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Carrot Cake Bites

 

As a boy, I thought my mother was crazy when she talked about carrot cake. Carrots? In a cake? What could be more absurd?

And then I tried it. Ummm. Yes, carrots belong in a cake.

In all candor, it was the cream cheese frosting that initially won me over. But over time, I have come to appreciate how the frosting interplays with the spiciness of the cake. Carrots keep the cake moist and provide a subtle crunch that is amplified with pecans and shredded coconut.

The hot debate in baking circles is whether raisins belong in carrot cake. I ignore that debate by leaving out raisins and, instead, add dried cranberries, which add a tart sweetness to the cake. Or if I’m feeling adventurous, I add another dried fruit, such as cherries, blueberries, or mangos. Dried fruit adds an intense jolt of flavor that elevates the medley of tastes. When combined with the light citrus flavor of Molly’s Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting (see below), the cake bursts into a chorus of flavors that will leave you wanting more.

And so carrot cake has become a tradition at the Gibson home. Most recently, I made carrot cake bites for a dinner party with 40 friends from across the country who were in town for an employment law seminar.

We make carrot cake bites as part of our gift boxes of sweets that we give our neighbors each year at Christmas time. These mini cupcakes are the perfect size for a quick treat.

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And a single batch makes 150 mini cupcakes, so they are easy to share.

The recipe is versatile. I made a carrot cake as a sheet cake for Molly and Matthew’s wedding reception.

From time to time, I hear that such-and-such restaurant or the whatyamacallit bakery makes a great carrot cake. And so, with high hopes, I try the cake. Almost always I’m disappointed. The cake typically is dry and the flavors are mundane.

That’s why you need to try my Carrot Cake Bites.

I won’t tell you that this recipe is the World’s Best Carrot Cake. But I will tell you that it is the best that I have eaten. I hope you like it as well.

Carrot Cake Bites

  • 2 cups flour
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1 tsp. cinnamon
  • 1 tsp. ground ginger
  • 3 cups shredded carrots (about 3 large carrots)
  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • 4 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1 cup chopped pecans
  • 1 cup dried cranberries
  • 1 cup shredded coconut
  • Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe below)

Preheat the oven to 325*.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, soda, salt, cinnamon, and ginger. Add the carrots, oil, and eggs. Beat with an electric mixer until combined. Mix in the pecans, cranberries, and coconut.

Line a mini-cupcake pan with paper liners. Fill the liner about 3/4 of the way full. Bake the cupcakes for 22 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Cool the cupcakes on a wire rack.

Use a pastry bag to frost the cupcakes with Molly’s Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting.

Makes about 150 mini cupcakes.

Alternative Instructions to make a full-sized cake

 

Preheat the over to 325*.

Mix the batter per the instructions above. Grease and lightly flour two 9-inch cake pans.

Divide the batter into the two cake pans. Bake for 40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the pan comes out clean. Cool the cake on a wire rack.

Frost the cake with Molly’s Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting.

Molly’s Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

  • 8 oz. softened unsalted butter
  • 8 oz. softened cream cheese
  • Zest of 1 lemon
  • 2 Tbsp. lemon juice, or to taste
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 6-8 cups powdered sugar

Beat the butter with an electric mixer until it is smooth and creamy. Add the cream cheese and beat the mixture until the mixture is smooth.

Add powdered lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla and stir to combine. Add powdered sugar one cup at a time until the mixture is light and fluffy.

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Dad’s Famous Fruit Salad

Are you looking for a refreshing encore to a summer meal? A delectable treat that is both tasty and visually stunning? A fruit salad that is out of the ordinary? Then look no further.

I love the vibrant tropical juiciness of fresh pineapple. Add fresh berries to the pineapple to make a fruit salad and you have a cacophony of flavors that is sweet, sour, tart, and acidic all at once. The flavors virtually jump off your fork with a taste explosion that will leave your taste buds happy and begging for more.

