Spiced Orange Yeasted Coffee Cake

Lifelong Minnesota ELCA Lutheran here! Yep- hymn singing, church basement potlucking, sweater wearing Minnesota Lutheran. It’s a whole thing and I love it. 

While I’ve been a solid Lutheran the majority of my life, I’ve spent a lot of time floating around searching for a church home in my adult life. Finding a place that fills the cups of everyone in our family has been a challenge. That’s why, when we first sat down at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church about a year ago, I all but sobbed at the feeling of home that washed over me. I could feel the immense love filling the space. I could see it in the little details, like the inserts in the hymnals explaining how to love and welcome families with small children, the way members warmly spoke to one another, the way the pastors looked each member in the eye, clearly and genuinely appreciating their presence, and the message that all are welcome and loved and treated with respect. 

Yep. Cue the tears. 

Of course, when we first started attending Gloria Dei, I couldn’t have predicted how much we would rely on this family of (then) strangers. We were fortunate to find some of the best friends we have here in Minnesota at this church, and having those relationships solidified before the pandemic began has proven to be life giving. 

Of course, now we meet virtually on Sunday mornings. But because of the strong sense of community that has been so thoughtfully woven through the congregation, the connection is something we have relied on heavily through the past 6 months. It is truly a gift. Now, I’ve been able to do something I’ve missed so much: share food with others as a sign of love and support. Well, sort of. I’ve created this recipe for Gloria Dei Lutheran Church in St. Paul in the hopes folks will make and share it with their family, friends, and neighbors. There’s nothing quite like coffee and donuts after church, but I hope this serves as an acceptable (and delicious) alternative. 

Best enjoyed with coffee and a good choral rendition of “Abide with Me”. Extra points if you’re wearing a Nordic sweater.

Spiced Orange Yeasted Coffee Cake

Ingredients

for the cake:

• 3 to 4 cups all purpose flour

• 1/4 cup sugar

• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt

• 2 1/4 teaspoons yeast

• 3/4 cup warm milk (around 100° F)

• 1 large egg plus 1 large egg yolk

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

for the filling:

• zest of 2 oranges (save half for topping)

• 1/4 cup sugar

• 1/2 cup brown sugar

• 2 teaspoons cinnamon

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

for egg wash:

• 1 egg, beaten lightly

• 1 tablespoon heavy cream or water

for the topping:

• remaining orange zest

• 1/4 cup brown sugar

• 1/4 cup sugar

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

1. Whisk the 3 cups of flour, sugar, and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, sprinkle the yeast over the warm milk with 1/2 teaspoon sugar and let stand for 5 minutes until foamy. Add the egg and egg yolk to the milk, then sprinkle in the dry ingredients. Mix with the dough hook for 1 minute.

3. Add 1/2 cup room temperature butter and mix again, at medium speed, until incorporated. Scrape the sides of the bowl as needed. If the dough seems overly sticky, add more flour 1/4 cup at a time. You may use all the flour or you may need more. In the end, you want a dough that is smooth and a tiny bit tacky. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for 1-1 1/2 hours until it has doubled in volume.

4. While your dough rises, mix together the filling ingredients in a small bowl. Use a fork or pastry cutter to combine until crumbly and set aside.

5. Preheat the oven to 375°F and prepare a clean, floured work surface. Punch the risen dough down and turn it onto your work surface. Gently roll the dough into a rectangle about 20 x 8 inches. Brush the edges with your egg wash in a 1 inch border, then spread the filling evenly over the surface of the dough, leaving the edges clean.

6. Roll the dough firmly and carefully into a long log. Create a seam by pinching the dough together to seal.

7. Shape the dough log into an upside down 'V', then twist it twice, pinching the ends together to seal. Transfer the dough to a greased loaf pan. Brush the top with egg wash and cover to rise for 20 minutes.

8. Mix the topping ingredients together, using a fork, until crumbly and with some visible flour coating the clumps. When the cake has finished its final rise, sprinkle with the topping.

9. Bake for 55 minutes to 1 hour. Place a foil lined baking sheet underneath the pan to catch any topping that happens to fall as the cake rises. *NOTE: If the top browns too quickly, cover it loosely with foil after the first 45 minutes baking time.

10. Allow the cake to cool for a minimum of 10 minutes and up to 1 hour before removing from the pan and serving or delivering to a friend. 

