Best Carrot Cake Ever!

It's our friend Michael's birthday next week and we met him and his wife for dinner last night, so what better occasion to make another cake! He wrote this bestseller about the perils of genetic engineering in the 80's so that became the theme.

Michael loves carrot cake, so I went on a hunt for a good recipe and found it! Carrot cake is easier to make moist because of all the fresh carrots, but this one is extra good because it substitutes oil for butter and adds canned pineapple. I didn't have too many raisins so I added some dried cranberries.....very yummy...and seasonal!

The frosting is a basic cream cheese frosting that has a great consistency for spreading.

I made this on a half sheet pan, because I was shaping it, but 2 10-inch rounds would have worked as well.

Carrot Cake

6 cups grated carrots

1 cup light brown sugar

1 cup dried cranberries, or raisins, or a combination

4 (organic free-range) eggs

1 cup white sugar

1 cup canola oil

2 teaspoons of vanilla

1 cup crushed pineapple, drained

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

4 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 cup chopped walnuts

In a bowl, combine the grated carrots and brown sugar. Set aside.

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease, or line with parchment, whatever cake pan you are using.

In a separate bowl, beat eggs until light and fluffy. Slowly beat in the white sugar, then the oil and vanilla. Mix in the pineapple.

In another bowl, combine the 2 flours, baking soda, salt and spices. Stir into the egg mixture until combined.

Add raisins and cranberries to the carrots, then add this and the walnuts to the cake mixture. When everything is combined, pour into cake pans.

Cooking time will depend on the pan you are using (30-50 minutes). A knife should come out clean, when it's done.

Cream Cheese Frosting

16 oz. cream cheese

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened

2 cups powdered sugar

vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract to taste

Combine everything in the mixer until there are no lumps.

Spread on the cool cake.

Apples Everywhere

The neighbors brought over a bag of apples from their trip to Long Island last week, so I wanted to use them to make something quick to serve as a weeknight dessert. I decided on an apple tart, and added a rim just to use up my extra dough.

Because I was making chili at almost the same time, I wasn't paying enough attention and ended up with only half the recommended amount of butter in the dough.
The result is a firm but crumbly crust. V. says it's the best tart or pie he's ever had. I wouldn't go that far - it's just not dessert-y enough. It also contains very little sugar, so I feel like I've discovered a delicious new breakfast item, as well as a dessert that we like, but that I might be hesitant to serve to guests (except for brunch)!

Here's the version that ended up in my oven:

I used a 10-inch tart pan with a removable bottom (one of the greatest inventions of all time)!

Nutty Pate Brisee

1 cup all purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup ground hazelnuts

salt

1 teaspoon sugar

1 stick cold butter, cut into thin slices

Apple Filling

6-9 apples, depending on size, peeled and cut into small pieces

cinnamon

nutmeg

powdered ginger

honey

sugar

I instinctively kneaded all the ingredients for the dough by hand, though putting them in the food processor would have been just as good (except for the extra dishes).

I rolled out the dough and lined my buttered tart pan.

In a bowl, I tossed the apples with cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger to taste, and drizzled some honey over the top.

I pierced the tart crust we mixture with a fork a few times and filled it with the apples. Sprinkled a bit of sugar and butter over the top so the apples would caramelize.

Cut a wide strip of dough and laid it around the edge of the tart, pressing down the sides to adhere them. Cut out leaves and attached them with a bit of eggwash.

Baked at 350 degrees for about 45-50 mins.

Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes

These were for a friend's niece's birthday party this weekend. Chocolate cake with raspberry buttercream. Sooooooo tasty!

I made my usual vanilla buttercream and then cooked a bag of frozen raspberries with some sugar (about a cup?...I eyeballed it), until everything became thick. I let the raspberries cool and mixed them into the buttercream. The flavor was so intense and fresh, without being overwhelming!

