My Kitchen, It’s Full of Nuts
Print This Post
| 
Enjoy this post? Subscribe to Baking and Books.
There comes a time in every cook’s life when he or she looks around and realizes that their house is full of nuts. This has nothing to do with relatives or one’s proximity to them, rather it’s the almond, walnut and macadamia of which I speak. All those earthy seeds that add so much flavor to even the simplest dish, except for peanuts, which despite their name, are legumes. Those who dislike nuts will likely never find their homes overrun by them, but otherwise I believe this is a fate that shall befall us all. If it hasn’t happened to you yet, just wait.
In my kitchen it is not unusual to find a collection of half-empty nut packages, the number of which has grown so large that a few bags topple onto the counter when the cupboard door stops holding them in. While this may seem extreme, I assure you, it’s not. Indeed, if you take into account all the goodies and snacks that can be gleaned from a healthy assortment of nuts, it could even be argued that not having so many on hand is the odd thing. At least, that’s what I tell my husband when he says things like: “Good lord Ari! Where did all these nuts come from?! Something has to be done. I can’t even find the pasta.”
This is what happened a few days ago when the remnants of a recent baking extravaganza threatened to make Italian food a thing of the past. There were pistachios (from baklava) and walnuts (also from baklava, I was experimenting), a decently sized bag (or two) of macadamias, and bag of pecans. And since the hubby did have a point, I tallied the lot and began my mission to rid our apartment of enough nuts to restore pasta to its rightful place (in the right hand cupboard, middle compartment, above the tea).
The result? Two buttermilk coffee cakes flavored with cinnamon and a hint of ginger, the first topped with macadamias and the second with pecans. They smelled divine, and while they cooled I whipped up a batch of spiced cream coffee, then placed the cakes on my prettiest cake stands before happily showing off to my husband. “Look at this,” I said, “I cleared enough space in the cupboard for spaghetti!”
Buttermilk Cinnamon Coffee Cake
Buttermilk Cinnamon Coffee Cake
Adapted from “Morning Food” by Margaret S. Fox.
Ingredients: Makes 1 cake
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon powdered ginger
- 1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
- 3/4 cup white sugar
- 3/4 cup olive oil
- 1 cup chopped macadamias or pecans
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 1 cup buttermilk
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large bowl combine the flour, salt, 2 teaspoons of cinnamon, ginger and both sugars. Mix, then break apart any clumps of brown sugar with your hands. Add the olive oil and stir to combine. Remove 3/4 cup of the mixture and add it to the nuts along with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon. Stir to coat, then set aside.
Grease a bundt pan with a small amount of olive oil, or with Pam olive oil cooking spray. (The Pam butter spray is ok too.)
Add the baking powder, baking soda, egg and buttermilk to the remaining batter. Mix to combine. It’s ok if there are small lumps in the batter but break apart any large ones with the back of your spoon. Evenly pour the batter into the bundt pan, then sprinkle the nut mixture over the surface. It will look like it’s too much but it’s not. Some of the nuts will sink down into the batter and the others will lightly toast on the top.
Lightly spray the nuts with cooking spray, then place the pan in the oven. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes. It’s done with the top has a light golden brown color and a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Remove the pan from the oven and allow it to cool for at least 15 minutes.
Using a butter knife, gently trace the edges of the cake to make sure the sides haven’t stuck to the pan. Now place a large plate on top and, holding the plate and pan together, invert the two. You can do this again if you want the nuts to be on top for serving.
Spiced Cream Coffee (My Recipe)
Ingredients: Makes 2 servings
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 tbs sugar for whipped cream, plus more for the coffee
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 2 cups freshly brewed coffee (using 2 tbs of coffee per 1 cup of water)
- 1 tbs chocolate syrup
- About 1 cup whole milk
In a small bowl that has been chilled in the freezer, combine 1/4 teaspoon of the cinnamon, all the nutmeg and 1 tablespoon sugar with the cream. Whip with a handheld mixer until stiff peaks form.
