The Best Carrot Cake Ever

Ok, so I got approval from my friend to share with you her recipe for the Carrot Cake that I made on Sunday.  This friend, Sandi R., is becoming known as the “Cake Goddess” within our circle of friends.  Everyone just loves any cake she makes, It was a mutual friends birthday last weekend and I comsulted Sandi on what type of cake our friend likes and she took a wild guess and said carrot cake.  She offered her recipe if I didn’t already have one, which I didn’t, since I have never made one from scratch before.  I was a little cautious when I read over the recipe she sent me.  It only made 1 9in round layer.  She said I would need to double the recipe for a layer cake or to make a 9x13 cake.  I had never seen only half a cake recipe before BUT I trusted Sandi, fully.  We were only expecting 6 people for the get together so I decided that a single layer round should be fine.  I am glad I did…it came out beautiful and was the perfect amount too.  It is a very dense cake that I served chilled so small slices were perfect after a big meal.  Now, I know, BAD ME…I forgot to get any pictures of it, I’m sorry!  I will just have to make another and photograph it for you.  Sandi says all of her scrumptious recipes have either been passed down to her or are her own creations.  Any woman that can create something as heavenly as her cakes deserves the title “Cake Goddess”.  Note: I made my cake the night before and refrigerated it, covered and then iced the cold cake the next day and had no issues with the icing being too soft. 

 

Carrot Cake

1 1/2 cups AP flour
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
tsp baking powder
tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 cup cooked, mashed carrots cooled to room temp
3/4 cup veg oil
1 8 1/4 ounce can crushed pineapple, drained
3 eggs
1 tbsp hot water
1/2 cup walnuts (soaked and washed)
1/4 cup raisins (soaked)

-Preheat to 350

-Mix carrots, oil, pineapple, eggs, hot water in a bowl.

-Sift dry ingredients, mix in wet ingredients until smooth, fold in walnuts and raisins.

-Pour into a greased and floured 9 inch pan. Bake for 45 mins. or when middle springs back slightly when touched. Let cool completely, then ice the cake.

Cream Cheese Icing

8 oz cream cheese
1/2 cup REAL unsalted butter
1 lb powdered sugar

-Have everything room temperature, cream well. You can add a smidge of vanilla if you like (I do ♥)

This recipe makes One 9 inch round cake. You can double this recipe and make it in a 9x13. I also double the icing recipe and chill for a bit before I put in on the cake (still in the pan or baking dish) But you can turn the cake out and icing it if you want. It's a very soft icing though and doesn't stack well if you make two 9 in cakes. It smooshes out of the middle. I also decorate the top with some walnuts.

I add a little vanilla and/or rum to the warm water I plump my raisins in. I think it makes a difference.

Soup Day!

Good morning y’all!  How was your weekend?  Are you and the loved ones staying warm around your hearth?  Our hearth was very active this weekend and there was always a pot of something going from Friday night all the way till Sunday late afternoon.  We hosted the ladies from our women’s group and celebrated the wonderful fall season, an early Thanksgiving  and one of the ladies had a birthday on Friday.  I decided to make soups and have everyone bring breads to go with them.  I made my basic chili (a double batch), a chicken noddle with veggies and a broccoli cheese soup.  To be honest, I have never made a homemade chicken noodle soup…I have always made chicken and dumplings or a chicken pot pie.  There really isn’t a recipe to post for the chili, as I just use a brown bag (now it’s in a box, but was always sold in a bag before) seasoning mix (and yes, I use the whole cayenne pepper packet) and add it to 2 lbs. browned hamburger meat and add a can of light red kidney beans, 2 cans diced tomatoes, 1 can of tomato paste and a couple cans of water, till I get it the consistency I like, and slow cook it 4-5 hours in a crock pot.  I served it with shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, oyster crackers, chopped green onions and one of our ladies brought a wonderful batch of cornbread.  It was yummy, as always. 

I really can’t post an exact recipe for the chicken noodle soup either.  I had been collecting and freezing the pan drippings and leftovers from my roasted whole chickens from the last 6 weeks or so.  The herbs varied with each roasted bird so this is why I can’t give an exact recipe and mine will probably never taste the same way again.  Like I said, it was my first time of making it and I was VERY impressed.  It was the best I’ve ever had and everyone seemed to enjoy it.  I took my broths and chopped chicken pieces and to it I added another chicken breast that I had boiled then chopped and also added one 32 oz container of fat free chicken stock that I bought.  I added some water at the end.  I chopped a few peeled carrots and some celery and a medium whole onion that I had sweated in a few tablespoons of butter before adding them.  I added just a touch of salt and pepper and simmered it for about 3 hours on low and about 45 minutes before we sat to eat I added a bunch of wide egg noodles, covered it and let it continue to simmer.  The noodles were almost like flat dumplings in this one and they had absorbed a good bit of the soup part, so next time I will add even more water before I put the noodles in (or like someone suggested, I could have cooked the noodles first then added them at the last minute, but I think I like them cooked in the brothy mixture as opposed to plain, salted water).  The rosemary focaccia bread on the table was excellent in my bowl along with a few oyster crackers and this soup.  I was impressed and was in heaven with every bite.

