Spring Hill Ranchs Apple Cake Recipes

SPRING HILL RANCH'S BEEF CHICANA

Steps:

• 1. Marinate the beef strips with the Southwestern Marinade in the refrigerator for 1-3 hours. (More time is fine...even overnight)
• 2. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Brown the beef strips in batches. Combine all the beef strips, green bell pepper and onion. Pour the diced tomatoes and tomato sauce in and season with the garlic, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper. Stir well. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes (stirring occasionally), then remove the lid and simmer an additional 15 minutes. Serve over rice or noodles, or in burritos or warmed flour tortillas. Garnish with sour cream, cheese, guacamole, salsa or pico de gallo, or whatever sounds good to you.

APPLE HILL CAKE

Steps:

• Combine sugar,oil,and eggs in a large bowl, stirring until well mixed.
• Stir in diced apples and nuts.
• Sift together flour, baking soda, nutmeg,cinnamon and salt, then add to bowl.
• Stir all ingredients together to form a batter (do not overmix).
• Pour into 9x13 inch greased pan.
• Bake one hour in a 350 degree oven.

APPLE CAKE

Steps:

• Position a rack in the center of your oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter or coat a 9-inch round baking pan with nonstick spray. Line the bottom of the pan with a round of parchment paper.
• In a large bowl, whisk the brown sugar and eggs until pale and foamy, about 1 minute. Add the oil, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and whiskey and espresso powder, if using. Whisk until smooth and emulsified.
• Add the flour, baking powder, and baking soda and whisk until well-combined and smooth.
• Use a rubber spatula to fold in the apples and ¼ cup of the nuts.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pan and use an offset spatula to gently smooth the top, making sure the apples are well dispersed and go all the way to the edges of the pan. Tap the pan gently on the counter to release any air bubbles. Sprinkle the remaining ¼ cup nuts over the cake.
• Bake until puffed and golden, and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 30 to 40 minutes. There may be a bit of moisture on the tester from the apples. Set the pan on a rack to cool for about 15 minutes. Run a thin knife around the edge and carefully turn the cake out onto a cooling rack. Then invert it again so that it's puffy side up, if desired.
• Store the cake, wrapped tightly, at room temperature or in the fridge for up to two days.

SPRING HILL RANCH'S CHOCOLATE CHILE CAKE

Steps:

• 1. NOTE: 10 hours of cool-down and chill time are NOT included in the above preparation time
• 2. Adjust an oven rack in the middle position and preheat the oven to 375°. Prepare a 9-inch spring form pan by cutting a circle of parchment the size of the removable bottom of the pan. Fit the parchment circle into the bottom of the pan. You will be using a bain marie (water bath) in the baking, so put your water on to a boil. To assure no water seeps into your pan, tear off an 18-inch length of heavy duty aluminum foil, center the pan over the sheet of foil and crumple and crimp the foil all around the sides of the pan.
• 3. In a medium saucepan over low heat, bring the espresso, brown sugar and the cinnamon sticks to a simmer. Simmer the mixture until the syrup has thickened a little and has become very fragrant, about 20 minutes. A cube or two at a time, stir in the butter, adding more as it melts. Stir in the cayenne pepper. Set aside.
• 4. Place the semi-sweet and the unsweetened chocolates in a large mixing bowl. Pour in the hot coffee mixture and whisk until the chocolate is completely melted. Whisk in the beaten eggs until they are completely blended and the mixture is smooth.
• 5. Scrape the batter into your prepared spring-form pan. Set the pan in a large, deep, oven-proof skillet or roasting pan and set it on the oven rack. Pour in enough boiling water to come halfway up the sides of the pan. The cake will bake from the edges inward. If you take a peek at it after about 40 minutes, the outer 1/2-2/3 will appear cooked while the rest will still be soft. Bake it until the center is set and barely wiggles when you shake the pan gently, 50 to 70 minutes.
• 6. Carefully remove the cake from the water bath and place it on a cooling rack to cool it to room temperature, about 2 hours. Remove the foil and chill the cake in the pan in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours. Run a wet knife around the sides of the pan then pop the spring to release the sides. Place a platter on top of the cake and flip it over. Remove the bottom of the pan, and peel off the parchment. Keep the cake in your refrigerator until about half an hour before serving. Store any that might escape being eaten in the refrigerator.