This recipe is versatile and adaptable to suit your own tastes. Fresh mango makes a great addition. From time to time, I add one cup each of chopped pecans and shredded coconut to add some crunch. And blackberries, cherries, peaches, and plums are all at home in the salad. Adapt it as you see fit.

This recipe works well for large groups. I’ve made it for church youth conferences, fathers and sons campouts, and, most recently, for a group of friends who were in town for our annual employment and labor law conference. It’s always a hit.

Ingredients

  • 1 fresh pineapple
  • 2 lbs. strawberries
  • 18 oz. blueberries
  • 12 oz. raspberries
  • 4 to 6 kiwi fruits
  • Juice of 1 lime

Directions

Peel and core the pineapple. Cut it into 1/2 inch pieces. Place the pineapple in a large non-reactive bowl.

Wash the strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries. Place the berries on a towel to dry.

Cut the strawberries into quarters. You may want to cut the strawberries into smaller pieces if you have large berries. Add the strawberries and blueberries to the bowl.

Cut off the ends of the kiwi fruits, then loosen the skin by sliding a teaspoon between the skin and the fruit.

After you have loosened the skin on one end, repeat the process on the other end of the fruit. The fruit will pop out of the skin.  Cut the fruit into 1/2 inch pieces. and add it to the bowl.

Add the raspberries to the bowl. Drizzle the lime juice and gently mix the fruit.

Chill the salad for one hour to enhance the flavors, then wait for the compliments to start rolling in. I like serving the fruit salad in a clear glass bowl to highlight its brilliant colors. Enjoy.

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Double Chocolate Pancakes

 

Hear! Hear! for Administrative Professionals, the women and men who help us serve our clients well and who make our lives easier. Your assistance is invaluable.

In 1952, the United States Secretary of Commerce, Charles Sawyer, declared June 1-7 as National Secretaries Week. In 1955, the week was moved to the last full week of April, and in 2000, the unofficial holiday was rechristened as Administrative Professionals Week to acknowledge the expanding roles of office workers.

At my law firm, we formally recognize our administrative staff by cooking and serving breakfast during the last week of April. I’ve been in charge of planning the menu for the past five years. Our staff is talented and “over the top,” so each year I try to come up with a menu item that is new and sufficiently “over the top” to recognize their contribution.

This year’s “over-the-top” recipe was Double Chocolate Pancakes with Chocolate Ganache, based on a recipe submitted by zerrin on www.giverecipe.com. This recipe has everything chocolate — cocoa, chocolate chips, and an amazing smooth ganache. It’s like eating cake for breakfast!

Days after we served breakfast, I’m still getting compliments on the recipe. My favorite comment came in an email from one of my colleagues: “They were awesome! I thought my tongue was going to slap my brains out.”

Try them. Then hold on to your brain so that it doesn’t get slapped out of your head.

Double Chocolate Pancakes with Chocolate Ganache

  • 1 large egg
  • 3 Tablespoons sugar
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 cup plus 1 Tablespoon flour
  • 1/4 cup cocoa powder
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup chocolate chips

Whisk the egg and sugar until creamy. Add in the milk and oil. Whisk until combined.

In another bowl, whisk the dry ingredients until well mixed. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Mix until well combined. The batter will be thick. Fold in the chocolate chips.

Cook the pancakes over medium heat for about 1-2 minutes per side. Serve with chocolate ganache.

Chocolate Ganache

  • 4 oz. chocolate chips
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream

Heat the cream in a saucepan until it shimmers. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate chips. Do not stir the mixture for 5 minutes. Then whisk the chocolate chips until they form a silky ganache. Serve at room temperature.

Makes about 8 pancakes.

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Cinnamon Rolls with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

If you are looking for a treat and have some time to spare, try my twist on cinnamon rolls.

The foundation of the rolls is a rich, eggy challah dough. We then couple the tangy tartness of craisins with a light lemon cream cheese frosting. It’s a sweet treat that is not overpowering and is family approved.

