Carrot Cake

First off, I would like to apologize for the poor quality of the photo. The last couple of cakes, I have photographed in other people’s homes and …well, my mini fake studio was not available. This particular cake was for my friend Lucy’s birthday.

She had requested a carrot cake, a four-layer carrot cake, to be exact. Last week she came over, went through all my baking books, and finally settled on …Melissa Murphy’s Carrot Cake with Orange Cream Cheese Frosting.

I also made her a batch of carrot cupcakes (halved the recipe) for any children that were present at the party. The batter seemed a little dense as I made it and I was worried it would turn out a dry cake. When the cakes came out of the oven, they were tall and fluffy. (Whew!) The cream cheese frosting was marvelous. The orange zest really made the icing special.

Once the cake was cut, I was even more pleased at the moist and tender crumb the cake had. (Whew!) I had never made this recipe before, and I usually do a practice cake on new recipes, especially if they are for a party. This was not the case this time around. With my busy schedule and my birthday all falling on the same week as hers, I just ran out time. I was so thrilled that it tasted delicious and that the birthday girl was pleased as well.

Carrot Cake With Fresh Orange Cream Cheese Frosting
From The Sweet Melissa Baking Book by Melissa Murphy

For the cake:
2 cups of AP Flour
1 ½ tablespoons of cinnamon
¾ teaspoon of baking soda
¼ teaspoon of baking powder
4 large eggs
¾ cup of canola oil
2 cups of sugar
1 teaspoon of kosher salt
1 pound freshly grated carrots
¾ cup of walnut pieces

For the frosting:
12 ounces of cream cheese, at room temperature
2 ½ cups of powdered sugar
Zest of one orange
½ pound of unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon of vanilla

Preheat the oven to 350F degrees. Butter and flour two 8x2-inch round cake pans and line with parchment paper, set aside.

In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon. Set aside.

In the bowl of electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the eggs on high speed until light and fluffy. Decrease the speed to medium and add the oil, sugar, and salt. Mix to combine. Decrease the speed to low and gradually add the flour.

Remove the bowl from the mixer and fold in the carrots and walnuts with a rubber spatula.

Divide the batter evenly among the pans. Spin the pans to level the batter. Bake for 45 minutes or until a wooden skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 20 minutes before removing from pans to cool completely.

Frosting:
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together cream cheese, sugar, and zest. Start on low speed and then gradually increase speed to med-high and beat until smooth and fluffy.

On medium speed add the butter and mix until smooth. Add the vanilla and mix until combined. Do not over beat.

Orange Scented Scones

Oh, I cannot tell you enough how much I am enjoying “The Sweet Melissa Baking Book”. This time around, I made the Orange Scented Scones. I just adore any baked goodie that I can have at breakfast. In my world, a naked cupcake counts as a muffin. However, these scones are just perfect for those lazy days that include the newspaper and an endless pot of coffee.

First off, the recipe makes only 6 scones, which is perfect for small families (example: Mr. Gigi Cakes & I). Second, I was intrigued at the addition of oat flour. I was worried that the scones would have an oatmeal taste to them but I was a worrywart for nothing. The scones were tender and flaky just like a well-baked biscuit. The hint of orange added a nice citrus note.

The recipe also has suggested fresh/dry fruit add-ins and how to adjust the liquids if using fresh fruit. I just love all the tips that are in the book. They are really helpful especially if one is baking something unfamiliar. Well, I’m off to drool over which recipe to bake next.

The Sweet Melissa Baking Book

Orange Scented Scones: Makes 6

8 tablespoons of cold unsalted butter
½ cup of oat flour
1 ½ cups of AP flour
2 teaspoon of baking powder
½ teaspoon of kosher salt
1 tablespoon of sugar
2 teaspoons of freshly grated orange zest
2/3 cup heavy cream
1 large egg

For the Glaze:
2 tablespoons of heavy cream
1 tablespoon of sugar

Place the rack in the center oven. Preheat the oven to 350F degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Cut the cold butter into ½ inch pieces. Keep cold.

Place the oat flour in the bowl of a food processor. Add the AP flour, baking powder, salt, sugar , and zest, and pulse to combine. Add the cold butter pieces and pulse until the size of medium peas.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the cream and egg until smooth. Fold the flour into the egg mixture and combine. Don’t over mix.

Turn the dough out into a little floured surface and pat into 7-inch circle. Using a sharp knife cut the circle into 6 wedges (even triangles). Place them at least 2-inches apart on the cookie sheet.

Brush the scones with the heavy cream and then sprinkle the sugar on top.

Bake for 30 minutes, or until lightly golden. Remove to a wire rack and cool.

Chocolate Malted Layer Cake

I cannot tell you how many malted milk chocolate cakes I have made in my lifetime. Too many. The problem seems to be that most recipes call for crushed “Whoppers”. Which is okay, but the malted milk flavor seems to get lost during the baking. The recipes then try to redeem themselves by adding more “Whoppers” in the frosting. That only results in a cake looking bumpy and unappetizing. Until now.

The cake before you is from “The Sweet Melissa Baking Book” written by Melissa Murphy. The Chocolate Malted Layer Cake …oh does it live up to its name. It has a whole cup of malted milk powder in the frosting. I could have ate the icing with a spoon and then died utterly content. The cake is moist, tender and absolutely chocolate-y. Paired together, it has a too die for combination.

There are a myriad of recipes in the book that I want try. So many recipes, so little post-its. Yes, the book is under attack by post-its. Almost every single recipe has a post-it on it to remind me “I must try this soon”.

There are over a 100 recipes in the book! The book is divided into six chapters: dessert for breakfast, after school snacks, birthday, and gifts and so on. The recipes are written in a manner that allows one to “set-up” their “mise en place”. Melissa even offers “pro-tips” which I found extremely helpful. Simply a great book packed full of recipes and tips that can only lead to stunning delicious desserts.

I cannot wait to try more of the recipes out. For example, Orange Scented Scones, Bee Stings, Pistachio Linzer Thumbprints, Lemon Icebox Cake, and Pistachio Opera Fudge. Are just a couple of the recipes at the top of my list.









FOR THE CAKE:
6 ounces best-quality unsweetened chocolate
2/3 cup canola oil
2 & 2/3 cups sugar
1 & 2/3 cups AP flour
1/3 cup of unsweetened dutch cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
¾ teaspoon of kosher salt
2/3 cup of sour cream
3 large eggs
1 & 1/3 cups of hot fresh brewed coffee


FOR THE CHOCOLATE MALTED FROSTING:
1 pound best quality milk chocolate
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup malted milk powder
¼ cup light corn syrup
8 tablespoons of butter, at room temp.
8 ounces of malted milk balls

Position the rack in the center of your oven. Preheat the oven to 350F degrees. Butter and flour two 9x2-inch cake rounds (I used two 5x2-inch pans and halved the recipe). Line each pan with parchment paper.

1. In the top of a double boiler set over simmering water, melt the chocolate, stirring occasionally. When the chocolate is melted whisk in the oil until smooth. Remove from the heat and keep warm over the water.

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Mix well.

3. In a small bowl whisk together the eggs and the sour cream smooth.

4. Add the egg mixture to the flour and mix until well combined, scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the melted chocolate and mix well. Add the hot coffee in a steady stream until combined. Scrape the sides of the bowl (the batter is thin).

5. Divide the batter evenly among the pans. Bake for 35-45 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick comes out clean. Remove from oven and place on wire rack to cool for 25 minutes. Remove cakes from pans and cool completely on the wire racks.

FROSTING:

1. Chop the chocolate into small pieces and place in a medium bowl.

2. In a small saucepan over medium heat bring the heavy cream to a simmer. Whisk in the malted milk powder to combine. Pour over the chocolate. Do not stir. Wait five minutes, and then whisk chocolate until creamy. Stir in the corn syrup. Place a sheet of plastic wrap directly on the chocolate and let cool to room temperature.

3. When the chocolate is cooled, place it in the bowl of electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the butter one tablespoon at a time and mix on low until smooth.

4. The icing is the filling and frosting for this cake. I chose to cut my cake into four layers and placed a small amount of icing in between each layer. I stored the cake in the fridge.