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!

P.B. Chocolate Cake

I was in the mood recently to try something new and came across this amazing dessert. This dessert was posted on the wood connections blog. Some amazing cookbook that they have called Lemon Poppy had this and let the wood connection post it! The real title of this cake is "Out of this World" P.B. Chocolate Cake. And let me tell you that I'm not a huge peanut butter fan, but this cake was amazing and so I'm sharing it with you!

What you need:

1 cup water

1 cup butter

6 tbs. Cocoa

2 cups flour

2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 cup sour cream

Boil water, butter, and cocoa in a small saucepan. In a large bowl layer the flour, baking soda, and salt. Pour the sugar on top of the flour mixture. Pourthe boiling mixture on top of the sugar (this creates a fudge like reaction as the two combine). Add eggs and sour cream and mix until all ingredients are combined.

Grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan or two 9 inch round pans. Bake at 325 degrees for 35-40 minutes in the 9x13 inch pan or for 25-30 minutes in the 9 inch round pans. This cake is very dense and delicious, but is not as good if you overcook it. Start with a lower time and add minutes as needed. It is best to do the finger test before taking it out of the oven. When it looks almost done tap with two fingers on the top of the cake. It should slightly dent in and barely spring back. If not bake a few more minutes. You can also test the cake with a toothpick by sticking the toothpick in the middle of the cake and if it comes out clean then it's done.

Frosting:

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/4 cup peanut butter

4 tbs. milk

1 tsp. vanilla

3 - 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Cream together butter, peanut butter, milk, and vanilla. Slowly add in powdered sugar and cream until light and fluffy. After the cake has cooled off and is no longer hot (about 10-15 minutes) frost the cake and then top it with crushed peanut butter cups!

Lemon Poppyseed Cake

I can't believe I haven't posted this recipe yet. This has been a family favorite for years! It's so delicious! I hope you enjoy it!

What you need:

1 box of Yellow cake mix

3/4 of a package of the large Instant Vanilla Pudding

4 eggs

1 cup sour cream

1/2 cup water

1 tsp. rum flavoring

1/2 cup melted butter

1/4 cup poppyseeds

Grease a bundt pan. Mix cake mix and pudding together first and then add the rest of the ingredients. Mix until well blended. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Glaze:

1/2 tsp. milk

1 tbs. melted butter

Juice of 1/2 a lemon (you can use lemon juice, just follow instructions on how much you need for half a lemon)

1 1/4 cup powdered sugar

Mix all ingredients together. Drizzle over cake after it's cooled for about 10 minutes.

Pumpkin Crumble Cake

I'm not a huge pumpkin pie fan, but this is not pumpkin pie! It's way more delicious! I found this recipe on all recipes when I was in a baking mood. This recipe did not disapoint! My husband loved it so much that he had two pieces every night until it was gone!

What you need:

1, 18.25 oz. package yellow cake mix

1 egg, beaten

1/2 cup butter melted

1, 15 oz. can pumpkin puree

3 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup white sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice (or ground cinnamon)

1/2 cup white sugar

4 tbs. butter, softened

1/2 cup chopped nuts (walnuts, pecans) optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray or grease a 9x13 inch pan.

Reserve 1 cup cake mix. In a large bowl, combine the remaining dry cake mix with 1 egg and 1/2 cup melted butter. Mix well and then pat into prepared pan.

In a large bowl, mix together the pumpkin, 3 eggs, 1/2 cup sugar, brown sugar, and pumpkin spice. Pour over crust.

In a small bowl, combine reserved cup of cake mix, 1/2 cup sugar, and 4 tbs. softened butter. Crumble over pumpkin filling. Sprinkle nuts evenly over the top, if desired.

Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Also If you want a thicker crust use a spring form pan and bake for 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Serve warm or cold with vanilla ice cream or whip cream!

Cinnamon Swirl Bundt Coffee Cake

I wanted to try something new for dessert. This amazing recipe was on allrecipes.com and it was easy enough that I already had all the ingredients! I didn't put the walnuts in it because my husband doesn't love that in his desserts, but I'm sure it would be just as tasty with the walnuts!

What you need:

1 cup sour cream

3/4 cup butter

1 1/2 cups white sugar

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. vanilla extract

3 eggs

Filling:

1 tbs. ground cinnamon

1/4 cup sugar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease a 10 inch bundt pan.

Cream butter, add sugar and cream together. Add eggs one at a time mixing well in between each. Add sour cream and beat well. Add flour, baking soda, and baking powder; mix well. Mix in vanilla and walnuts.

Mix the filling ingredients (sugar and cinnamon).

Pour half of the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle generously with cinnamon sugar mixture. I took a small spatuala and kind of swirled the cinnamon into the batter and kept adding the cinnamon until it was all in the pan. Cover with remaining cake batter.

