TWD: Peppermint Cream Puff Ring

I modified this week's recipe nearly beyond recognition. Some of the modifications were on purpose, some were accidental, but I doubt any of them were for the better.
The recipe calls for precisely 40 mint leaves, left to steep for hours. I didn't want to deal with 40 mint leaves, and I didn't want to wait for my pastry cream to sit, so I used Dorie's vanilla pastry cream recipe instead. I'd like to try peppermint pastry cream some day, perhaps when my mint starts to grow and I have so much I don't know what to do with it (fingers crossed!)
The part of the dessert that really led me down the road to failure was the puff pastry. I know nothing of the science of a pate a choux, but from what I've read on the TWD Q&A, my failure has something to do with imprecise temperature readings on my oven. Internal temperature is a crapshoot at our house. They fell into ugly little messes by the minute after their removal. It must've resembled the look on my face.
The success of some desserts rely on aesthetics. An eclair is the perfect example. Don't bother if you have a finicky oven.

TWD: La Pallette's Strawberry Tart

Last night for dessert we had La Pallette's Strawberry Tart, out of the Baking book, as chosen by Marie of A Year in Oak Cottage. It was delicious, but I will reserve this recipe for a very rare occasion.
The most important part of this dessert is the fresh, ripe fruit, and the lack of perfect fruit makes the dessert a waste of time. I don't have perfect fruit accessible at this stage in the season, so I left my strawberries to macerate in some sugar for a few hours. It helped a little. I thought I had some delicious strawberry jam to add to my dessert...but it has somehow disappeared from my refrigerator and I cannot imagine what has happened to it...so I was stuck with Safeway brand strawberry jelly that must've been left behind by whoever stole my good stuff (seriously, I think I had a few jars of it! I'm doing a little crime investigation to get to the bottom of it.)
The recipe calls for a mix of fresh strawberries, high-quality jam, a dash of kirsch or other related liqueur, a sweet tart dough crust, and a topping of whipped cream or creme fraiche. I topped our dessert with some freshly whipped cream and added some ground almonds on top and called it good. It was simple, it was delicious, and if you have the freshest, most delicious strawberries of your life, this might be a good way to use them.

TWD: Divine French Chocolate Brownie

I am simple (really, there's not much to read here...). Sometimes, it's OK to be simple, like when it comes to cookies and brownies. I rarely (never) turn down a dessert, but I often regret the wasted calories on certain defiled traditional desserts. Maybe I'm tough; some people like their brownies with raisins or their chocolate chip cookies with nuts. But eating a chocolate chip cookie or a rich chocolate brownie is like getting back to the basics, old reliable. You can always count on a buttery, thick and chunky chocolate chip cookie (how I believe it should be made), or a rich chocolate brownie (best with red wine or coffee, depending on which meal it happens to follow) to make everything just perfect...which is why I will have no part in the mere mention of a chocolate brownie with raisins. Kaka.

After getting over my disappointment of Dorie's inclusion of the aforementioned raisin to the aforementioned otherwise perfect and reliable dessert, I set out to make the French Chocolate Brownie, acting is if I had never noticed the raisin bit in the first place. And you know what? I'm right. Old reliable. I had it for breakfast with my coffee, then in the middle of the day with my re-heated coffee, and after dinner with my red wine. All very discreet so as to not have to share with the two year old. She's better off without it.

Here's my description of this particular version of this wonderful traditional dessert. It is somehow light and rich at the same time. I love the consistency of a thick crust atop a gooey brownie--perfect. But it has its window of goodness. When Dorie says it's good for three days, she means it. Not that it becomes inedible, but that it loses its character. It lost its crust. By the third day I had concluded that it didn't have enough chocolate. There's only one thing to do to keep the brownies perfect in your memory: eat them fast. They're so light, it's actually pretty easy to do.

French Chocolate Brownies

- makes 16 brownies -
Adapted from Baking From My Home to Yours (with my input in italics)

Ingredients

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
1/3 cup kaka raisins, dark or golden
1 1/2 tablespoons water
1 1/2 tablespoons dark rum
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons; 6 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature and cut into 12 pieces
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup sugar

Getting ready: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 300°F. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with foil, butter the foil, place the pan on a baking sheet, and set aside.

