Carrot Cake

This cake is so fruity you might call it a muffin (if it wasn't for the frosting!). This time I made cupcakes rather than a sheet cake, as cupcakes keep well as individual servings either in the fridge or freezer.


Carrot Cake

Yield: 1 sheet cake.
Baking Temperature: 350°F
Baking Time: 45 minutes


Ingredients


4 eggs
3/4 C canola oil
1/2 C applesauce
2 C sugar
3 tsp vanilla
2 C AP flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
3 C grated carrots
8 oz can crushed pineapple
1 C nuts


Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F
2. Grease and flour pan.
3. Drain juice from can of pineapple, discard juice.
4. Beat together eggs, oil, applesauce, sugar, and vanilla.
5. Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon.
6. Stir dry mixture into wet mixture.
7. Stir in carrots and pineapple.
8. Fold in nuts.
9. Pour in pan and bake 40-50 min.
10. Cool in pan 10 min then turn out onto rack and cool completely before frosting.
11. Frost with Cream Cheese Frosting.
12. If you wish, top with 1-2C sweetened shredded coconut.

Tips: For cupcakes, spoon mixture into cupcake pan lined with paper cups. Bake 20 min or until toothpick comes out clean, still at 350°F. Makes 24.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Yield:  a double layer cake or full batch of cupcakes

Ingredients

8 oz cream cheese (room temperature)
½ stick butter (room temperature)
1 tsp vanilla essence
4 C powdered sugar


Instructions

1. Sift or at least whisk lumps from sugar.
2. Beat cream cheese, butter, and vanilla in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until blended.
3. Add sugar gradually, beating until well blended after each addition.
4. Use right away or refrigerate and bring back to room temp before using.

Anzac Biscuits (Coconut Cookies)

 I am excited to bring you this recipe because most Americans haven't tried this southern hemisphere classic. Try it as-is if you like (tastes old fashioned), but I recommend adding vanilla. If you have coconut essence you could try adding a touch of that, or perhaps rum. I can't wait to try this with coconut oil in place of butter! Or maybe agave rather than sugar? The possibilities abound :)


Anzac Biscuits

Yield: 18 cookies of 1 Tbsp each
Source: The PWMU Centenary Cookbook
Baking time:  15 min
Baking temp: 325°F (160°C)

Ingredients

1 C rolled oats
1 C white flour
3/4 C desiccated coconut
3/4 C sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 Tbsp boiling water
1/2 C butter, melted
2 Tbsp golden syrup

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 325°F.
2. Combine oats, flour, coconut and sugar in large bowl.
3. In Pyrex cup, melt butter in microwave then stir in golden syrup.
4. Microwave water (in small cup) then stir in baking soda.
5. Add water solution to butter and stir.
6. Add butter mixture to dry ingredients and mix well.
7. Place small rolled balls on prepared baking ray.
8. Bake 15 min or until golden brown. 
9. Let cool on tray 2-5 minutes before removing to rack.

Tip: Prepare your baking trays with a silicone mat, with parchment paper, or grease with butter.
Tip: For a flavor a little less oaty, add 1 tsp of vanilla extract to wet mixture.
Tip: Golden syrup is a sugar cane syrup. Substitute agave syrup, light colored honey, etc.

Note: This traditional recipe is from Australia and New Zealand. These biscuits were sent to soldiers fighting overseas hence the name Anzac (Australia New Zealand Army Corps). Including no eggs, which were rationed during war, they have a long shelf life.

Apple Streusel Muffins

Apple Streusel Muffins


Yield:  18 regular muffins
Source: allrecipes.com
Baking Temperature: 400°F
Baking Time:  20 min


Ingredients: Muffins


1 1/2 C apples: peeled, cored, and diced small
2 C white flour
1 C sugar
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
 1 1/4 tsp cinnamon
2 eggs, room temp
1 C sour cream (8 oz), room temp
1/4 C butter, room temp


Ingredients: Crumb Topping


1/4 C brown sugar
3 TBsp flour
1/4 tsp cinnamon
2 TBsp cold butter
1/2 C oats (optional)


Instructions

1. Heat oven to 400°F.
2. Peel, core and dice apples, set aside.
3. Whisk together dry muffin inngredients
4. In large bowl, beat butter and sour cream.
5. Beat eggs into butter/sour cream.
6. Stir dry ingredients into wet ingredients until barely combined.
7. Fold in apples.
8. Fill muffin/cupcake cups 2/3 full.
9. For topping, combine sugar, flour and cinnamon, then cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs; stir in oats if using.
10. Sprinkle topping over each cup of batter.
11. Bake at 400°F for 18-20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
12. Cool on rack in pan for five minutes then remove each muffin to rack to continue cooling. 

