Apple Pecan Cake

2 cups granulated sugar
½ cup margarine
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 cups apples; sliced thin
1 cup Pecan Valley Pecan Pieces1. Preheat oven to 325ºF.
2. In a large mixing bowl cream margarine and sugar. Add beaten eggs and vanilla extract and whisk to blend well.
3. Combine baking soda, salt, flour and cinnamon; add to egg mixture and beat until thoroughly mixed.
4. Add peeled and thinly sliced apples along with the chopped pecans to batter. Blend only enough to spread apples and nuts throughout batter.
5. Grease and flour a 13-inch-by-9-inch-by-2-inch pan. Pour in the batter.Bake in a preheated oven for 1 hour.

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Apple Pecan Cake with Apple Cider Glaze

1½ cups vegetable oil
2 cups granulated sugar
3 eggs
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour; sifted
⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
1¼ teaspoons ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground mace
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon sea salt
1 cup whole-wheat flour; sifted
4 cups Pecan Valley Pecan Pieces
1¼ cups coarse chunks of peeled and cored apples
3 tablespoons Applejack Apple Cider Glaze

1. Preheat oven to 325ºF.
2. In a large bowl, beat vegetable oil and sugar until thick and opaque. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
3. Sift together flour, cloves, cinnamon, mace, baking soda and salt, and then stir in whole-wheat flour. Add to oil and egg mixture and mix until well blended.
4. Add pecans, apple chunks and applejack all at once and stir batter until pieces are evenly distributed. Pour batter into a greased 10-inch round cake pan.
5. Bake in a preheated oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
Applejack Apple Cider Glaze
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons brown sugar; firmly packed
6 tablespoons granulated sugar
3 tablespoons applejack or apple brandy
4 tablespoons sweet cider
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
2 tablespoons heavy cream1. Melt butter in a small saucepan and stir in both sugars.
2. Add remaining ingredients, stir, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat slightly and cook for 4 minutes.
3. Remove from heat and cool slightly. Pour while still warm over warm cake.

Makes 1½ cups glaze

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Apple Pecan Cake with Lemon Butter Frosting

4 cups apples; peeled; chopped
2 cups granulated sugar
2 eggs; slightly beaten
½ cup oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups cake flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup Pecan Valley Pecan Pieces
Lemon Butter Frosting

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
2. In a large mixing bowl stir together apples and sugar; let stand 5 minutes.
3. In another bowl, stir together eggs, oil and vanilla.
4. In another bowl, sift flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Blend in egg mixture.
5. Fold in apples and pecans, mixing well. Pour batter into greased and floured 13-inch-by-9 baking pan.
6. Bake in a preheated oven for 60 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
7. Cool and frost with lemon butter frosting.
Lemon Butter Frosting
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons waterIn a large mixing bowl, combine butter, sugar, lemon juice and enough water for spreading consistency; beat well.

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Apple Pecan Pie

2½ cups all-purpose flour, sifted
½ cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup unsalted butter
2 cups apples, thinly sliced
½ cup brown sugar; firmly packed
¼ cup dark molasses
3 tablespoons brandy
3 eggs
1 cup Pecan Valley Pecan Pieces
¼ cup unsalted butter
¼ cup light corn syrup
2 tablespoons lemon juice
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
¾ cups mild Cheddar cheese; grated
Whipped Cream or Ice Cream

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
2. Sift four and baking powder together. Make a well in center and in it put the sugar, vanilla and eggs. Mix in some of the flour from the sides to form a paste. Cut the butter into small pieces and put around the top of the paste. Cover with the rest of the flour and knead all ingredients until the dough is smooth. Divide the dough into two balls and refrigerate, covered until dough is cool and firm enough to handle. Roll out as usual and line the bottom of a 10-inch pie plate.
3. In a large mixing bowl cream the butter and sugar until smooth. Add the eggs, one at a time. Stir in the molasses, corn syrup, brandy and lemon juice. Add the apples and pecans and mix thoroughly. Set aside.
4. Sprinkle grated cheese over bottom of a pastry lined 10-inch pie plate. Pour pie mixture over grated cheese. Sprinkle with nutmeg.
5. Top pie with a lattice crust and bake about 35 to 45 minutes at 350º until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly.
6. Serve warm, topped with vanilla Ice Cream or Whipped Cream.

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Apple Pecan Squares

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups brown sugar; firmly packed
½ cup unsalted butter; at room temperature
1 cup Pecan Valley Pecan Pieces
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon sea salt
1 egg
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups (about 2 large) tart apples; peeled and thinly sliced
Whipped Cream

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Lightly grease 9-inch-by-13 baking dish.
2. In a large mixing bowl combine flour, sugar and butter and then mix until finely crumbled. Stir in pecans. Press 2 cups of mixture evenly into prepared dish.
3. In another bowl add cinnamon, soda and salt and blend well. Beat in egg, sour cream and vanilla. Gently stir in apples. Spoon evenly into dish.
4. Bake in a preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes (cake begins to pull away from sides and tester comes out clean). Cool completely in pan.
5. Serve with whipped cream.