Whisk together the flour, salt and cinnamon, if you're using it.

I advise you to overlook this entire paragraph, and add a bit of rum with the chocolate in the next paragraph! Put the raisins in a small saucepan with the water, bring to a boil over medium heat and cook until the water almost evaporates. Add the rum, let it warm for about 30 seconds, turn off the heat, stand back and ignite the rum. Allow the flames to die down, and set the raisins aside until needed.

Put the chocolate in a heatproof bowl and set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Slowly and gently melt the chocolate, stirring occasionally. Remove the bowl from the saucepan and add the butter, stirring so that it melts. It's important that the chocolate and butter not get very hot. However, if the butter is not melting, you can put the bowl back over the still-hot water for a minute. If you've got a couple of little bits of unmelted butter, leave them—it's better to have a few bits than to overheat the whole. Set the chocolate aside for the moment.

Working with a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the eggs and sugar until they are thick and pale, about 2 minutes. Lower the mixer speed and pour in the chocolate-butter, mixing only until it is incorporated—you'll have a thick, creamy batter. Add the dry ingredients and mix at low speed for about 30 seconds—the dry ingredients won't be completely incorporated and that's fine. Finish folding in the dry ingredients by hand with a rubber spatula, then fold in the raisins along with any liquid remaining in the pan.

Scrape the batter into the pan and bake 50 to 60 minutes, or until the top is dry and crackled and a knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a rack and allow the brownies to cool to warm or room temperature.

Carefully lift the brownies out of the pan, using the foil edges as handles, and transfer to a cutting board. With a long-bladed knife, cut the brownies into 16 squares, each roughly 2 inches on a side, taking care not to cut through the foil.

Serving: The brownies are good just warm or at room temperature; they're even fine cold. I like these with a little something on top or alongside—good go-alongs are whipped crème fraiche or whipped cream, ice cream or chocolate sauce or even all three!

Storing: Wrapped well, these can be kept at room temperature for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 2 months.

TWD: Delicious Pecan Sticky Buns

Honey I love! Diluted in butter atop a dessert that might as well be fried dough.

I was unimpressed with my first bite of Pecan Honey Sticky Buns. I immediately tasted sourdough brioche and thought it was the wrong flavor for sticky buns. I wonder if I'm the only one who ended up with a sourdough taste at first. I was disappointed, but couldn't help taking several consecutive bites, and noticed the sourdough taste less and less with each return to the dessert platter. By its second or third day, I was in love with it all--the brioche, the honey-butter, the pecans, the crystalized sugar. Perhaps the sour taste added more depth and helped the buns come together later. Dorie's not kidding. They really ARE the best Sticky Buns ever.