Tip: Use tart apples like granny smiths. Use 2 small or medium apples, maximum of two large apples, anywhere from 1 1/2 to 2 C once diced is fine.

Lamington-style White Cake

White Cake

Yield: 8-12 slices
Baking time:  25 min
Baking temp: 350°F

Ingredients

2 C AP flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 C white sugar
6 egg whites (3/4 C)
2 tsp vanilla
12 TB unsalted butter (softened)
3/4 C whole milk or cream

Instructions

1. For two 9" round pans or one 13x9x2 pan, grease and line with parchment paper.
2. Sift or whisk together flour, baking powder and salt, set aside.
3. In large bowl, beat butter and sugar for five minutes until light and fluffy.
4. In small bowl combine egg whites, milk and vanilla.
5. Beat in 1/3 of drys to butter mixture, then 1/2 of the wet mixture, and continue. Scrape bowl often.
6. Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth top with metal spatula.
7. Bake 25-30 min or until toothpick comes out clean.
8. Cool in pan 5 min then turn onto rack, remove paper, and let cool completely.
9. Frost once cool.

Tip: For a Yellow Cake variation, use three whole eggs plus one egg yolk in place of the six egg whites.
Tip: Parchment paper will really save you hassle with any cake or sheet cookie recipe. Cut a round, and it will release the bottom of the cake beautifully. For square or rectangular pans you can drape a rectangle of paper over opposite edges to lift the whole cake clear in one stroke. Don't forget to grease the pan first (true for EVERY CAKE!).

Lamingtons


Traditional Australian lamingtons use sponge cake, are completely coated with icing (top and sides), and topped with coconut. Some lamingtons have a layer of jam (fruit spread) in the middle. I am using a white cake because I can't get the hang of sponge. Here are the ingredients and instructions for turning your delicious white cake into a lamington cake. Try this recipe if you find cakes frosted american-style to be too sugary.

Ingredients

2 1/2 TBsp boiling water (50 mL)
3 TBsp melted butter (60 g)
2 C confectioner's sugar
3 tsp cocoa
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
3/4 to 1 1/2 C dessicated coconut
2-4 TBsp red jam

Instructions

1. Bake white cake as usual, in two 9" square or round pans, or a 13x9" pan if you want no jam layer
2. Chilled cake cuts much more cleanly so if you're making squares, chill first.
3. If you are using the jam layer, spread jam onto bottom layer using flat spatula, install top layer over that.
4. Cut into squares if desired.
5. Make frosting (steps 6-9)
6. Combine water, melted butter, and vanilla.
7. Sift, together, sugar and cocoa over that.
8. Beat well.
9. Spread over cake or squares.
10. Coat with coconut.

Apple Pie

Well friends, winter is still with us, so lets do something about all those apples available. I have tried this recipe a few times and my suggestion is to make sure you cook your crust through; the pyrex pie pan is crucial for this (so you can see when it's done). This pie is ostensibly "easy," because the filling and crust are cooked together and there is no top crust. I won't call it easy because I think it's a little tricky to make your first pie... but give it a try!

Apple Pie


Yield: 8 slices
Baking Temperature: starts at 400°F
Baking Time:  40 min
Source: How to Bake by Nick Malgieri

Ingredients : Flaky Pie Dough

1 1/4 C AP flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp baking powder
1 stick unsalted butter, cold
2-3 TB water, cold