I also discovered the joys of vanilla bean paste, as opposed to vanilla extract. Again....very strong flavor, but smooth, like good vanilla ice cream! It's harder to find, and more expensive, but a little bit goes a long way. I think it's worth it in something like vanilla buttercream, where the vanilla is the star, and it certainly enhanced the raspberry! (For the chocolate cake batter, I still used vanilla extract, but maybe the paste would produce totally new and amazing results there too?)!

Applesauce...

Is applesauce worth blogging about? Everyone knows how to make it, right? (Peel and chop apples, add a little water, cook until soft). I might as well write about the toast I made this morning (place bread in toaster and turn on).

But I like applesauce, and it's one of the few things I actually made this week. And I'm having fun taking pictures of all the food that comes out of my kitchen.

And there are surprisingly many questions that come up when you tell people you're making applesauce...

Do you add cinnamon and nutmeg? (I did, but V said it made it taste too much like pie filling and he would have preferred it without. Personally I think this is a good thing...pie filling for breakfast, woohoo)!

Do you add sugar? Never!! The sugars concentrate as the apples cook and it was soooooo sweet as is!

Do you puree it after it's cooked? This is a personal preference of course, but I think the thing that makes homemade applesauce so unique is its chunkiness. So you could throw it in the food processor, but then it would taste like store-bought and you'd have more dishes to do! :)

So actually applesauce is a very nuanced and delicate thing to make and not like toast at all.

But I do like toast! And taking pictures! And it is another one of the few things I made this week...

4 Crostini make a party!

Crostini are officially my new favorite party food! One trip to the farmer's market and we could have made endless variations on this theme!!!

Here's what my friend Jeanne and I came up with this past weekend (everything was on thin slices of pre-toasted baguette):

Roasted Butternut Squash

We cubed the squash and roasted it in the oven for about 30 minutes (400 degrees) with garlic, chopped onion and salt. When done, I tossed everything with some chopped sage. Jeanne massaged some dandelion greens with salt, to wilt them, and chopped them too. A little olive oil on the bread, then the dandelion, then the squash! Yum!

White Bean Puree and Kale

In the food processor, mixed a can of cannellini beans with fresh garlic, fresh thyme, salt and pepper. Spread that on the bread. Sprinkled some lemon juice on chopped, steamed kale. Laid it on top. Done.

Heirloom Tomato Bruschetta

Chopped heirloom tomatoes, fresh basil, fresh garlic and a tiny bit of salt.

Cashew Cream and Sauteed Mushrooms

In a food processor, mixed raw cashews with enough water to make a spreadable paste. Added salt and pepper.

Sauteed chopped cremini and shiitake mushrooms in olive oil with garlic, salt and a little white wine. Let everything reduce till the liquid was cooked off.

For the non-vegans we had the same slices of baguette with melted organic cheese and sliced fresh figs.

Easy Lunch?

Is it just me or do salads seem like a lot of effort to make from scratch, for lunch? This is likely the New Yorker in me that says "why chop vegetables when all I have to do is pick up the phone and call for a $5 falafel sandwich?" But sometimes (granted, not that often) you don't feel like falafel. So the other day V and I went out to everyone's favorite Belgian organic chain restaurant, got 2 salads, a latte and a lemonade, and paid $50. And that seems comparable to all the other salad options that are close by. Not part of the daily budget!!

SO....I stocked up on beautiful veggies at the farmer's market and made this yummy salad in no time at all. Really...quinoa cooks in 15 minutes and you can make enough for the week. Fresh green lettuce, baby heirloom tomatoes and yellow string beans. Add a can of red kidney beans for extra protein. Done!

What a little meal planning can do! :)

Topped it with red pepper dressing, because I'm still grooving on that one (and there was half a jar of red peppers in the fridge, screaming to be used).

PS: There's that gosh darn yellow plate again :) ...goes a little better with salad than it does with plum tart though.

Marzipan birthday cake!

My friends called for a birthday cake with the specifications that it should contain a lot of cream and be covered in marzipan.

I had a lot of vanilla buttercream left over in my freezer but it seemed too dense, so I mixed it with equal parts whipped cream and pastry cream.

I baked Toba Garrett's yellow cake in 2 9-inch pans.

