amazing carrot cake - for bonnie

here it is. the carrot cake of all carrot cakes. and like i said, i know carrot cake. i wish i could take credit for it, but i can't. and there's almost enough healthy things in it that you could claim it for a healthy snack. but not when you add the cream cheese icing.

and you have to add the cream cheese icing.

and i know that it's a huge recipe, but don't half it. you will regret it. in fact i've been known to double this recipe. and i know the extra step in the beginning is well, an extra step, but please don't skip it. it's the je nes se quois of this carrot cake.

you're welcome.

• 6 cups grated carrot (about 6 medium carrots)
• 1 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
• 1 cup raisins
• 4 eggs
• 1 + 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 cup oil (i use canola)
• 2 tsp pure vanilla
  
• 1 small can of crushed pineapple, drained
• 3 cups flour
• 1 + 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tap salt
• 4 tsp cinnamon (or more!)
• 1 cup walnuts

in a bowl, combine the grated carrots and brown sugar. set aside to soak (marinate if you will) for at least one hour. stir it once or twice while the carrots soak.

in a large bowl, lightly beat the eggs and add the white sugar, oil and vanilla gradually while mixing well. then fold in the pineapple and raisins.

in a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.

gradually, add the dry ingreidents to the wet. combine well and then fold in the carrots and finally, fold the walnuts into the batter.

pour into pans and bake at 350 degrees. 45-50 min for cakes and 25-30 min for cupcakes.

i got this many cupcakes

and these beauties from one batch. into the freezer go the muffins!

and we feast on this!

and while i anticipate your thank yous for the cake recipe, i can only apologize in advance for the icing recipe. it is disgustingly unhealthy and wholly designed to add inches to your waist.

so for that i'm sorry. but i dare you not to make it.

i'll just leave this with you and you can do with it what you will.

regretfully amazing cream cheese icing

• 2 - 8oz bars of cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 2 cups icing sugar
• 1 tsp pure vanilla

whip the cream cheese and butter together. then sift the sugar (if you really want to, i'm a geek, so i do) and add it to the cheese mixture. stir in the vanilla.

voila. so simple you have to make it. and both the cupcakes and the icing (together or separate) freeze very well.

and i'm going to update this post with much better photos next time i make this.

candy sushi

saw this on the internet last year and i have been waiting to try it. we hosted a play date a few weeks ago it was the perfect opportunity. i thought it turned out perfect - especially considering the five cent candies at the c-store are all i had the choose from.

pretty simple, yet impressive.

the dragon cake

i love the idea behind these cakes - cool designs from regular pans. the dragon requires 2, 9 inch round pans. and if you don't have them, you should just go out and buy some. i had to, and i spent $7 on each (baker's secret brand) and they are excellent quality for the price.

i didn't get a good picture with the sparklers - we add them for the fire-breathing part.

we modified the tail pieces to make it look like this. much better, i thought.


we (i say "we" because mike was totally into the candy placement, and he made the wings) used fruit roll ups for wings, and because it was saturday evening on easter weekend when i decided to make the dragon, i had to call around to find those fruit roll ups. that's the perils of living in a small town - stores are actually closed on holidays. good thing we keep a steady supply of jelly beans and hershey bars.

cheesecake lollipops

so i'm back. it was a long break, but ever since i've started gardening, my kitchen has been slightly neglected. and if i'm not ignoring my kitchen, i'm ignoring blogging in general. my other blog has suffered, too. but i'm going to make up for it by sharing my latest baking adventure with you - and an adventure it was!

i've seen these before on other baking sites, but i decided to go my own way - the recipes either seemed too complicated or not to my tastes. this was a rehearsal for when i plan on making these for a wedding shower i'm hosting in a couple of weeks. i took one to the bride-to-be and she goes, "but i don't like cheesecake." too bad i said, i'm making them anyway, and i'll make another dessert just for you. i think these are just too cool not to share with a crowd, and i plan on having them as centre pieces first - you know, like a bouquet of flowers sort of thing. i'm glad i made these once first because there will be a few changes next time, like making them about half the size. they are a lot of work, but sure to be a crowd pleaser!

