Carrot Cake

For as long as I can remember, Carrot Cake has been my favorite. I wanted to have it for our wedding cake, but we had Kaye's mom make our cake and she didn't make carrot cake.This is the best Carrot Cake recipe I have found.

DR. FREDERICK'S CARROT CAKE:

4 eggs

1 1/4 c. vegetable oil (or 3/4 oil and 1/2 c. applesauce)

1 c. granulated sugar

1 c. brown sugar

3 tsp. pure vanilla extract

2 c. all-purpose flour

2 t. baking soda

2 t. baking powder

1/2 t. salt

3 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 t. ground nutmeg (fresh ground is best)

3 c. grated carrots - (coarse grate, not fine grate)

1 c. chopped pecans

8 oz. drained crushed pineapple (I drained the pineapple and measured 8 oz. - or 1 c.)

FROSTING:

1/2 c. butter, softened

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

3 1/2 c. powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 c. chopped pecans

heavy whipping cream

pinch of salt  

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and flour a 9 x 13" pan or two round cake pans.

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. 

In a large bowl, beat together eggs, oil, applesauce (optional), sugars, and vanilla.  Mix in flour mixture.  Slowly stir in carrots, pineapple, and nuts.

Bake in preheated oven for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.  (baking times may vary)  Let cake cool in pan for a few minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.  

For the frosting:

Beat everything together except the nuts until it's smooth and creamy.  Only add a splash of the whipping cream at a time until the frosting is creamy but stiff.  You don't want it too thin.  Fold in pecans.  Make sure your cake is completely cooled before you frost it.

Chocolate Cream Cake

My stake has a tradition of having a dinner for all the women in the stake before the annual Church Women's broadcast. this year, our ward was in charge of the food. We had homemade cakes for dessert. Someone brought a Raspberry Torte (actually 4 of them). Someone else brought Coconut Cream Cakes. Another lady brought 4 Black forest Cakes. And a Chef in our ward brought 8 cheese cakes. They were all different, and all beautiful and all delicious. I was asked to bring 4 chocolate cakes. They couldn't be from a mix. I made two with whipped cream filling and chocolate butter cream frosting and two with chocolate filling and chocolate cream cheese frosting. This is the recipe I used.

Sour Cream Chocolate Layer Cake

2 cups cake flour

1 ¼ cups sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup sour cream

1 cup butter or margarine, softened

2 squares (2 ounces) unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled

¼ cup hot water

1 ½ teaspoon vanilla

Chopped Nuts

In large bowl of mixer, stir together flour, sugar, soda and salt. Add sour cream, butter and eggs. Beat at low speed just until blended. Then beat at medium speed w minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. At low speed stir in chocolate. Add water and beat at medium speed 2 minutes more, scraping bowl occasionally. Stir in vanilla. Pour into 2 greased and floured 9 in layer cake pans. Bake in preheated 350° oven about 25 to 30 minutes or until pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool on racks 10 minutes, then invert on racks, remove from pans. Turn layers top sides up and let cool. Cut rounded tops of cakes. Fill with Chocolate Cream Filling between layers. Frost with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting. Garnish with chopped nuts or chocolate sprinkes.

Chocolate Cream Filling

½ cup sugar

¼ cup flour

Dash of salt

1 cup milk

1 egg, slightly beaten

1 square (1 ounce) unsweetened chocolate

1 teaspoon vanilla

In small saucepan combine sugar, flour and salt. Gradually beat in milk with whisk. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and smooth. Remove from heat and beat in egg. Return to low heat for 30 seconds while beating. Add chocolate and beat until melted. Beat in vanilla. Remove from heat and place plastic wrap directly over top on filling to keep skin from forming. Chill. Stir before using.

Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

1 package (3 ounce) cream cheese, (softened)

2 tablespoons butter

2 squares (2 ounces) unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled.

2 ½ cups unsifted powdered sugar

2 tablespoons half and half

1 teaspoon vanilla

In small bowl of mixer, beat together cream cheese and butter until light and smooth. Stir in chocolate and salt, add sugar alternately with half and half, beating thoroughly after each addition. Stir in vanilla.

Stabilized Whipping Cream

1 tablespoon unflavored gelatin

¼ cup cold water

3 cups heavy whipping cream

¾ cup powdered sugar

1 ½ teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon almond extract (optional)

Combine gelatin with water in a small saucepan. Let stand until thick. Over low heat, stir constantly until just dissolved. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. (It should still be liquid). Whip the cream, sugar, and vanilla until slightly thick in a large mixing bowl. Turn mixer on low and gradually add the gelatin, then beat on high until the cream is thick.

Chocolate Butter Cream Frosting

4 tablespoons cocoa

3 cups powdered sugar

4 tablespoons softened butter

2-3 tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix cocoa and powdered sugar in missing bowl. Add softened butter, milk and vanilla. Beat until smooth.

Flemmings Chocolate Lava Cake

Tonight we are going to Mary's house for dinner to celebrate Joie's, Claralyn's and Elaine's birthdays. I am supposed to bring dessert. I thought about bringing Chocolate Lava Cake because it is so good. But I decided against it because everybody always tells me how good the Chocolate Layer Cake at Costco is. It is way to big for my little family now. I decided this would be a good time to try it, when there will be more people to help us eat it. So that's what I'm getting. Besides that, candles won't melt in it. I hope it is good.

However, I decided to put the recipe for the Chocolate Lava Cake here anyway. I got the recipe from Studio Five on TV around Valentine's Day. It is pretty rich, so use little ramekins if you have them. Or you may want to share.

