Carrot Cake with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

smitten kitchen for willo's second birthday, in the year of our Lord 2010.

this was quite popular. i didn't ice the cakes because the fellow is significantly allergic to dairy, and they were sweet enough anyway. he had them for breakfast, lunch, snack and dinner, even before the candle and singing, as i baked them a day ahead. but that was okay with mimi. and everyone else had them for the same use, too. good thing it baked 32 cakes. oh, and willo helped me bake them. he loved the batter!

I like to grate the carrots by hand — actually, that’s a lie, I don’t enjoy it one bit — because I want it very finely grated for a soft batter. The food processor works, too, but the pieces are a bit thicker.

Makes 24 cupcakes (or one two-layer cake, instructions at end)

2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground ginger
2 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups canola oil
4 large eggs
3 cups grated peeled carrots
1 cups coarsely chopped walnuts (optional)
1/2 cup raisins (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Line 24 cupcake molds with papers, or butter and flour them.

Whisk flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger in medium bowl to blend. Whisk sugar and oil in large bowl until well blended. Whisk in eggs 1 at a time. Add flour mixture and stir until blended. Stir in carrots, walnuts and raisins, if using them. Divide batter among cupcake molds, filling 3/4 of each.

Bake cupcakes 14 to 18 minutes, or until a tester inserted into the center of one comes out clean. Let cool in pans for five minutes or so, then transfer cakes to a cooling rack. Let cool completely before icing them.

To make a carrot layer cake: Butter two 9-inch-diameter cake pans instead of cupcake molds. Line bottom of pans with waxed paper. Butter and flour paper; tap out excess flour. Divide the batter between the prepared pans, and bake the layers for about 40 minutes each, or until a tester inserted into center comes out clean. Cool cakes in pans 15 minutes. Turn out onto racks. Peel off waxed paper; cool cakes completely.

Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

Two (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/4 cup pure maple syrup

In a stand mixer beat all the ingredients on medium until fluffy. Chill the frosting for 10 to 20 minutes, until it has set up enough to spread smoothly.

The spazzy star decorations were created by putting the maple cream cheese frosting into a piping bag fitted with a large star tip and dolloping away. An extra layer of dollops were piped nearer to the center, to create a domed effect.

To assemble a carrot layer cake, frost the top of one cake, place the other cake on top. Frost the sides and top, swirling decoratively. Refrigerate the cake for 30 minutes to set up frosting.

For the layer cake scenario, you will probably have a bit of leftover frosting, which you can tint and use for decorating, or save to smear on gingersnaps. What, you don’t do that too?

no bake apple walnut tart

This apple tart is a Reader favorite. The healthy date and nut crust allows you to indulge in a delicious healthy dessert without compromising flavor. And one serving of this tart provides an excellent source of those hard-to-find, healthy-promoting omega-3 fatty acids. Enjoy!
No-Bake Apple Walnut Tart Prep and Cook Time: 30 minutes, chilling time: about 1 hour

Ingredients:

* Crust
* 2½ cups walnuts
* 1½ cups dates (Medjool dates work well)
* sea salt to taste
*

* Filling
* 3 green apples, such as Granny Smith, sliced
* juice of 1 lemon in 2 cups water
* ¼ tsp cinnamon
* 1/2 tsp allspice
* 1/8 tsp ground clove
* 2 TBS honey
* ½ cup apple juice
* ¼ cup raisins

Directions:

1. Combine walnuts and dates in food processor. Make sure you remove pits if dates have them and cut off end where stem was. Process until well mixed and ground, but not smooth (about 40 seconds). It should be a coarse texture when done. Press evenly into a 9-inch tart pan. Set in refrigerator while making the filling.
2. Slice apples by cutting into quarters. Cut out core and slice crosswise in ¼ inch thick slices. Put into lemon water while you finish cutting apples. Drain well in colander when done.
3. Place apples in a large skillet with rest of the ingredients and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently on medium heat.
4. Remove apples with a slotted spoon from hot pan to a bowl and cool completely.
5. Reduce liquid to about half the volume and then cool.
6. Spread apples evenly over crust. Brush apple-juice syrup over apples. The tart can be served right away or it will keep in refrigerator until needed. Keep tart covered in refrigerator so it doesn't pick up moisture. Top with a little vanilla yogurt if desired.

Serves 8

Healthy Cooking Tips:

This crust is fantastic if prepared correctly. First of all, it is important to choose dates that are firm and not too gooey. Zahidi dates are usually good for this. When processing your crust you may have to do it in two batches. Combine half the dates and half the walnuts in each batch. Process well, but do not make the mixture too smooth. You should not process more than 40 seconds for each batch. You want to have a coarse texture that is ground enough to hold together when pressed. Take a pinch of crust between your fingers and press it together. If it is over processed the crust will end up pasty and will not be good. If it is not quite ground enough it won't hold together. You can get a good idea of the consistency by looking at our photo.

