The Jack O’Lanterns adorn doorsteps. Cobwebs, bats and ghostly apparitions hang from the bushes and trees in front of the homes down the street. The most frightful holiday of the year has arrived! Children absolutely delight in this playful day: they’ve been plotting their disguises for weeks and can’t wait to get their hands on treats. But—we can’t forget about the grown-ups! Whether you like to create an atmosphere of scary suspense for the kids, or for yourself and friends, Halloween is a day where the mood seems to shift and magic suddenly seems possible. There’s nothing like All Hallow’s Eve when you show up to class, to a party, or maybe even the office, and voices that are so familiar to you no longer have the face that matches! Instead, there are goblins, ghouls, witches and wizards, maybe even a few fictional characters, celebrity portrayals, animals and objects. We all love dressing up, or guessing who’s who—it’s all part of everyone having a ghoulishly good time!

It may be that dressing up is not for everyone, but I think we can all agree that Halloween treats are something we are all keen on. Any holiday makes a great excuse to whip up and indulge in candy, cupcakes, cookies and all kinds of other sweets. So this Halloween, we invite you to make hauntingly delicious desserts with help from the recipe and decorating tips of baker Allison Sklar of Savoury Sweets Bakery! From decorating-pro to icing-student, her methods behind these dire-designs are far from terrifying and can easily be replicated at home. Allison’s Mom’s German Apple Cake (a take on an apfelkuchen) and Cider Donuts dauntingly decorated with fun Halloween-themed designs are an easy-to-do project that are perfect for getting you in the horrific Halloween mood!

Can’t wait to start baking? We’re dying to get our cauldrons boiling too! Allison uses one of our Sagetra Deep Mixing Bowls to help make sure our potions are spill-proof and spring-form Cake Moulds and Doughnut Moulds from the thinkkitchen Bakeware collection for making the mystical shapes. Don’t forget, you’ll need a good piping bag and the icing décor tips Allison used to get the boo-tiful cobweb designs just right! So, turn on some music to get you in the mood (Thriller, anyone?) and let Allison show you how to easily make and decorate these frightful (and delightful) Halloween treats!

Here to help you conjure up something magical for every celebration,

Allison believes that the best way to combat nasty cravings is to eat more sweets.

A professionally trained pastry chef and a qualified art teacher, Allison combined her two passions and founded Savoury Sweets Bakery in 2014. Allison’s creations are as unique as they are delicious – never using fondant, her cakes are all decorated using fluffy buttercream frosting, accented with handmade fabric flowers and customized hand-drawn toppers. Sweet tables are one of her favourite things to cater, as she gets to show off her talent for making chewy cookies, decadent brownies & her famous pie squares. Among her many talents, Allison also specializes in a variety of vegan baked goods, so everyone at your next gathering can indulge in a little something sweet. From weddings to birthdays, big or small, Allison does it all. Check her out on Instagram, on Facebook, or on her website.

You might be experiencing those end-of-season blues, but a fresh new season is about to start, and with it comes change and new beginnings! At Stokes, we love to remind you of all the fantastic things that come with each season! There are plenty of fun things to do, bake, cook and (of course) eat, for EVERY time of year! Fall is just a few short weeks away and we all know what comes with the season of cool days and colourful leaves… Apple picking! As one of our favourite and most popular harvesting activities (let’s be honest, who doesn’t post apple picking photos on social media), it’s a fun day to bundle up in our best farm-wear, cozy up on a hay ride, and pick up some fresh produce from our local farms. For this recipe, we used a Fuji apple, but if you intend to pick the fruit yourselves, local farmers would suggest Cortland apples for best results. Large and round, its crisp taste is just perfect for balancing the lightness of the cake in the recipe we chose to prepare.

This week, we introduce you to restaurant reviewer, food photographer and nutritionist Eva, of Eat with Eva, who has a delicious new take on your classic apple season recipe. Don’t get us wrong–we love a warm apple crumble, crisp, or pie & we could never get tired of flavours like apples with cinnamon or apples and caramel. But since we love to introduce you to new things, and Eva’s food philosophy is centered on discovery and exploration (her blog tagline is “explore cultures through food discovery”), we thought this Invisible Apple Cake, a French regional cake, would be just perfect for this year’s apple baking! We know you’re thinking it, but no – the calories aren’t invisible, but on the other hand, Eva’s version is probably healthier than Granny’s apple pie. It’s called “invisible” because the apples are so thinly sliced that the small amount of batter barely appears there at all and you get the illusion that there is no cake. It creates an esthetic that is similar to a Mille-Feuilles cake: Classy and delicious.

To make sure your cake gets that invisible effect, you first need to slice your apples as thinly as possible! To be sure Eva got hers just right, she used the Remy Olivier Mandoline. With 5 stainless steel blades, you’ll be certain to get the slice you’re looking for and it makes the perfect baker’s tool for this recipe! Not only that, but long after this delectable apple creation has been enjoyed by the entire family, you’ll be able to use the Mandoline to speed up all the grating, shredding, and slicing you need to do for your everyday meal prep. We can’t emphasize it enough–when it comes to this recipe, the slice matters, so make sure you are properly equipped!

So, throw on your best flannel & plaid button up. It’s time to hit up the orchard, (take some selfies) and get baking!

Print

Invisible Apple Cake

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour

Total Time 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes

Servings 1 loaf

Author Eva Wang

Ingredients

• 3 medium-sized apples
• 2 large eggs
• 40 g maple syrup
• 20 g coconut oil , melted
• 90 ml milk
• Pinch of salt
• ¼ tsp cinnamon powder
• 70 g all-purpose flour , sifted

Instructions

• Prepare the loaf pan by brushing it with a bit of oil and use a baking sheet to line it.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• Melt the coconut oil and set aside.
• Put the eggs and sugar into a mixing bowl, and whisk them together.
• Sift the cinnamon and flour into the mixing bowl, and whisk until combined.
• Gradually add in the milk, stirring well each time.
• Add the melted coconut oil to the mixture, stir until no lumps remain.
• Slice the apples on the thinnest setting with your mandoline.
• Add the apples into the mixture.
• Make sure the apple slices are evenly coated with batter.
• Pour the mixture into the loaf pan.
• Bake in the oven for 1 hour.
• To check if the cake is baked through, use a toothpick and push it into the middle of the loaf. Use a new toothpick each time.
• When the toothpick comes out clean, the cake is finished baking. Take the cake out of the oven and remove it from the tin to place it on a cooling rack to cool.
• Refrigerate for at least 3 hours before slicing and serving the cake.

Always a pleasure to explore and discover new tastes with you,

I’m the content creator and photographer of the blog “Eat with Eva”. I was born in Taiwan (a food paradise!), grew up living overseas because of my father’s job, and now live in Montreal (a multicultural city with a myriad of ethnic food). I’ve experienced life in different countries and cities, and each of these experiences are puzzle pieces that make up my life and who I am today. I have recently graduated from McGill University with a bachelor’s degree in Nutritional Sciences. I believe that food is the new form of preventive medicine; hence it motivates me to explore the culinary world and seek out healthier food possibilities. I also love to try different cuisines and new restaurants. Besides my passion for food, I also love to travel. As my blog tagline states; “explore culture through food discovery”, I always look to various local restaurants and cafés, and plan my itinerary based on a local eatery and opportunities to taste new cultures.

Blog: http://www.eatwitheva.com

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