Instructions : Dough

1. To mix the dough by hand, combine the flour salt and baking powder in a medium mixing bowl and stir well to mix. Cut the butter into 1 TB pieces and add to the dry ingredients, tossing to coat the butter chunks. Then using your hands or a pastry blender break the butter into tiny pieces and pinch and squeeze it into the dry ingredients. Keep the mixture uniform by occasionally reaching down to the bottom of the bowl and mixing all the ingredients evenly together. Continue rubbing the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles a coarse-grown cornmeal and no large pieces of butter remain visible. Sprinkle the minimum amount of water over the mixture and stir gently with a fork, the dough should begin holding together. If the mixture still appears dry and crumbly, add the remaining water 1 teaspoon at a time until the dough holds together easily.
—or—
2. To mix the dough in the food processor, combine the dry ingredients in the work bowl fitted with a metal blade. Pulse 3 times at 1-second intervals to mix. Cut the butter into 1 TB pieces and add to the work bowl. Process, pulsing repeatedly at 1 second intervals until the mixture is fine and powdery, resembles a coarse-ground cornmeal, and no large pieces of butter remain visible, about 15 pulses in all. Scatter the minimum amount of water on the mixture and pulse 5 or 6 times , the dough should begin to hold together. If the mixture still appears dry and crumbly, add the remaining water 1 teaspoon at a time until the dough holds together easily.
3. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and form it into a disk. Sandwich the disk between to pieces of plastic wrap and press it into a 6 inch circle. Refrigerate the dough until firm or until you are ready to use it, at least one hour.

Ingredients : Crumb Topping

1/2 C brown sugar
1 C AP flour
6 TB unsalted butter, melted

Ingredients : Filling

2 1/2 pounds firm, tart apples
2/3 C sugar (brown, white, or blend)
2 TB AP flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
3 TB unsalted butter, cold

Instructions : Pie

4. Roll the prepared dough out and line a 9" pyrex pie dish. Chill the crust while preparing the topping and filling.
5. For topping: combine the sugar and flour in a mixing bowl, add the butter, and stir in evenly. Set mixture aside 5 min, then use your fingertips to break into 1/4" to 1/2" crumbs. Set aside.
6. Set a rack at the lowest level of the oven and preheat to 400°F.
7. For filling: Peel, halve, and core apples. Cut the apples into a 1/2" dice. Place the diced apples in a bowl and add the remaining filling ingredients, except butter, tossing well to combine. Place the filling in the dough-lined pan, mounding it slightly in the center. Dot the filling with butter and sprinkle to cover with the prepared crumb topping.
8. Place the pie in the oven and immediately lower the temperature to 375°F; bake the pie for 40 min or until crust and topping are baked through and a deep golden brown, and the filling is gently bubbling.
9. Cool on rack. Serve alone or with sharp cheddar cheese, or ice cream.

Tips

• Try one of these apple varieties: Northern Spy, Granny Smith, Pippin, Golden Delicious.
• You can keep the dough in the fridge for up to 2 days or freeze it double-wrapped in plastic.
• I have made this same pie using the crumb topping from the Apple Crumble recipe and it's good :)

Cheesecake

Here's another winter favorite. It's rich and decadent, plus, you don't need any seasonal fruit for it! Perfect for dinner parties because it's baked the day before. This is one of the more complicated recipes I've shared but it looks harder than it is. Be sure to cook the crust through, and be sure to scrape the bowl often so the filling is homogenous. Do not overmix or it will rise and collapse, but this hasn't happened to me yet. The author warns not to use a convection oven or your cake will overcolor and overrise.

Yield: one 9" cake of 12 slices
Baking Temperature: starts at 350°
Note: bake the day before serving
Source: How to Bake by Nick Malgieri

Ingredients: Crust

3 TB unsalted butter, softened
3 TB sugar
1 egg yolk
1 C AP flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt

Instructions: Crust

1. Bring all ingredients to room temperature (especially cream cheese and eggs).
2. Preheat oven to 350°F.
3. Prepare a round, nine-inch, springform pan by buttering, then cover the bottom with a round of parchment paper.
4. In a bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
5. Beat in the yolk until smooth.
6. In a second bowl, combine the dry ingredients.
7. Gently fold the dry ingredients into the butter mixture with a rubber spatula. The mixture will be crumbly.
8. Pat the dough down into the pan evenly and firmly.
9. Bake 15-20 minutes until the dough is golden and baked through.
10. Lower the temperature of the oven to 325°F.

Nut Variation

Add 1/2 C (2.25oz) finely chopped sliced or slivered almonds, or finely chopped pecans, to the dry ingredients. Make sure to bake through.

