Two Novice Chefs, One Tiny Kitchen

Carrot cake was a challenge I knew I could handle! Unlike the marshmallows last week this recipe gave me very few headaches, and it turned out wonderfully. Now as much as I love a huge slice of carrot cake layered with cream cheese frosting, I only let myself join TWD on the condition that I would not use it as an excuse to gorge myself on sweet baked goods. So I opted to make cupcakes that Tyler and I could easily transport and pawn off on our co-workers and one mini-cake for us to split.

I had actually seen this recipe featured awhile back on Nemmie’s blog and I bookmarked it for later use. I love what she did with her mini-cakes! Unfortunately I dropped the pan while I was testing for doneness and my cake collapsed a bit and ended up lopsided. So I wasn’t able to cut it in half and turn it into a mini-layer cake. I just covered it with frosting instead. SO VERY DELISH! I think the toasted coconut on top really adds the perfect touch! I opted for pecans instead of walnuts and I also omitted the raisins. I know Tyler and I would have just picked them out. Everyone we shared the cupcakes with has just raved about them! They taste so delicious, the cake is perfectly moist and the frosting is just gooey enough.

The only real “problem” I had with this recipe was that the cupcakes sank a bit in the center, which I read other people had happen with their cupcakes as well. The frosting covered it up though so no big deal.

To see how other TWD participants fared with this week’s challenge, head on over to the blogroll.

Bill’s Big Carrot Cake (from Dorie Greenspan’s Baking From My Home to Yours)

Ingredients:

For the cake:
2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
¾ teaspoon salt
3 cups grated carrots (about 9 carrots, you can grate them in food processor fitted w/ a shredding a blade or use a box grater) (I bought julienned carrots and ran them through the food processor a few times to chop them up, saved me a ton of time!)
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans
1 cup shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)
½ cup moist, plump raisins (dark or golden) or dried cranberries
2 cups sugar
1 cup canola oil
4 large eggs

For the frosting:
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature (I used 1/3 less fat cream cheese and had no problems)
1 stick ( 8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 pound or 3 and ¾ cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice or ½ teaspoon pure lemon extract
½ cup shredded coconut (optional)
Finely chopped toasted nuts and/or toasted shredded coconut (optional)
I also added 1/2 T of vanilla for some added sweetness

Since I made cupcakes I just put liners in the cupcake pan, I made two batches of 12 cupcakes each. I baked my cupcakes for 25 minutes and tested for doneness with a toothpick. For my mini-cake I sprayed a ramekin with non-stick spray and filled it 3/4 full with batter, baked for 25 minutes. Cooled 5 minutes in the ramekin, then I removed it and let it cool all the way on a cooling rack with my cupcakes.

Getting ready:

Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter three 9-x-2-inch round cake pans, flour the insides, and tap out the excess. Put the two pans on one baking sheet and one on another.

To make the cake:

Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. In another bowl, stir together the carrots, chopped nuts, coconut, and raisins.

Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the sugar and oil together on a medium speed until smooth. Add the eggs one by one and continue to beat until the batter is even smoother. Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture, mixing only until the dry ingredients disappear. Gently mix the chunky ingredients. Divide the batter among the baking pans.

Bake for 40-50 minutes, rotating the pans from top to bottom and front to back at the midway point, until a thin knife inserted into the centers comes out clean. The cakes will have just started to come away from the sides of the pans. Transfer the cakes to cooling racks and cool for about 5 minutes, then run a knife around the sides of the cakes and unmold them. Invert and cool to room temperature right side up.

The cakes can be wrapped airtight and kept at room temperature overnight or frozen for up to 2 months.

To make the frosting:

Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter together until smooth and creamy. Gradually add the sugar and continue to beat until the frosting is velvety smooth. Beat in the lemon juice or extract. (I added the vanilla with the lemon juice)

If you’d like coconut in the filling, scoop about half of the frosting and stir the coconut into this position.

To assemble the cake:

Put one layer top side up on a cardboard cake round or a cake plate protected by strips of wax or parchment paper. If you added the coconut to the frosting, use half of the coconut frosting to generously cover the first layer (or generously cover with plain frosting). Use an offset spatula or a spoon to smooth the frosting all the way to the edges of the layer. Top with the second layer, this time placing the cake stop side down, and frost with the remainder of the coconut frosting or plain frosting. Top with the last layer, right side up, and frost the top- and the sides- of the cake. Finish the top with swirls of frosting. If you want to top the cake with toasted nuts or coconut, sprinkle them on now while the frosting is soft.

Refrigerate the cake for 30 minutes, just to set the frosting before serving.

Serving:

This cake can be served as soon as the frosting is set. It can also wait, at room temperature and covered with a cake keeper overnight. The cake is best served in thick slices at room temperature and while it’s good plain, it’s even better with vanilla ice cream or some lemon curd.

