carrot cake

My family has been making this carrot cake for years. It comes from the Silver Palate Cookbook.

Carrot Cake

3 c. all-purpose flour
3 c. granulated sugar
1 tbs. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 tbs. ground cinnamon
4 large eggs
1 1/2 c. canola oil
1 tbs. vanilla extract
1 1/2 c. walnuts, chopped
1 1/3 c. pureed carrots
3/4 c. drained pineapple
1 1/2 c. sweetened coconut

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line three 9" round cake pans with parchment paper and grease. Set aside.

Sift together dry ingredients. Add eggs, oil, and vanilla. Beat well. Fold in walnuts, carrots, pineapple, and coconut. Divide among prepared pans. Bake until cake tester comes out clean, 35 to 45 minutes.

Cream Cheese Frosting

2 sticks butter, room temperature
2 8-oz. packages cream cheese, room temperature
2 tsp. vanilla extract
6 c. confectioners sugar

Beat ingredients with electric mixer until fluffy. Use to frost cake.

two takes on blueberry crumb cake

There are so many recipes out there for blueberry crumb cakes that it can be difficult to choose one when the craving strikes. In an effort to make this decision a bit easier, I am providing you all with two of my favorite recipes.

This first recipe was just published in Gourmet’s July 2009 issue. The Blueberry Streusel Cake consists of very little cake, is chock-full of blueberries, and has very crumbly crumbs.

Blueberry Streusel Cake
From Gourmet, July 2009

For streusel topping:
1 c. all-purpose flour
1 tbs. plus 1 tsp. packed dark brown sugar
1 tbs. plus 1 tsp. granulated sugar
3/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 stick cold, unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

For cake:
1 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. sour cream
3/4 tsp. vanilla
1 tbs. lemon zest
1/2 stick butter, softened
3/4 c. sugar
1 egg
2 1/2 pints blueberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line bottom and sides of a 9-inch square baking pan with heavy duty foil, leaving an overhang on 2 sides. Butter bottom and sides of pan, then dust with flour, knocking out the excess.

Make streusel topping: Stir together flour, sugars, cinnamon, and a pinch of salt in a large bowl. Blend in butter with a pastry blender until mixture forms large clumps.

Make cake: Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Stir together sour cream, vanilla, and lemon zest in a small bowl.

Beat together butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at a medium-high speed until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add egg and beat until well blended. At a low speed, mix in flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with sour-cream mixture, mixing just until combined. Gently fold in blueberries.

Spoon batter into pan, smoothing top. Crumble half of topping evenly over batter. Bake 25 minutes, then remove from oven and crumble remaining topping evenly over cake. bake until cake tester comes out clean, about 25 minutes more. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Lift cake out of pan using foil and cool completely on rack.

The second recipe is my own variation on the Crumb Cake recipe from Martha Stewart’s Baking Handbook. I simply added lemon zest and blueberries to the cake batter. The cake is very high, has an equal proportion of cake to blueberries, and is topped with large, moist crumbs. Whereas the first cake can be compared to blueberry pie, this cake is more like a blueberry muffin.

Blueberry Crumb Cake
Adapted from Martha Stewart’s Baking Handbook

For cake:
1 1/4 sticks butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting blueberries
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. granulated sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. lemon zest
1 1/4 c. sour cream
1 1/2 pints blueberries

For crumbs:
3 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. packed light brown sugar
1 tbs. ground cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 sticks butter, softened

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously butter 13 x 9 inch baking pan; set aside.

Make crumbs: Combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender or fork. Mix until large, moist crumbs form.

Make cake: Whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. In another bowl, mix 1 tbs. flour with blueberries, and toss to coat. Set flour mixture and blueberries aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until incorporated after each addition. Mix in vanilla and lemon zest. Add the flour mixture and sour cream; beat just until combined. Fold in blueberries.

Spoon the batter into the pan, and smooth with an offset spatula. Sprinkle half of the topping evenly over the batter. Bake for 25 minutes, remove from oven, and sprinkle rest of crumb topping evenly over the cake. Bake for another 20 to 25 minutes, until golden brown and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Before serving, dust with confectioners’ sugar, if desired.

strawberry cream tartlets

These strawberry cream tartlets are as pretty as they are delicious.

Strawberry Cream Tartlets
Adapted from Barefoot Contessa

For cookie crust:
From Chocolate and Mixed Nut Tart in Cookie Crust, Bon Appetit, February 2002
1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1/4 c. sugar
1 stick plus 1 tbs. chilled butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 tbs. chilled whipping cream
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine flour and sugar in processor. Add butter and cut in, using on/off turns, until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add 2 tbs. cream and vanilla extract. Pulse until moist clumps form, adding more cream by tablespoonfuls if dough is dry. Gather dough together. Press dough over bottom of six 5-inch tartlet pans. Pierce dough all over with a fork.

Place tartlet pans on baking sheet. Bake until light golden, about 15 minutes. Remove from oven, and use 1-cup measuring cup to press down crust, if puffed. Let cool completely.

For pastry cream:
From Epicurious, December 2008

2 1/4 c. whole milk
6 large egg yolks
2/3 c. sugar
1/3 c. cornstarch
1 tsp. vanilla

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

Transfer remaining 1 3/4 c. milk to heavy medium saucepan. Add vanilla, and sprinkle remaining 1/3 sugar over, letting the sugar sink undisturbed to bottom. Set pan over moderate heat and bring to simmer without stirring.

Whisk hot milk mixture, then gradually whisk into egg yolk mixture. Return to saucepan over moderate heat and cook, whisking constantly, until pastry cream simmers and thickens, about 1 minute. Remove from heat, and whisk cream until smooth. Transfer to bowl and press plastic wrap directly onto surface. Chill until cold, about 4 hours.