In each coffee cup: Pour 1/3 to 1/2 cup of milk (depending on how much milk you like in your coffee), 1/8 tsp cinnamon and 1/2 tablespoon chocolate syrup. Mix well, then heat in the microwave for 60 seconds. Remove any skin that may have formed with a spoon, then add 1 cup of freshly brewed coffee and 2-4 tsps of sugar according to taste. Top with the spiced whipped cream. Serve immediately.
Other Posts You Might Like:- Spiral Coffee Cake with Nuts and Orange Marmalade
- Goldilocks in the Kitchen
- For My Fellow Coffee Lovers, Tiramisu
- My Favorite Apple Cobbler
- How I Ate My Cake, and Lost Weight Too - Part 1
46 Responses to “My Kitchen, It’s Full of Nuts”
Receive full posts via email or reader for free! Enter your email address below or click here to choose a reader.
The Indifferent Stars Above: The Harrowing Saga of a Donner Party Bride By Daniel James Brown
It's not often that a history book will compel me to set all my novels aside, but "The Indifferent Stars Above" certainly did. Within the first few pages I was spellbound. I had to know how Sarah, a young woman newly married to her childhood sweetheart, would end up on top of the Sierra Nevada mountains in the dead of winter, starving and forced to do unspeakable things in order to survive.
"The Indifferent Stars Above: The Harrowing Saga of a Donner Party Bride" tells the story of the Donner Party from the perspective of newlyweds Sarah Graves and Jay Fosdick. In April of 1846 the couple joined Sarah's family as they journeyed west from Illinois to the promised land of California. (Read the rest of this review...)
As I was reading your entry I couldn’t help but smile. What a wonderful way to rid yourselves of nuts and put them in their rightful place.
I really think I am going to tackle this recipe this weekend.
This is exactly the type of cake I love to have with my morning coffee, especially on Saturday morning.
My house is full of nuts of the family variety. Much harder to get rid of :0
Buttermilk? Tick.
Cinnamon? Tick.
Lots and lots of nutty goodness? Bring it on!!!
This sounds like an excellent addition to any kitchen benchtop. Care to share yours?
I have that same problem right now. I have walnuts in the freezer and peanuts in the cupboard and more walnuts in my bedroom. Yes my bedroom. Your recipe looks very good and something I think I’m going to try.
Yum, I love cakes that use oil instead of butter. That looks great.
Wow! I’ve never heard about the macadamia. In area were I live we have pecan. I have to try your recipe but you didn’t write pecan should be roasted or fresh.
What a lovely way to clean out your cupboards! I too find my freezer filled with little bits of nuts from time to time.I always have walnuts, unsalted peanuts, almonds — oh, and pine nuts, of course. You are not alone!
great idea - I have exactly the same problem - bags of nuts spilling out from their shelf…..I love macadamia nuts and I’ve just now found some poppy seeds so I’m off to make a lemon poppy seed cake!
I loved your story, it made me laugh. I also love nuts, I keep most of them in the freezer otherwise I wouldn’t be able to stop eating them….
Wow, if this is not delicious I don’t know what is - send some over to me, Ari!
Just discovered your blog 2 weeks ago, and thoroughly enjoy reading it. But this made me crack up….I,too, have had so many nuts they fall out of the cabinets (or take up a lot of room in the fridge where they fall all over the shelves).
I wish I had the brains to be able to put something together from the remains of food in my cabinet. This is really the sign of a great and inventive cook. Looks moist and delicious.
Wow this cake looks fantastic!
Wouldn’t find nuts in my kitchen - I can’t stand them. Yuck.
Ahh, it’s so nice to stop by your place and see good food. Especially after my dinner disaster last night that involved a TV dinner and powdered cheese.
Blech!
I would be content to camp out in your kitchen for a while (especially with a piece of your cake).
Wow, it looks great. Nuts never last in my house, though. We always eat them right up.
LOVE the Carolina blue!
The nut thing happens to me, too. I never use a whole bag! Recipes need to use whole bags, or nut packages need to grow … smaller?
