Carrot Cake

It is a beautiful winter's day in the Queen City, except it does not feel quite like winter - it feels like spring. Today it reached a warm 70 degrees. I have been sitting in the kitchen working, with the porch door open, listening to the birds chirping, and smelling this carrot cake I have in the oven.

No, I have not fallen off the sugar-free wagon; I'm not going to partake in the carrot cake. But my sister is here this week and my stove is back in working condition; so I wanted to break it back in, so to speak. It used to be so hard to bake and maintain my sugar free status while smelling the aroma of sweet treats wafting through the house. But today I am not even tempted.

Now what I am tempted to do is stop working and go for a walk out in this beautiful sunshine. I would get so much accomplished if every day was this peaceful.

Carrot Cake

1 c pecans (or walnuts)
1 lb carrots
2 c all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 c vegetable oil
1/2 c buttermilk
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla
1 tsp brandy
4 large eggs
2 c sugar

Preheat oven to 325. Line 3 cake pans with parchment paper. Set aside.

Spread nuts on baking sheet and toast for 6-8 minutes, until fragrant. Using a food processor, chop nuts and carrots (until carrots are shredded).

In a medium sized bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg. In a separate bowl, whisk the oil, buttermilk, and flavorings.

In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs and sugar at a very high speed until pale, approximately 5 minutes. Beat in the liquid ingredients until combined. Fold in the dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in the carrots and nuts.

Divide batter between pans an bake for 45-60 minutes, until toothpick comes out clean. Let cakes cool for an hour on rack.

Frosting:

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
2 8-oz packages Philadelphia Cream Cheese, softened
1 tbsp pure vanilla
Dash of brandy
2 c confectioners sugar

In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and cream cheese at high speed until light and fluffy, approximately 5 minutes. Beat in the flavorings. Slowly incorporate confectioners sugar at low speed. Increase to high speed and beat for 3-5 more minutes, until light and fluffy.

Frost cake and serve.

All photographs are actual pictures of the recipe listed, prepared by Sweet Treats 'n Good Eats, and cannot be used without the owner’s consent.

Sugar & Spice & Everything Nice

I have been on my feet for the last 10 hours baking. Clearly it is time to throw in the towel as things are starting to go wrong. I have a caketastrophe. I am finishing up an eggnog pound cake to take to Christmas dinner at my mother's tomorrow and the cake sticks to the bottom of the pan. What the..? Say it ain't so! I am somewhat of a perfectionist.  The dessert lady can't take a less than perfect cake to dinner. But honestly, at this point, it is out of my hands...my body is telling me it's officially a wrap!

Everyone loves a good pound cake. This is not your typical pound cake with a pound of all the ingredients we love but aren't supposed to eat. It is much lighter...reminds me of a coffee cake even. I said I was tired but I didn't say I wasn't creative! I saved the cake by turning it upside down and drizzling it with a little glaze. You think anyone will notice? It tastes good so that is all that matters. Merry Christmas!

Eggnog Pound Cake

1 cup butter, softened
3 cups granulated sugar
6 large eggs
3 cups sifted cake flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup eggnog
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons rum or brandy
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

Generously grease and flour a 12-cup Bundt pan; set aside.

Beat butter at medium speed until creamy. Gradually add granulated sugar, beating 5-7 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until yellow disappears.

Combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to butter mixture alternately with 1 cup eggnog, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat at low speed just until blended after each addition. Stir in flavoring.

Pour half of batter into prepared pan. Combine cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and cloves together. Sprinkle spices over batter. Swirl batters together, using a knife.

Bake at 350° for 60 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack 15 minutes. Remove from pan and let cool entirely.

Glaze

1 c powdered sugar
3 tbsp whipping cream
1 tsp rum or brandy

Combine ingredients, stirring until smooth. Drizzle glaze over warm cake.

Garnish with powdered sugar, berries, whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. In the spirit of Christmas, I chose to go with sugared cranberries.

 All photographs are actual pictures of the recipe listed, prepared by Virtually Everything Sweet, and cannot be used without the owner’s consent.

