Category Archives: Autumn baking

Cozy feelings and Ginger-gingersnap Ice Cream

Posted in Autumn baking, Baking Recipes, Christmas & holidays, David Lebovitz, From the books, Frozen treats, I scream for ice cream (I do), My favourite things by

Christmastime is almost upon us!

I don’t know if you know this, but Christmas season here in the Philippines starts as soon as the -ber months hits, then it ends around February (when shops begin replacing their Christmas decors in favour of Valentine’s). On the first day of September, the malls would begin playing Christmas carols already, and although my training in Marketing tells me this is a ploy to get people in a shopping mood, I can’t deny it does have a way of awakening the Christmas spirit somewhat. All the reds, greens, and yellows- not to mention the jolly tunes blasting from the speakers- have a way of lightening moods rather drastically.

As I write this, my thoughts still linger to those of autumn. I miss it rather immensely this year; enough to find myself a bit wistful, and so welcoming the Christmas mood this early on could give me more pleasant feelings. I am stuck between wanting to stay in the autumn mood a little longer and welcoming the Christmas mood, to be honest.

Funnily enough there is one flavour that seems as stuck between autumn and Christmas as I am- in my opinion anyway- and that would be the ginger flavour. It seems to fit into both seasons rather nicely, since it’s such a cozy and welcoming flavour. It’s both a great reminder of autumn, and a wonderful way to welcome Christmas, don’t you think? Continue reading for the recipe

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In the absence of actual apple pie– Apple Pie Muffins

Posted in Autumn baking, Baking Recipes, Cupcakes & Muffins, My favourite things, The Breakfast Bin by

You ever have days when you get a hankering for apple pie but you’re too lazy to go through the motions of making the dough, chopping up the apples, and all that? I do. A lot of times actually. So then you might ask, ‘Why don’t you just run down to the store and buy one?’ To be honest, I haven’t found a store-bought apple pie in my neck of the woods that tastes half as good as a homemade one. So what’s a girl to do in such a situation? Well this is the part where I tell you about how this muffin would be a nice substitute for apple pie, but if there’s one thing I learned after all this time I’ve been baking, it’s that there really isn’t a substitute for good ‘ole apple pie. And yet I can’t resist the charm of other pastries that interpret this lovely classic. I made a cupcake-version of apple pie a while back, and while they were good, I have to say these muffins were oh so much more satisfying! Continue reading for the recipe

San Francisco and Apple Crumble Loaf Cakes

Posted in Autumn baking, Baking Recipes, Quickbreads & Loaves, Simple cakes by

The other day I was checking my Instagram feed and I saw a friend of mine post a lovely autumn picture of orange trees lining a long road somewhere in New York. I immediately felt a bit sad, maybe just a tad jealous, mostly because I feel like I’m stuck here and she’s enjoying herself ever so much over there, living her dreams in New York’s fashion world and what-not. Well the weather here has been sweltering and summer-like, the rays of the sun blanketing everything with a yellow reminiscent of a morning in the desert. It’s literally impossible to walk outside without squinting against the harsh sunlight and feeling it prickle against your skin. The woes of living the tropics!

These days I find myself wishing so constantly to escape somewhere. A place where I’ve left a piece of my heart perhaps? Alas, I have no choice at the moment but to daydream and find solace in my hobbies, like baking for instance. Admittedly, it’s getting harder to make myself feel better for longer stretches of time whenever I don’t keep myself occupied.
Continue reading for the recipe

I could get used to these orange-coloured rolls

Posted in Autumn baking, Baking Recipes, Bread-making, My favourite things, Yeasted breads by

I’ve always wondered why there aren’t more pumpkin-based pastries here in Manila (or maybe I haven’t found them yet?). My exposure to them has been close to nothing before I began blogging. I mean sure, we have some fabulous pumpkin dishes here (with coconut milk!), but the pumpkin pies and breads? Not so much, if at all. Only the best-stocked Supermarkets even have canned pumpkin here. Aren’t people the least bit curious about all these pumpkin-y things? Quite frankly, I only learned about canned pumpkin since I started following food blogs, and I only tasted pastries made with said canned pumpkins since I started baking and blogging myself.