• 5 8oz packages cream cheese at room temperature
• 2 cups sugar
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 5 large eggs
• 2 egg yolks
• 2 tsp pure vanilla
• ¼ cup heavy cream
• boiling water as needed
• thirty to forty lollipop sticks - i cut up wood bbq skewers

beat together the cream cheese, sugar, flour, salt. add eggs and egg yolks one at a time. lightly beat in vanilla and cream. grease baking pans, fill with batter. place baking pans in larger roasting pan, fill roasting pan with boiling water, about half way. bake for about 45 min at 325 - or until starting to brown. you don't want to over cook these, and there's nothing wrong with it being a little undercooked.

i would have baked in two pans, this one was a little too
full, but i didn't have any that would fit in the roasting pan.

after baking, set in fridge to completely cool. you can leave it over night, whatever, just make sure it cools as much as possible. roll into small balls (i got carried away with the size of mine), place on cookie sheets lined with parchment and add sticks. freeze completely - should only take a few hours.

after freezing, dip in melted chocolate (melt chocolate in a double boiler, or in a bowl over a pot of boiling water like i did) and sprinkle with toppings. i added about a tablespoon of shortening to about 2 cups of chocolate. it helps it set better and keeps it looking the best. i used coconut, sprinkles and crushed peanuts for toppings, just what i had on hand. i think i might get a little fancier for the shower, though. set in fridge to thaw, they aren't that good frozen, but are awesome after they've been in the fridge a while.

blueberry muffins

.

this is a recipe i've been using for a couple of years. i can't remember where i got it, but i know i made a few changes. i made these yesterday, but cut back on the sugar by a 1/4 cup, added a tablespoon of honey and upped the blueberries a little. this was my first time making these while living in a small town, and fresh blueberries, even when available are very expensive, so i used frozen.

feel free to cut back even further with the sugar, and just use more honey. they may not be as sugary-delicious as store bought at this point, but the freshness of them take over, and you'll kids will still love them.

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1 1/4 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups flour (i used whole wheat)
• 1/2 cup butter milk
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 400g fresh blueberries (i think i always use a little more than this)
  

whisk melted butter, eggs, sugar/honey, buttermilk and one quarter of the blueberries (smashed up into pulp). mix the flour and the salt, add it to the buttermilk mixture.

toss the remaining blueberries in a 1/4 cup of the flour and then fold the berries into the batter. bake 375 for 40 min. oh! and sprinkle and little sugar on the top before they hit the oven.

fudge brownies

probably the best brownies you'll ever have - and i can't take credit for it. the recipe is so simple that you'd be a fool to use a store bought mix again and so deadly delicious that the icing isn't necessary. i served these for dessert with a fruit salad so those of us who are reasonable about what we eat could nibble on a brownie and load up on fruit.

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 2 cups brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp real vanilla
• 3 cups flour
• 4 tbsp cocoa
• 1 cup chocolate chips (i only bake with milk chocolate)

mix all ingredients in a large bowl in order. pat down in greased 9 x 13 inch pan. bake at 350 for 15 minutes. ice while still warm.

icing

• 2 tbsp butter, melted
• 1/2 tsp real vanilla
• 2 tbsp milk
• 1 1/2 cup icing sugar

mix above and spread over warm brownies.

oatmeal banana cookies

i was looking for a much-surgar-less cookie than i usually bake... and it's a great alternative for baby biscuits. and so easy to make my two year old was actually helpful.




oatmeal banana cookies

• 3 ripe bananas
• 2 cups rolled oats
• 1 cup dried fruit (raisons, chopped apricots, crasins, nuts, whatever)
  
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla
• a sprinkling of cinnamon and nutmeg to taste.
  

allow batter to sit for 15 min, scoop desired shape onto cookie sheet, bake 350 for 15 min.