Pecan Honey Sticky Buns

Makes 15 buns
For the Glaze:
1 cup (packed) light brown sugar1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces1/4 cup honey1-1/2 cups pecans (whole or pieces)
For the Filling:
1/4 cup sugar3 tablespoons (packed) light brown sugar1 tablespoon ground cinnamon3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
For the Buns:
1/2 recipe dough for Golden Brioche loaves (see below), chilled and ready to shape (make the full recipe and cut the dough in half after refrigerating it overnight)
Generously butter a 9-x-13-inch baking pan (a Pyrex pan is perfect for this).
To make the glaze: In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, bring the brown sugar, butter, and honey to a boil over medium-low heat, stirring frequently to dissovle the sugar. Pour the glaze into the buttered pan, evening it out asbest you can by tilting the pan or spreading the glaze with a heatproof spatula. Sprinle over the pecans.
To make the filling: Mix the sugars and cinnamon together in a bowl. If necessary, in another bowl, work the butter with a spatula until it is soft, smooth and spreadable.
To shape the buns: On a flour-dusted work surface, roll the chilled dough into a 16-inch square. Using your fingers or a pastry brush, spread the softened butter over the dough. Sprinkle the dough with the cinnamon sugar, leaving a 1-inch strip bare on the side farthest from you. Starting with the side nearest you, roll the dough into a cylinder, keeping the roll as tight as you can. (At this point, you can wrap the dough airtight and freeze it for up to 2 months . . . . Or, if you want to make just part of the recipe now, you can use as much of the dough as you'd like and freeze the remainder. Reduce the glae recipe accordingly).
With a chef's knife, using a gentle sawing motion, trim just a tiny bit from the ends of the roll if they're very ragged or not well filled, then cut the log into 1-inch thick buns. (Because you trim the ragged ends of the dough, and you may have lost a little length in the rolling, you will get 15 buns, not 16.) Fit the buns into the pan cut side down, leaving some space between them.
Lightly cover the pan with a piece of wax paper and set the pan in a warm place until the buns ahve doubled in volume, about 1 hour and 45 minutes. The buns are properly risen when they are puffy, soft, doubled and, in all likelihood, touching one another.
Getting ready to bake: When the buns have almost fully risen , center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Remove the sheet of wax paper and put the pan on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone mat. Bake the sticky buns for about 30 minutes, or until they are puffed and gorgeously golden; the glaze will be bubbling away merrily. Pull the pan from the oven.
The sticky buns must be unmolded minutes after they come out of the oven. If you do not have a rimmed platter large enough to hold them, use a baking sheet lined with a silicone mate or buttered foil. Be careful - the glaze is super-hot and super-sticky.
What You'll Need for the Golden Brioche Dough (this recipe makes enough for two brioche loaves. If you divide the dough in half, you would use half for the sticky buns, and you can freeze the other half for a later date, or make a brioche loaf out of it!):
2 packets active dry yeast (each packet of yeast contains approx. 2 1/4 teaspoons)1/3 cup just-warm-to-the-touch water1/3 cup just-warm-to-the-touch whole milk3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour2 teaspoons salt3 large eggs, at room temperature1/4 cup sugar3 sticks (12 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature but still slightly firm
What You'll Need for the Glaze (you would brush this on brioche loaves, but not on the sticky buns):
1 large egg1 tablespoon water
To Make The Brioche: Put the yeast, water and milk in the bowl of a stand mixer and, using a wooden spoon, stir until the yeast is dissolved. Add the flour and salt, and fit into the mixer with the dough hook, if you have one. Toss a kitchen towel over the mixer, covering the bowl as completely as you can-- this will help keep you, the counter and your kitchen floor from being showered in flour. Turn the mixer on and off a few short pulses, just to dampen the flour (yes, you can peek to see how you're doing), then remove the towel, increase the mixer speed to medium-low and mix for a minute or two, just until the flour is moistened. At this point, you'll have a fairly dry, shaggy mess.
Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula, set the mixer to low and add the eggs, followed by the sugar. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat for about 3 minutes, until the dough forms a ball. Reduce the speed to low and add the butter in 2-tablespoon-size chunks, beating until each piece is almost incorporated before adding the next. You'll have a dough that is very soft, almost like batter. Increase the speed to medium-high and continue to beat until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl, about 10 minutes.
Transfer the dough to a clean bowl (or wash out the mixer bowl and use it), cover with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature until nearly doubled in size, 40 to 60 minutes, depending upon the warmth of your room.
Deflate the dough by lifting it up around the edges and letting it fall with a slap to the bowl. Cover the bowl with the plastic wrap and put it in the refrigerator. Slap the dough down in the bowl every 30 minutes until it stops rising, about 2 hours, then leave the uncovered dough in the refrigerator to chill overnight. (After this, you can proceed with the recipe to make the brioche loaves, or make the sticky buns instead, or freeze all or part of the dough for later use.)
The next day, butter and flour two 8 1/2-x-4 1/2-inch pans.
Pull the dough from the fridge and divide it into 2 equal pieces. Cut each piece of the dough into 4 equal pieces and roll each piece into a log about 3 1/2 inches long. Arrange 4 logs crosswise in the bottom of each pan. Put the pans on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone mat, cover the pans lightly with wax paper and leave the loaves at room temperature until the dough almost fills the pans, 1 to 2 hours. (Again, rising time with depend on how warm the room is.)
Getting Ready To Bake: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
To Make the Glaze: Beat the egg with the water. Using a pastry brush, gently brush the tops of the loaves with the glaze.
Bake the loaves until they are well risen and deeply golden, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer the pans to racks to cool for 15 minutes, then run a knife around the sides of the pans and turn the loaves out onto the racks. Invert again and cool for at least 1 hour.