Oatmeal Muffins with Raisins, Dates, and Walnuts

Feel free to switch out the walnuts for pecans, the raisins for cranberries or candied ginger, and so on.
Ingredients

* 1 cup of rolled oats
* 1 cup of all-purpose flour
* 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
* 1/2 teaspoon of salt
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
* 1/4 cup of finely chopped walnuts, toasted
* 1/3 cup of raisins
* 1/3 cup of chopped dates
* 1 stick of butter, melted and cooled
* 1 cup of buttermilk
* 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1 large egg, beaten

Method

1 Preheat the oven to 400°F and grease a twelve-slot muffin tin or line the slots with paper baking cups.

2 Mix together the rolled oats, flour, brown sugar, salt, baking soda, baking powder, walnuts, dates, and raisins. In a separate bowl mix together the buttermilk, egg, vanilla extract, and butter.

3 Pour the wet ingredients into the dry mixture and stir together. Be sure not to over-stir as that will cause the muffins to develop too many gluten bonds. It should be thick and gloppy. About 10 seconds of stirring should do; just enough to barely bring the ingredients together. Scoop into prepared muffin tray and bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in the tray for a minute or two before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Makes 12 muffins

Raw Butternut Squash Salad With Raisins and Ginger

Published: November 12, 2010


The Minimalist: Vegetables for Thanksgiving, Served Natural and Raw (November 17, 2010)

1 butternut squash (about 1 1/2 pounds), peeled, seeded and grated

1/2 cup raisins

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 to 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar, or to taste

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

Salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Combine the squash, raisins, oil, vinegar and ginger in a salad bowl; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss, then taste and adjust the seasoning. Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate for up to several hours.

Yield: 4 servings.
A version of this recipe appeared in print on November 17, 2010, on page D2 of the New York edition.

green bean slaw

Green Bean Slaw Recipe

I used a moscato from Trani, Italy here, but feel free to experiment with other sweet white wines. The one I used was about 14% alcohol - just the right amount of boozy for a salad like this. As far as advanced prep goes - you can make the dressing a day or two ahead of time if you like. And you can slice the green beans, and make the croutons a day ahead of time as well. I used a wood-fired oven spelt walnut bread for the croutons here, but use whatever good bread you have on hand.

2 small handfuls (about 1/2 cup) golden raisins
1 cup / 240 ml Moscato / sweet white wine

Dressing:

yolk of one hard-boiled egg
3 tablespoons creme fraiche or heavy cream
1/3 cup / 80ml extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
-------------------------

1/2 a small cabbage, cored and shredded very finely
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

2 big handfuls green beans or haricot verts, very thinly sliced and cooked in a pot of boiling salted water for 20 seconds, drained (well) immediately, and cooled under cold running water.

A big handful of arugula, roughly chopped

2 handfuls (about 3/4 cup) toasted walnut halves

2 handfuls of torn rustic bread, pan-toasted until golden in a big splash of olive oil

A bit of shaved pecorino cheese

Place the raisins in a small bowl and cover with the wine. Let soak overnight, or for at least a few hours.

To make the dressing, mash the yolk of the egg in a small bowl. Gradually mash and stir in the creme fraiche. Very slowly add the olive oil beating constantly. It should be smooth and glossy. Whisk in the vinegar and lastly the salt. Taste and adjust if needed.

When you're close to being ready to serve the salad, toss the cabbage and the vinegar together in a large bowl and let sit for 10 minutes.

Just before serving, drain the raisins and add to the cabbage. Add the green beans, arugula, and most of the walnuts. Toss a few times. Add about 2/3 of the dressing and toss gently, but well. Taste and add more dressing if you like. Add most of the croutons and most of the pecorino cheese, before tossing again. Serve topped with the remaining walnuts and pecorino.

Serves 6-8.

caponatina

INGREDIENTS

# 1 medium size eggplant, finely diced
# 1 small onion, diced
# 1 stalk of celery, diced
# 1 small red bell pepper, diced
# 1 8oz can of tomato sauce
# 6 green olives, pitted and chopped
# 6 black olives, pitted and chopped
# 1 Tbls of capers
# 1 Tbls of pine nuts
# 2 Tbls of raisins
# 1/2 cup of olive oil
# 1 Tbls of sugar
# 1/4 cup of red wine vinegar
# 1/4 tsp. of salt
# 1/4 tsp of freshly ground black pepper

PREPARATION

# Prepare the eggplant by salting them and letting them stand around a half an hour or more to release the excess water. Rinse and pat dry with a paper towel.
# In a frying pan sauté the eggplant in olive oil until tender.
# Remove the eggplant from the pan and drain on a paper towel and set aside.
# Add the onions, celery and bell pepper to the pan and sauté until tender, about 3 minutes.
# Stir in tomato sauce, olives, capers, pine nuts and raisins and simmer for 15 minutes.
# In a separate saucepan slowly heat the vinegar and sugar until sugar is dissolved.
# Stir the sugar vinegar mixture into the tomato sauce .
# Stir in the eggplant.
# Season with salt and pepper.

Serve warm or cool to room temperature before serving. Serve on toasted bread.