Fill tartlets with pastry cream. Arrange halved strawberry on top. If desired, brush with warmed apricot glaze to achieve a shiny, glazed finish.

peanut butter and chocolate cream tartlets

A couple of years ago, I started making Bon Appetit's Peanut Butter Cream Tart. A chocolate cookie crust is filled with a light but rich-tasting peanut butter cream and decorated with a chocolate-peanut butter topping. I thought it would be cute to make this larger tart into tiny tartlets, in a butter cookie crust.

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Cream Tartlets

For cookie crust:
From Chocolate and Mixed Nut Tart in Cookie Crust, Bon Appetit, February 2002
1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1/4 c. sugar
1 stick plus 1 tbs. chilled butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 tbs. chilled whipping cream
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine flour and sugar in processor. Add butter and cut in, using on/off turns, until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add 2 tbs. cream and vanilla extract. Pulse until moist clumps form, adding more cream by tablespoonfuls if dough is dry. Gather dough together. Press dough over bottom of six 5-inch tartlet pans. Pierce dough all over with a fork.

Place tartlet pans on baking sheet. Bake until light golden, about 15 minutes. Remove from oven, and use 1-cup measuring cup to press down crust, if puffed. Let cool completely.

For filling:
From Peanut Butter Cream Tart, Bon Appetit, December 2002
6 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
3/4 c. creamy peanut butter, room temperature
1 c. chilled whipped cream
1/2 c. plus 2 tbs. powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped

Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese and peanut butter in large bowl until smooth. Using clean dry beaters, beat cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla to soft peaks in another bowl. Whisk half of whipped cream mixture into peanut butter mixture. Fold in remaining whipped cream mixture. Transfer 3 tbs. filling to small bowl and reserve. Spread remaining filling in crust.

Melt chocolate in top of double boiler set over simmering water. Whisk in reserved 3 tbs. filling. Spread chocolate mixture over peanut butter filling. Chill until cold.

penne vodka

Who knew that Penne Vodka could be made so easily at home? I found a recipe at epicurious.com, written by Lidia Bastianich. I started the sauce by crisping some pancetta, to ensure a flavorful sauce, but followed the recipe closely in all other respects. This version is not quite as creamy as the pasta from your local Italian restaurant, but, for that reason, it is also not as heavy.

Penne Vodka
From epicurious.com

1 lb. penne
35 oz. can Italian plum tomatoes (preferably San Marzano)
1/4 c. extra-virgin olive oil
4 oz. pancetta, diced
10 cloves garlic, peeled
Crushed hot red pepper
1/4 c. vodka
1/2 c. heavy cream
2 tbs. unsalted butter or olive oil
2 to 3 tbs. chopped fresh Italian parsley
3/4 c. freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Cook pasta in salted boiling water.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook pancetta until browned. Remove and set aside. Whack the garlic cloves with the side of a knife and add them to the hot oil. Cook until garlic is lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Slide tomatoes into pan. Bring to a boil. Season lightly with salt and crushed red pepper, and boil 2 minutes. Pour in vodka, lower the heat to a lively simmer, and simmer until pasta is ready.

Just before the pasta is done, fish the garlic cloves out of the sauce and pour in cream and add back pancetta. Add the cheese and the two tbs. butter or oil to finish the sauce. Add pasta to sauce, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with parsley just before serving.

laurie's special chocolate cake

I will take advantage of any excuse to bake, and special requests from my younger sister definitely qualify. She is a chocoholic, if I ever knew one. She is also particularly fond of sprinkles. It came to no surprise, then, that she asked for a chocolate cake with chocolate frosting, covered in chocolate sprinkles. I usually frost cakes with a simple chocolate buttercream, made with butter, either melted chocolate or cocoa powder, vanilla extract, and powdered sugar. Last month, however, I vowed to try Barefoot Contessa’s Chocolate Ganache Frosting on my next layer cake.

If I kept heavy cream on hand, I would make this frosting all the time. It had a wonderfully intense chocolate flavor and a rich, creamy texture. And it looks just as good as it tastes.

Chocolate Ganache Frosting
From Barefoot Contessa Family Style

24 oz. semisweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 c. heavy cream
2 tbs. light corn syrup
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
4 tbs. unsalted butter, at room temperature

Place the chocolate chips and heavy cream in a bowl set over a pot of simmering water, stirring occasionally, until the chips are completely melted. Off the heat, add the corn syrup and vanilla and allow the chocolate mixture to cool to room temperature. In the bowl of an electric mixture fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk the chocolate mixture and softened butter on medium speed for a few minutes, until it’s thickened.

spring chicken cupcakes

Though it would be hard to tell from our recent weather, springtime is on its way! And what better way to celebrate the change of seasons than with themed cupcakes? I was initially motivated to make these spring chicken cupcakes (from marthastewart.com) simply because they are so darn adorable. After tasting them, however, I discovered that they are even more delicious than they are cute! Sweet and creamy vanilla buttercream is covered with nutty and crunchy toasted coconut, creating a wonderful contrast of flavor and texture.

Prepare your favorite recipe for yellow cupcakes.
Toast coconut: Spread one cup of coconut in a single, even layer on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 6 to 8 minutes, until light golden. Let cool.
Make vanilla buttercream: Combine two sticks of room temperature butter and one teaspoon vanilla extract in the bowl of an electric mixer. While mixing at medium-low speed, add confectioners’ sugar, until desired consistency is reached.
Cut red licorice into 1 1/2-inch pieces.

Peel off paper liners and discard. Turn cupcakes upside down, and frost cakes with vanilla buttercream. Cover with toasted coconut. Stick three licorice pieces into top of each cake. Use mini chocolate chips for its eyes and an almond for its beak.