Orange-Biscoff Crumm Cake

The Setting: April showers.

The Soundtrack: The Fox and the Hound. I wouldn't say we've completely moved on from Lady and the Tramp, but we're trying something new.

Steaming up the Oven: Homemade hamburger buns. That's right, it's burger night! Elastic-waisted pants are in order.

The Scenario: Biscoff Mania continues!

If Biscoff Mania means nothing to you, don't feel bad; the "mania" of Biscoff-inspired recipes I had originally planned back in May has been less of a torrent and more of a (nearly yearlong) trickle. What can I say? Things happen. Nevertheless, here's what you've missed:

Sky-High Milk Chocolate Bark

Mini Orange-Biscoff Cheesecakes

Biscoli

Despite the--shall we say--dearth of recipes listed above, my mammoth supply of Biscoff cookies is almost gone! Some became Hoosband prey--armed with a container of Nutella, that guy is dangerous--and MANY received their higher calling as part of the above-mentioned Biscoli, a dessert so good I had to make it on several occasions (I mean, Biscoff cookies meet cannoli filling--how could you not want to eat that everyday?).

Today we take the crispy wafers to uncharted territories, as they become both topping and flavoring in crumb cake--er, Crumm cake (with a name like Crumm, how could I not?).

With its tender, moist texture, crunchy crumb topping, and dual status as breakfast and dessert, this forth contender in the Biscoff-Mania games just might give Biscoli a run for its cookies.

But I'll let you decide.

Note: While I think the flavor is rather spectacular as-is, Hoosband thinks the orange aspect could have been punched up a bit more and likes to eat his cake with some extra orange marmalade on the side.

Orange-Biscoff Crumm Cake

~for the crumb topping~
1 (8.8 oz) package Biscoff cookies
2 T brown sugar
1 stick cold, unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces

Place the cookies in a food processor and process into crumbs.

Remove 1/2 cup of the crumbs and set aside to use in the cake batter.

To the crumbs that remain in the processor, add the brown sugar and butter and process or pulse until the butter has been fairly well distributed and a few 1/2-inch-or-so chunks of butter remain. Set aside until ready to use.

~for the cake~
1/2 cup reserved Biscoff crumbs
2 1/3 cups cake flour
1 tsp fine salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 stick butter, softened
1 the seeds of vanilla bean (split the pod longways and scrape the seeds out of each half with the blunt edge of a paring knife)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup orange marmalade (preferably one made with actual sugar and no funky stuff)
3 large eggs
3/4 cup buttermilk

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit and butter a 9-by-13-by-3-inch baking pan

In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the reserved cookie crumbs, the flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together the butter, vanilla seeds, sugar, oil, and marmalade until light and fluffy, scraping down the bowl as necessary Add the eggs one at a time, beating well to incorporate fully after each addition.

Add about one third of the flour mixture, beating on low just to incorporate.

Add half of the buttermilk, again beating on low just to incorporate. Scrape down the sides of the bowl if needed, and repeat with another third of the flour mixture, followed by the rest of the buttermilk and then the final third of the flour mixture.

Spread the mixture evenly into the prepared pan, and spread the crumb topping evenly over the top.

Bake at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for 50 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs clinging to it. Place the pan over a cooling rack for better air circulation, and allow to cool for at least 20 minutes before slicing.

This cake can be stored, tightly covered, at room temperature for up to five days, but it will be best in the first day or two.

Thanks for reading! Here's to Being the Secret Ingredient in your life.

Mini Orange-Biscoff Cheesecakes

The Setting: A lovely, sunny day.

The Soundtrack: The occasional tweet of a bird outside my window.

Steaming up the Oven: Nada...but my tummy is a' rumbling.

The Scenario: Biscoff Mania begins!

If you read this post (Sky-High Milk Chocolate Bark), then you know I have a sizable stockpile of Lotus Biscoff wafers at my disposal, and you may have been expecting the proliferation of Biscoff-inspired recipes to begin as promised for quite a while now.

Well...it may be a gradual trickle of caramelized-cookie goodness rather than an explosion...because many non-Biscoff recipes have fought their way onto my agenda...and I'm super-behind on posting...but today I eagerly bring you installment one of Biscoff Mania: Mini Orange-Biscoff Cheesecakes.

I hope you will enjoy them as much as I did!

Mini Orange-Biscoff Cheesecakes
Biscoff cookies are crisp, Belgian wafers that taste like lightly spiced, caramelized sugar. If you can't find or don't want to buy Biscoff cookies, graham crackers or gingersnaps would make excellent substitutes. If the centers of the cheesecakes sink down a little, no worries--they'll still be scrumptious! To take these cheesecakes up another notch, add the seeds of a split and scraped vanilla bean to the cream-cheese mixture along with the sugar.

8 oz Neufchatel cheese (or reduced-fat cream cheese), room temperature
8 oz full-fat cream cheese, room temperature
1 egg
1 T pure vanilla extract
pinch fine-textured salt
20 Biscoff cookies*
2 T melted butter
1/2 cup, plus 2 T granulated sugar, divided
1/4 cup orange marmalade
1 tsp water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 12-cup, standard-size muffin tin with cupcake liners and place the tin on a baking sheet.

Using an electric mixer, beat the cheeses together with 1/2 cup granulated sugar on medium speed until smooth. Add the egg, vanilla, and salt and beat till well-combined, about 1 minute.