Flemmings Chocolate Lava Cake

1 lb. Butter
1 lb. Semi-sweet Chocolate
8 whole eggs
8 egg yolks
1 cup sugar
2 Tbs. flour
2 tsp. vanilla

Cut butter and chocolate into small pieces. Heat on low heat in the microwave or over a double boiler until melted, stirring occasionally. While chocolate is melting, combine whole eggs and egg yolks in a mixing bowl and whip until slightly thick, about 5-6 minutes. Mix flour into sugar then pour into eggs and whip for 1 minute to blend. Lightly whip the chocolate and butter until smooth. Add to egg mixture. Add vanilla.
Pour into ramekins (sprayed with PAM or shortening and flour) to about a half inch from the top. Chill for 2-3 hours. Place in a 400 degree oven and bake for 12-15 minutes. (Center will be a bit giggly.) Remove cake from oven and cool for 1 minute or a little more. Place cup on serving plate, top down and remove ramekin. Serve with ice cream or Whipped Cream. Garnish with fresh fruit or chopped nuts.
Larger ramekins take a little longer to bake (not too much, you still want it runny in the middle).

Pumpkin Cake Roll

A few days ago, Sarah asked if I would help make the refreshments for her little sisters wedding. I think it will be fun. I'm hoping Charis will help me a little (hint, hint). She is getting married the end of October. She wants to serve Pumpkin Cake Roll. I think it is a good choice for a fall wedding. It is pretty and yummy and it just feels Autumny to me. I got the recipe for it from Mary. If anybody has any great ideas on how to sort of garnish it to dress it up a little let me know.


Pumpkin Cake Roll

Beat 6 eggs at high speed for 5 minutes. Gradually add 2 cups sugar. Stir in 1⅓ cup *Libby's pumpkin and 2 tsp. lemon juice.

Sift together and fold into above mixture:
1½ cup flour
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. ginger
1 tsp. nutmeg

Cover 2 15x10 inch jelly roll pans with foil and brush with oil (or spray with PAM). Divide batter evenly into 2 pans. Sprinkle each pan with 2 cup nuts. Bake at 375º for 10-15 minutes. Sprinkle 2 dish towels with powdered sugar. Turn hot cake onto towel. Peel off foil. Fold one end of towel over cake and roll the cake up in the towel. Let cool completely. Unwrap cake and spread filling (recipe below). And roll back up. Chill. Slice and serve.


Filling:
2 tsp vanilla
1 8 Oz. pkg. cream cheese (softened)
1 stick butter (margarine)
1 lb. powdered sugar

*I've made this with Libby's pumpkin as well as with store house brands of pumpkin. Libby's pumpkin really does work much better!!

Cheese Cake

I think this is the best recipe for plain cheese cake that I have found. It is from Martha Stewart. It is really good with the blueberry topping I posted earlier. Our peaches are just about ready to pick. I may try to figure out some sort of peach topping for this.

Cheese Cake

PAM
6 T. butter, melted
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
3 T. sugar
1/4 t. cinnamon

16 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
16 oz. sour cream
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 12 t. finely grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Boiling water for roasting pan

Make crust. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Cover bottom of a 9 inch spring form pan with parchment paper. Spray sides with PAM. Wrap exterior of pan (including Base with a sheet of aluminum foil. (make sure there are no holes).
Stir together butter, graham cracker crumbs, sugar and cinnamon. Press mixture firmly into the bottom and 3 inches up sides of pan. Refrigerate 15 minutes While you make the filling.
Beat cream cheese with a mixer on medium speed until fluffy. add sour cream, sugar, eggs, lemon zest and vanilla. Beat until well combined (do nor over mix). Pour into chilled crust.
Set spring form pan in a large, shallow roasting pan. Place in oven. Carefully ladle enough boiling water into roasting panto come halfway up sides of spring form pan. Bake until cheesecake is set but still slightly wobbly in center, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Transfer roasting pan to a wire rack. Let cake cool in roasting pan 30 minutes. Remove cheesecake form roasting pan and refrigerator, uncovered, at least 8 hours or over night.
Run a knife around edge of cake, and unmold. Spoon desired topping over cake.

Red Velvet Cake

When Allan was a little kid, he always asked for a red chocolate cake with blue frosting, for his birthday. His mother was a nice mother and always made it for him. At least that's what I understand. I, on the other hand, am not as nice of a wife. In 31 years of marriage, I have yet to make, this cake. Charis did make him one this year for his birthday. She apparently is a better daughter than I am a wife as well. She found a cake mix for Red Velvet Cake. I have never been able to find one. I actually think Allan is OK with the fact that I have neglected this ritual. He has never really complained. In fact he ususally asks for some different kind of cake for his birthday, now.
This is actually his mom's recipe.

Red Velvet Cake
(aka Red Chocolate Cake with Blue Frosting)

1/2 cup shortening
1 1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 T. cocoa
1-2 oz red food coloring
2 1/2 cups cake flour
1 t. salt
1 cup buttermilk
1 t. vinegar
1 t. soda
1 t. vanilla

Cream shortening, eggs and sugar. Make a paste of cocoa and pat of the food coloring. Add paste and food coloring to creamed mixture. Sift flour & salt & soda together. Add flour and buttermilk alternately a little at a time. Add vinegar.
Bake in 2 8" pans at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Picnic Cake

I think my sister, Margaret, was the discoverer of this recipe. But since she introduced it to us it has become a Martin classic. Everybody loves it. No picnic is complete without it. But it's good anytime!

Picnic Cake

combine the following:
1 cup raisins (or 1 cup chopped dates)
1 ½ cups boiling water
1 teaspoon soda
Cream:
¾ cup shortening
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla

Stir in:
1 ¾ cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Add raisin mixture. Place in greased, floured pan. Top with ½ cup chocolate chips, ½ cup brown sugar and ½ cup nuts.

Bake at 350º for 40 minutes.