Easter Dessert? Carrot Cupcakes, of Course!

Spring is a time of new beginnings and it's time for me to get back to posting! If you are having family or friends over for Easter Brunch or Dinner, Carrot Cupcakes will be popular with everyone.

Cupcakes, always a favorite with children,  are an easy and convenient way to serve a dessert. The following recipe is from Baking Basics and Beyond (Surrey Books), my first cookbook. The frosting is inspired by Carrot Cake I enjoyed at Greystone, the Culinary Institute of America in Napa. Whipped cream improves everything!

Carrot Cupcakes with Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting

 

Shred the carrots in a food processor for quick results or by hand using a box grater. I tried buying shredded carrots and chopping them instead of grating, but I didn’t like the result. Most carrot cakes contain oil, but once again I’ve used butter to lighten this treasured classic. The frosting, a combination of cream cheese and whipped cream, is lighter than other cream cheese frosting.

 Makes 24 cupcakes

                       3 cups all-purpose flour

                       1 teaspoon baking powder
                       1 teaspoon baking soda
                       1 teaspoon cinnamon
                       ¹/₂ teaspoon salt
                       1 cup butter, softened
                       1 cup granulated sugar
                       1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
                       4 eggs
                       1 teaspoon vanilla
                      ¹/₂ cup lowfat buttermilk
                       3 cups grated carrots (12 ounces)
Frosting

                        1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened

                        2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
                        1 teaspoon vanilla
                        1 cup chilled whipping cream

Heat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Line 24 muffin cups with paper liners.

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in medium bowl.

Beat butter in bowl of a heavy-duty mixer on Medium speed until creamy. Gradually add granulated sugar and brown sugar, scraping sides of bowl occasionally, and beat 2 minutes.
Beat in eggs, one at a time, scraping down sides of bowl after each egg is added. Add vanilla and beat 2 minutes until mixture is very light and creamy.

Reduce mixer speed to Low. Add flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with 2 additions of buttermilk. Scrape down sides of bowl after each addition. Beat until smooth, but no longer than 15 seconds. Add carrots and mix. Pour into prepared muffin cups.

Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center of a cupcake comes out clean and cake springs back when touched lightly. The tops may look a little moist. Cool 5 minutes and remove from pan. Cool completely on wire cooling rack. The cupcakes must be at room temperature before frosting.

Frosting

Place cream cheese in bowl of a heavy-duty mixer and beat at Medium speed until creamy and smooth. Add powdered sugar, vanilla, and whipping cream. Increase mixer speed to High and beat until light and fluffy, scraping down sides of bowl a few times.

Frosting should be firm enough to spread on cupcakes. After frosting cupcakes, store them in refrigerator. They can also be frozen.

If you only have one 12-cup muffin pan, make 12 cupcakes, and bake the remaining batter in a greased and floured 9-inch round cake pan. Bake 22 to 25 minutes.To bake in a 13 x 9-inch baking pan, allow 40 to 50 minutes. Test for doneness with a toothpick.

Cool Days are Warmed with Spicy Turkey Chili

Recently my husband and I took a brief trip "up North" to Duluth to view the brilliant colors of autumn. The aspen trees and poplars covered hillsides in shimmering shades of yellow that were a strong contrast to the red maples. As we left Duluth we took a few photos from the top of the hill overlooking the harbor and the St. Louis River.

On a cool blustery fall day, Chili is always welcome and the scent of simmering spices fills the house with warmth. Ground turkey contains less cholesterol than ground beef and is lower in calories. I always use ground turkey breast without the skin because of its’ lower fat content. Add a little olive oil to help the meat brown and garnish with slices of avocado, and you are adding healthy unsaturated fats. I always serve Cornmeal Muffins with chili.

 

Turkey Chili

Makes 4 servings

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 cup chopped onion

8-10 oz. ground turkey breast

2 cans (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes

1 can (15 oz.) chili beans

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon cider vinegar

1/2 ripe avocado, sliced

 Heat the olive oil in a 4-quart saucepan over medium heat and add the onion. Cook about 3 minutes or until the onion softens and add the turkey. Cook until the meat is lightly browned and no pink remains, stirring occasionally.

 Stir in the tomatoes, chili, beans, chili powder and vinegar. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and cook 20 to 30 minutes to blend flavors. Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Spoon the chili into bowls and top with avocado slices.

 

Spicy chili beans are high in fiber and available with mild, medium or hot sauce.

Scandinavian Baking at the MN State Fair

Scandinavian Tosca Bars


Tomorrow, August 24, I'm doing a demo at the MN State Fair in the St. Agnes Baking Co. Kitchen located in the Creative Activities Building. At 11 a.m. I'll be baking Scandinavian Tosca Bars and at 1 p.m. Finnish Orange Cake. It's a short demo and I have to take everything with me so I'm packing up and hope I don't forget something.

I do have recipe handouts and everyone is always looking for new recipes. Of course, I'll have Scandinavian Classic Baking with me, too.

My daughter Kristin is helping me and in between demos, we'll be looking for food "on a stick"!

Here's a recipe for a classic bundt cake that bakes in a 12-cup bundt pan.  

Orange Bundt Cake

 

A classic pound cake is made with one pound each of butter, sugar, eggs and flour but doesn’t have the lighter texture preferred today in cakes. The delicate orange flavor added by the orange rind can be intensified by also adding orange extract. If you are using a fluted tube pan, I recommend using shortening and brushing it into all the grooves in the pan before flouring.

 Makes 1 cake, 12 to 16 servings

 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

4 large eggs, room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon orange extract, if desired

3/4 cup 2% milk, room temperature

1/4 cup orange juice

2 tablespoons grated orange rind

 Heat the oven to 350°F with rack in lower third. Thoroughly grease and flour a 10-inch fluted tube pan or an angel food cake pan.

Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a medium bowl. Combine the milk and orange juice.

Beat the butter in the bowl of a heavy-duty mixer on medium speed until creamy. Gradually add the sugar, scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally, and beat 2 minutes.

Beat in the eggs, one at a time, scraping the sides of the bowl after each egg is added. Add the vanilla and beat 3 minutes until the mixture is very light and creamy.

Reduce the mixer speed to low. Add the flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with 2 additions of the milk. Scrape down the sides of the bowl after each addition. After adding all of the flour beat until smooth, but no longer than 15 seconds.

Stir in the orange rind. Pour into the prepared pan and spread evenly.

Bake 50 to 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of cake comes out clean.  Cool on a wire cooling rack 10 minutes. Run a spatula or a wooden skewer around the edge of the pan and around tube in the center to loosen the cake. Carefully loosen the cake from pan and invert onto cooling rack. Cool completely.

Serve with whipped cream.