Now, my other new recipe was one I am putting the exact recipe for  below.  It was on the internet on several sites as a “knock-off” version of one of the major  Bread Company’s soups.  The only real change I made was in the cheese.  I had a big ziplock of cheese chunks left-over from a birthday party back in August that I had thrown into the freezer.  It was the correct amount, approximately  16oz, but was a mixture of swiss, mild cheddar and cheddar-jack cubes, that I had defrosted.  I am not a true fan of broccoli cheese soup but this one is good!!!  I can’t wait to make it again.  I may add a touch more hot sauce next time or maybe a teaspoon or two of ground cayenne.  Anyway, here is the recipe.  Enjoy!

Broccoli Cheese Soup

Serves 8
Ready In: 30-60 minutes

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 cup flour
4 cups half-and-half
4 cups chicken stock or bouillon
1 pound fresh broccoli
2 cups carrots, julienned
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
16 ounces grated sharp cheddar

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

2 teaspoons hot sauce (any brand)

Directions:
Saute onion in butter. Set aside. Cook melted butter and flour using a whisk over medium heat for 3-5 minutes. Stir constantly and slowly add the half-and-half (this is called making a roux). Add the chicken stock whisking all the time. Simmer for 20 minutes.

Add the broccoli, carrots and onions. Cook over low heat until the veggies are tender for 20-25 minutes. Add salt and pepper. The soup should be thickened by now. Pour in batches into blender and puree or use a handheld immersion blender, which is what we used, and it was a perfect texture. Return to pot over low heat and add the grated cheese; stir until well blended. Stir in the nutmeg, mustard, hot sauce and serve.

I can’t wait for dinner tonight for leftovers!  I also made my first scratch carrot cake and it was fabulous.  A good friend shared her amazing recipe and I am just waiting to get the go ahead from her to post her recipe…stay tuned, you have to try this one!

The only BAD part was that…sniff, sniff…I forgot to take pictures of any of it, as we were creating it or when we sat with the finished products at the table.   I can’t believe that I forgot to do this.  So sorry. I guess we were having such a great day no one thought about stopping to pose for the camera.  You’ll have to use your imagination for visuals of the soups and cake. 

Have a great week everyone. 

Pumpkin Cheesecake

Good morning everyone!  I was blessed by a visit from the canning fairy a while back…I found loads of canning supplies spread on my counter top when I awoke and in the mix was a brand new spring form pan.  I was so excited and couldn’t wait to make my very first scratch cheesecake.  I had seen a recipe in a magazine ad and it sounded perfect, especially when my honey requested that I make it.  See, she is not really a cheesecake fan and I am, so when she said she really wanted this one, I thought woo-hoo, my lucky day!  I finally get to make a cheesecake.  I could NEVER justify making one for just me, since I am the only one in the house that likes it.  We picked up the ingredients last weekend and made it late last Saturday night.  A fellow blogger, Andrea, had posted a comment to a statement I had made about making cheesecakes and I wish I had seen it BEFORE I made this one.  I guess the way to get really good at something ,though, is trial and error…you know, learn from your mistakes.  I made this cheesecake exactly as the directions show and it came out good.  Everyone liked it but I was not happy when I saw the big crack in the top of it.  I thought it was just a touch dry and I immediately said to myself, “I must do more research on the art of cheesecake making”.  Unfortunately, I then came across Andrea’s reply about making cheesecakes and she had told me to check out her blog.  I did and I can’t wait to try her Vanilla Bean Cheesecake recipe and follow her tips.  See her blog post here ---> http://andrea-thekitchenwitch.blogspot.com/2010/05/vanilla-bean-cheesecake.html .  Now, here’s the recipe for the one I made.  Check out her blog first for tips, though.

Spiced Pumpkin Cheesecake

38 Ginger Snaps, finely crushed (about 1-1/2 cups)

1/4 cup  finely chopped pecans

1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted

4 pkg.  (8 oz. each) Cream Cheese, softened

1 cup sugar

1 can  (15 oz.) pumpkin

1 Tbsp. pumpkin pie spice

1 tsp.  vanilla

4 eggs

 

HEAT oven to 325°F

MIX crumbs, nuts and butter; press onto bottom and 1 inch up side of 9-inch springform pan.

BEAT cream cheese and sugar in large bowl with mixer until well blended. Add pumpkin, spice and vanilla; mix well. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing on low speed after each just until blended. Pour into crust.

BAKE 1 hour 20 min. to 1 hour 30 min. or until center is almost set. Loosen cake from rim of pan; cool before removing rim. Refrigerate 4 hours.

Enjoy!