Ingredients: Filling

2 lb (32 oz) cream cheese
1 C sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp lemon juice
4 eggs

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, using your mixer's lowest speed, beat the cream chese smooth (with the paddle attachment), about 30 seconds. Scrape the bowl and beater.
2. Add the sugar in a stream, mixing for another 30 seconds (or less). Scrape the bowl and beater.
3. Add one egg, lemon juice, and vanilla, mixing only until absorbed. Scrape the bowl and beater.
4. Add the remaining eggs one at a time mixing only until absorbed, scraping the bowl after each addition.
5. Wrap aluminum foil around the bottom of the pan (with the cooked crust in it).
6. Pour the filling into the pan over the crust.
7. Fill a large dish or roasting pan with water to a depth of 1/2 an inch.
8. Place your springform pan in the water bath.
9. Bake the cheesecake in it's bath for 60 minutes at 325°F, or until lightly colored and firm except for the very center.
10. Remove pan from water when the cake is done, remove foil, and cool on a rack.
11. Release the top of the cake from the sides of the pan with the point of a sharp paring knife to prevent cracks.
12. Once cool, wrap the cheesecake in plastic and chill overnight before unmolding.
13. Bring the cake out to warm to room tempterature one hour before serving. Serve plain or with berries.

No-Flour Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

Today's recipe is pretty special because it won my husband and I second place in a cookie competition at Chico Natural Foods! The picture of our fork-pressed cookie at the bottom here is courtesy Chico Natural (the top picture is mine).

No Flour Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

Yield: 2 dozen cookies
Source: bakingbites.com
Baking Temperature: 350°F

Ingredients

1 C peanut butter
3/4 C brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tbsp cocoa
2 tbsp water
1/2 to 3/4 C semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. In small cup mix together cocoa and water.
3. In a large bowl place peanut butter, sugar, egg, vanilla, baking soda, salt, and cocoa/water; stir well.
4. Fold in chips.
5. Drop by tablespoonfuls (or form balls with hands) onto baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
6. Flatten slightly with fork, if you wish.
7. Bake 10-13 minutes until golden brown at edges.
8. Cool on pan 2 minutes then remove to rack to continue cooling.

Tips

• Keeps well when wrapped individually in plastic and refrigerated or frozen.
• For larger cookies make 2 inch balls (makes 1 dozen).
• If you take care to select gluten-free ingredients, this recipe can be gluten-free.
• Using white sugar or natural cane sugar will not affect the flavor much.
• Use any kind of peanut butter: homogenized or natural, smooth or chunky. I use freshly ground peanut butter such as is available at natural and bulk stores.
• For a flavor leaning more peanut, omit the cocoa and water and use chunky peanut butter. You can also omit the choc chips and keep the cocoa.

Apple Crumble

What a great winter standby. There's hardly any other fruit available so let's use it in a very easy dish to cap off a special meal.
I recommend Granny Smith apples as they are firm and tart, and remain so after cooking. Do not use a soft apple but feel free to experiment with your favorite cooking apples. Apples are in season in fall and remain in stores in great variety in winter. Apples are available year round because of the amazing things they can do with irradiating, cold storage, and international shipping! I recommend using fruits in season and with the bounty of choices in spring and summer there's no reason to use apples any other time than the colder months.
This recipe uses two large Granny Smiths or three to four smaller apples. It's easier to peel, core, and slice larger apples but if you have very fresh fruit don't let size be your guide.
I have a suspicion that this dish would work fine with peaches with no adjustment, or with pears using a little nutmeg instead of the cinnamon.

Apple Crumble

Yield:  6 servings
Baking Temperature: 400°F
Baking Time:  30 min

Ingredients

4 C apples: peeled, cored, and sliced thinly
3 TB orange juice
1/4 C white sugar
1 TB corn starch
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp ground cinnamon (divided)
1/2 C packed brown sugar
1/4 C AP flour
1/2 stick butter
1/2 cup old fashioned oatmeal (uncooked)

Instructions 

1. Heat oven to 400°F. Lightly grease 2 qt baking dish.
2. In large bowl, combile apples, orange juice, and vanilla.
3. In medium bowl, blend sugar, cornstarch, 1/2 tsp cinnamon. Add to apple mixture tossing to coat.
4. Spoon apples into dish.
5. In same medium bowl combine brown sugar, flour, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, mixing well.
6. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. This is easiest if you use your fingers.
7. Stir in oats.
8. Sprinkle over apples.
9. Bake 25-30 minutes until apples are tender and topping is golden brown.
10. Serve plain or with cream or vanilla ice cream. 

Notes: While a hit warm it's pretty good straight out of the fridge, too.
Any other thickener can be used instead of corn starch, such as arrowroot.