Olive Oil Pumpkin Muffins

Today was one of those perfect days. Beautiful weather, a happy, super sweet almost-3-year-old, and a morning full of moments that made me want to freeze time. From the aggressive movements of the baby inside of me to the sweet smiles and kisses of my not-such-a-baby boy, I melted over and over again. We passed by a huge Christmas tree while we were out running errands and the icing on the cake moment of the day was watching Riley's face light up as a huge smile spread across his face and he covered his mouth with a very small, chubby, toddler hand. It made me not at all sorry that Christmas is all around us already. Even though the holidays seem to have exploded earlier than ever, I'm still holding on to pumpkin season. These super healthy olive oil pumpkin muffins are the perfect way to indulge without any guilt. These tasty treats are full of vitamin-packed pumpkin, heart-healthy olive oil and are sweetened with maple syrup and honey, which are significantly healthier options than white or brown sugar.

Bonus: they are kid-friendly!

This recipe is largely based on the olive oil zucchini muffins Lindsay from Pinch of Yum posted over the summer. (Riley asks for them every time we go to the park. He assumes park time equals zucchini muffin time.) Needless to say, we fell in love with those muffins and I was sure we could create a fall version with pumpkin in place of zucchini. I added a lot of pumpkin spice seasoning plus a little extra cinnamon (I blame being pregnant for that one- I cannot get enough cinnamon), which make these muffins the ideal autumn treat. I can say from personal experience that they are equally delicious with a cup of coffee in the morning as they are with a cup of chamomile tea at night.

If you have been over-indulging in pumpkin spice lattes and baked pumpkin-y things at the local coffee shop and need a sugar break, these olive oil pumpkin muffins are the answer. Heck, you might as well enjoy them with my lighter pumpkin pie latte! Double pumpkin whammy. You're welcome.

Olive Oil Pumpkin Muffins

Makes 12-15 muffins

Recipe adapted from Pinch of Yum's Honey & Olive Oil Zucchini Muffins

• 1 cup pumpkin purée (canned or homemade)
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons pumpkin spice seasoning

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a regular muffin tin with liners and set aside.

Combine the pumpkin, eggs, vanilla, olive oil, maple syrup and honey in a large bowl. Whisk until smooth.

In another bowl, whisk together the flours, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and pumpkin spice seasoning.

Sprinkle the dry ingredients over the wet ingredients and fold until just combined.

Fill each muffin liner 2/3 of the way full of batter. Bake for 15-18 minutes until the muffins have puffed up nicely and developed a light golden crust.

Irish Apple Cake

After a couple of pretty hectic and overwhelming weeks, I was able to spend a few quiet moments in my kitchen today calmly baking and sipping tea while listening to music that did not involve Disney or Raffi. I had forgotten how therapeutic it can be to cook for no other reason than "just because". I kept things simple and seasonal with this beautiful and delicious Irish Apple Cake. Every step, from peeling and slicing the apples, creaming the butter and sugar, and crumbling the topping made me feel a little more like myself. The house smelled like warm cinnamon and apples, which was perfect on one of the first truly fall-like days we have had so far. Crisp, cool October air wafted through my kitchen window and I think I breathed a little deeper than usual in an effort to savor every wonderful smell.

Aside from needing the simple therapy baking provides, I also felt it was appropriate to bake a cake during my first week of the third trimester. Baby is moving and grooving, kicking my ribcage whenever possible, and making it difficult to get a full night's sleep. This little boy is so active already that I'm beginning to think the whole second-child-is-easy-going rumor is a total lie. I guess we'll see what happens when he arrives! Until then, I'm going to keep drinking lots of chamomile tea, following every meal with a couple of Tums and taking advantage of random energy boosts to do very important things. Like baking cake.

As I was researching recipes for Irish Apple Cake, I realized that they are all slightly different. Some have crumble topping while others do not. Some call for brown sugar while other use white. It seems that apple cake is different from home to home. I based my recipe on this one from The View from Great Island. 

I may or may not have had this for breakfast this morning. I blame the baby.

Irish Apple Cake

For the streussel topping:

• 2 large Granny Smith apples, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup buttermilk
• 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp salt
• confectioner's sugar
• 3/4 cup flour
• 1/4 cup old fashioned rolled oats
• 1 stick unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small cubes
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Butter and flour a 9 inch spring-form pan.
3. Cream together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
4. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until fully incorporated.
5. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Fold the dry ingredients into the bowl with the butter and sugar. Add the buttermilk and stir until just combined.
6. Pour the batter into prepared spring-form pan and spread into an even layer.
7. Make the streussel topping by combining the flour, rolled oats, butter and sugar in a small bowl. Use your finger tips to work the butter into the dry ingredients until you have a crumbly mixture.
8. Layer the apples over the cake batter and sprinkle with the streussel topping.
9. Bake 50-60 minutes or until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
10. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving.