TWD: Gingered Carrot Cookies + cream cheese filling

I really didn't know if I would end up getting around to making this week's cookie recipe for the Gingered Carrot Cookies for Tuesdays with Dorie.  The recipe was chosen by Natalia at gatti fili e farina and I'm so very glad she spotted this one tucked away in the book.  I'm not sure, because they don't sound familiar that I did notice this one in the book before.  And what a shame missing out on this recipe would have been.

Of course, as usual I couldn't leave well enough alone and changed some of the ingredients a bit.  I left out the raisins - no shocker there with me of course.  I wasn't sure how that was going to affect the texture so I decided to replace that cup of raisins with another cup of carrots. Dorie's description made the carrot flavor sound fairly subtle and I didn't think I would mind the extra hit of the carrot flavor.

I also happened to have some left over orange candied pecans (I'll post that recipe soon!) so I used those instead of the plain pecans.  I didn't really think the extra flavor would be noticeable, but it actually did still stand out in the cookie - and it was awesome!

The last thing I did to change things up was simply to turn some of these cookies into little inside-out carrot cookies with cream cheese frosting in the middle.  Any version would do - and incidentally I think it would be really nice with a little hint of cinnamon in the frosting.

Be sure to visit the TWD blog for everyone's links that made the cookies this week.

Simple Creamy Polenta

I made my first attempt at polenta the other day, mainly in an attempt to find something thoroughly fattening that my toddler would eat, and that would go well with some roasted asparagus and schnitzel.

Let me just tell you, this recipe is a winner. Everyone loved it. And when I say everyone, for once, that includes the super picky non-eating toddler. He is a champ at not eating and this stuff he just kept coming back for more.

The secret ingredient in this creamy polenta though was the fact that it uses an entire package of cream cheese. Which, while that is great for an underweight baby, is not so great for his Mama. All I can say is, ration yourself accordingly because this recipe is totally worth it. The directions and ingredients were easy enough I really felt like I knew what I was doing.

One word of advice I will give you about this recipe though, which you can find over at Simply Recipes, was that my polenta looked like it was done cooking and super thick, about 6 minutes into cooking. The recipe calls for longer cooking than that though, so I just kept with it. I did test it when I was afraid I was overcooking and the grains weren't ready yet, so if it looks like it is done, just trust the recipe and keep your heat on low and stir well, and you should be fine!  Note: Alanna made an excellent point about just trusting the recipe and gave me a much clearer way to put what I was trying to tell you.  She said, "consult the recipe, trust your instincts, watch and taste, you will be fine".  So please, do that! ; )

Carrot Cake Cupcakes

Until very recently I had never really liked carrot cake.  I'm not a big fan of cakes that are 'loaded' to the brim with stuff and most carrot cakes are just way too busy for me with all the carrots, nuts, pineapple, coconut, etc. in there. 

Then there are these cupcakes.  Simple, not overloaded and, in a word, heavenly.  If there is a simpler recipe, I don't know what it would be.  These are cupcakes that are mixed in one bowl really, and by hand.  The most high-tech thing that has to be done is to shred a couple of carrots.  In fact, other than some spice, the carrots, and the usual suspects, there aren't any other embellishments in this recipe.  And it doesn't need it.  

Don't get me wrong, you could certainly toss some toasted nuts in, or add some other stuff to it if you want, but you don't have to.  Which is really nice.   The frosting is the perfect embellishment with the cream cheese, some orange zest and vanilla bean paste - I just dearly love the orange / vanilla combo.  I also added just a little bit of heavy cream to my frosting to get a more flowing frosting that was somewhere between a thick frosting and an extra thick glaze.  These cupcakes are great with a few broken pieces of lightly toasted walnuts or pecans on top too.

The first time I made these cupcakes was for my husband's birthday.  He is rather hard to please in the dessert department, and especially with cake.  I did know that he liked carrot cake though.  I literally threw these together while dinner was cooking.  They were mixed, baked, cooled, frosted and eaten within about 45 minutes.  That, in my opinion, is my kind of dessert. 

Carrot Cake Cupcakes

Adapted from Martha Stewart

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted

1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar

1 large egg

2 Tablespoons sour cream

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups grated carrots (about 4 medium carrots)

Frosting:

1 8-oz. package cream cheese, room temperature

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup powdered confectioners' sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste (or 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract)

Finely grated zest of one orange

1 - 2 Tablespoons heavy cream (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Line a 12-cup standard muffin tin with paper liners.

In a large bowl whisk together all the dry ingredients and set aside.

In another large bowl whisk together the remaining ingredients, except for the carrots. Combine well, then stir in the grated carrots.  Gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and stir until well combined.  

Divide between the 12 lined cups (they will be about 3/4 full).  Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through, and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Remove from the pan to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.  

To make the frosting, use an electric mixer to beat the ingredients together.  For a slightly thinner, glaze-like frosting, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of cream and stir into the mixture to get the consistency you want (as shown) - without the cream the frosting will just be thicker.  Top each cupcake with about 2 tablespoons of frosting and serve.

Optional:  These cupcakes are great topped with some lightly toasted pecans or walnuts.

TWD: Tall & Creamy Toffee Cheesecake

I wanted to take this opportunity to thank Laurie for starting this amazing group. As she already knows, this is my weekly therapy session and I don't know where I would be without it! Thank you so much to all of you who come here each week and leave comments. There really aren't words to express how much it means to me. I hope that the coming year is a joyful, peaceful and prosperous one for all of you! I also want to thank Dorie for such an amazing book with such a wonderful array of not only recipes, but stories and insight and ideas that a group like this can be formed around. At our house, this is the go-to book for all ideas and is commonly referred to as The Big Baking Book by my five year old, who loves to flip through the pages and tell me things we should make. I know that this book will be an heirloom and well loved and used for years to come.

After last week's butterscotch excursion I just couldn't seem to let go of that brown sugar depth of flavor - not that I ever do anyway - but as I was making the Tall and Creamy Cheesecake, chosen by Anne of Anne Strawberry I decided I had to play around with the flavor a bit. I knew that this cheesecake recipe was going to be good, but when I served it to our friends on Christmas Day the immediate WOW from all at the table was a nice gift to get.

To play with the flavors of the cheesecake I made the following changes and additions.

First, I made 1 1/2 times the crust amount because I really love a lot of crust. I didn't want to go overboard and double the recipe, but I did want a bit extra that originally called for - that is just preference though.

The major change I made to the recipe was to divide out, at the very beginning, 1/3 cup each of the sugar and cream portions of the cheesecake. I substituted dark brown sugar for that 1/3 cup portion and combined the cream and brown sugar in a small sauce pan and let it boil, then simmer together until nice and golden, thick and syrupy to make a kind of toffee syrup. I set this aside to cool completely before moving on to the rest of the cheesecake. From there, I just followed the regular directions, up until the point of adding in the vanilla, at which point I also drizzled in the toffee syrup. I used sour cream for the remaining portion of cream or sour cream in the recipe.

I really love the creamy, golden color that the toffee flavor added to this cheesecake. I also made Peabody's toffee sauce and added some pecans to it to spoon over the top of the cheesecake. All I can say was that I think I could drink that toffee sauce for breakfast, lunch and dinner (did I mention I used to just eat straight brown sugar from the bag when I was little? Yeah. It is an obsession).

This cheesecake was by far THE BEST CHEESECAKE we have ever had. Not only the texture, but the flavor and ease of making the recipe, now put this week's Tuesdays with Dorie recipe in the running as my favorite recipe so far. I am still a chocoholic at heart, so the Gooey Chocolate Cake hasn't quite been unseated yet, but this cheesecake comes very close.

Make sure to head on over to see all the other amazing creations put together by my Tuesdays with Dorie friends.

Cake Slice Bakers: Sweet Potato Cake with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting and Orange Cream Filling

Well, the cake slice bakers are back again this week with a Sweet Potato Cake. Yes. You heard me right. Sweet Potato. Did I mention it has orange cream cheese filling. Oh, and chocolate cream cheese frosting. Sounds interesting, huh? It also has a fair amount of spices in it.

This cake comes from the amazing and gorgeous cake book, Sky High: Irresistible Triple-Layer Cakes that the Cake Slice Bakers are baking a secret selection from each month for twelve months (ten more cakes to come your way). Our first cake was the Cappuccino Chiffon Cake as seen made by Steph, or in my case the Hot Cocoa Chiffon Cake. I loved that cake and so did everyone that tried it.

This month's cake was really very good and very seasonal for Autumn here in the Northern hemisphere. It tasted a lot like a spice cake and was very moist and tender with great flavor, as for the sweet potato, it was a little something extra that you just couldn't quite put your finger on.

Because there was no one to really share this cake with I went ahead and halved the recipe and just baked it in a jelly roll pan. I cut that into three sections and make a long rectangular cake. My favorite part of the whole recipe was actually the orange cream cheese filling but it was all very good and a lot of fun to make.

Make sure to check out all the other Cake Slice Bakers and their cake creations this month. Stay tuned for the next installment from our cake baking adventures, coming December 20th with the next cake - it is going to be good!!

Sweet Potato Cake
From Sky High: Irresistible Triple-Layer Cakes

2 medium or 1 large sweet potato (12 ounces)
3 cups of cake flour**
3 teaspoons of baking powder
1 and 1/2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon of ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon of cloves
5 eggs, separated
2 and 1/4 cups of sugar
1 stick plus 2 tablespoons of butter, at room temperature
1 and 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla
1 and 1/4 cups of milk
(**The recipe calls for cake flour and if you only have all-purpose flour on hand, you can substitute 3/4 cup (105 grams) all purpose flour plus 2 tablespoons (30 grams) cornstarch.)
(*If fresh sweet potato is not available where you live you may use canned sweet potato, yams, and pumpkin puree)

Makes a 9-inch triple layer cake, serves 16-20 people

1. Preheat the oven to 400F degrees. Prick the sweet potatoes in 2-3 places, place on a small baking dish and bake for 1 hour or until the potatoes are very soft. Remove from the oven and cool slightly.

2. Reduce the oven temperature to 350F degrees. Butter the bottoms and the sides of the pans and line with parchment paper. Butter the parchment paper also.

3. When the sweet potatoes are cool peel off the skin and remove any dark spots. Cut the potatoes into chunks and puree in a food processors. Puree until smooth. Measure out one cup of potato puree and set aside.

4. Sift the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ground cloves. Set aside.

5. In the bowl of electric mixer add the egg whites and attach whip attachment. Beat on medium speed until egg whites are frothy. raise the speed to high and gradually beat in 1/4 cup of sugar. Continue to beat until the egg whites are moderately stiff.

6. In another large bowl with the paddle attachment, combine the sweet potato, butter, vanilla, and remaining sugar. Beat until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolks one at a time. Make sure to scrape the sides of the bowl after each egg yolk is added. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients and milk in alternately in 2-3 additions. making sure to begin and end with the dry ingredients.

7. With a large spatula, fold in one fourth of the egg whites into the batter to lighten. Then fold in the remaining egg whites until no streaks remain. Making sure to not over mix or this will deflate the batter. Divide the batter among of the three pans.

8. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Let the cake layers cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Then turn out the cake layers onto a wire rack and cool completely at least 1 hour.

9. To assemble the cake, place one layer flat side up on to a cake stand. With a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2 inch round tip and filled with chocolate cream cheese icing, pipe border around the edge of the cake. Fill the center with the orange cream filling smoothing it to the edge of the border. Place the second layer on top and repeat the process.Place the third layer on top and use all the chocolate cream cheese frosting to cover the top and sides of the cake.

Chocolate Cream Frosting:
makes 3 cups
10 ounces cream cheese*** at room temperature
1 stick of butter at room temperature
16 ounces of powdered sugar; sifted
1 and 1/2 ounces of unsweetened chocolate melted and slightly cooled
(***1 cup of cream cheese maybe substituted with 1 cup pureed cottage cheese OR 1 cup plain yogurt, strained overnight in a cheesecloth OR equal amounts of neufatel cheese)

1. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the cream cheese and butter until fluffy. Slowly add the powdered sugar to cream cheese butter mixture. Making sure to scrape down the sides the sides of the bowl. Then beat until light fluffy 2-3 minutes.

2. Measure out 1 cup of frosting and set aside.

3. Add the melted chocolate to the remaining icing in the bowl and beat until well combined.

Orange Cream Filling:
1 cup of reserved cream cheese icing from above
2 tablespoons of frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
1/4 teaspoon of orange extract (I used vanilla)

1. Stir together all the ingredients until well mixed.

Daring Bakers Danish Braid - Better Late Than Never!

Because this month of July is turning out to be even crazier than June was, I am so so glad that I was able to get the time this past week to make the Danish Braid from June's Daring Baker's challenge. I was determined to get to it and though I didn't get to it until after the posting date and I didn't get to make all the variations I wanted to - let me just tell you - I am SO glad that I got to it! This dough is so good!!! And, it was fun to make!

Well, since I'm still a crazy person I'm going to keep my comments brief, but the dough was flaky, tender and tasted wonderful. I used the combination of nutmeg, cinnamon and ginger in the dough instead of cardamom and it was delicious. For my filling I made a simple cream cheese filling and a layer of raspberry jam.

The other half of my dough is in the freezer, just waiting until I have another chance to do something fun with it and makes some other pastry shapes.

Thank you to Kelly of Sass & Veracity, and Ben of What’s Cookin’? for choosing such a wonderful selection for June that got me to try making something I've wanted to for a long time.

The recipe for the Danish dough comes from Sherry Yard's The Secrets of Baking.

DANISH DOUGH
Makes 2-1/2 pounds dough

Ingredients

For the dough (Detrempe)
1 ounce fresh yeast or 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1/2 cup whole milk
1/3 cup sugar
Zest of 1 orange, finely grated
3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 vanilla bean, split and scraped
2 large eggs, chilled
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
3-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt

For the butter block (Beurrage)
1/2 pound (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour

DOUGH

Combine yeast and milk in the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix on low speed. Slowly add sugar, orange zest, cardamom, vanilla extract, vanilla seeds, eggs, and orange juice. Mix well. Change to the dough hook and add the salt with the flour, 1 cup at a time, increasing speed to medium as the flour is incorporated. Knead the dough for about 5 minutes, or until smooth. You may need to add a little more flour if it is sticky. Transfer dough to a lightly floured baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Without a standing mixer: Combine yeast and milk in a bowl with a hand mixer on low speed or a whisk. Add sugar, orange zest, cardamom, vanilla extract, vanilla seeds, eggs, and orange juice and mix well. Sift flour and salt on your working surface and make a fountain. Make sure that the “walls” of your fountain are thick and even. Pour the liquid in the middle of the fountain. With your fingertips, mix the liquid and the flour starting from the middle of the fountain, slowly working towards the edges. When the ingredients have been incorporated start kneading the dough with the heel of your hands until it becomes smooth and easy to work with, around 5 to 7 minutes. You might need to add more flour if the dough is sticky.

BUTTER BLOCK

1. Combine butter and flour in the bowl of a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and beat on medium speed for 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and the paddle and then beat for 1 minute more, or until smooth and lump free. Set aside at room temperature.

2. After the detrempe has chilled 30 minutes, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough into a rectangle approximately 18 x 13 inches and ¼ inch thick. The dough may be sticky, so keep dusting it lightly with flour. Spread the butter evenly over the center and right thirds of the dough. Fold the left edge of the detrempe to the right, covering half of the butter. Fold the right third of the rectangle over the center third. The first turn has now been completed. Mark the dough by poking it with your finger to keep track of your turns, or use a sticky and keep a tally. Place the dough on a baking sheet, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

3. Place the dough lengthwise on a floured work surface. The open ends should be to your right and left. Roll the dough into another approximately 13 x 18 inch, ¼-inch-thick rectangle. Again, fold the left third of the rectangle over the center third and the right third over the center third. No additional butter will be added as it is already in the dough. The second turn has now been completed. Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes.

4. Roll out, turn, and refrigerate the dough two more times, for a total of four single turns. Make sure you are keeping track of your turns. Refrigerate the dough after the final turn for at least 5 hours or overnight. The Danish dough is now ready to be used. If you will not be using the dough within 24 hours, freeze it. To do this, roll the dough out to about 1 inch in thickness, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and freeze. Defrost the dough slowly in the refrigerator for easiest handling. Danish dough will keep in the freezer for up to 1 month.

CREAM CHEESE FILLING

Makes enough for two braids

Ingredients
8 oz cream cheese, sotened
½ cup confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 large egg

2/3 cup raspberry preserves

Beat all ingredients (except the preserves) together in a mixing bowl until smooth and light, approximately 3 minutes.

DANISH BRAID

Makes enough for 2 large braids

Ingredients

1 recipe Danish Dough (see below)

For the egg wash: 1 large egg, plus 1 large egg yolk

1. Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper. On a lightly floured surface, roll the Danish Dough into a 15 x 20-inch rectangle, ¼ inch thick. If the dough seems elastic and shrinks back when rolled, let it rest for a few minutes, then roll again. Place the dough on the baking sheet.

2. Along one long side of the pastry make parallel, 5-inch-long cuts with a knife or rolling pastry wheel, each about 1 inch apart. Repeat on the opposite side, making sure to line up the cuts with those you’ve already made.

3. Spoon the filling to fill your braid down the center of the rectangle. Starting with the top and bottom “flaps”, fold the top flap down over the filling to cover. Next, fold the bottom “flap” up to cover filling. This helps keep the braid neat and helps to hold in the filling. Now begin folding the cut side strips of dough over the filling, alternating first left, then right, left, right, until finished. Trim any excess dough and tuck in the ends.

Egg Wash

Whisk together the whole egg and yolk in a bowl and with a pastry brush, lightly coat the braid.

Proofing and Baking

1. Spray cooking oil (Pam…) onto a piece of plastic wrap, and place over the braid. Proof at room temperature or, if possible, in a controlled 90 degree F environment for about 2 hours, or until doubled in volume and light to the touch.

2. Near the end of proofing, preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Position a rack in the center of the oven.

3. Bake for 10 minutes, then rotate the pan so that the side of the braid previously in the back of the oven is now in the front. Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F, and bake about 15-20 minutes more, or until golden brown. Cool and serve the braid either still warm from the oven or at room temperature. The cooled braid can be wrapped airtight and stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days, or freeze for 1 month.