Posts tagged spice cake
carrot cake

when i was little, i NEVER had cake for my birthday. no no, i was not a deprived child. i just didn't like cake. i always asked for strawberry pie with whipped cream instead. cake in my mind meant something dry, lacking flavor with some very strange, artificial tasting frosting and usually some really crunchy sugar confetti that looked like it had been sitting on the shelf longer than i had been alive. so it is no wonder at all that i requested pie. 

somewhere along the way, i stored carrot cake into a mental file of things i didn't like. now as a cook, i realize that my list of foods i didn't like was actually a list of foods i had that weren't cooked well. as a kid, i had convinced myself lamb was gross because the only lamb i had ever eaten was cooked till it was fifty shads of grey and served with mint jelly. i won't tell you who ruined it for me (cough. grandma.). anyway, you get the picture. carrot cake had made its way to my naughty list. 

but man oh man, was i a fool. now that my cake business has picked up, i have started receiving heaps of requests for carrot cake. in the beginning, being that i thought i didn't care for carrot cake, i would steer clients in the direction of lemon or classic chocolate. but when a weeding client's favorite was carrot, i knew i had to get over my likes and dislikes and make a damn good carrot cake. so i went to my best baking resource. that same lamb cooking grandmother. all my earliest memories of baking are with her and most of my classic recipes are hers, so i knew she would have a winner. and man was i right!

carrot cake serves: 8-10
prep time: 10 minutes
active time: 5 minutes
baking time: 30-40 minutes
cooling + assembly time: 1 hour
total time: 2 hours
ingredients: 2 cups all purpose flour. 2 cups sugar. 1.25 cups vegetable oil. 4 eggs. 2 tsp baking powder. 1 tsp baking soda. 2 tsp cinnamon. 1 tsp allspice. 1 tsp kosher salt. 3 cups grated heirloom carrots (standard orange also work great if that is what you have). stand mixer with paddle attachment or hand blender. baking pans (either 2 8 inch rounds, 3 6 inch rounds or a 9 x 13). parchment for the bottom of your pans. nonstick cooking spray. cream cheese frosting for serving.

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start by preheating the oven to 325 degrees f. in the bowl of your stand mixer or in a large bowl, combine the sugar and oil. mix until well combined. about 1-2 minutes. mix together your dry ingredients in a bowl. 

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with the mixer on slow add in half of your dry ingredient followed by two of your eggs. 

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when well combined, add in the rest of the dry ingredients and the remaining eggs. 

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when well combined, start to add in your carrots. 

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add in about half until combined and then pour in the rest. 

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spray your baking pans and line them with parchment paper. 

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pour your batter equally into the pans you are using. 

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bake for 30-40 minutes, until a toothpick comes out of the center of each layer clean. 

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remove the baking pans from the oven onto a cooling rack and allow them to cool to room temperature. remove the baking pans from the oven onto a cooling rack and allow them to cool to room temperature. 

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use cream cheese frosting to frost your cake and serve or store in a cool place until time to serve. you can store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. 

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xo, a
carrot cake
serves: 8-10
prep time: 10 minutes
active time: 5 minutes
baking time: 30-40 minutes
cooling + assembly time: 1 hour total time: 2 hours
ingredients: 2 cups all purpose flour. 2 cups sugar. 1.25 cups vegetable oil. 4 eggs. 2 tsp baking powder. 1 tsp baking soda. 2 tsp cinnamon. 1 tsp allspice. 1 tsp kosher salt. 3 cups grated heirloom carrots (standard orange also work great if that is what you have). stand mixer with paddle attachment or hand blender. baking pans (either 2 8 inch rounds, 3 6 inch rounds or a 9 x 13). parchment for the bottom of your pans. nonstick cooking spray. cream cheese frosting for serving.  2 tsp cinnamon. 1 tsp allspice. 1 tsp kosher salt. 3 cups grated heirloom carrots (standard orange also work great if that is what you have). stand mixer with paddle attachment or hand blender. baking pans (either 2 8 inch rounds, 3 6 inch rounds or a 9 x 13). parchment for the bottom of your pans. nonstick cooking spray. cream cheese frosting for serving.
start by preheating the oven to 325 degrees f. in the bowl of your stand mixer or in a large bowl, combine the sugar and oil. mix until well combined. about 1-2 minutes.mix together your dry ingredients in a bowl. with the mixer on slow add in half of your dry ingredient followed by two of your eggs. when well combined, add in the rest of the dry ingredients and the remaining eggs. when well combined, start to add in your carrots. add in about half until combined and then pour in the rest. spray your baking pans and line them with parchment paper. pour your batter equally into the pans you are using. bake for 30-40 minutes, until a toothpick comes out of the center of each layer clean. remove the baking pans from the oven onto a cooling rack and allow them to cool to room temperature. use cream cheese frosting to frost your cake and serve or store in a cool place until time to serve. you can store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. 

