eggs, room temperature – Page 2

Grandma’s Apple Crumb Cake

Posted on November 19, 2022February 12, 2026 by Mari Vasseur

I remember my grandma making coffee cakes and sweet muffins for breakfast, along with eggs, sausages, hot coffee and a big pitcher of milk on the table. Why do most of our grandmothers cook and bake so well? Because they’ve had decades of trial and error to perfect their recipes, tweaking them here and there until they’re approved and loved by their families, neighbors and friends. This cake has had its share of trial and error. She has earned her place as a well-loved, delicious, beautiful queen of coffee cakes.

A classic coffee cake is usually a subtly sweet cake with cinnamon, crumb topping and maybe some icing. They’re called coffee cakes because they go so well with a cup of coffee, not necessarily because they contain coffee. This Apple Crumb Cake has the elements of a classic coffee cake, but so much better! The cake is fluffy and soft, the crumb topping is chunky and plentiful, and the apples are perfectly tender. And don’t get me started about the icing!

Grandma's Apple Crumb Cake

Tender vanilla cake with generous crumb topping and vanilla icing

Print Recipe

Course Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert

Servings 8 servings

Ingredients

Apples

1 tablespoon (14g) butter
3 cups (340g) chopped apples (1/2-inch pieces) Use any combination of your favorite baking apples.
2 tablespoons (25g) sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Crumb Topping

1 cup (128g) all purpose flour
⅓ cup (67g) brown sugar
3 tablespoons (38g) sugar
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Scant ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
6 tablespoons (85g) cold, unsalted butter, cubed

Cake

1 ⅔ cups (213g) all purpose flour, sifted
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
½ cup (113g) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup (200g) sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
½ cup (118ml) whole milk, room temperature
⅓ cup (75g) sour cream, room temperature

Icing

2 cups (234g) powdered sugar, sifted
2 tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter, melted
½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla extract
1 pinch fine sea salt
3-4 tablespoons (45-60ml) half & half cream, room temperature

Instructions

Apples

In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the apples, sugar and cinnamon.
Cook, stirring occasionally, until the apples are tender, about 7-10 minutes. Transfer the apples to a bowl and let cool to room temperature.

Crumb Topping

In a medium bowl, mix the flour, brown sugar, sugar, cinnamon and salt.
Work in the butter with your fingertips until the mixture looks like wet sand with no large pieces of butter remaining. Press together to make 1/2-inch chunks.

Cake

Preheat the oven to 325ºF (165ºC). Line a 9-inch cake pan with a removable bottom*, or a 9-inch springform pan, with parchment paper. Wrap the bottom of the cake pan with aluminum foil and place pan on a baking sheet.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt until well blended.
In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar, with an electric mixer on medium speed, until light and fluffy. Beat the eggs and vanilla into the butter mixture in three separate addition, making sure each addition is incorporated before adding the next.
In a small bowl, whisk the milk and sour cream together. On low speed, beat the flour mixture into batter in three additions, alternating with milk mixture. Mix just until combined.
Transfer the batter to the prepared cake pan. Smooth the top with a spatula. Drain any excess liquid from the apples. Top the cake batter evenly with apples, then the topping mixture.
Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 50-60 minutes. Cool the cake in pan for 10 minutes. Remove the cake from pan and transfer it to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Icing

In a medium bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, melted butter, vanilla, salt and 2 tablespoons (30ml) of half & half. Add additional half & half until the desired consistency is reached. Drizzle over the cooled cake.

Notes

*To find the cake pan I used, click here.

Keyword apple, cake

Favorite Banana Bread

Posted on April 2, 2022February 15, 2026 by Mari Vasseur

This moist, flavorful banana bread is my favorite banana bread recipe to date. It has the perfect texture. Not mushy or gummy like so many banana bread recipes out there. I like to add chocolate chips and/or toasted pecans to make it extra delicious.

Favorite Banana Bread

by Mari Vasseur

Moist, flavorful banana bread with chocolate chips and optional pecans

Print Recipe

Course Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 1 loaf

Ingredients

1 ½ cups (191g) all purpose flour, sifted, plus 1 teaspoon for the chocolate chips
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg, preferably freshly ground
1 cup (200g) packed brown sugar
⅓ cup (70ml) avocado oil or neutral oil of your choice
2 large eggs, room temperature
½ cup (113g) sour cream or full fat Greek yogurt, room temperature
1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
¾ cup (170g) mashed bananas (about 2 medium bananas)
½ cup (60g) coarsely chopped toasted pecans optional
2 tablespoons (15g) chopped pecans optional
1 ¼ cups (213g) semisweet chocolate chips, divided

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350ºF (165ºC). Line the bottom an 8 x 4-inch or a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper. Grease and flour the insides.
In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg until well blended.
In a large bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, oil, eggs, sour cream and vanilla until creamy and well blended. Stir in the bananas until incorporated. Mix in the flour mixture just until combined. Do not over mix. Stir in the 1/2 cup of pecans if using. If using chocolate chips, set aside 1/4 cup (43g) for the top and toss the remaining 1 cup (170g) of chocolate chips with 1 teaspoon of flour, then mix them into the batter.
Transfer the batter to the prepared loaf pan. Sprinkle the loaf with the chopped pecans or 1/4 cup (43g) of chocolate chips. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean, about 40-50 minutes. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove the loaf from the pan and transfer it to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Keyword banana, loaf