SPRING HILL RANCH'S APPLE CAKE

Steps:

• 1. Adjust an oven rack to the center position and preheat the oven to 350°(365º above 6,000 feet). Lightly grease a 12-inch cast-iron skillet or (if you must) a 9"x13"x2" pan.
• 2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the oil, apple sauce, melted butter, eggs, sugar, and vanilla. Peel, core and finely (≈3/8") chop the apples, stirring them in as you go. Stir in the pecans.
• 3. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon until everything is well combined. Make a "well" in center of these dry ingredients. Pour the wet ingredients into the well. Using a spatula or wooden spoon, fold the dry and wet ingredients together just until the flour is dampened. You will find this to be a very thick batter, In fact it's more like a cookie batter. And while it may seem like there are way too many apple pieces, but it all works out in the end.
• 4. Turn the batter into your prepared skillet or baking pan, patting down the top so it's even. Bake for 40-45 minutes until the top is lightly browned and an inserted knife comes out almost clean.
• 5. Let the cake cool in the pan on a cooling rack for 30 minutes before serving. Think seriously about serving this cake with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream and/or cinnamon spiced whipped cream.

SPRING HILL RANCH'S NEW MEXICO STYLE FRIED STEAK

Steps:

• 1. To make the chicken fried steak: Cut the steak into 4 evenly sized pieces. Pound each piece with a meat tenderizer to about a 1/4-inch thickness and almost doubled in surface area. Lightly season the steaks with salt and pepper.
• 2. In a pie pan or other shallow bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, pepper, cumin, oregano, and chipotle powder. In another similar bowl wide enough to accommodate the steaks, beat the egg and milk. Coat both sides of one piece of steak with the flour mixture. Tap off any excess and dip it into the egg mixture. Dredge it again in the flour mixture, and place it on a rack or large plate. Repeat with the remaining steaks. Reserve 1/4 cup of the flour mixture to use in the gravy. Preheat the oven to 200°F and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
• 3. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, warm 1/2 inch of oil to 300°F. Working in batches of 2 steaks, gently place the steaks in the skillet in a single layer. There will be a lot of popping and hissing, so be careful. After 2 to 3 minutes, or when juices start bubbling out of the top of the steak, use tongs to gently flip the steaks and continue to cook them until they are lightly browned, about 3 more minutes. Transfer the steaks to the prepared baking sheet and place in the oven to keep warm. Repeat with the remaining steaks.
• 4. To make the chile gravy, reserve 1/4 cup of oil from the skillet, then drain the rest and wipe out the skillet with a paper towel. (If your oil is too burnt tasting, you can use fresh oil, lard or bacon grease.) Return the oil to the skillet and warm over medium-low heat. Add the onion and, stirring occasionally, cook until softened, 3-5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 more seconds. Add in the flour, whisking until everything is well combined. Cook for a minute or until it is just beginning to brown, then stir in the broth, chili powder, cumin, oregano, and black pepper. While stirring, cook until the sauce has thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the jalapeño pickle juice then taste and adjust seasonings, adding salt if needed.
• 5. Remove the steaks from the oven. Turn on the broiler. Remove the steaks from the oven and top each one with a handful of grated cheese and a few jalapeño slices. Position the steaks about 6 inches from the heating element and broil them just until the cheese is melted. Remove them from the broiler.
• 6. For plating, place a few spoonfuls of your gravy on each plate. Lay the steaks on top of the gravy. Add a side serving of rice and beans. Pour the remaining gravy into a bowl or pitcher to pass around at the table, along with nicely warmed tortillas.

SPRING HILL RANCH'S SPICED APPLE CIDER BATTER

Steps:

• In the bowl of a food processor, pulse together the brown sugar and butter until they are nearly combined. Add in the cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg and pulse to thoroughly mix. Place the batter in an airtight container and refrigerate it until it has slightly hardened, about 3 hours. It will keep for at least a week in the refrigerator or for a short eon in the freezer.
• To serve, place 1 heaping Tablespoon of the batter into a mug and fill the mug with simmering apple cider. That is CIDER, folks, not apple JUICE! Garnish.

PLACERVILLE APPLE HILL CAKE

Steps:

• Combine: Sugar, oil, eggs and apples. Sift in flour, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda. Mix until combined. Pour into a 9x13 greased pan and bake for 1 hour in a preheated 350 degree oven. Serve hot or cold with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.