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

The Magician’s Nephew Tea Party/Book Club: Mini Apple Pies

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). The first week we had Cederberg Tea Company Rooibos + Ginger Tea, Cranberry-Spice Scones with Maple Cream, Cucumber-Four Peppercorn Goat Cheese Canapés, Ham and Cheese Tea Sandwiches, Fotina & Pork Puffed Pastry, and Mini Apple Pies.

I have been posting the recipes from the first meeting, but am ending on the last thing we had during that session: Mini Apple Pies

Today’s recipe is one that I’ve shared before, but made mini. It an easy recipe and a delicious one. After all, who can resist pie?

Ingredients:

Pie Crust

• Pre-made Pie Dough

Filling:

• 1/2 Cup – 1 Cup of All-Purpose Flour
• 6-7 Granny Smith Apples peeled, and cut into slices
• 1 Cup of White Sugar
• 1 Cup of Brown Sugar
• 1 Teaspoon of Cinnamon
• 2 Tablespoons of Butter

Directions:

1. Peel and slice the apples. When cutting up the apples, make sure to remove the hard pieces where the seed grows along with any spots or blemishes.
2. Preheat the oven to 375°
3. Combine the apples, with the brown and white sugar.
4. Add the flour and cinnamon, mixing them all together.
5. Roll out the dough and using a cookie cutter or small bowl, cut round circles out-large enough to fill a cupcake/muffin pan.
6. Lay the apples down on the dough in the pan.
7. Chop the two tablespoons of butter and put a little in each mini pie.
8. Place the second ball of dough down and roll it out into a large circle, cutting it to create a lattice top.
9. Add a dash of cinnamon and sugar on top.
10. Bake 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

These were delicious and a great final piece to our tea time. After all, as Mr. Woodhouse says:

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

For more recipes, go to Tea Time Magazine’s Ham and Cheese Tea Sandwiches

For more apple pie, go to Are Dean Winchester and Jane Austen Kindred Spirits?

For more desserts, go to The Picture of Earl Grey Tea Cookies

For more tea posts, Cucumber-Four Peppercorn Goat Cheese Canapés

Strawberry Lemonade

So you all know how much I love tea:

But unfortunately, not everyone does. Especially most of my nieces. So what to make for a tea party, that isn’t tea?

Hmmm…

How about some Strawberry Lemonade, made from real strawberries?! That sounds great to me! This recipe comes from Allrecipes. 

Ingredients:

• 8 Large Strawberries, Halved
• 2 Tablespoons of White Sugar
• 7 Cups of Water
• 1 Cup of White Sugar
• 2 Cups of Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice

Directions:

1. Place the strawberries in a blender with two tablespoons of sugar.
2. Pour in one cup of water and blend until the strawberries become juice.
3. Combine the strawberry juice, 6 cups of water, 2 cups of Sugar, and lemon juice in a large pitcher. Stir until blended.
4. Chill before serving.

So this was extremely good! I used Meyer’s Lemons and if you do that you want to reduce the sugar as they are sweeter than regular ones. But otherwise it was fantastic and came out a pretty coral orange color.

For more lemon recipes, go to Ginger Cardamom Meyer Lemon Crinkle Cookies

For more drink recipes, go to Skinny Chai Tea Latte

For more recipes, go to The Picture of Earl Grey Tea Cookies

Are Dean Winchester and Jane Austen Kindred Spirits?

We all know how Dean Winchester feels about pie:

Did you know that Jane Austen felt the same way?

I hope you all have an amazing Thanksgiving Day and enjoy yourself some pie!

And in case you need it, here is a fantastic pie recipe from my sister blog MysteriousEats.wordpress.com

Ingredients:

Pie Crust

• 2 Cups of All-Purpose flour
• 1 Teaspoon of Salt
• 3/4 Cup of Shortening
• Ice Water

Filling:

• 1/2 Cup – 1 Cup of All-Purpose Flour
• 6-7 Granny Smith Apples peeled, and cut into slices
• 1 Cup of White Sugar
• 1 Cup of Brown Sugar
• 1 Teaspoon of Cinnamon
• 2 Tablespoons of Butter

Directions:

1. In a mixing bowl, mix up the shortening and flour. Add in water, a tablespoon at a time until dough is more malleable. If you add too much and it is too liquid-y, then just add a bit more flour to firm it up.
2. Put dough aside.
3. When cutting up the apples, make sure to remove the hard pieces where the seed grows along with any spots or blemishes.
4. Preheat the oven to 375°
5. Combine the apples, with the brown and white sugar.
6. Add the flour and cinnamon, mixing them all together.
7. Divid the dough in half and roll into two balls.
8. Take a cutting board and put a little flour on the surface, rubbing it. Rub flour on your rolling pin as well.
9. Place the dough down and roll it into a large circle.
10. Place the dough in a cake pan.
11. Lay the apples down on the dough in the pan.
12. Put the two tablespoons of butter on top.
13. Repeat step 8.
14. Place the second ball of dough down and roll it out into a large circle.
15. Place it on top, to be the top of your pie.
16. Cut a small incision on the top of the pie to allow steam out.
17. Add a dash of cinnamon and sugar on top.
18. Bake 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

For more recipes, go to Baked Potato Soup

For more on Thanksgiving, go to Is Love at the Thanksgiving Parade Really Just Pride & Prejudice?

For more on Dean Winchester, go to Loving Me Some Dean

For more Jane Austen quotes, go to A Real Non-Party Animal

For more on pie, go to I Before E, Especially After P

For more holiday posts, go to Let Freedom Ring