Irresistible Desserts For The Holidays I : Martha Stewart 🌞

Apple-Cider Donut Cake

Enjoy all the delicious flavor of an apple-cider donut without any of the shaping and frying.
By Martha Stewart


Prep Time: 20 mins
Cook Time: 50 mins
Total Time: 2 hrs 25 mins
Servings: 12 to 16
Yield: 1 10-inch cake

Our apple-cider donut cake tastes like a giant, cinnamon-sugar-dusted donut and will transport you straight to the apple orchard. Its apple flavor comes from a mix of applesauce and apple cider, which also keeps it nice and moist. We use a combination of all-purpose and whole-wheat flour, which lends a sturdy texture and a hint of nuttiness to the finished cake. Baking it in a Bundt pan further contributes to its donut resemblance, as does a final coating of cinnamon sugar.

This recipe doesn’t require any special equipment and is ready for the oven in under 20 minutes. It’s the perfect recipe to bring to a fall get-together or to serve at home for a cozy, autumnal treat. It's also the kind of recipe that everyone will be asking you to make again and again—it's just that good.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus more for pan

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for pan

1 cup whole-wheat flour

1 ½ teaspoons baking powder

1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon baking soda

¾ teaspoon kosher salt

1 ¾ cups natural cane sugar

1 cup apple cider

¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil

¾ cup unsweetened applesauce

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

3 large eggs, room temperature

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously butter and flour a 12-cup Bundt pan; use a pastry brush to get into all the crevices. In a large bowl, whisk together both flours, baking powder, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, baking soda, and salt.

In another bowl, whisk together 1 1/2 cups sugar, cider, oil, applesauce, vanilla, and eggs.

Add egg mixture to flour mixture; whisk until combined. Transfer batter to prepared pan.

Bake, rotating pan halfway through, until a tester inserted in center comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet; let cool 15 minutes. Meanwhile, mix together remaining 1/4 cup sugar and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon.

Invert warm cake onto rack. Brush with melted butter, then sprinkle liberally with cinnamon sugar. Let cool completely before serving.


Tip

Use your fingers to brush the cinnamon sugar down the sides
of the cake, pressing gently to encourage it to adhere.

How to Store Apple-Cider Donut Cake

Leftover cake can be stored, covered or in an airtight container, at room temperature for up to two days.
3 Ways to Serve This Apple Cake

With its delectable cinnamon sugar coating, this cake is ready to slice and serve as soon as it has cooled, but if you'd like to take it to the next level, we have a few easy ideas:

Serve each slice with a scoop of homemade or store-bought vanilla ice cream
Add a dollop of whipped cream sweetened with a bit of maple syrup
Drizzle slices with caramel sauce

https://www.marthastewart.com/1513135/apple-cider-doughnut-cake

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Cranberry Cobbler

Take advantage of fresh cranberries while they're plentiful. This homey creation takes just minutes to make and would be a festive treat throughout the holiday season.

Prep Time:10 mins
Total Time: 55 mins
Servings: 8

Ingredients

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus more for pan

1 ¼ cups cranberries, partially thawed if frozen

¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, divided

1 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)

1 ¼ teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon fine salt

½ cup whole milk

1 large egg

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 10-inch cast-iron skillet. Stir together cranberries and 2 tablespoons sugar. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and remaining 3/4 cup sugar. In a small bowl, whisk together milk and egg, then whisk in butter. Whisk milk mixture into flour mixture until combined.

Pour batter into skillet and scatter cranberries on top. Bake until center springs back when lightly touched, 25 to 30 minutes.

Cook's Notes

Let cool for 15 minutes before serving (or let sit at room temperature for up to 8 hours).

https://www.marthastewart.com/945567/cranberry-cobbler

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Apple Sundaes With Cider Caramel Sauce


Prep Time: 15 mins
Total Time: 1 hr 5 mins
Servings: 4

The caramel apple takes a sophisticated turn in this dessert. Baked with butter, sugar, ginger, and cinnamon, the fruit goes soft and spicy before you finish it with a rich caramel sauce that's mostly made in the oven, plus vanilla ice cream and crushed store-bought amaretto cookies.

Ingredients

¼ cup dark-brown sugar

¼ cup granulated sugar

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

1 tablespoon unfiltered apple-cider vinegar

4 to 5 firm red baking apples, such as Empire or Honeycrisp (2 pounds total)

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger (from a peeled 1-inch piece)

Pinch of kosher salt

1 tablespoon heavy cream

Vanilla ice cream and crushed amaretto cookies, for serving

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Stir together both sugars, butter, and vinegar until well combined. Spread mixture evenly in the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.

Peel and core apples, then slice into 3/4-inch-thick rounds. Toss with cinnamon, ginger, and salt in a bowl. Place on top of sugar mixture in a single layer, overlapping slightly if needed. Cover with parchment-lined foil and bake until just beginning to soften and bubble, 20 to 25 minutes. Spoon sauce over apples, and increase heat to 450 degrees. Continue to bake, uncovered, until sauce thickens and apples are soft and brown, about 15 minutes more.

Divide apples evenly among 4 bowls. Whisk cream into liquid in baking dish to make a caramel sauce. Transfer to a bowl; let cool until thickened slightly, about 10 minutes. Top apples with ice cream, caramel sauce, and cookies; serve.

