Ok so are you ready for the best carrot cake recipe ever? Well here it is. My mom gave me a copy of a cookbook that she loves and it's called "A Pinch of Salt Lake". There is a recipe in the dessert section called "Glazed Carrot Cake" and beside the recipe my mom wrote "this is the best carrot cake", so with an endorsement like that from my mom who is a fabulous cook, I had to try it.
We were having my mother-in-law Pat over and my niece Claire who has recently moved to Tuscaloosa to attend the University of Alabama and I wanted to make sure to welcome her with a great dinner and a delicious dessert. This cake is moist, rich and full of flavor and truly melts in your mouth. Trust me on this one.....you will not be disappointed.
Glazed Carrot Cake
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup buttermilk
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 8-ounce can crushed pineapple, drained
2 cups grated carrots (approximately 5 large carrots)
3 1/2 ounces flaked coconut
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans
My mother-in-law Pat put me in charge of making something for a Tea she was hosting (A Tea is like a bridal shower in the West). Of course I was up for the challenge and love doing this sort of thing. I tossed and turned over what I was going to make and finally I decided to essentially make the Lemon Poppy Seed Cake with lemon curd but alter the recipe to make mini cupcakes. I made 200 cupcakes, filled them with lemon curd and topped them with a whipping cream frosting. I even ordered pink cupcake holders to go with Emily's(the bride-to-be)colors. The process was a lot of fun, the finished product turned out fantastic and the cupcakes were like a little bit of heaven in your mouth.
So here is how I made these light and delicate treats.....
Here are the cupcakes all ready to take to the Tea.
Butter Cream Frosting
1 cup real butter (not margarine) *room temperature
1 cup vegetable shortening
pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla
4 cups powdered (confectioners) sugar
1/4 - 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
Using a stand mixer (or hand mixer) thoroughly cream butter and shortening . Beat in the vanilla, mixing well. Add sugar, one cup at a time, stopping after each cup to scrape down the sides; mix until blended. When the sugar is completely beaten in and the sides of the bowl are scraped down, add the whipping cream, beating at the highest speed until super fluffy, for one to two minutes. Because of the whipping cream in this recipe it works best when chilled slightly but not too long. This is a great and light frosting, probably one of the best I have found.
So I hope you enjoy this great light dessert which is perfect for a bite size treat.
Bon Appetit!
Another Nelson tradition is the Nelson Birthday cake. The origin of this cake was that my grandma Bev (my dad's mom) made this cake for birthdays. Insert my mom into the picture, who is a fabulous cook whom whatever she touches turns into gold and took the Nelson cake which was already fabulous, to another level of fabulous. How did she soop up the Nelson cake? She started with a homemade chocolate cake and her fabulous chocolate frosting with fresh whipping cream. This cake is undeniably divine and wins the hearts of whoever tries it.
When Thad came to meet my parents, the Nelson cake was made, and since I had always had the Nelson cake in my life I had taken it for granted, I thought nothing of it so when Thad partook of this delicate dessert, he died over it. From then on this became something he talked about and begged for and has become his birthday cake.
So with the history out of the way, this cake it just plain great. Since I pretty much love to bake, my co-workers benefit from this and plus it is totally selfish since I don't want baked goods lingering around the house. For our birthday here at the bank we always get lunch from the restaurant of our choice and a store bought cake. Adella's birthday (one of my co-workers) was coming up and I was asked to maker her a birthday cake instead of buying one. I knew she loved chocolate and so I decided to make her the Nelson cake. It was an absolute hit and was so fun to make for her.
Chocolate Cake
Ok so start out by setting the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 9" rounds and set aside.
1 cup water
4 tablespoons cocoa
1 cube margarine
1/4 cup crisco
Combine above ingredients in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Stirring constantly so that the bottom does not burn, bringing to a rapid boil. Then set aside.
2 cups sugar
2 cups flour
Combine sugar and flour in a boil, blending them together with a fork. Next in a stand mixer or with a hand mixer, add the cocoa mixture. Mix well. Then add.....
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
1 teaspoon baking soda
Beat all these ingredients together until the batter is smooth. Then pour into the pans and place in the oven. For the two 9" inch rounds the cooking time will be 25-30minutes. When I was making this recipe I started checking to see if they were done around 20 minutes. Once a butter knife or toothpick is inserted and comes out clean it is done. Turn them out on a cooling rack covered with parchment paper, right side up. Let them cool completely.