Place the cookies in a food processor and process into sandy-textured crumbs.

If you do not have a food processor, place the cookies in a gallon-sized zip-top bag and crush them with a rolling pin.

Add the melted butter and 2 T granulated sugar to the cookie crumbs and pulse several times to combine. The mixture should resemble slightly damp sand.

If not using a processor, simply mix the sugar and butter into the crumbs with a fork until thoroughly combined.

Divide the mixture evenly among the 12 muffin cups.

Use clean fingers, a spoon, or a small glass to press the crumbs firmly into the bottom and slightly up the sides of each cup.

Place the marmalade and water in a small, microwave-safe cup or bowl and microwave for 15 seconds. Stir until smooth. Spoon 1 tsp of the marmalade mixture evenly into the bottom of each crust.

Divide the cream-cheese mixture evenly among the prepared cups.

Bake at 350 for 25 minutes. Rotate the pan in the oven, turn the oven off, and leave the pan in the closed oven for 30 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and carefully transfer the cheesecakes to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Once completely cool, chill cheesecakes in an airtight container in the fridge for at least one hour before serving. If stacking the cheesecakes in a container, place a piece of parchment or wax paper between each layer and stagger the cheesecakes so that the bottoms of the cheesecakes on the top layer rest on the top edges of the cheesecakes on the bottom layer. The cheesecakes will keep stored this way for up to one week.

*Note: As far as I can tell, Biscoff cookies come in sizes regular, large, and extra-large. This recipe calls for 20 regular-sized cookies, as seen here.

Thanks for reading! Here's to Being the Secret Ingredient in your life.

Sky-High Milk Chocolate Bark

The Setting: A beautiful Dallas day in need of doughnuts. Then again, what day isn't?

The Soundtrack: Lovely little snores from my precious munchkin.

Steaming up the Oven: Tennessee Tea-Cakes for WITK's online bake sale. Hope they're as tasty when they get to their bidder as they smell in my kitchen right now!

The Scenario: Chocoholic? Keep a bag of this addictive candy stashed in the cupboard for all of your late-night/early-morning/midday snacking needs.

I first conceived of this chocolate bark after scarfing down some scraps of re-hardened chocolate and wayward honey-roasted peanuts I'd saved from the aftermath of my foray into Homemade GooGoo Cluster-making.

Emptying the bag-o-scraps into my mouth with a little tap and shake to make sure every last salty-sweet morsel made it down the shoot, I thought, how could I take this choco-peanut frenzy to the next level?

To play up the saltiness, pretzels seemed a good and logical conclusion.

But on the sweeter side, I craved a little more complexity....

I craved the crispy caramelized crunch of the one and only Biscoff cookie.

Storming the aisles of every supermarket in the greater South Bend area, I scanned the shelves for my must-have item to no avail.

Unwilling to concede defeat, I turned my sights to the Internet.

There I found a bounty of Biscoff goodness to fulfill my chocolate-covered dreams.

I only needed a quarter-package or so to turn my recipe into reality, but the unit-cost of a solitary package was a wee bit high.

Hoosband, wise numbers-man and Biscoff fan that he is, insisted I go for the much, much larger multi-pack instead, as it would simply be the rational and economical thing to do.

Not one to argue with solid logic (or tasty cookies), I now posses enough Biscoff cookies to satisfy a fully-booked international flight from liftoff to touchdown.

You won't see a lot of the cookies in my cooking this summer, but watch out for back-to-school: Fall is officially Biscoff season.

Sky-High Milk Chocolate Bark
Why Sky-High? The working title of this recipe was Salty Dog Chocolate Bark (because it was savory-sweet and I liked the sound of it). Testing the recipe, however, I realized all of the add-ins were snacks frequently served to riders of the friendly skies, so I changed the name to reflect this new revelation. The bark is visually taller and texturally airier than most, both of which work with the name as well. Also...I'm not advocating the use of any questionably legal substances...but I imagine a batch of this bark would satisfy even the most raging cases of the munchies--that is, of course, when it is not inducing them.

12 oz milk chocolate chips, divided
1/2 cup coarsely chopped honey-roasted peanuts, divided
1/4 cup coarsely chopped pretzels, including any stray crumbs and/or salt
1/4 cup coarsely chopped Biscoff cookies, including any stray crumbs

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Place 5 oz of the chocolate in a microwave-safe dish and microwave for 30-second intervals, stirring for at least 20 seconds between each, until the chocolate is melted.

Spread the melted chocolate out on the parchment to a thickness of about 1/8 inch.

Evenly sprinkle the melted chocolate with 1/4 cup of the peanuts and all of the pretzel and cookie pieces.

Press gently on the toppings with your hands just to help them stick into the chocolate.

Melt the remaining 7 oz of chocolate the same way as before. Heavily drizzle the chocolate back and forth over the entire surface of your bark so that it will be easier to spread out without dragging the toppings along for the ride.

Gently spread out the chocolate over the top and sides so that all the toppings are sealed in.

Evenly sprinkle the remaining peanuts over the top and place in the fridge or freezer just till set (if your kitchen is cool and dry, it will set at room temperature; it will just take longer).

Once completely set, break into pieces and enjoy!

Bark may be stored in a sealed plastic bag or airtight container for up to one week.

Thanks for reading! Here's to Being the Secret Ingredient in your life.