Candy Cane Ice Cream

Who says that you can't eat ice cream in the winter?!? For our Christmas dinner I made this homemade candy cane ice cream that was to die for!

Ingredients
6 egg yolks
1-1/4 cup canned coconut milk (unsweetened)
1-1/4 cup almond or soy milk
3/4 cup white sugar
1-1/2 tsp peppermint extract
4-5 candy canes, plastic removed and crushed

Directions
Beat the eggs, milks and sugar together. Then heat on medium heat, stirring frequently until nearly boiling. Remove from heat and let cool. Mix in peppermint extract and then strain into an ice cream maker. (Or you can freeze it in a shallow pan, mixing it at least once during the freezing process.)

Once the ice cream begins to thicken, add the crushed candy canes. Let the ice cream solidify in the freezer for a couple of hours before serving.

Apfelkuchen (Apple Cake)

This apple crumb cake is adapted from a recipe that my Oma makes. It is a delicious, not-too-sweet cake that you can serve for breakfast or with coffee or tea. Although, a friend made it for Thanksgiving dinner and it was a favorite at the party!


Cake (bottom layer)

1/4 cup non-dairy butter

1 egg

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 tsp almond extract

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/4 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
1/4 cup water

Filling
5-6 medium apples, peeled, cored and sliced - any variety of baking apples will do
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup sugar (more or less to taste)

Crumb Topping
1/4 cup non-dairy butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix the cake ingredients in a bowl. Then press into a greased spring-form pan, being sure to press the cake up the walls of the pan. Then mix the apples, cinnamon and sugar in a bowl. Line the cake with apples. If you use at least two different varieties of apples, you can layer them like in the photos. Using your fingers or two butter knives, coarsely mix the crumb topping, leaving large crumbs. Lightly sprinkle crumbs on top of the apples.

Bake the cake covered for 30 minutes. Then uncover and bake for another 45 minutes, or until the cake is golden brown. Let the cake cool before removing the sides of the spring-form pan.