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!