Puff Pastry Apple Tarts

Puff pastry. 

Y'all.

It's amazing.

This evening, I opened the windows in my house and a gloriously crisp fall breeze blew right through into my kitchen. It's time for fall desserts. 

I can't wait for the leaves to turn colors. I love when the mountain is covered in the falling leaves. 

What better way to welcome autumn than by making an apple tart?

Puff Pastry Apple Tart

Yields: 2 medium tarts (about 8 servings)

1 sheet Pepperidge Farm puff pastry

2 large apples

1/4 cup brown sugar

pinch of salt

powdered sugar for dusting

creme fraiche 

1. Thaw out puff pastry. It's best to let it sit in the fridge for 24 hours before using it, but if you forgot, just leave it out of the freezer for 30 minutes before trying to unfold it. 

2. Preheat oven to 400 degreed fahrenheit.

3. Peel, core, and slice apples into very thin slices. Put the sliced apples in a bowl and top with brown sugar and a pinch of salt. Stir it around. Let it sit for 5 minutes.

4. Cut the puff pastry in half. Put it on a cookie sheet lined with silpat or parchment paper. 

5. Arrange the apples on the puff pastry, leaving about 1" on the perimeter of the puff pastry so there will be a crust when it puffs up in the oven. 

6. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until golden brown. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve with creme fraiche. 

Bon appétit!

Banana Cake with Brown Sugar Buttercream

Well, blog readers, I'm finally back! Back to the blog, and back to BYU!

My gorgeous roommates and crappy-yet-cute house

I forgot how much I love Provo. Seriously. Yesterday I went to SLAB Pizza (This awesome pizza place that gives you a quarter of a giant pizza and a drink for $5) and after I walked in, I saw Stephanie Nielson. I recently finished her book and I am in love with her story. She's one of the most inspiring people I've ever seen. You can see her story here. 

So I've made this cake many times over the past few years. I'm not sure exactly when I discovered the recipe, but it's been a favorite for quite some time now. 

The only reason I haven't blogged about it yet is because it's usually gone within an hour or two of baking it. Recipe tweaked from Butter Yum. 

Banana Cake

Yields: 8x8 cake

2/3 cup sugar

1/2 cup sour cream (or buttermilk)

1 egg

2 tbsp butter, softened

2-3 overly ripe bananas

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup flour

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp baking powder

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees (350 for glass pan) fahrenheit.

2. Cream together sugar, sour cream, egg, and butter for about 3 minutes. Add mashed banana and vanilla and beat. 

3. Mix together the dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Add them slowly to the wet ingredients.

4. Pour into a greased 8x8 pan and bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the middle of the cake. 

Brown Sugar Buttercream

1 stick butter, softened

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1 tbsp milk, optional 

In a stand mixer, cream together the butter and the brown sugar for 5 minutes, or until most of the graininess of the sugar is dissolved. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla slowly. If the frosting is too thick, add milk slowly. If it's too thin, add more powdered sugar.