Mother's Guilt

Elizabeth had her first big crash yesterday. It was so heartbreaking, and I felt so irresponsible. The truth is that this trip to the clinic was a long time coming. Elizabeth's nickname should be crash. She's constantly putting herself in precarious situations. Yesterday we were outside enjoying the sunshine, and I was digging up a flower bed. I saw her with her little bike on the porch and thought 'Bad idea.' And kept pulling weeds. A second later, and she was laying in a pile of dirt with blood everywhere. Bad mom. She's on a popcicle diet right now to help with the swelling.

Sometimes I find myself trying to do too much. I feel like I'm running to use the bathroom, running to get a drink of water, picking up dishes or clothes along the way since there's no time to clean up the house, and just not eating. But I insist on baking and cooking everything from scratch (right down to the mayo) and calling that my outlet, or finding tedious household chores to do that are unimportant. I periodically give myself a lecture: just calm down. Get out a puzzle or a book and hang out with the kids. Don't cook dinner tonight. Find the least important tasks on my mental to-do list and let them go. My husband found a stack of linen napkins sitting on the table the other day and asked what they were doing there. I needed to iron them before I put them away. I think I realized how riculous I sounded only after he put them away (without ironing them) and I felt like something had been crossed off my to-do list. Put that under my 'Waste of Time. Play with Kids Instead' list. I can garden some other time (like when Elizabeth is interested), I can blog some other time (another life, maybe), I'll iron my linen when I'm sixty (or never), and we can order out for dinner tonight (any ideas? Where can we order a soft dinner for a little girl with a cut up mouth?)

TWD: Madeleines

This week's chosen recipe out of the Baking book was Madeleines. I had to buy a brand new pan for this activity (I'm a sucker for new equipment that I don't need), but it wasn't too expensive, and I think I'll bake a lot of Madeleines. They are a pretty tasty, easy cookie. It took a few minutes to make, and the recipe only makes 12 cookies, which means no extra cookies I have to eat all by myself. I think they'll be a great compliment for 'game night' (often talked-about, yet rarely occuring). They are like mini cakes. Delicious.

TWD: Florida Pie

I'm on a losing streak.

Boo-hooo!

They look like toasted marshmallow mini pies. But no, that's just my merengue.

Maybe my heart wasn't in it. But that can't explain my losing streak. I also made flan out of my Baking book last weekend and failed at that as well. The custard-bath setup was too much for me. Boo-hoo! Karma's against me this week.

TWD: Peanut Butter Torte

Now THIS is why I joined Tuesdays With Dorie!



It's also the reason I might have to quit it.

Oh, how I love dessert. The richer, the better. When it's as rich as Dorie's PB Torte, one can only eat a small portion, and remember it fondly. I think I read something about 80+ grams per serving (oh, my!)

So delicious, but best kept as a memory. Desserts like this shouldn't become a habit.

Peanut Butter Torte

1 ¼ c. finely chopped salted peanuts (for the filling, crunch and topping)
2 teaspoons sugar
½ teaspoon instant espresso powder (or finely ground instant coffee)
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
½ c. mini chocolate chips (or finely chopped semi sweet chocolate)
24 Oreo cookies, finely crumbed or ground in a food processor or blender
½ stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
Small pinch of salt
2 ½ c. heavy cream
1 ¼ c confectioners’ sugar, sifted
12 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 ½ c salted peanut butter – crunchy or smooth (not natural; I use Skippy)
2 tablespoons whole milk
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate finely chopped

Getting ready: center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 9-inch Springform pan and place it on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone mat.