Cook's Notes

Empires hold their shape best when baked and have a balanced sweet-tart flavor.

https://www.marthastewart.com/1531795/apple-sundaes-cider-caramel-sauce

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Quick Caramel Sauce

Cook Time: 15 mins
Total Time: 15 mins
Servings: 8
Yield: 1 cup

Our caramel sauce recipe comes together fast and results in a sweet, dreamy topping that's perfect for drizzling onto everything from ice cream to cake to warm apple pie. You only need about 15 minutes to make it from start to finish. A mixture of sugar and water is cooked on the stovetop and turns from grainy and white to smooth and amber. Heavy cream is stirred in at the very end to add richness and creaminess while a touch of vanilla and salt round out the flavor. You can store this sauce for up to three weeks in the refrigerator and reheat it whenever you need a sweet finish for a dessert or an upgrade for a scoop of ice cream.

Ingredients

1 cup granulated sugar

¾ cup heavy cream, room temperature

½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

⅛ teaspoon salt

Directions

Pour 1/2 cup water into a medium heavy-bottom saucepan; add sugar. Cook over medium heat, gently stirring occasionally, until sugar is dissolved.

Continue to cook, without stirring, until syrup comes to a boil, washing down sides of pan with a wet pastry brush 2 or 3 times to prevent crystals from forming. Let syrup boil, gently swirling pan occasionally, until it has almost turned medium amber.

Tip

Sauce will continue to cook and darken for a few seconds after it's removed
from the heat, so pull it just before it becomes medium amber.

Remove from heat, and carefully pour in cream (caramel will bubble). Add
vanilla and salt, and stir with a clean wooden spoon until caramel is smooth.

How to Store and Reheat Caramel Sauce

Once cooled, the sauce can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to three weeks. Reheat in a saucepan or the microwave, stirring in 1 tablespoon heavy cream to loosen it so it's thin enough to drizzle.



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Pumpkin-Spice-Latte Cake

This is the ultimate pumpkin spice latte cake, the easiest and most delicious fall dessert around. It’s a single-layer cake made with pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, and instant espresso. It’s served with a topping of sweetened whipped cream and a dusting of instant espresso powder. You don’t need a mixer to make it, just two bowls—one for wet ingredients like eggs, brown and white sugars, and milk, and another larger bowl for the dry ingredients. It’s a recipe beginner bakers can make and everyone will love. It’s dense and moist and fragrant—and totally irresistible.


Ingredients

1 stick unsalted butter, melted, plus more for pan

1 ¾ cups unbleached all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

4 teaspoons instant espresso powder, plus more for dusting

1 ½ teaspoons Pumpkin-Pie Spice

¾ teaspoon kosher salt

2 large eggs, room temperature

¾ cup pure pumpkin puree

¾ cup granulated sugar

½ cup packed light-brown sugar

⅔ cup whole milk, room temperature

1 ½ cups heavy cream

3 tablespoons confectioners' sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-by-2-inch round cake pan. Line bottom with parchment; butter parchment. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, instant espresso powder, pumpkin-pie spice, and salt.

In another bowl, whisk eggs into pumpkin puree, then whisk in butter, sugars, and milk. Whisk wet ingredients into dry ingredients.

Scrape batter into prepared pan. Bake until top springs back when lightly touched, 35 to 40 minutes.

Let cool in pan on a wire rack 10 minutes. Turn out onto rack and let cool completely, about 2 hours.

Whisk cream with confectioners' sugar until soft peaks form; dollop on top of cake and dust with espresso powder. Serve immediately.

Tip

If the topping starts to look curdled while you are whisking, add a little more cream.


https://www.marthastewart.com/1162253/pumpkin-spice-latte-cake


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No-Bake Cheesecake


Prep Time: 25 mins
Total Time: 3 hrs 30 mins
Servings: 8
Yield: 1 9-inch cake


Cheesecake is a favorite for good reason—it's a rich creamy, and irresistible
dessert. With our no-bake cheesecake recipe, making it is as easy as enjoying it.
A simple press-in graham-cracker crust is filled with a rich cream cheese and
condensed milk filling, flavored with vanilla and lemon. The homemade crust is
simple and you'll taste the difference it makes. After preparing, the cheesecake
is refrigerated until it sets—no oven time necessary. The hardest part is waiting
for it to chill.

Our no-bake cheesecake is a go-to dessert for summer when you don't want to
heat up the kitchen, but it's also a winner any time you serve it.

Ingredients

2 packages (20 sheets) graham crackers

11 tablespoons (1 ⅜ sticks) unsalted butter, melted

2 tablespoons sugar

2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature

1 14-ounce can (1 ¼ cups) sweetened condensed milk

¼ cup fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon vanilla extract


Directions

Put graham crackers in a large resealable plastic bag, and crush them with a
rolling pin until very fine crumbs form.

Pour crumbs into a medium bowl; stir in sugar. Add butter and stir until well combined.

Press the crumb mixture into a 9-inch springform pan, spreading it 1 1/2 to 2
inches up the side; press flat. Chill crust in freezer at least 10 minutes.

Tip

Bring the cream cheese to room temperature to make it easier to incorporate.
To do this, remove the cream cheese from the refrigerator and unwrap it about
an hour ahead of using.

Make filling:

Meanwhile, make the filling: Using an electric mixer set at medium-high speed, beat the cream cheese in a large bowl until smooth. Beat in the condensed milk a little at a time, scraping the sides of the bowl, as necessary. Beat in the lemon juice and vanilla.

Pour the filling into the crust; smooth the top with a rubber spatula. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until firm, 2 1/2 to 3 hours.

Unclasp sides of pan, and remove cheesecake.

No-Bake Cheesecake Toppings

Our cheesecake tastes delicious as is but you can take it to the next level with one of these toppings:

Fresh berries (strawberries, blackberries, or blueberries)
Segmented orange slices

https://www.marthastewart.com/858246/no-bake-cheesecake



Thanks Martha! Simply Fabulous!! Enjoy Everyone!

*Part II Coming Soon!!