Bake at 400 degrees for 8 minutes. Lower heat to 350 degrees and bake for additional 30-40 minutes. Check with a toothpick to see if its done. Toothpick should come out clean.

Finally I put a frosting ontop of the cake.

Frosting:

1 cup powdered sugar

2 tbs. milk

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Mix frosting ingredients together until smooth and drizzle over cake!

Chocolate Lover's Favorite Cake

This is another winner from my cute friends blog www.nummiesforyou.blogspot.com. You have got to try this because it is defiantely in my top three of favorite cakes! It's super easy to make and has such a unique flavor! I love it!

What you need:

1 package devil's food cake mix

1 (3.9 oz.) package instant chocolate pudding mix

2 cups sour cream

1 cup melted butter

5 eggs

1 tsp. Almond Extract

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Sauce:

1 can sweetend condensed milk

1 cup semisweeet chocolate chips

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 10 in. bundt pan.

In a large bowl, stir together cake mix and pudding mix. Make a well in the center and pour in sour cream, melted butter, eggs, and almond extract. Beat on low speed until blended. Scrape bowl and beat 4 minutes on medium speed until blended. Blend in chocolate chips. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 50-55 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a cake plate and drizzle with frosting. Best if served warm!

While the cake is baking, combine all frosting ingredients in a small sauce pan and heat on low, stirring constantly, until chocolate chips are melted and it is all blended together.

Strawberry Delight

This has been one of my favorite cakes that my mom makes since I was a little kid! I would always ask for my mom to make this for my birthday every September (when strawberries are not in season)! Since it is still February I thought this would be a good dessert to add for the end of the month.

What you need:

1 box vanilla or lemon cake from any cake mix brand

1 pint Whipping Cream

Powder Sugar

1/2 - 3/4 cup Cream Cheese

1 package Raspberry or Strawberry pie glaze

Fresh Raspberries or Strawberries

Bake vanilla or lemon cake following instructions on box. Whip 2 cups whip cream, adding powder sugar and the 1/2 - 3/4 cup cream cheese as the cream begins to firm up.

Mix raspberry or stawberry pie glaze according to pre-package directions. Adding fresh raspberries or strawberries. Layer in alternating order, whipped cream and then pie glaze with berries.

Coconut Cream Cheese Cake

My good friend Jessi started her own cooking blog http://www.nummiesforyou.blogspot.com/ about a year ago! She has posted many wonderful recipes, but this cake is by far my favorite! I'm so happy she let me post it on my blog! The only difference between her cake and mine is the frosting. I loved the cream cheese frosting, but found it was a little too much. So I asked my father what might work as a different frosting and he told me about the white chocolate cream cheese frosting that he uses on his carrot cakes!

What you need:

2 cups white sugar
1 cup butter
5 eggs
1 teaspoon coconut extract
1 cup buttermilk2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1-2 cups flaked coconut

Frosting

1/2 cup butter

2, 8 oz packages cream cheese
1 teaspoon coconut extract
2 cups powdered sugar

White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

1 8oz. package of Cream Cheese (room temperature)

1 cup White Chocolate Chips

1 pint whipped cream

1 teaspoon Coconut extract

1/2 - 1 Cup Powdered Sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two round cake pans, set aside. Mix flour, baking powder and salt together and set aside.
In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beat well. Mix in coconut flavoring. Add flour mixture alternately with buttermilk, mixing well with each addition. Add 1 cup coconut. Pour batter into prepared pans.
Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes, or until a knife comes out clean. Cool completely once baked. (I put it in the freezer for an hour)

Cream Cheese Frosting
While it is baking, cream powdered sugar and butter, adding in the rest of the frosting ingredients after.

White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

While it's baking melt white chocolate chips in the microwave for about 10-15 seconds at a time, take them out and stir. Repeat until melted. Careful not to burn or cook the chocolate chips too long because they will harden. Next cut room temperature cream cheese into quarters or smaller. Thoroughly mix each cream cheese quarter into the melted white chocolate chips. Set aside. Mix whipping cream in a mixer until light and fluffy then add powdered sugar until the whipping cream is tastes as sweet as you want it. Gently fold a spoonful at a time of whip cream into the cream cheese mixture. Once the cream cheese mixture starts to look fluffier you can add bigger amounts of whip cream in, carefully folding in each amount until the whip cream is all combined with the cream cheese. The cream cheese mixture should be as fluffy as the whip cream was when you started. Gently fold in the coconut extract.

Tear off 4 thin strips of foil or waxed paper and place them around the edges of a cake stand or platter. Once the cakes are cooled completely, remove and place one on the foiled cake stand, making sure that the foil covers all parts of the stand. Frost the top of the cake on the stand and place the other cake on top. Frost the rest of the cake, all sides covered. Sprinkle the remaining coconut on the top and sides of the frosted cake, covering as much as you'd like. Remove the foil and reveal a beautifully clean cake stand with a gorgeous cake on it, with no frosting smudges on the stand!