Getting Spicy With Granola

So, I saw this contest on-line sponsored by a company called "Golden Girl Granola" and you guessed it… They make granola. But no….not  just any kind of granola. Their granola is organic, filled with all kinds of things that are good for you, like oats and almonds and raisins but most of all it tastes delicious!

A lot of people eat granola with milk but I’m a snacker and I tend to eat granola right out of the bag before it can even make it’s way to a bowl. So I decided I’d better taste it, since the whole idea with the contest was to create a recipe using their product. I figure I was doing research. It was delicious! The tough part was saving enough granola to complete my recipe. Ah, self restraint kicked in just in time.

I thought of all the possibilities and ways to use granola, you know,

Granola bars-too common

Granola topping for a crisp-overused

Crust for a fruit tart- I didn’t think I could come up with anything original enough.

Then I remembered a recipe I’d seen for an oatmeal cake. I decided it just might work and I’d  give it a try. Maybe I could find a way to substitute the granola for the oatmeal and make adjustments for the moisture. I also figured I’d add raisins and additional almonds because I love raisins and almonds and I was going to eat the cake so I’d make it how I liked it.

The first cake I made, I used 2 cups of granola and ¼ cup raisins. The texture of the cake was good but it I thought it could be lighter and it needed more flavor.

Soooooo, back to the drawing board. I made a few changes, added some spice  and I decided to make it again.

This time I added apples to the top, more raisins a little less granola to lighten the texture I also added some cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and more raisins. Ah, perfection! Now that’s a good cake and also…... my entry into the Golden Girl Blogger contest. Enjoy! 

To see all the wonderful flavors of "Golden Girl Granola" and all about how it’s made go to http://www.goldengirlgranola.com/

           

         

Now That's Good! 

"Golden Girl" Honey Glazed Apple Spice Cake

½ cup honey

⅓ cup butter, melted

2 tablespoons light colored corn syrup

1 tablespoon lemon zest

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 apples, Gala or Fuji, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons sliced almonds

1½ cups "Golden Girl Granola", original

1 cup all-purpose flour
¾ cup packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon soda

½ teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

½ teaspoon ground ginger

½ cup golden raisins

⅔ cup buttermilk

2 eggs, lightly beaten

½ cup melted butter

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

In a small bowl, combine 1/2 cup honey, 1/3 cup melted butter, the corn syrup, lemon zest and lemon juice. Pour into a well-greased round 9 inch Bundt or layer cake pan. Arrange apple slices on top of honey mixture. Sprinkle almonds on top of apples. Set aside.

In a blender or food processor, finely grind granola. Transfer to a large bowl. Stir in flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients.

In a medium bowl, combine buttermilk, eggs, 1/4 cup melted butter and the vanilla.

Add the milk mixture all at once to the flour mixture. Add raisins. Stir just until moistened (batter should be lumpy).

Spoon batter evenly over apple and honey mixture. Bake in a 375 degrees oven about 25 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from oven and immediately invert cake onto a serving plate. Cool about 10 minutes. Serve warm drizzled with additional honey