Cakes sound divine. I’m digging the coffee, too.
I never used olive oil for cakes… I should give it a try… Iam nuts about nuts…
Ruth L - I think cakes like this make mornings just a little easier, especially if they are accompanied by a nice, hot cup of coffee.
Kristen - Lol, I think all familes have their share of nuts. They’re harder to get rid of, but they’re often so lovable too!
Ellie - I wish you could share mine! Then I could have made even more cake.
Oh my goodness that cake does look good, I want to come to your place for coffee.
Sarah - Your house sounds nuttier than mine!
Timi - Cakes made with oil or yogurt are my favs.
Home Cook - It depends on what you prefer. If you like to eat raw pecans then use those, if you prefer roasted ones, then go that route. The beauty of this recipe is that you can use whatever kind of nut you like best for the topping. Walnut, almond, macadamia, pecan, you name it.
Lydia - Pine nuts, now that is something I haven’t cooked with in a while! You’ve got my mental gears turning.
Jane - My mom loves lemon poppy seed cake, as do I. Yum! I hope you are going to share pictures of the finished product.
Monika - Keeping them in the freezer is a good idea, unfortunately my ice cream, waffles and various other frozen goodies are already taking up all the room! So alas, my only option is to eat all the nuts.
Patricia - I wish I could! I would love to share some of the food I make with my online friends.
Traci - I’m so glad you’re enjoying the blog, it’s great to “virtually” meet you!
Cheryl - Aw shucks, thank you. But really it was just a matter of making a cake then putting a bunch of nuts on top! Not terribly inventive but very tasty. :yum:
Cordelia - Thanks!
Jamie - I used to hate nuts too, until baklava made me reconsider my position. The rest is history!
Andi - TV dinner and powdered cheese? What were you making, out of curiosity?
Susan - And I would be content to have a great gal like you for kitchen company!
Damselfly - I think we would eat them up too if there were more than two of us and I didn’t buy so many nuts. I can’t help it though, they are so tasty and who knows when the baking bug will strike? Best to be prepared.
Abby - I never knew this blue I’m using had a name! Glad you’re digging the cake and the coffee. Perhaps the package sizes are similar to the hot dog/hot dog bun package conundrum. The numbers never match! A clever ploy to make us buy more of each no doubt. The same thing happens with veggie hot dogs.
Cris - The first time I used olive oil in cake my husband was skeptical, but now he swears those are his favorite. I find that using olive oil gives cakes a fluffy, yet firm texture. Instead of falling apart when you stick the fork in, slices hold their shape and can even be eaten by hand for that reason.
Carolyn - I tell ya, I wish I could have a foodblogger party. We’d all make our favorite dishes then enjoy the lot amid good conversation and delicious drinks.
Wow your cake looks wonderful, and the spiced creamy coffee, double wow!! I’m not sure which sounds more delicious!
I often seen to amass part bags of nuts as well, the only ones I never have are cashews - because if there are any left I can’t not eat them
KJxx
mmmm…. yummy coffee treats.
and may i say that reading blogs on Bloglines is very easy, but then you miss out on when people update their layouts. the [newish] look you have going on here is so great. its professional and inspiring. oh my, i was going to do some ‘blog spring cleaning’ this weekend, but now you’ve really inspired me to try to jazz mine up a bit.
Looks like a winning combination, Ariela!
Ari,
Have you been snooping around my house? I have nuts everywhere! I keep buying them and then I forget about them!!! But you can always convince me to buy more especially with this gorgeous coffeecake. I have “Morning Food” and love it!
cute post title, made me giggle
Hi Ari! Wow, what a beautiful cake! It IS funny how nuts tend to accumulate in one’s pantry over time. I can think of at least four different types off the top of my head - just sitting there… waiting to be made into delicious coffee cakes…
Kelly-Jane - You know, cashews are something I never have around! I usually snack on almonds, those are my favorite, but maybe I should pick up a bag of cashews next time I go shopping. Thanks for the idea.:)
Connie - Thanks, I’m glad you like the new look. I’m still playing around with it, and depending on how much time I have during the summer months I may change it again! I look forward to seeing what you do with your blog.