I cut each cake in half and leveled the tops. Each layer was generously brushed with simple syrup (flavored with peach schnapps), then covered in a thin layer of Sarabeth's peach jam. Then a layer of cake, reapeating the process with all layers.

I crumb coated everything with straight-up buttercream.

Finally I kneaded and rolled out the marzipan to cover the cake. All the decorations were marzipan as well (except for the piping, which was royal icing, painted gold).

Toba Garrett's Yellow Cake

3 cups (330 g) cake flour (King Arthur now makes an unbleached one...hooray)

1 Tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup (8 oz or 230 g) unsalted butter, room temperature

2 cups (454 g) granulated sugar

5 large eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups (10 fl oz or 300 ml) buttermilk

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Butter and line with parchment paper two 9 inch pans. Set aside.

In a bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

Cut up the butter into 1-inch pieces and place them in the large bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment or beaters. Beat for 3 minutes on MEDIUM-HIGH speed until the butter is light and creamy in color. Stop and scrape the bowl. Cream the butter for an additional 60 seconds.

Add the sugar, 1/4 cup at a time, beating 1 minute after each addition. Scrape the sides of the bowl occasionally. Add the eggs one at a time.

Reduce the mixer speed. Stir vanilla into the buttermilk. Add the dry ingredients alternately with the buttermilk. Mix just until incorporated. Scrape the sides of the bowl and mix for 15 seconds longer.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a knife. Lift up the pan with the batter, and let it drop onto the counter top to burst any air bubbles, allowing the batter to settle.

Center the pans onto the lower third of the oven and let bake 45 to 50 minutes or until the cake is lightly brown on top and comes away from the sides of the pan and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Toba Garrett's Vanilla Buttercream

I like to make a double recipe and freeze the left-overs because it is such a time commitment to make this.

1 1/2 Cups (345g) granulated sugar
3/4Cup (6floz or 180ml) milk
1 1/2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1/4tsp salt
1Tbsp pure vanilla extract
3/8 Cup (3floz or90ml) heavy cream
1 1/4 lbs (567 g) unsalted butter, room temperature

Make custard by heating milk and sugar until sugar crystals dissolve. Add flour and salt and whisk over an ice bath until the custard has cooled, or cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1/2 hour to cool the mixture. Whisk in vanilla extract.

Pour custard mixture into a mixer bowl with a paddle attachment. Add cut-up butter and add heavy cream. Mix on low speed to incorporate ingredients. Gradually increase speed to medium-high until the mixture begins to thicken. It takes at least 7 to 9 minutes for the butter to be completely incorporated.

Put the icing in a plastic container with a lid and refrigerate. It will keep for 1 week in the refrigerator or freeze for 2 months.

Note: Don't panic if the buttercream looks like cottage cheese. The more you beat this buttercream, the creamier it gets.

Pastry Cream

2 1/4 cups whole milk

6 large egg yolks

2/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup cornstarch

1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise

In medium bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup milk, egg yolks, 1/3 cup sugar, and cornstarch.

Transfer remaining 1 3/4 cups milk to heavy medium saucepan. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean and add the pod. Add remaining 1/3 cup sugar over.

Set pan over moderate heat and bring to simmer without stirring.

Whisk hot milk mixture. Whisk half the milk into the egg yolk mixture. Pour everything back into the saucepan with milk. Cook over moderate heat, whisking constantly, until pastry cream thickens. Remove from heat, discard vanilla pod, and whisk cream until smooth. Transfer to bowl and press plastic wrap directly onto surface. Chill until cold, about 4 hours. (Pastry cream can be made ahead and refrigerated, wrapped well with plastic wrap on surface, up to 3 days.)

Simple Syrup
2 cups water

2 cups sugar

1 Tbsp vanilla

Liquor of choice (optional)

Boil water and sugar until all the sugar dissolves. Add vanilla and liquor (such as calvados, kirsch or amaretto, depending on the flavors of your cake). Cool before use.

This keeps in the fridge for at least two weeks.