The Lightest and Best Carrot Cake Cupcakes EVER

I may have mentioned that I have a "high spirited child".  Or more like a too highly spirited child.  He is stubborn, moody, loud, and crazy... oh just like his parents.  However all that has changed since I did a little research on the food dyes that have been all over the news as of late.  Turns out they are petroleum based.  Last I checked petroleum is not actually food, but hey I'm also against high fructose corn syrup so you know that makes me a tree hugging hippy around these parts.  I'll admit it, I've hugged a tree, I don't care, I'll do it again.  I'm not scared.

So the first thing to go was Red #40.  Absolutely NO red 40 under any circumstances, and no Blue, and preferably no yellow either.  Which means no processed foods, no cake mixes, and no bakery cakes.  This is fine day to day but posed a problem when I remember that ummmm I don't really bake and I had a child with a birthday last week.  Okay... what can we make that will pass for cake on short noticed that is not a cake that I could screw up.... dudududaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa  Carrot Cake to the rescue.

I was worried they weren't cooked all the way through but they were and they were moist so don't cook them until they are firm to the touch or they will dry out.  I was sad to miss out on that heaping mound of cream cheese frosting but everyone else loved them.  His teachers said that even the fussy kids ate them with no complaints.  And the teachers have had no complaints about his new enhanced calm, and sweet disposition.  Bye bye Red 40 go make someone elses children crazy.  PS.  The UK found that after banning food dyes that about a third of all ADHD cases disappeared.  Mainly because they were most likely caused by food interactions not actual ADHD.  If you have a child making you nuts, try cutting out their red food for a week (takes about a week to get out of their systems).  We say a difference instantly.  Now he's not a saint as he is still a 3 year old boy, but what a difference.  Making a cake from scratch is a small price to pay for such amazing results.... I meant in the child, but the cake is pretty amazing too... give it a try.

The Best Ever Carrot Cake Cupcakes

Paula Deen

Ingredients

For Cake:
4 eggs
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup apple sauce
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 8-oz. can of crushed pineapple, well drained
3 teaspoons vanilla extract, divided
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Small pinch of ground cloves
3 cups grated carrots, grate on larger side of cheese grater
1 cup chopped pecans

For Frosting:
1/2 cup butter, softened
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
3 cups confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Fresh coconut, shaved and toasted for garnish (optional)

Method

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, beat together eggs, oil, apple sauce, sugars, pineapple and 2 teaspoons vanilla. Mix in flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and small pinch of ground cloves. Stir in carrots. Fold in pecans. Pour into muffin tin lined with beautiful paper or foil liners. Fill each liner 3/4 full. Bake in the preheated oven for 18-20 min. Let cupcakes cool completely. While cooling, prepare frosting.

Frosting:
In a medium bowl, combine butter, cream cheese, confectioners' sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Pile the frosting high on the cooled cupcakes and garnish with the toasted coconut if desired.

Yes those are blue decorations but how much could be in those really?



Nigella's Damp Lemon-Almond Cake

Sometimes a recipe does not always turn out the first time you make it but you had such high hopes that you must try it again.  I made this for dessert for my husband's birthday LAST YEAR.  However, the copy of the recipe I had said.... 1 1/3 cup ground almonds, so I threw some almonds into a food processor and went to town.  What we ended up with was a) gritty from the almonds, and b) dry as all get out because we have the demon oven!  Seriously hate that thing, probably part of why I do not bake often.  I really want to try to make macaroons but I know it is truly hopeless in that miracle midget that we were told is an oven.

I was disappointed enough that it took me over a year to try it again, but it kept coming to mind.  I thought maybe if I swapped out almond flour for the ground almonds it might work.  I ordered the almond flour (I'm not kidding when I say you can't find anything in this town), and then had to google the recipe because I lost my copy.  The copy I found this time said 1 1/3 cup ground almonds or almond flour, yeah thanks for that.