apple spice cake

oh what a difference a year makes.

thanksgiving and all the joy, reflection and food that come with it are upon us. 

i can't really remember what i did last year for thanksgiving. i was deep in the throws of wedding planning for my nye nuptials, was out of work trying to figure out what to do with my life and quite frankly, i was feeling very lost. 

in a deep dark moment, after a major breakdown over breaking a glass (i never said i was rational) with my head in my hands i sobbed and thought, "i don't know who i am anymore." so dramatic. but it was truly how i felt. i had shed every part of me that i knew. i was surrendering my independence to become part of a new family. from the moment i could drive i never had fewer than one job, most of the time juggling two to three and now i woke with out purpose every morning. i used to feel that people viewed me as strong and independent. suddenly as a bride i was fragile in people's eyes. they looked at me like i may crack at any moment. and they were right. 

wow, i'm really getting emo. let me get to the point. after sobbing and calling my now husband "just to hear his voice," i pulled my shit together. i had a moment of clarity and realized, i can't find myself unless i get lost. 

flash forward a year. thanksgiving is thursday and i woke up this morning and taught to a full class. i will spend the next few days cooking with family and making some money doing it. i have never felt more on the right path or closer to who i am supposed to be and what i'm supposed to be doing. i am truly THANKFUL this year. 

whether you are feeling lost and out of control or everything in your life is sunshine, i encourage you to take pause, take a deep breath, and think of all the beautiful gifts you have in your life. there may be more than you think. 

happy thanksgiving friends. i'm wishing you and yours love and tasty food. and i'll leave you with this tasty apple spice cake. this is the perfect alternative to a holiday pie and will make a stunning addition to any thanksgiving table. 

apple spice cake
serves: 8
prep time: 20 minutes
bake time: 30 minutes
total time: 50 minutes
ingredients: 1.5 cup all purpose flour. .5 tsp baking soda. .5 tsp salt. .5 tbs cinnamon. .25 tsp nutmeg. 1 honey crisp apple (gala, pink ladies will also work), thinly slice just enough to cover the bottom of a 9 inch pan (about 25-28 slices) and cube the rest. .66 cup vegetable oil. 1 cup sugar. 2 large eggs. .5 tsp vanilla. 9 inch baking pan. 1 tbs soft butter + 1 extra tbs flour for baking pan. salted caramel for drizzle (optional). vanilla ice cream (optional). 

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start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees f. 

sift he flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon together into a medium bowl. 

lightly butter and flour your baking pan. 
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lay your thinly sliced apples into your desired pattern. 

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in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, combine the eggs, oil, flour and vanilla. 

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when well combined, slowly pour in the dry ingredients till just combined. 

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pour in the cubed apples and mix till just combined. about 1 minute. 

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pour the batter into the pan and bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out of the cake clean. 

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allow the cake to cool on a rack for a few minutes before turning the cake out onto the rack to continue cooling.

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if you are going to drizzle with salted caramel, allow the cake to cool to room temperature before drizzling. 

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if you are not using the caramel, you can allow it to cool slightly and serve the cake warm. ice cream on top wouldn't be awful either. 

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xo, a

apple spice cake
serves: 8
prep time: 20 minutes
bake time: 30 minutes
total time: 50 minutes
ingredients: 1.5 cup all purpose flour. .5 tsp baking soda. .5 tsp salt. .5 tbs cinnamon. .25 tsp nutmeg. 1 honey crisp apple (gala, pink ladies will also work), thinly slice just enough to cover the bottom of a 9 inch pan (about 25-28 slices) and cube the rest. .66 cup vegetable oil. 1 cup sugar. 2 large eggs. .5 tsp vanilla. 9 inch baking pan. 1 tbs soft butter + 1 extra tbs flour for baking pan. salted caramel for drizzle (optional). vanilla ice cream (optional).
start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees f.
lightly butter and flour your baking pan. lay your thinly sliced apples into your desired pattern. sift he flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon together into a medium bowl.
in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, combine the eggs, oil, flour and vanilla.
when well combined, slowly pour in the dry ingredients till just combined.
pour in the cubed apples and mix till just combined. about 1 minute.
pour the batter into the pan and bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out of the cake clean. allow the cake to cool on a rack for a few minutes before turning the cake out onto the rack to continue cooling. if you are going to drizzle with salted caramel, allow the cake to cool to room temperature before drizzling. if you are not using the caramel, you can allow it to cool slightly and serve the cake warm. ice cream on top wouldn't be awful either.