Pumpkin bread with almond streusel

BROMA IS BACK. It was a long and bake-less summer in Manhattan, where I worked at a restaurant with some of the best people I've ever had the opportunity to work with (if you're in the NYC area, you must eat here). It was awesome and I so wish I could've stayed there, but my scholarly life must go on. So back to Ann Arbor for my senior year I go. I'm living once again with 6 boys on the rowing team in a new house with an old kitchen. Nonetheless I'm ready to bust shit out. And my housemates here are ridiculously good at cooking/baking, and they have a KitchenAid. 

So without further adieu, I will jump right into some fall recipes, starting with this incredible pumpkin bread. Even though I'm a chocolate girl through and through, I could definitely eat this bread every day of my life and die happy. Hope you enjoy Part II of Broma Bakery, more to come soon!

For the bread:

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup sugar
1 cup pumpkin puree

6 tablespoons butter, softened
1/4 cup plain, whole-milk yogurt
2 eggs, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the streusel:

1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
5 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, cut into small chunks
1 cup chopped, lightly toasted almonds

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Butter and flour a medium-sized loaf pan.

In a small bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Add in the pieces of butter, and using a pastry cutter, or 2 knives, cut the butter into the flour mixture until coarse crumbs have formed. Mix in the toasted almonds.

Then, in a medium bowl, combine the flours, baking soda, powder, salt, sugar, and spices. In a seperate bowl, cream the butter using an electric mixer on medium speed. Then add the eggs, yogurt, and vanilla. Fold in the pumpkin puree. Gradually fold in the flour mixture in three additions, stirring between each. Pour half of the batter into the loaf pan, then top with about 1/3 of the streusel. Pour in the rest of the batter, then top with the remaining 2/3 of the streusel.

Bake for 55 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool and serve!

Apple roundup and a cinnamon apple cake

I ruvv fall. The leaves are changing, the air is crisp, and the colder temperatures mean I can start wearing sweaters again. Oh, and it's apple season. Apples. My favorite fruit. Crunchy, sweet, tart, fresh, and absolutely delicious. So naturally I jump at any opportunity to make apple desserts. Here's a quick recap of my previous apple adventures:

Upside-down apple biscuits: delectable little guys. 

Scrumptious apple pie: an elegant pie perfect for company. 

Applesauce spice cake: one of the best cakes I've ever eaten. 

Apple cinnamon coffeecake: my go-to fall cake. So dense and flavorful. 

And now to add to the list, this cinnamon apple cake! It's super moist but also light, and makes a lot of cake, seeing as half of the volume is apples. So that means half the calories, right? No, who am I kidding. It means twice the portion size.

Yaaaay. Fall. 

For the cake:

4 1/2 cups diced apples (roughly 3 apples)
3/4 cups medium brown sugar

3/4 cups granulated sugar
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt

6 ounces plain or greek yogurt

1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
whole or slivered almonds to decorate (optional)

Preheat oven to 350° F and grease a medium baking pan. Set aside.

In a large bowl sift together the flour, and the rest of the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, combine wet ingredients and mix until well incorporated. Fold the flour mixture into the wet ingredients, gently mixing the ingredients just until combined. Mix in chopped apples.

Pour the batter into the baking pan, making sure it is evenly distributed. Decorate the top of the cake with a handful of almonds.

Bake in an oven for 40 minutes or until a knife comes out clean when inserted into the pan. Allow to cool completely before serving. 

Recipe adapted from the whinery.