GOOEY-CHOCO MUFFINS & APPLE CAKE

Chocolate Intensity Muffins

2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup (4 oz) butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla
Confectioners’ sugar (optional)
Preheat oven to 400 F. Coat 12-cup muffin pan with vegetable spray, including top edges: muffins rise above the pan. (Coat thoroughly; these muffins have a tendency to stick.)
Add flour to large bowl. Sift in cocoa powder. Add sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt and thoroughly combine.
Whisk eggs, buttermilk, butter and vanilla in medium bowl until blended. Pour liquid mixture over dry ingredients and fold in with rubber spatula just until combined; do not overmix.
Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, dividing it evenly. Bake for 20 minutes or until tester comes out clean. Carefully turn out onto rack. Using tiny sieve, generously dust tops of muffins with confectioners’ sugar if desired. Makes 12 muffins.

Grandgirl’s Fresh Apple Cake

Cake:
Butter, for greasing pan
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
1/4 cup orange juice
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 TBSP ground cinnamon
1 TBSP vanilla extract
3 cups peeled and finely chopped apples
1 cup walnuts, chopped
1 cup raisins
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 325F.
Generously grease a tube pan(I used mini cake pans)
In a large bowl, combine the sugar, eggs, oil, orange juice, flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and vanilla extract, and mix well. Fold the apples, raisins and nuts into the batter.
Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake until a tester comes out clean about 1 1/2 hours.
Let cool.
Sauce:
3.5 ounces granulated sugar
1 liquid ounce water
3 liquid ounces heavy cream, heated
Combine sugar and water in a heavy sauce pan and cook until amber in color. Slowly add heavy cream and whisk till smooth.
To assemble:
Remove cooled cake from pan. Place a pool of sauce onto the cake round. Saute some diced green apples with some sugar until the caramelize. Place on top of cake. Drizzle melted white chocolate where ever you so choose to do so on the cake.