Toss ½ cup of the chopped peanuts, the sugar, espresso powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and chocolate chops together in a small bowl. Set aside.

Put the Oreo crumbs, melted butter and salt in another small bowl and stir with a fork just until crumbs are moistened. Press the crumbs evenly over the bottom and up the sides of the spring form pan (they should go up about 2 inches on the sides). Freeze the crust for 10 minutes.
Bake the crust for 10 minutes, then transfer it to a rack and let it cool completely before filling.

Working with a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, whip 2 cups of the cream until it holds medium peaks. Beat in ¼ cup of the confectioners’ sugar and whip until the cream holds medium-firm peaks. Crape the cream into a bowl and refrigerate until needed.

Wipe out (do not wash) the bowl, fit the stand mixer with the paddle attachment if you have one, or continue with the hand mixer, and beat the cream cheese with the remaining 1 cup confectioners’ sugar on medium speed until the cream cheese is satiny smooth. Beat in the peanut butter, ¼ cup of the chopped peanuts and the milk.
Using a large rubber spatula, gently stir in about one quarter of the whipped cream, just to lighten the mousse. Still working with the spatula, stir in the crunchy peanut mixture, then gingerly fold in the remaining whipped cream.
Scrape the mouse into the crust, mounding and smoothing the top. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight; cover with plastic wrap as soon as the mousse firms.

To Finish The Torte: put the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl and set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Leave the bowl over the water just until the chocolate softens and starts to melt, about 3 minutes; remove the bowl from the saucepan.

Bring the remaining ½ cup cream to a full boil. Pour the cream over the chocolate and , working with a a rubber spatula, very gently stir together until the ganache is completely blended and glossy.

Pour the ganache over the torte, smoothing it with a metal icing spatula. Scatter the remaining ½ cup peanuts over the top and chill to set the topping, about 20 minutes.
When the ganache is firm, remove the sides of the Springform pan; it’s easiest to warm the pan with a hairdryer, and then remove the sides, but you can also wrap a kitchen towel damped with hot water around the pan and leave it there for 10 seconds. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

The Education of My Little Ones

Ever try taking a two year old out for an educational trip with a five month old in tow? Remember that recent report about how the first and last child tend to have the highest IQs, and that the only hope for your children is, essentially, treat them like an only child--don't have them too close together. Sorry kids. Think maybe this is why I'm content with baking from home right now.
This is Elizabeth and John at the Imaginarium for their duckling display.


Elizabeth wasn't into it for some reason...Think that was just a bad day. We went out for hot dogs in downtown Anchorage, which is more our speed for now.


It must look bad, she's always eating junk food. I promise this isn't really the case! It's for the camera! That root beer in the photo was NOT Elizabeth's! OK, I admit she gets SOME sugar, and maybe, just maybe, that's why educational trips are a bomb. We're working on that.

TWD: Fluted Ricotta and Polenta Cake

...OR, Glorified Corn Muffins.
When I first saw the designated recipe of the week, I thought it was going to be delicious. I like figs. The rest of the ingredients sounded delicious and complimentary. I made it right away, and after a series of mishaps, came out with something different than what I imagined.
I didn't have the right sized tart pan, so I tried to fit all the batter into four small tart pans (!? What was I thinking???) I eventually gave up on trying to use all the batter, but the tarts were all a little too full. I thought they'd be okay and wouldn't overflow (?! Idiot.) and didn't bother putting a cookie sheet underneath to catch the mess that the cakes were about to make of my oven (think that was because my cookie sheets had gotten stuck in the oven drawer and I couldn't retrieve anything from that drawer until a few days later, when I tilted the oven back and shook it really hard to loosen the mess of baking pans. Oops.) After about 30 minutes, my oven was smoking and I couldn't wait any longer. I had to pull out the cakes. They were only slightly underdone, but I don't think that mattered much in the end. I took my first bite and wondered why I ever thought I'd enjoy a honey cake. The only time I want anything to do with honey is when I can't taste its flavor, only its sweetness, or when it's mixed with A LOT of butter on top of some form of fried dough or fresh-baked bread.