Nikkipolani - It is.
Ivonne - I wish I had been snooping around your house, I can only imagine what kinds of goodies are lying around your kitchen! “Morning Food” is a wonderful book, we’ve been getting a lot of use out of it because a) the recipes are delish and b) it’s coming up on the review list.
Garrett - Well that is an awesome thing to hear, making a great guy like you smile is a pleasure indeed!
Gilly - Thank you! What kinds of nuts are in your kitchen? After Ivonne’s comment I’m all curious about seeing what is in my favorite foodbloggers cabinets, lol.
What an excellent way to empty the cupboard of nuts and to fill one’s stomach with them! I have that same nut problem. My mom doesn’t have as bad of a “nut collection” in her pantry as I do, because she likes to grind the nuts up to make natural nut butters and she likes to add them in EVERYTHING. It gets to be overwhelming at times, so it seems that this recipe would be a much better way for me to get rid of my nuts.
You’ll have to make a recipe to get rid of excess popcorn! My roommate bought a huge box of it, and its been sitting in the cupboard for over a year.
nuts, nuts, nuts about nuts!
this looks great!
Looks delicious, I love nuts of all kinds and especially macadamias. This one is going on the weekend list, as is that amazing looking coffee.
Excellent coffee recipe Ari, I made it this morning and I think you may have saved me from spending even more money at Starbucks because this concotion is better than the drinks I get there. I’m going to try your pumpkin spice latte next!
Evertime I read your blog I have this burst of energy to go to the grocery store and buy everything I need to bake what you hav posted about. Can’t wait to try this one tonight.
Oh how I wish I was your neighbor!! Coffee, cinnamon and ginger? That sounds like the stuff dreams are made of!
Passionate Eater - Nut butters! Now there is something I’ve never thought of. What a great idea (new to me, old hat to you, lol). Maybe you can share a recipe sometime?
Kat - We’re nuts about nuts too!
Matt - I hope you enjoyed the recipes.
Gabriela - Ha! Well you know all these coffee recipes came about when I realized how much money I was spending at Starbucks.
The great thing about making your own coffee drinks at home is that you can be sure it will come out the way you like it every time. No more crossing your fingers and hoping the barist gets it right!
Erin - I hope you enjoyed it!
Christine - I wish you were my neighbor too. Then you could help me eat everything and I could bake even more!
You know who is going to make that right? Little old me! Looks scrumptious, perfect for a sunday afternoon snack!
Wonderful Sunday Morning Cake!! And what killer coffee!!! The cakes look and sound really lovely. It is kind of funny how we can collect certain foods and nuts is sure one of them. I have a drawer full of them in the freezer.
Sounds scrumptious! One question on the coffee, though - when you refer to “1/2 heavy cream,” what measurement is that?
Helen - It would be an honor for any recipe I post to make an appearance in your fabulous kitchen.
Tanna - I never thought of freezing them before but that’s an excellent idea. (This reply originally said “I never thought of freezing my nuts” - but that just sounded wrong, lol.)
Autumn - I mean 1/2 a cup. Thank you for pointing that out!
I’m not keen on oil in cakes…just don’t like the taste it leaves, can I substitute melted butter instead?
I have just found your blog and thinks it’s great.
Cakebaker - I haven’t tried using butter in this recipe because I’m happy with the olive oil (which doesn’t leave a taste behind), but if you would rather substitute butter/margarine, by all means, experiment! Let me know how it turns out.
Ariela thanks.
Admittedly, I have never used olive oil in cakes. I’ve only used vegetable and canola….yuck.
I’ll do an experiment with butter and let you know:):)
I’ve got tons of nuts too — and keep them in the freezer. I can only use a few at a time because of family allergies, but boy, do we all love nuts! LOL about the spaghetti — I can relate!