And The Winner Is…

Of all the cakes I make, the red velvet seems to be the clear winner of the Most Requested Cake award. I’m not quite sure why because there are so many more interesting cakes out there to try. What I remember about red velvet cakes as a kid was that it was not very moist and that it had a very distinct chocolate flavor that I found quite unappealing. But this cake is amazingly good, moist, and the cocoa is barely noticeable at all. Maybe that is why people keep asking for it.

One thing I think is essential when I bake layer cakes is parchment paper. I am sort of anal so I always spend way more time than necessary cutting out my parchment paper in circles for my layer pans so everything is just so. Ssssh…don’t judge me. I have looked in all of the stores for round parchment paper but have never been able to find it. Something told me to check online today and there they were on Amazon. So I will absolutely have to bake another layer cake once they get here so I can give them a whirl. It’s the little things folks. (Parchment Rounds, $6.49 at Amazon.com)

Red Velvet Cake

2 ½ c AP flour
1 tsp cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
1 ½ c granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 ½ c canola oil
1 1-oz bottle red food coloring
1 tsp vinegar
1 tsp vanilla
1 c buttermilk

Preheat oven to 350. Line 4 round layer cake pans with parchment paper.

Sift flour, cocoa, and baking soda together. Beat sugar and eggs together in a large bowl until mixture becomes a pale yellow color, approximately 3-5 minutes.

In separate bowl combine oil, food coloring, vinegar and vanilla extract. Fold this mixture in with the egg mixture. Add the flour mixture and the buttermilk to the wet mixture, starting and ending with the flour. Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake for 25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Cream Cheese Frosting:

2 8-oz. pkg of Philadelphia cream cheese
2 sticks margarine
1 box confectioner’s sugar
½ tsp vanilla

1 c chopped walnuts, lightly toasted (optional)

Allow butter and cream cheese to get to room temperature. Cream butter and cream cheese together. Increase speed of mixture to high and beat for 3 minutes. Reduce speed and incorporate confectioner’s sugar slowly. Add vanilla. Increase speed to high and beat for about 3 more minutes.

Once cake cools, frost layers. Add toasted nuts to cake top for garnish.

All photographs are actual pictures of the recipe listed, baked by Virtually Everything Sweet, and cannot be used without the owner’s consent.

Chocolate, Chocolate & More Chocolate!

If you have more chocolate than food in your pantry…wake up and have chocolate for breakfast… can eat a chocolate muffin and drink hot chocolate at the same time…may argue that chocolate is better than sex…then you might be a Chocoholic!

I was having a craving for chocolate cake and decided to make a version of the delectable Chocolate Molten Cake, created by master chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten. If you are a Chocoholic, then this is the dessert for you! The warm and silky center, coupled with the firm chocolate exterior, is pure heaven!

This cake would be très magnifique if you use Valrhona chocolate, some of the best French chocolate you can find. But, if you aren’t able to locate Valrhona readily, I find that Godiva premium chocolates do the trick.

Be careful not to get too caught up in cleaning the dishes while these wonderful delights are baking or you will have...well...just cake. DO NOT OVERBAKE. The clean toothpick in the cake center does not apply here!

Molten Chocolate Cake

1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
1/4 cup sugar
Pinch of salt
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Preheat the oven to 450°. Butter four 6-ounce ramekins or mini-cake pans. Place the ramekins/tins on a baking sheet.

In a double boiler, over simmering water, melt the butter with the chocolate. In a medium bowl, beat the eggs with the egg yolks, sugar and salt at high speed until thickened and pale.

Whisk the chocolate until smooth. Quickly fold it into the egg mixture along with the flour. Spoon the batter into the prepared ramekins and bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the sides of the cakes are firm but the centers are soft. Let the cakes cool in the ramekins for 1 minute, then cover each with an inverted dessert plate. Very carefully turn each one over, let stand for 10 seconds and then unmold. Serve immediately.

This dessert is perfectly garnished with a dollop of whipped cream, a scoop of vanilla bean ice-cream or simply with a dusting of powdered sugar and a raspberry or two.

Quite an easy recipe for such a divine dessert! Perfect for date night, Valentine's Day or any special occasion. Well…truthfully, when I prepared (and consumed) it, there were no other guests invited to the party but me. I guess that is special enough!


All photographs are actual pictures of the recipe listed, baked by Virtually Everything Sweet, and cannot be used without the owner’s consent.