Storing:

The cake will keep at room temperature for 2 to 3 days. It can also be frozen. Freeze it uncovered, then when it’s firm, wrap airtight and freeze for up to 2 months. Defrost, still wrapped, overnight in the refrigerator.

I saw this recipe on Cooking Light’s website the other day and decided to whip up a batch for my book club tonight. We read Eat, Pray, Love which got me craving some good Italian food and a yearlong trip around the world, but since I can’t really have either right now, these butterscotch bars will have to do I doubled the original recipe, figured I might as well if I was going to go ahead and make a mess in the kitchen! Oh, and I added chocolate chips, because I had a couple of almost empty bags of chips I needed to use up and who doesn’t love a bit of chocolate? These bars are VERY tasty, but it’s hard to eat just one

Butterscotch Bars (from Cooking Light)

Ingredients

1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter or stick margarine, softened
4 large egg whites
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Cooking spray
1/2 cup butterscotch morsels
1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

Funfetti cake is my favorite.  It just screams HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY!  Sadly I only get it about once a year, unless somebody close to me requests Funfetti for their own birthday.  Even though my birthday is still 2 months away I was craving some colorful Funfetti goodness and remembered that the mix could easily be made into cookies.  So I picked up a box of Funfetti mix and my beloved Rainbow Chip Frosting (the most wonderful frosting in the entire world).  I am very passionate about this frosting.  It was hard to find in D.C., so glad we are back in the midwest where it is plentiful!

Funfetti Cookies (from Pillsbury, recipe is on the side of most Funfetti boxes)

Ingredients:

1 box Funfetti cake mix
1/3 cup oil
2 eggs
1/2 can of frosting

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  In a large bowl combine cake mix, oil, and eggs.  Stir until moistened.  Shape dough into 1 inch balls, place 2 inches apart on baking sheet.  Flatten cookies with a fork or the bottom of a glass.  Bake for 6-8 minutes or until edges are slightly brown.  Let cool for one minute and then remove from cookie sheets to cool completely.  Frost cookies and store in an airtight container.

Well I was supposed to make this about a week ago for Tyler’s birthday, but his mom made him a huge hummingbird cake and I got busy, then tired, and then lazy.  We ran out of Christmas cookies and were in dire need for a sweet pick me up.  This crumble is mostly tart, a little sweet, and way healthier than most desserts out there.  Too bad we didn’t have ice cream to serve on the side, but Tyler prefers his plain anyway, weirdo.  You could make this with any tart apple, I used Braeburns because they were on sale and I had never had them before.  They were very good and not as tart as Granny Smiths!

Cranberry and Apple Crumble (from Cooking Light)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup chilled butter, cut into small pieces
6 cups sliced peeled Braeburn apple
1 cup fresh cranberries
1/3 cup fresh orange juice
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch

Here is the most traditional Christmas cookie from my childhood: the chocolate macaroon.  I experimented a bit with this recipe because I did not want to have to rig up a double boiler to melt the ingredients as the family recipe requires.  I didn’t have the time or the patience.  So I went to the Eagle Brand Milk website and found a recipe very similar to the one we used growing up and took it out for a spin.  Not quite as chocolatey as the family recipe (I think this recipe called for much more coconut) but they taste about the same and I think the family liked them! Next time I will either cut back on the coconut or add more chocolate.

Chocolate Coconut Macaroons (from the Eagle Brand Milk website)

Ingredients:

14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
1 egg white
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 (1 oz) squares unsweetened chocolate, melted (I did this in the microwave but the bowl got really hot, ouch.  I spilled some and then was short on chocoalte, so I threw in some unsweetened cocoa powder which worked out okay.)
14 oz bag flaked coconut

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F, line cookie sheets with parchment paper
In large bowl, combine sweetened condensed milk, egg white, vanilla, and melted chocolate.  Stir in coconut, then dropped by rounded teaspoonfuls on the lined cookie sheets.
Bake for 15-17 minutes, remove from cookie sheets and cool on wire racks.  Store in air tight container at room temp.

If you haven’t heard about or tried oreo truffles yet you may live in a cave. Have no fear, it’s safe to come out and try them, just be aware you may become addicted. And if you make them for your family, friends, coworkers, be prepared for some very positive feedback. These babies are a crowd pleaser.

Oreo Truffles (original recipe from Kraft Foods)

Ingredients:

1 pkg Oreo cookies (I used regular for one batch and mint oreos for the other)
1 pkg (8 oz) cream cheese, softened (light or fat free works great!)
16 oz. chocolate (I used Baker’s Chocolate, semi-sweet for one batch and white for the other)

Crush oreo cookies (I did this in my mini food processor)

Mix cookie crumbs and the cream cheese until well blended (I did this with my KA mixer, but a wooden spoon or hand mixer is another option). Shape into 42 (1-inch) balls (mine were larger, I used my medium cookie scoop). Place on baking sheet lined with wax or parchment paper. Put baking sheet in freezer for 10-15 minutes until truffles firm up.

