Apples & Pumpkin

Last year while we were still dating, we made some mead. Or maybe Jason made it then and we bottled it after we married - I don't remember anymore. But it aged in one-gallon carboys for about a year and now we have a host of flavors, thanks to mixing it with things like grapes, apples, and even coriander. Mead is a honey wine and based on what we fermented it with/in, it ranges from sweet and carbonated to not-very-honeyish. All of it is pretty good, though, although I haven't had more than a sip lately.

I was making my favorite apple spice cake the other day, and Jason brought up a bottle (now not in carboys, obviously) of apple mead. I think it added a lot of flavor to already flavorful cake. And look, it doubles as a way to hold thawing meat under water! (J's idea.)

Sorry for not having a related picture, but here's the apple cake recipe. It really is very good and worth all the ingredients/effort!

Apple Spice Cake Recipe

Originally from the New Good Cake Book

• 2 sticks (1 c) butter, softened [Note: I used part butter and part oil]
• 2 cups sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup buttermilk (or milk + 2 tsp apple cider vinegar)
• 1/4 cup brandy (optional) [or apple mead or hard apple cider]
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1-1/2 cups flour
• 1-1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• salt, other spices as desired
• 2 cups unpeeled coarsely chopped apples

Cream butter with sugar; add eggs, then buttermilk and vanilla (and alcohol, if using). Add dry ingredients and bake in a bundt pan at 350 for 45-50 minutes.

. . .

I also made pumpkin bread today, using my recipe with malt syrup. It has sugar in it, too, but I think needs more. The inside part is very good, but the crust has a slightly bitter, dry flavor when it should be sweet. Maybe I just need to add brown sugar to the top next time...