So, a bit of a downer this week. At one point I went through the list of recipes that were chosen before I jumped on the TWD bandwagon and made a promise to myself to try some of those recipes instead of (or along with) what the group has chosen. It's always good to have a Plan B, right?

Fluted Polenta and Ricotta Cake

About 16 moist, plump dried Mission or Kadota figs, stemmed
1 c. medium-grain polenta or yellow cornmeal
½ c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 c. ricotta
1/3 c. tepid water
¾ c. sugar
¾ c. honey (if you’re a real honey lover, use a full-flavored honey such as chestnut, pine, or buckwheat)
Grated zest of 1 lemon
2 large eggs

Getting Ready: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Butter a 10 ½-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom and put it on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone mat.
Check that the figs are, indeed, moist and plump. If they are the least bit hard, toss them into a small pan of boiling water and steep for a minute, then drain and pat dry. If the figs are large (bigger than a bite), snip them in half.
Whisk the polenta, flour, baking powder, and salt together.
Working with a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the ricotta and water together on low speed until very smooth. With the mixer at medium speed, add the sugar, honey, and lemon zest and beat until light. Beat in the melted butter, then add the eggs one at a time, beating until the mixture is smooth. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients, mixing only until they are fully incorporated. You’ll have a sleek, smooth, pourable batter.
Pour about one third of the batter into the pan and scatter over the figs. Pour in the rest of the batter, smooth the top with a rubber spatula, if necessary, and dot the batter evenly with the chilled bits of butter.
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a thin knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. The cake should be honey brown and pulling away just a little from the sides of the panm, and the butter will have left light-colored circles in the top. Transfer the cake to a rack and remove the sides of the pan after about 5 minutes. Cool to warm, or cool completely.

TWD: Carrot Cake

For this week's selection from Baking: From My Home to Yours, Amanda of Slow Like Honey chose Bill's Big Carrot Cake. I love carrot cake, but I was worried about how to pawn off a whole cake, and was on my way to opting out for the week, when I read someone else's clever idea to halve the recipe and turn it into cupcakes. So smart. I had all the goodies (craisins, walnuts, coconut, and a LOT of carrots, thanks to my produce subscription to Full Circle Farm; as well as some cupcake cups), so it was easy, and I discovered that personalized desserts are easier to give away than a section of one large dessert. I think this was Elizabeth's first introduction to the wonderful world of cupcakes, and she wasn't sure what to make of it, or how to eat it. She actually lost interest pretty quick (thank goodness, because as much as we both love desserts, she gets a little hyped up!) but watching her was pretty entertaining.

In the end, I think I'll stick to the basics when it comes to carrot cake. I always decline a cake with raisins, so even though craisins are an acceptable replacement, there's just too much going on for me to enjoy my dessert. I'd rather have a lighter version of this dessert (without the frosting) in the form of a morning muffin, and a simple carrot cake, with a delicious frosting, for dessert. As for that frosting, next time I think I'll add a little more cream cheese!

Bill's Big Carrot Cake
Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan

Yields 10 servings

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)
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
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)

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.
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.

Snowy Day Hot Chocolate

Last weekend we made cappuccino marshmallows and raspberry marshmallows. The raspberry marshmallows were my favorite, at first, but the cappuccino is growing on me. I wasn't sure what to do with the marshmallows, other than make hot cocoa for the aforementioned return of winter, so I copied someone else's idea and made rice crispy treats as well. The treats are much more gooey than I am used to--especially with the cappuccino marshies. Think maybe my rice crispy ratio should have been increased? One taster called them down right soggy.

The marshies were delicious with a vanilla steamer and a mocha. What a treat! Just wish we would've thought of s'mores, too!

More Snow!!!

Ugh. More snow. Homemade marshmallows couldn't have come at a better time. That's because after this week, this damn snow is going to melt and it will be break-up (that's what Alaskans get in place of spring, and it's as ugly as it sounds). There will be sledding and hot cocoa to alleviate my sadness over winter's return!