Gingerbread

Yield: 3 dozen men
Baking Temperature: 350°F
Baking Time: 8-12 minutes

Ingredients

3 C AP flour
2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves (optional)
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
6 TB butter, room temperature
1/2 C dark brown sugar, packed
1 egg
3/4 C molasses

Instructions

1. In large bowl, whisk together flour, spices, leaveners and salt; set aside.
2. Using electric mixer beat butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy.
3. Beat in egg and molasses.
4. With mixer on slow, gradually add drys until just combined.
5. Divide dough, flatten into discs wrapped in plastic and refrigerate at least 2 hours (or freeze).
6. Thaw before rolling.
7. Roll to 1/8" thick, cut into shapes, and in a preheated oven bake 8-10 minutes for soft or 11-12 min for crunchy cookies.

Ah, a seasonal recipe at last. I ended up giving away most of these little guys as a gift, which was well recieved (yay). I frosted mine using the frosting recipe from Sugar Cookies, partly just to see how they would come out, but frosting is totally optional. It's not hard, so don't limit yourself, but it doesn't really add a whole lot of flavor, just sweetness. The most important thing to note was how easy it was to roll these out. I tried a different recipe first and it was a huge struggle. This recipe is easy to roll! This makes a lot of gingerbread men so I cut them all out at once and put them on parchment paper for easy switching in and out of the oven.

Baklava Recipe

Here is a real crowd pleaser of a recipe. Good nuts and honey are expensive, but one batch can easily turn into three gifts or more. I don't know whether to call this "easy." Mostly it is assembly and requires minimal skills. But unlike my other "easy" recipes it is by no means quick. One thing it definitely is, is different. Give it a try this holiday season!


Baklava

Yield: 36 slices
Baking Temperature: 350°F
Baking Time: 50 minutes

Ingredients

16 oz phyllo dough, thawed
1 C unsalted butter, melted
16 oz blanched almonds, chopped
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg (optional)
1/2 tsp cardamom (optional)
1/4 C white sugar

Syrup Ingredients

1 C sugar
1 C water
8 oz honey
1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

1. One day before baking thaw the dough.
2. Two hours before baking bring dough to room temperature.
3. Preheat oven to 350°F
4. Butter bottom and sides of a 9x13" pan, glass recommended.
5. Chop nuts (food processor recommended) and toss with spices and 1/4 C sugar.
6. Unroll phyllo dough and with a sharp knife cut the stack in half to fit pan size. Cover dough with a dampended cloth to prevent it drying out while you work.
7. Place two sheets of dough in pan.
8. Butter surface of dough thoroughly.
9. Repeat steps 7 & 8 three more times.
10. Sprinkle 2-3 TB of nut mixture on top.
11. Top with two sheets of dough, butter, and nuts, layering as you go. You will lay down nuts about 14 times.
12. Make the top layer 6-8 sheets deep and butter but do not nut the top.
13. Using a sharp knife, cut down, half an inch shy of the bottom, first columns then crosscutting to make diamond shapes.
14. Bake 50 min until dough is golden and crisp (this is where the glass pan helps).
15. While the baklava is baking, make sauce.
16. Begin by making simple syrup (boil sugar and water until sugar is dissolved) then add vanilla and honey. Don't add cool honey to hot sauce.
17. Simmer 20 mins, stirring occasionally, cool sauce to room temperature then refrigerate.
18. Remove baklava from oven when done and after a few minutes pour cooled sauce over hot baklava. Alternately you can cool the baklava down and pour hot sauce over cool baklava; the temperature difference prevents sog.
19. Cut all the way through when completely cool.
20. Use cupcake papers or doilies to serve.

Tips

• Phyllo/Fillo/Filo dough is available in the freezer section near the pies and desserts and comes in one pound boxes.
• Use a pastry brush to spread the melted butter on the pan and dough. Silicone pastry brushes are durable and easy to clean.
• I use blanched almonds that I chopped further in a food processor. Some people like chunky nuts or powdery nuts, you decide. Almonds are a good bet being locally grown but you could try mixing with hazelnuts or walnuts. Always use nuts without skins as the skins are bitter. Skins are removed by a simple process called blanching.
• Don't forget the top layer of butter as it is responsible for the brown color you'll be observing for doneness.
• Before you start to cut think out how to get diamond shapes: straight cuts the length of the pan with cross cuts at a certain angle for the diamond.
•  Will last a long time in the fridge (uncovered!) as honey is a preservative.
• The history of baklava is contested with both the Turks and the Greeks claiming invention!