Sour Cream Rhubarb Cupcakes

    These were FANTASTIC!  I made a few changes, but did not stray far from the original recipe.  I wanted half apple and half rhubarb, so threw in some chopped apple along with the prescribed amount of rhubarb in the recipe.

THEN.  I stumbled across the most perfect butter-cream frosting in history.  Absolutely un-healthy, fattening, artery-clogging...etc.  But I was looking for something really firm and buttery, and this recipe fit the bill.  Nothing wrong with a small splurge for special occasions, in my opinion :-) I'll post the frosting recipe later.

 Sour Cream Rhubarb Cupcakes

Makes 12-16 cupcakes

Ingredients

1 ¼ cups all purpose flour( I used half whole-wheat)

¾ cup  granulated sugar

1 ½ tsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

1 stick softened butter

2 medium eggs

½ cup sour cream

1tsp vanilla extract

3/4 cup rhubarb, trimmed and chopped 

3/4 cup pealed apple chunks

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Prepare a baking pan for normal size cupcakes with 12 cupcake liners, or a mini cupcake pan with 24 liners

2. Mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.

3. Add butter, eggs, sour cream and vanilla and beat until smooth. Stir in chopped rhubarb.

4. Divide batter amongst the cupcake liners and bake for 20-23 minutes for normal size cupcake, 18 minutes for medium and 15 minutes for mini. Check doneness with a toothpick before removing from the oven. Let cool.

 Source: Call Me Cupcake

Chunky Pumpkin Apple Bread ~ by Victoria

This is probably our family's all-time favorite sweet bread!
It is soooooo moist and delicious . . .

and fairly nutritious with pumpkin and apples in it!
We also enjoy making it to share with others,

and have often been asked for the recipe!

So, here it is!  Enjoy!

 

 

12 ServingsPrep: 15 min. Bake: 1-1/2 hours + cooling

Ingredients

• 1-2/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1-1/2 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (we like things extra flavorful, so we usually add more of these spices!)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup canola oil
• 1 cup chopped peeled tart apples (most often we add more!)
• 3/4 cup chopped walnuts (we usually omit these)

Directions

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder and cloves. In another large bowl, whisk the pumpkin, water, eggs and oil. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in apples and walnuts. Pour into a greased 9-in. x 5-in. loaf pan. Bake at 325° for 1-1/2 to 1-3/4 hours or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool.

 

Yield: 1 loaf (12 slices).

 

Source:  Taste of Home magazine

ABC Muffins (Apple-Banana-Cinnamon) ~ By Victoria

These muffins are so moist and delicious.  They have been a family favorite for many years.  We usually quadruple the recipe as they don't stay around long, and we like to freeze some for breakfast on-the-go!  They would be easy to make even healthier with a couple easy substitutions! : -)

2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon (We double this . . .at least!)
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
2/3 cup shortening
1 1/4 cup sugar  (We use less.)
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 cup buttermilk
1 cup mashed ripe bananas
2 apples, peeled, cored and shredded

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Grease and flour 24 muffin cups (probably less when you fill the cups to the top) or use paper liners.

Sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.  In a large bowl, cream together the shortening and sugar until light and fluffy.  Beat in the eggs, 1 at a time, then stir in the vanilla and buttermilk.  Beat in the flour mixture just until incorporated.  Fold in the mashed bananas and shredded apples.  Fill each muffin cup half full.  (We fill them all the way full, as they do not rise much.)

Bake for 20 -25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Allow to cool.

Source:  The Doughmakers Cookbook published in 2004.

Apple Dapple Cake ~ by Caroline

I once entered this into the Spring Youth Fair
and it won a "Grand Champion" ribbon! 

It is soooo moist and flavorful (and a bit healthy with the apples in it ;-)

The recipe comes from a special cookbook that was given to me
by Richie and Lydia for Christmas. 

(Although, Richie had purchased a copy of this cookbook
for Lydia before they were married,
and so this recipe was first discovered by us girls a couple years ago. :-) 
The cookbook is a compilation of family recipes by Frances Anna Gillette,
who was born in Vancouver, WA, and raised in Yacolt, WA. 
It also has wonderful pictures in it!!

Cream together:
3 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 cup oil

Sift together:
3 cups flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt

Mix egg and flour mixture together.

Add: 
1 cup coconut (optional ;-)
1 cup nuts, chopped (optional ;-)
3 cups apples, diced
2 tsp. vanilla

Batter of cake is stiff.  (Put into 13 X 9 greased baking dish.)
Bake at 350 degrees for 45 - 60 minutes. 

Icing:
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup milk

Boil together for 3 minutes.  Put icing on cake right after baking when cake is hot.  After pouring icing on cake, use a meat fork, piercing cake all over the top so icing will seep in.

Source:  The Old Farmhouse Kitchen, cookbook published in 2007.