While the cake is cooling, start on the frosting (See below)
Peggles Frosting
1/3 cup butter (at room temperature)
1/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
4 cups confectioner's sugar
Using a stand mixer combine all the ingredients on medium speed. When adding the milk, I sometimes have to add more milk to give it a smoother and fluffier texture (about 2-3 tablespoons more).
Next whip a pint of whipping cream. Adding about a 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla to the cream and powdered sugar to taste (remember that you don't want it too sweet); whip until firm peaks form in the cream.
Finally assembly time. Slice each round so that you have 4 9" rounds for the 4 layer cake. I shave each layer with a seraded knife so that they are each as flat as possible. Place the first layer of the cake on a cake stand or plate. Smear on a nice thick layer of chocolate frosting, then whipping cream. Repeat this process 3 more times; dividing the whip cream and frosting evenly between the four layers. On the top of the fourth layer, with a grater and some baking chocolate, shave some chocolate onto the top layer of whipping cream. Allow to set in refrigerator for 2 hours or more.
I recently made some lemon curd and have so much left over that I have been trying to use it up and make fun concotions with it. What I love about lemon curd is that it will keep for up to three weeks, so it can be used for various desserts and recipes. So I did not want to let my lemon curd go to waste and was on a hunt to find a creative way to use it.
I came across a recipe for tassie cups, which is a butter cream cheese dough that makes little pie like crust cups, except the difference is these are a little thicker and a little richer due to the cream cheese. I thought I would use my lemon curd and some heavy whipping cream to creat a lighter mousse like taste and texture, topped off with whipped cream and a sliced strawberry for color. Thad being my tough and honest taste tester loved them and gave them a 10, so these are a must try. Another delicate dessert that is bite size that will melt in your mouth.
Tassie Cups
3 ounces of cream cheese (a cube is 8 ounces, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
Start off by preheating the oven to 350 degrees F.
Using a food processor, combine the softened cream cheese, softened butter, flour and salt. Pulse and grind until the mixutre forms into a ball. Then get a strip of plastic wrap and place it on the counter. Place the dough onto the center of the plastic wrap and wrap tightly into a ball. Place in refrigerator for 1 hour.
So I decided that since I am now a resident of the South, married to a true Southerner and have a potluck to cook for some Southerners, I would try this recipe. It was easy to make and they were so good. I loved the interesting combo of the pineapple, bananas and cinnamon, plus the cream cheese frosting was literally icing on the cake. In the end the Hummingbird Cupcakes really lived up to their reputation.
Hummingbird Cupcake
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 large eggs, beaten
1 cup vegetable or canola oil
1 & 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 8-ounce can crushed pineapple
1 cup chopped pecans
2 cups chopped bananas
chopped pecans or sanding sugar, for garnish
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour regular cupcake pans. Set aside.
Start off by combining in a large bowl the flour, baking soda, salt, sugar, and cinnamon (I used my stand mixer for this recipe). Next making sure the eggs have been beaten well, add the eggs, then the oil to the dry mixture. Turning my stand mixer on low, mix the batter slowly making sure you mix it until it is barely moistened. Lastly, stir in the vanilla, pineapples, pecans, and bananas until it is mixed well.
Pour the batter into prepared pans, filling them up a little over halfway. Bake for 15-25minutes (depending on your oven, mine cooked in about 16 minutes) until a toothpick or butter knife is inserted in the center comes out clean. Remember to watch them closely because nobody wants a dry cupcake.
Let the cupcakes cool in pan for a few minutes before removing and placing the cupcakes on a cooling rack. Let them cool completely.
While the cupcakes are cooling start on the easy cream cheese frosting......
Cream cheese frosting
12 ounces cream cheese, softened (about 1 1/2 cubes cream cheese)
1 cup butter, softened
1.5 pounds confectioners sugar, sifted
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Using a stand mixer (or hand mixer), make sure that both the butter and cream cheese are at room temperature, combining the cream cheese and butter until creamy. Gradually add the sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Stir in vanilla. Then on high, beat the frosting for about 4-5 minutes. This makes the frosting smooth and fluffy. Then place the frosting in the refrigerator, so that it is easier to work with.
