THANKSGIVING EDITION - Apple Cake and Cranberry Pecan Pie

This was our first year of hosting Thanksgiving at our house, and we killed it! Thanks to Martha Stewart and Deb at Smitten Kitchen for having awesome recipes to work from (we made a turkey we bought from our CSA, garlic and sour cream mashed potatoes, this gravy, these brussels, this corn pudding, and this stuffing). A friend offered to bring a sweet potato pie, and since I think every successful Thanksgiving should have at least three desserts, I decided to make this apple cake and this cranberry pie because I am a HUGE fan of tart, fresh cranberries. Everything was delicious!

I served both desserts with Graeter's vanilla bean and salted caramel ice creams.


Apple Cake 

5 apples
1 tablespoon cinnamon
5 tablespoons sugar

2 3/4 cups flour, sifted
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups sugar
1/4 cup OJ
2 1/2 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a bundt pan. Peel, core and chop apples into small chunks. Toss with cinnamon and sugar and set aside.

Stir together flour, baking powder and salt in a large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together oil, orange juice, sugar and vanilla. Mix wet ingredients into dry ones, then add eggs, one at a time. Scrape down bowl to incorporate everything well.

Pour half of the batter into prepared pan. Spread half of the apples over it. Pour remaining batter over the apples and rearrange the remaining apples on top. Bake for about 1 1/2 hours or until a tester comes out clean. Cool completely before running a knife between cake and pan, and unmold onto a large serving tray.

Sooo moist and tasty; picture does not do it justice!

Cranberry Pecan Pie 

Crust
1 1/4 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 table salt (I only had coarse so I used closer to 1/4 tsp)
1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into chunks
1/4 cup very cold water

Filling
4 1/2 cups fresh cranberries
1 cup sugar
Orange zest (Deb says "a few gratings" but I used probably 2 tablespoons worth)
Pinch of salt
1 tablespoon cornstarch

Streusel
2/3 rolled oats
1/2 cup flour
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp coarse salt
3/4 cup pecans, toasted
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled

For dough: In the work bowl of a food processor, combine flour, salt and sugar. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles a coarse meal and the largest bits of butter are the size of tiny peas. Turn mixture out into a mixing bowl. Add 1/4 cup cold water and stir with a spoon until large clumps form. Use hands to knead dough together in the bottom of the bowl.  Wrap dough in plastic. Refrigerate 1 hour or up to 48 hours.

Form the crust: On a floured counter, roll the dough out into a 12-13 inch circle. Transfer to a 9-inch pie plate. Trim overhang to about 1/2 an inch. Crimp. Refrigerate until ready to fill.

Heat oven to 375.

Make filling: Combine all filling ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium heat. After about 5 minutes, berries will leak juices. Cook 5 minutes more until filling is loose. Transfer to a bowl and letter cool slightly.

Make topping: If using whole oats, grind them to a powder in a food processor. Add pecans and grind too. Add remaining ingredients except the butter, pulsing a few times to combine. Add butter until crumbles form. Sprinkle over cranberry topping.

Bake pie: For 45-50 minutes until juices are slightly bubbling. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Sooo tart and crumbly! A perfect pie and a bad pic