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.

Orange Cream Pavers

The Setting: A quiet apartment, becoming ever-so-slightly more organized daily.

The Soundtrack: Just the rock and click of Oia's swing--she's sleeping!

Steaming up the Oven: Turkey, Kale, and Potato Soup

The Scenario: Another "oops" leads to "somebody take these away from me before I become a human sugar cube."

Over the holidays I had a list of things I wanted to cook, bake, or whip up, but you know how it goes...there's only so much time.

One of the things that got pushed off the list was an intriguing recipe for Homemade Peppermint Patties I had seen circulating around the web (I believe the recipe is originally from Savory Sweet Life; I stumbled upon it at Krissys-Creations).

You mix together sweetened condensed milk and powdered sugar, flavor the fluff with peppermint extract, shape into little disks, and coat in chocolate. Zip. Bam. Boom.

Having missed the holidays, but approaching Valentine's Day, I conceived a cherry version: light pink on the inside, hold the peppermint.

Since I try to avoid using artificial flavorings and colorings, I imagined this treat would glean its flavor and hue from tart cherry juice, an idea that seemed, even at the time, unlikely to be fruitful.

I mixed 1/4 cup Pom cherry pomegranate juice (the only option available at my local grocer) into the sweetened condensed milk and admired the dark pink swirls. Not a bad start.

But as I added cupfuls of confectioner's sugar, the pink became more purple, then more gray, then just gross. I swiped my finger through the mixture and brought it to my tongue.

Hmm...sweet...not very cherry...kind of musty tasting...not...good.

I added 1/4 tsp pure almond extract, hoping to enhance the cherry flavor. Still a no-go.

Should I just scrap it? Knitting my brows and digging in my heals, I resolved not to wash four cups of powdered sugar and all my good intentions down the drain.

Then I remembered the bag of oranges sitting in the fridge. Perfect!

I added the zest of one orange, half a teaspoon each of vanilla and spiced rum, the rest of the powdered sugar, and a prayer.

The gross gray color faded to white, and the taste, though still overly sweet on its own, would stand up well to dark chocolate.

The down side?

I can't stop eating these things!

Find the original recipe for Peppermint Patties at Savory Sweet Life, and try them (or my Orange Cream Pavers) for yourself.

Note: I don't mix my chocolate with shortening, as called for in the original recipe, which is why my patties, or Pavers, lack the flawless sheen of the originals. If, like me, you try to avoid using hydrogenated fats, or you just don't have any shortening on hand, you can omit it--just expect a thicker and more rugged chocolate exterior like what you see here.

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