Solas na Cruinne

“Nothing on Earth so beautiful as the final haul on Halloween night.”
~ Steve Almond, American Fiction Writer

This is the mother of all cakes, made for my favorite season, Autumn. And for me the best spiritual harvest of the year is in the cool and leaf-strewn time between my two favorite holidays, Halloween and Thanksgiving. :-)

As for the cake itself, I cannot begin to tell you how proud I am of this gooey monstrosity of a tasty sweet treat!

Anyone who knows of my cake baking/decorating exploits of the past knows that I have tried several times to master the tall, round and flat cake of picture books and cooking magazines, but to no avail.

Well, this is it! Rich, fruity, spicy, sweet and perfectly shaped! I think I’m in love.

The secret to that perfect depth and shape is in ditching your regular baking pans for a good old-fashioned saucepan instead. ;-)

Sadly, it’s perfection brought such tears to my eyes, and it’s smell such grumbles to nearby bellies, that photos were inadvertently missed out. :-(

I’ll make this one again next year, for Thanksgiving, and get some good snaps then.

This cake has all of the leading ladies of yummy and some quite tasty co-stars as well. So be decadent, get into the harvest-time spirit, and use up some of those pumpkins and apples from your autumn garden-picking adventures!

Harvest Haul Cake
Makes: 10 (or more) servings
Prep Time: 20-30 minutes
Cooking Time: 30-40 minutes

Ingredients:
*large stainless or non-stick saucepan

Cake Base
2 cups apples, sliced and peeled
.5 cup sugar
1 tbs flour
1 tsp cinnamon
3 tbs butter or margarine
1 tbs water
1 tbs lemon juice

Cake Batter
1 cup pumpkin puree
1.5 cup brown sugar
2.25 cups white flour
1 tbs corn starch
.25 cup soy milk
.5 cup buttermilk***
.75 cup butter or margarine
2-3 large eggs
3 tbs olive oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
.5 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
.5 tsp nutmeg
.5 teaspoon allspice
.25 tsp powdered ginger
.12 tsp ground cloves

Optional:
.5 cup ground walnuts
1 cup dried raisins or cranberries

Directions: (for base)

1. Melt butter over medium-low heat in the saucepan.

2. Add sugar, water, cinnamon and flour, mixing until it is lump-free.

3. Continue cooking on low until it becomes quite thick and caramel in colour.

4. Place apples in mixture, let sit over heat for just a minute.

5. Remove from heat, arrange evenly in the bottom of the pan and set aside.

Directions: (for cake batter)

1. Preheat oven to 350°f (175°c.)

2. Mix all ingredients in a large mixing bowl.

3. Slowly spoon batter into the saucepan, over top of apple base.

4. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until cooked all the way through.

5. Let sit for up to an hour before cutting, this helps to keep it cooking evenly while cooling.

*6. You can sprinkle the top with powdered sugar as a decoration if you’d like.

This may sound a bit like a simple apple upside-down cake, but it is so much more! This is a very rich and flavorful cake that is nearly a meal in itself! Great for big family get-togethers.

“If the fool would persist in his folly he would become wise.”

~William Blake, English Poet & Visionary

As some of you may know, I am a knitter. At least, sometimes I am.

I did my first stint of knitting when I was about seven. Then I gave it up when I was nine.

I got into knitting again when I was fifteen and gave it up when I was sixteen.

I picked it up again when I was 19 and put it down yet again when I turned 21.

Well, I am now a successful knitter in that I have kept with it, seasonally, for the past five years.

But, my whole reason for returning to knitting was to knit socks. Socks, socks, socks. Lots of socks. I collect them and wanted to make some of my own instead of continuing to buy nylon socks that were made in China.

Loved the knitting. Hated the socks.

I never finished a single one.

Actually, I really liked the socks, but they did not like me back.

I did eventually get used to the concept of double-pointed knitting needles and the whole knitting-in-the-round thing. But, after the 4th one that had to be ripped out during tragic heel-turning episodes, I decided to put socks aside and go back to baby blankets and scarves.

Then, a year later, I broke out the luscious pile of sock yarn and tried again. Twice. With the same sad and frustrating results. So, back to afghans and hats.

Then, just last autumn, I tried again. Equipped with the Addi Turbo 12″ circular sock needles, I felt determined and sure that it would be different.

At first, it was awesome! Knitting cuffs on the Addi is a breeze! Which brought me, at light-speed, to the heel. Dead in the water, AGAIN. And, AGAIN!

Well as I write to you today, I am on my 9th attempt at sock-making. I feel that nine is a lucky and magical number. (I hope!)

I am very excited and truly hopeful that this time the creativity will be effortless (or relatively so) and I will achieve a completed pair of handmade socks by the New Year.

The yarn that I chose is a lot of fun, Zwerger Garn-Opal Harry Potter in the Ron colorway. It makes me feel a little bit like Mrs. Weasley. ;-)

Maybe that’s why I am calling this project my Weasley Scrunchie Socks.

The pattern is a free one, the Squoosh Sock by Yarn Zombie.

Right now I am more than 6 inches into the first sock. I think it’s knitting up nicely, although the yarn may be better showcased using a different pattern, I really like the combination. Fun yarn + fun pattern = Fun socks!!!

Wish me luck (and patience) as approach the heel turning…I’ll need it!

**Ravelry users can find me here.