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Apple Pecan Stuffing

Unsalted butter or margarine
⅔ cups diced onion
⅔ cups diced celery
3 cups diced day-old bread
3 cups diced apples
1 teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
⅛ teaspoon ground sage
⅛ teaspoon ground marjoram
⅛ teaspoon ground thyme
½ teaspoon dried parsley flakes
½ cup Pecan Valley Pecan Pieces
½ cup water

1. Melt ¼ cup butter in skillet. Add onion and celery and cook until tender. Add to bread.
2. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in skillet. Stir in apples. Cook until golden.
3. Add apples to bread mixture. Mix in sea salt, pepper, sage, marjoram, thyme, parsley and pecans. Add water and mix thoroughly.

Makes enough for 10-pounds turkey

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Apple Pecan Triangles

2 Rome Beauty apples peel-finely chopped
½ cup Pecan Valley Pecan Pieces; light toasted
Grated peel of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
5 phyllo sheets; frozen; thawed
½ cup unsalted butter; melted
Powdered sugar; sifted (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine apples, nuts, lemon peel, sugar and nutmeg in a medium bowl. Mix well to blend flavors; set aside.
3. Unroll phyllo dough sheets. Cut dough lengthwise into 2-inch wide strips. Place on waxed paper over damp towels. Cover all dough strips except 2 of them. Brush the 2 strips with the melted butter.
4. Place about 2 teaspoons of the filling in the center of each strip, about 1-inch from the top edge. Fold one corner of each strip over filling. Fold over again like a flag, until entire strip is folded. Place on buttered 10-inch-by-15-inch pan with sides.
5. Repeat with remaining filling and phyllo strips. Brush folded pastries, top and bottom, with melted butter.
6. Bake in a preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden. Cool on wire rack.
7. Sprinkle with sifted powdered sugar if desired.

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Apple-Pecan Cake Bars

2 cups whole-wheat flour
1 cup granulated sugar
¼ cup wheat germ; toasted
1 cup brown sugar; firmly packed
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup Pecan Valley Pecan Pieces
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 egg; beaten
½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 cups apple; diced
½ cup oil
2 teaspoons baking soda

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
2. Sift together whole-wheat flour, wheat germ, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg. Set aside.
3. In large bowl, combine peeled and diced apples, sugars, oil, pecans, eggs and vanilla. Add flour to mixture. Stir gently. Blend well. Turn into 2-inch deep pan.
4. Bake in a preheated oven for 50 minutes or until cake pulls from side of pan. Cool in pan or rack.
5. If desired, sprinkle with powdered sugar.
6. Cut into 12 bars.

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Apple-Pecan Pound Cake

2 cups granulated sugar
1½ cups vegetable oil
3 large eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon sea salt
1½ teaspoons vanilla
3 cups granny smith apples; peeled and finely diced
¾ cups flaked coconut
1 cup Pecan Valley Pecan Pieces1. Preheat oven to 325ºF.
2. Mix sugar and oil, add eggs and beat well. Combine flour, soda and salt.
3. Add flour mixture to beaten egg mixture. Stir in vanilla, apples, coconut, and pecans. Mix well. Spoon batter into a greased tube pan.
4. Bake in preheated oven 1 hour and 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
5. Allow cake to cool to room temperature before removing from pan.

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Apple-Pecan Tart

1½ cups all-purpose flour
¼ cup unsalted butter; cold
¼ cup Crisco
¼ teaspoon sea salt
5 tablespoons water; maybe a little less
1¾ cups granulated sugar
¾ cups water
5 tart apples; peeled and sliced
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
⅛ teaspoon sea salt
½ cup unsalted butter
2 large eggs; beaten
¾ cups raisins
½ cup Pecan Valley Pecan Pieces

1. Process flour, cold butter, Crisco and salt in work bowl until the butter is in pea size pieces.
2. Add ice water and process with on-off turns only until dough begins to hold its shape.
3. Take out pat down into flat circle and refrigerate 30 minutes
4. Preheat oven to 375ºF.
5. Roll out on floured surface and put into 9 inch tart pan with removable bottom. Cover pastry with foil and fill with beans.
6. Bake in a preheated oven for 10 minutes. Remove beans and bake until golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool.
7. Mix ¾ cups sugar and water in saucepan and bring to a boil. Add sliced apples and cook, covered, stirring occasionally until tender.
8. Drain and cool.
9. In top of double boiler, mix 1 cup of sugar, spices, salt and butter.
10. Add beaten eggs quickly and beat with whisk until blended.
11. Add remaining ingredients and cook over hot water stirring until thickened. Cool.
12. Layer apples in pie shell and pour mixture over apples.
13. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Serves 8

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