Dip balls in melted chocolate; place back on paper-covered baking sheet. Sprinkle with cookie crumbs or sprinkles before chocolate hardens.

Making Christmas goodies, it has consumed a lot of my time in the recent week (as I’m sure it has for many others!) For my co-workers I wanted to give something sweet as well as something that the diabetics could eat (half my office is diabetic!) I mixed up some chex mix (just followed the recipe on the back of the box!) and for a quick sweet treat I made peppermint bark. I made it for the first time a couple of years ago, just melted some white almond bark and sprinkled crushed up candy canes on top. This year I went for the more impressive and slightly more time consuming double layered bark that you can find, overpriced, at Williams-Sonoma. My co-workers really enjoyed this treat, a couple even asked for the recipe! I gladly passed it on.

Peppermint Bark (adapted from the version I saw at Elly Says Opa!)

Ingredients:

16oz semi-sweet chocolate (bittersweet or dark chocolate would also work)
16 oz white chocolate (I used Baker’s Chocolate brand)
crushed candy canes (I believe I used about 9)

Directions:

Line a baking sheet with wax or parchment paper (I used a 9×13 pan which in retrospect made for some thick bark, a larger pan would make thinner bark, which I personally prefer).

In a double boiler (I use the microwave, following the melting directions on the back of the chocolate), heat the chocolate until it’s melted and smooth. Pour the chocolate onto the baking sheet and spread the mixture evenly with a spatula. Let the chocolate set, on the counter or in the fridge, until it’s firm.

Melt the white chocolate. Allow to cool slightly before pouring over the firm bittersweet chocolate layer. Spread evenly, and then sprinkle with the crushed peppermints. Set the bark in the fridge and break into pieces when cooled and firm. Bark can be stored in an air tight container at room temp, refrigeration not necessary.

Well, I successfully went one month without baking. It was a long month, lol. I feel like I’ve gotten ahold of my compulsion to bake bake bake and eat eat eat. I’m trying to cut back to just doing it for special ocassions and focus on baking for others. This week we are celebrating a birthday at work as well as the first day of our new boss. I volunteered to make cornbread and pumpkin bars. I’m still trying to choose the perfect cornbread recipe but I made the pumpkin bars this afternoon. I just tried one and they are great! Thanks to bakingblonde for sharing her aunt’s recipe with me. I made one batch for my sister and my parents and then I made a double batch in a 9×13 pan to take to work and share. These squares are not as fluffy as a sheet cake, but not as dense as a cookie bar or brownie. Somewhere in between I guess you’d say.

Pumpkin Squares
1/3 cup oil (vegetable or canola)
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground cloves (I didn’t have any cloves so I went without, but I’m sure it would add a great kick)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

Cream cheese frosting (I used store bought instead of making it from scratch)
Chopped walnuts (I used candy corn instead, it’s so festive! The candy corn pumpkins would have been fun too)

Preheat oven to 350 (I used a dark non stick pan for my double batch so I lowered the temp 25 degrees to keep the bars from getting too dark).

Lightly spray with 9X9 baking pan with Pam.
In a medium bowl, cream together the oil, eggs, sugar, pumpkin, spices, salt, and baking powder (I did this step in my KA mixer).
Gently fold in the flour, just until combined (I did this by hand).
Evenly spread the mixture into the prepared pan.
Bake bars for 22-30 minutes, or until a toothpick placed in the center comes out clean.
Frost cooled bars with cream cheese frosting and top with walnuts (or candy corn or whatever you choose!)

Made the peach-raspberry cobbler again last weekend (had to find some way to use up the 12 peaches crammed in that little bag at the store!) Since I didn’t have a picture last time I figured I’d share it now. Here’s the original entry with the recipe. I used frozen raspberries this time and it tasted just as good!

I needed a dessert that I could whip up fast and I didn’t want to go through the whole “from scratch trash my kitchen with flour and sugar” mess so I went the easy route. All you need are some peanut butter cups and a box of brownie mix with its required ingredients. The end result: yummy peanut butter cup brownies.

Peanut Butter Cup Brownies (from allrecipes.com)

Ingredients:
1 box brownie mix
any ingredients that the box of brownie mix calls for + an extra egg
1 bag mini peanut butter cups

Directions:
Mix up brownie batter with an extra egg for fluffier brownies.
Pour brownie batter into muffin cups lined with paper or foil wrappers.
Stick one peanut butter cup (all wrapping removed of course) in the center of each brownie
Bake at 325 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until brownies are fluffy but not gooey inside.
Cool and then eat!

I used a box of pillsbury chocolate chunk brownie mix and it yielded a dozen brownies in a regular sized muffin tin. A mini muffin tin could also be used for bite sized brownies.