Start with one of my favorite bread doughs, challah. We’ve made this recipe in my home for 20 years or more. The dough is smooth and easy to handle. It adapts well for use in cinnamon rolls and other desserts. (See my prior blog post that uses challah loaves in a bread pudding.)

When Rebecca and I married more than 30 years ago, my Grandmother Gibson gave us a Bosch bread mixer. We use it all the time; it’s still going strong after all these years. I can’t imagine making bread without our Bosch.

Challah

  • 1 tablespoon yeast
  • 2 cups flour
  • 2 cups warm milk (about 110*)
  • 1 tablespoon sugar

Proof the yeast in 1/2 cup milk mixed with the sugar. It will be frothy in about 10 to 15 minutes. Add the remainder of the milk and the two cups flour. Cover the bowl and let it stand for about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. The sponge will be bubbling when it’s ready.

  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 1/2 cup canola oil or other vegetable oil
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 5 eggs
  • 5 cups all-purpose flour

Sprinkle the sugar and salt over the sponge, then add the oil and the vanilla. Gently beat the eggs; pour the eggs into the sponge. Mix the sponge until the ingredients are incorporated.

Add the flour one cup at a time, mixing after each addition until the flour is incorporated. You will start to get a soft dough. If the dough is too wet, add flour gradually, 1/4 cup at a time. Knead the dough until it is soft and springy.

Grease a large bowl with about 2 tablespoons of canola oil. Place the dough in the bowl, then turn the dough over so that it is oiled on all sides. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and let the dough rise until it doubles in size, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Divide the dough into three equal pieces. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough into a large rectangle, about 12 x 18 inches. You will repeat these steps three times (once for each piece of dough), so remember to divide the remaining ingredients into thirds as you proceed forward. If you have more dough than you can use in one sitting, you can freeze it for later use. (Or you can bake it into a gorgeous loaf of challah bread.) If you choose to freeze the dough for later use, remember to decrease the remaining ingredients as you move forward.

Cinnamon Roll Filling

  • 20 tablespoons melted butter (2 1/2 sticks), divided
  • 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup cinnamon
  • 1 1/2 cups craisins (or other dried fruit)
  • 1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

Melt the butter. Using a pastry brush or your fingers, spread about 1/4 cup of melted butter over the dough. Mix the brown sugar and cinnamon. Spread about 1/4 cup of the mixture over the dough. Spread 1/2 cup each of craisins and nuts over the dough.

Roll the dough into a log.  Using a sharp knife, cut the dough into 2-inch segments. You should have about 8 or 9 rolls from each piece of dough.

I like to bake cinnamon rolls in disposable foil trays. I can give some cinnamon rolls to friends and they won’t have to worry about returning a pan to me. But you may want to bake the rolls in a 9 x 13 pan instead.

Pour 1/2 cup of the melted butter into the bottom of your baking pan. Sprinkle in about 1/2 cup of the brown sugar and cinnamon mixture. Then place your cinnamon rolls in the pan.

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Cover the rolls with a kitchen towel, and let them rise about 1 hour.

Bake at 350* until the rolls are golden brown, about 30 to 35 minutes.

Top the cinnamon rolls with lemon cream cheese frosting.

Molly’s Cream Cheese Frosting

  • 16 tablespoons butter (2 sticks), softened
  • 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
  • 6 to 8 cups of powdered sugar
  • zest of one lemon
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • juice of 1 lemon (to taste)

Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter until it is creamy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the cream cheese, and mix for about 3 minutes more.

Add the lemon zest, vanilla, and (approximately) 1 tablespoon lemon juice to the butter and cream cheese mixture. Then add the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, mixing after each addition. The mixture should be light and fluffy. Add lemon juice to taste.

I typically use all of the lemon juice and no more than 6 cups of powdered sugar. Add more powdered sugar if you like a sweeter frosting. The frosting should be fluffy and spreadable. If it is too thick, mix in some milk, one tablespoon at a time.

When the cinnamon rolls have cooled, frost the rolls. If you have some frosting left over, it makes a great topping for pancakes or waffles.

Enjoy.