See this is why I love this whole blogging experience. I feel like I have a window to the world.

These days, I don’t really need any excuse to prepare anything with pumpkin in it, but around autumn-time elsewhere in the world is when I feel most comfortable buying more cans of pumpkin than I need. My Mother always looks at me strangely when I do and I just tell her I’m compensating for this country’s lack of autumn by baking autumn-y pastries. Quite frankly she likes autumn too, so I just give her a smile and ask her, ‘Interested in some Cinnamon-Swirl Pumpkin Rolls?’
Continue reading for the recipe

I constantly dream about autumn baking

Posted in Autumn baking, Baking Recipes, My favourite things, Quickbreads & Loaves by

I love autumn. It’s a major reason why I love autumn baking, because it really makes me feel the arrival of autumn down to my bones. The only problem is I live in the tropics, where autumn is virtually non-existent. Perhaps the closest thing we have to autumn here is the slightly chilly, windy December weather which I love so much. During this time, the trees change their leaves, and every so often one would find a clump of yellowed fallen leaves as one goes around the city. It just doesn’t crunch in the same way as the orange-brown leaves of fall do.

Despite living in a country with no autumn, I’ve been fortunate (unfortunate?) enough to experience autumn several times during my youth. My favourite is probably the autumn I spent in Australia. I even remember being overcome by an odd feeling of calm as I walked through Hyde Park in Sydney, making my way through rows and rows of trees with orange leaves swirling with the wind or hanging precariously on the branches. The melodious chirps of birds and the crunching of leaves beneath my shoes sang in chorus with the soft whispering winds of fall– the same wind that made my hair look a good kind of unkempt. In the distance, the statue of Captain Cook stood welcoming autumn with his outstretched hand…
Continue reading for the recipe

A slice of apple pie a day keeps insanity away

Posted in Autumn baking, Baking Recipes, Must-Makes from Martha, Pies & Tarts, Timeless Treats by

Things have been crazy around here.

The effects of the flood have not, to put it mildly, been pretty. In fact, looking at the aftermath of it is depressing. We’ve packed a lot of old clothes and shoes for the relief drive, but on a personal level, the damage and loss we have sustained in our own family company is also brutal. Let’s just say we’ve been cleaning for three days non-stop and haven’t even made it to a quarter of the stocks and other things that need to be rescued. The paperwork on my desk is slowly piling up, neglected in favour of other more dire priorities. I reckon it will take about a month to get everything back in their original state, but I hardly feel like I am in a position to complain. I have to be resilient, just like everyone else. Just like those who received a worse beating from this storm.

A more optimistic picture after this horrible flood. I don’t have the heart to document anything else.

It amazes me how two very opposite things can happen in the same week– on the same day even. On Thursday the rains finally heaved its last sigh and it took only a few hours for the flood in our area to disappear completely. In the morning the streets had looked like a lake and come afternoon it was dried out, leaving not even a single sign that there had been a deluge. But it has certainly left something in me at the end of this week: a severe tiredness; and some paranoia with any sound that resembles that of rain. Every time the trees outside my window so much as rustle, I look up to see if it is raining again. Things are not normal yet despite how they may appear; not by a long shot.

But a dash of good cheer: One of the more admirable things about people is their ability to pick up the pieces after the storm is done and move on. That’s always the case isn’t it? You either carry on with your life and do the best you can, or let the negativity weigh you down and carry you off into a bad place. I choose the first option of course, and though it may be tiring at times, no one ever disallowed taking breaks to shake off the weariness.

Today is a Sunday, and in preparation for another long period of cleaning this coming week, all I want to do today is watch The Newsroom, play Rockband 3, visit a bookstore, and write about apple pie. Not necessarily in that order.
Continue reading for the recipe