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Sunday, January 4, 2009



Today is Sunday, a perfect day to enjoy a lovely carrot cake from my new Dorie Greenspan Baking book.  I was really craving this carrot cake, so I started making it, I got about halfway thru when I realized, I was making the wrong cake.  The trouble was I really wanted that carrot cake, so I improvised and ended up with a very tasty cake... 


CARROT CAKE
2 1/4 cups flour
1 TBSP baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
3 cups grated carrots
1 cup shredded coconut
2 cups sugar
zest of one orange
1 stick butter
1/2 cup canola oil
4 large eggs

Whsk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.  In another bowl, stir together the carrots and coconut.  In another bowl, mix the sugar and orange zest
with your fingers until moist and 
fragrant.
Beat the sugar mixture and butter 
and oil together on 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 in 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. I baked
it in one 9 x 13 pan for 45 minutes at 325. Transfer 
the cakes to cooling racks and cool for
about 5 minutes, then run a knife around 
the sids of the cakes and unmold them. 
Invert and cool to room to room temp-
erature right side up. (The cakes can be 
wrapped airtight and kept at room temp-
erature overnight for up to 2 months.)

Frosting
8 oz. cream cheese, at room temp.
1 stick butter
3 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
2-3 TBSP orange juice

Beat all ingredients together until 
smooth spread over cooled cake.       

Friday, January 2, 2009

A Wonderfull New Year's Breakfast





December has always been a time of reflection for me, a time to ponder about the year.  A time to give myself credit for things done well.  A time to rethink things done not so well.  And during this past week I have really reflected on the changes I am ready to make for this wonderful fresh start called 2009.  So, in addition to excercising more and eating less, having more patience and showing more love; I have decided to join the Daring Bakers, and I am so excited to get started!

And now for my first recipes of the year...

Oven-Baked French Toast
1/2 c. butter
4 TBSP honey
Melt on cookie sheet in oven, then sprinkle 1 teaspoon cinnamon over the top.
Beat:
3 eggs 
1/2 c. orange juice
1/4 tsp salt
vanilla

Dip thick slices of bread in this.  Arrange slices close together on top of honey mixture.  Bake at 400 for 20 minutes.  Invert toast to serve.

Christmas Eggs
Butter a muffin tin.  Break one egg into each muffin cup then pour a few TBSP cream onto each egg, filling almost to top.  Add a dash of kosher salt.  Bake 350 for 12- 15 min.  To serve scoop out egg and spoon cream on top!  Super Yummy!

Egg recipe courtesy of Sisters Cafe.