beat mixture at low speed for about 30 seconds.
6. Increase speed and beat for 3 minutes.
7. Fill pan.
8. Bake until for 20-30 minutes, continue baking until inserted toothpick comes out clean.
9. Let cake cool before pouring lemon glaze.

Directions for Lemon Glaze:

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together sugar and lemon juice until smooth and creamy.
2. Pour over cake.

 

So because this was cooked in a pan instead of the little molds it took much longer to bake. It also was taking a really long time to bake so I ended up cutting the cake a bit so that it would cook faster and throughout. The frosting covered it, so I didn’t end up having to worry too much about the presentation.

Even though I made a few mistakes and this was not as the recipe intended it to be, it was extremely delicious and we all loved it. I had to send the leftovers with home with my friend as I couldn’t have it with me, I’d eat it all up.

For more from The Magician’s Nephew Tea Party/Book Club, go to Fotina Flower Puffed Pastry

For more recipes, go to Turkey-Apple Tea Sandwiches

For more Tea Time Magazine Recipes, go to Curried Egg Salad Triple Stacks Sandwiches

For more Cake recipes, go to Meyer Lemon Poppyseed Cake

For more dessert, go to Mini Apple Pies

For more tea posts, go to Dark Chocolate Ginger Scones