Carrot Cake

 

My parents got this recipe out of a cookbook that they bought while in Washington D.C. and made it for dessert this past weekend.  It was very delicious!  So I got the recipe and decided to share it with you! 

 

What you need:

Softened unsalted butter, for the pan

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for the pan

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. fine sea salt

1 cup superfine sugar

2/3cup vegetable oil

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1 1/2 cups shredded carrots (use the large holes on a box grater)

One 8 oz. can crushed pineapple, well drained (1/2 cup)

1/2 cup (2 oz.) walnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped

1/2 cup seedless raisins

 

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour the inside of an 8 cup fluted tube pan and tap out the excess flour.

 

Sift the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl.  Combine the sugar, oil, and eggs in a bowl of a heavy-duty stand mixer.  Beat on high speed until the mixture has thickened slightly and is light in color and texture, about 3 minutes.  Reduce the mixer speed to low.  In thirds, add the flour mixture and mix, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, just until the batter is smooth.  Add the carrots, pineapple, walnuts, and raisins and mix until combined.  Pour into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a spatula.

 

Bake until a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 45 minutes.  Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes.  Invert and unmold the cake onto the rack and let cool completely. 

 

Frosting:

 One 8 oz. package of cream cheese (room temperature)

1 cup White chocolate chips

1 pint whipped cream

1/2 - 1 cup Powdered Sugar

Refer to Coconut Cream Cheese cake recipe for instructions on how to make the frosting!

Steak or Chicken Marinade

 

I love my parents steaks and chicken that they grill!  They always turn out so tender and juicy!  They use a special marinade on them and I thought I would share it with all of you.  Hope you love it too!

 

What you need:

1 cup vegetable oil

1 medium onion

1 tbs. garlic, diced

1 tbs. fresh sage, diced

2 tbs. worcestershire sauce

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1 tsp. fresh rosemary, crushed

1 tbs. freshly ground black pepper

2 tbs. lemon juice

1/2 tsp. dry mustard

 

Mix together and pour over steak or chicken and let marinade for at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours.  Do not over marinade the chicken, otherwise it will toughen the meat.  It's best not to marinade chicken for more than 8 hours. 

 

A note about grilling steak or chicken, let the meat come to room temperature.  It is easy to over cook the outside of meat and still have an undercooked center if you pull your meat directly out of the fridge or freezer and throw it on the grill.  The whole goal of grilling is to have a flavorful, moist and tender meat when you are done.