Purple Berry Cake with Silky Cream Cheese Frosting

Posted on June 29, 2017February 12, 2026 by Mari Vasseur

Purple is passionate. It’s mystical. It’s regal. Don’t we all know someone whose favorite color is purple? It’s painfully obvious. They can’t hide it. They don’t want to hide it. They can’t just be friends with purple. They’re in a relationship with purple. The first time I made this Purple Berry Cake, a purple lover I know said that when she saw it, it spoke to her soul.

Fresh berry purée is added to the batter, creating a soft, moist cake. The layers are brushed with berry syrup, which helps keeps the cake moist and gives it a nice punch of berry flavor. I used blackberries and blueberries, but you can use any combination of purple berries that you like. After baking, the color of the cake layers will be a brownish gray with a hint of purple, depending on your berries. I think I need to come up with name for this color. How about Silverberry? You can see tiny flecks of the berries in the cake and I think the color is lovely, especially with the lavender frosting. If you want a more purple cake, feel free to add some gel food color to the batter. I used Wilton Violet gel food color to achieve the pretty lavender cream cheese frosting. The extra butter and the addition of heavy cream makes this frosting silky and spreadable.

I’m obsessed with edible flowers lately, so I garnish my baked goods with them whenever I can get my hands on some. I found these pansies in the produce department of my local food market. If you can’t find pansies, pesticide free violets or rose petals would also be pretty. Make sure to apply them to your cake right before serving, since they are delicate and will wilt over time. Brush some of your berries with a little dab of edible gold luster dust for an extra regal touch.

Purple Berry Cake with Silky Cream Cheese Frosting

A soft, moist cake made with berry purée and topped with silky lavender cream cheese icing

Print Recipe

Course Dessert

Servings 1 6-inch cake (serves 6)

Ingredients

Purple Berry Cake

12 ounces (340g) fresh berries (plus more to garnish cake) I used blackberries and blueberries
1 ½ cups (191g) all purpose flour, sifted
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
1 ½ cups (300g) sugar, divided
⅓ cup (75ml) vegetable oil
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
½ cup (118ml) buttermilk, room temperature

Silky Cream Cheese Frosting

¾ cup (170g) cream cheese, softened
¾ cup (170g) unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt
1 pound (454g) powdered sugar, sifted
1 tablespoon heavy cream, room temperature
Purple gel food color I used Wilton Violet

Garnishes

Fresh berries
Edible gold luster dust I used Alan Tetreault Edible Hybrid Luster Dust Soft Gold
Edible flowers I used pesticide free pansies

Instructions

Purple Berry Cake

Preheat the oven to 350º F (180ºC). Like the bottoms of two 6-inch round cake pans with parchment paper circles. Grease and flour the insides.
Purée the berries in a blender or small food processor. Strain the puréed berries through a sieve. Reserve 2/3 cup (150g) of the berry puree. Set aside the remaining puree for the syrup.
In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until well combined.
In a large bowl, beat 1 1/4 cups (250g) of sugar with the oil, eggs and vanilla extract, with an electric mixer on medium speed, until light and fluffy. Stir in the reserved 2/3 cup berry purée. Add the flour mixture in two additions, alternating with the buttermilk, beating at low speed just until combined.
Pour the batter evenly into the prepared cake pans. Bake until a toothpick inserted into center of cakes comes out clean, about 30-35 minutes. Cool the cakes in the pans for 10 minutes. Remove the cakes from pans and transfer them to cooling racks to cool.
While the cakes are baking, make the berry syrup. In a small saucepan, heat the remaining berry purée with the remaining 1/4 cup sugar (50g) and 1/4 cup (59ml) of water over medium-low heat. Stir together and cook until sugar is dissolved. Set aside to cool.
Split each cooled cake llayer into two and brush with berry syrup. Fill and frost the cake with Silky Cream Cheese Frosting.

Silky Cream Cheese Frosting

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese with an electric mixer on speed or by hand with a spatula, until smooth. Add the butter and beat until smooth and well combined. Add the vanilla extract and salt and beat until combined.
Gradually add the powdered sugar and beat at medium speed until combined. Add the heavy cream and beat at low speed until smooth and creamy.
Add the food color with a toothpick, a little at a time, until the desired shade is reached. Beat at low speed until well blended. Smooth out any air bubbles by stirring slowly by hand with a spatula.

Garnishes

Garnish the top of the cake with fresh berries. Brush a few of the berries with edible gold luster dust. Garnish with fresh flowers immediately before serving.

Notes

*To find my favorite 6-inch cake pans, click here. To find Wilton Violet gel food color, click here. To find Alan Tetreault Edible Hybrid Luster Dust Soft Gold, click here.