I don't have any prep pictures because I didn't know if would come out and when it was done and I popped the springform pan it was so horribly flat I thought it would probably be dried out again.  Well it wasn't because I now know not to trust the oven.  And with the quick flick of my wrist and a measuring tape I realize that it was flat because my springform pan is 10-inches not 8.  Oops... I think this has been a dessert downfall more than once...must remedy that problem, but if you can see how moist this is from the picture I'm sure you'll understand that no one complained about it being a little flat, they just cut a second slice.

Nigella’s Damp Lemon and Almond Cake
adapted from Nigella Lawson

Ingredients

1 cup butter
¾ cup sugar
4 large eggs
1/3 cup cake and pastry flour
1 1/3 cups almond flour
1 teaspoon almond extract
Zest and juice of two lemons

Method

Preheat the oven to 350F. Line the bottom of one 8” (or four 4”) springform pans with parchment paper, or spray with non-stick baking spray

Cream together the butter and the sugar until almost white. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, adding a quarter of the flour after each addition. When all the eggs and flour have been incorporated, gently stir in the ground almonds, then the almond extract, lemon zest and juice. Pour the mixture into the prepared cake pan and bake for about 1 hour, checking after 50 minutes-you may have to cover the cake loosely with foil after 30 minutes so the tops won’t burn (4” springform pans 35 minutes)

The cake is ready when the top is firma dn skewer comes out clean when inserted in the center of the cake. Don’t overbake thecake or it won’t be damp.

Remove the cake from the oven and let it stand for 5 minutes in the pan; then turn out onto a wire rack and leave till cool.

Dust with confectioners sugar before serving.

PS... I masked the disaster last year by throwing fresh strawberries, raspberries, and black berries into a sauce pan with some amaretto, balsamic vinegar, a splash of orange juice, and a tablespoon of sugar and just stirred it until it turned into a sauce.  Then loaded it over pieces of the cake and topped with fresh berries.... while there was no need to do that this time I think I may have to try that again next time because it was really, really great!

Frosted Carrot Bread

Now I know all of you (even those that say you can't cook) know at least one recipe.  This is my dear friend Kate's "one" recipe, or so she claims, I've seen her cook she just doesn't like it.  However when she gave me this recipe she said it was carrot cake.  Now I haven't told her but I have to disagree.  It was much heavier than regular carrot cake, and it got firm on the outside and would not come out of the pan which to me says sweet bread.

I tried to make it in two pans to make a layered cake.  Do not do that.  It was not a good idea... unless you want to have nice little wedges like above or you want to share half your booty.  Kate however has never tried to remove it from the pan so could not warn me.  She makes it in a 9X13 rectangular pan, frosts it in the pan and serves it from there.  Which is pretty much how we ended up.  It really doesn't matter what you call it, it was awesome.  The first pan didn't even make it to the frosting stage. 

The only thing I changed for this recipe was to make a maple cream cheese frosting instead of Kate's frosting because her recipe said... a box of confectionary sugar.  She didn't know how much was in a box, and we don't have boxes at our grocery stores (none of them) it's all bags, so I threw the maple one on, which was also not a good idea as it was a delicate frosting for a serious cake/bread (cread?)  So....either serve this as is, or top with your own favorite cream cheese frosting,unless you know how much sugar is in a box then let us know. 

PS... this was awesome for breakfast with coffee, but that doesn't really put it into a category either because cake is good with coffee too, unless you don't like sweet things for breakfast.  However the only thing sweeter than the cake was my minature helper.  Notice the tiny hands dumping in ingredients and the proud little chef waiting to put his cake in the oven.

Kate’s Carrot Cake

Ingredients

Cake

2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
2 cups coconut shredded
2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs, slightly beaten
1 ½ cup oil
2 teaspoons vanilla
8-9 ounces crushed pineapple with juice
2 cups shredded carrots
2 cups chopped walnuts (I left these out since the baby was going to be eating it)
1 cup raisins
Frosting

2 sticks butter
6 ounces cream cheese
1 box powdered sugar

Method

Preheat oven at 375 degrees. Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a small bowl mix eggs, oil, vanilla, pineapple with juice, and carrots. Combine two bowls, mix well. Mix in walnuts and raisins. Pour batter into greased 9 X 13 pan. Bake for 45-50 minutes. Take cake out of oven and cool on rack. Frost with frosting (or not).